A super sweet holiday read!

I’m a cat lover so I obviously had to read this book this season!! I loved that Kara co-owned a cat-cafe and every chapter starting with a little graphic and blurb about the adoptable cats was absolutely precious.

The romance part of the book was lacking, I didn’t feel the huge connection between Kara and Ben but I still loved the story and how everything came together in the end.

If you’re a cat lover - I think you’ll really enjoy this book! If you’re a dog lover - this book is still very cute and sweet and perfect for a happy holiday read!!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an eARC copy of this book on exchange for an honest review!

There is just something about cats and grumpy men that will forever warm my heart. When Ben stumbles upon Meow and Furrever Cat cafe he hatches a plan to help them save before Christmas. When Kara forces a kitten on Ben since the shelter side of the cafe is full they start down the road to friendship and then sparks.

I really enjoyed both Ben and Kara and how complicated both of them were. Add cats and Christmas and I had a great time reading about their love story. I would recommend this one for anyone who is looking for a Christmas book that does not completely revolve around the holiday season.

ᗷOOK ᖇEᐯIEᗯ

"𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒕.” - 𝑳𝒆𝒘𝒊𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍

I don't know about you, but I adore cats and when the opportunity opened to read and review A Cat Cafe Christmas by Codi Gary I jumped fast! Thank you Forever publisher and Grand central Publisher for the free gifted copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone. Please swipe for the synopsis and I must give credit to my very first cat, Shadow making an appearance today.

✔️ Holiday Romance
✔️ Closed Door Romance
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine
✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Sworn Off Relationships
✔️ Lovers in Denial
✔️ Emotional Scars
✔️ Fish out of Water

I loved the premise of this book- two seemingly opposite but broken people meet and cautiously fall for each other. Add in a dash of felines, saving a cat cafe from closing, Christmas and you have a fantastic recipe for a heartwarming story.

Additionally, I admired the chapter headings which featured a sketch of each adoptable cat with its name and cat puns included.

Apart from the story taking me far too long to finish, I was becoming uninterested toward the end (which was worthy of a star dock to me), I would recommend this read to anyone that enjoys a heartwarming story surrounding Christmas, cats, and coffee. Some of the best things in life, in my opinion.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I am not a fan of the romance genre. I do pick up, read and enjoy romance books that have prominent cat characters but this is the first one where the cats were an added bonus. I loved it. If you enjoy romance with some raunchy bits, give it a pass. This is definitely Hallmark material but it is enchanting, uplifting and delightful.

Kara and her bestie Charity have started a cat cafe but it’s future is anything but sure. Kara, who is a vet, wanted to start a low cost clinic but there are doubts whether they will even be in business after the holidays. Enter Ben. He is in marketing and has put together a social media scheme to drive people into the cafe. Kara explodes at the unexpected intervention. They have such a rocky start you know they are destined to fall in love.

Both are deeply wounded by past loves. Ben’s fiancé is now with his brother and the first inkling was when she returned his ring. He is bitter and hurt and not in the mood for a relationship. Kara’s experience is worse. Her fiancé had used her to embezzle funds and personal information from the non-profit where she held a responsible position. Although cleared of any wrong doing, trial by social media has ruined her life. So when this new guy figures he will “help” her with social media, he and his ideas are the last thing she wants to consider.

Needless to say there are many trials and tribulations in front of them before she turns him into a cat person and he turns her into a vindicated woman. The clinic and all its residents have happy endings and both Kara and Ben are able to put their demons to rest and start afresh.

If you are looking for something light and feel good, check it out. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Five purrs and two paws up.

A fun Christmas romance! This book would make a great hallmark movie. This book for cat fans for sure. I hope there is a second book and this becomes a series as I became invested in the characters.

We are following Kara and Ben, who are both grumpy, pessimistic, troubled souls for different reasons. Kara’s ex-boyfriend was a fraudulent thief (who stole her customer info) and is being released from prison soon, and Ben’s brother eloped with his former fiancé. Both of those situations have left them feeling depressed, angry, cautious, and distrusting.

This novel does not start off well. Kara is having anxiety over the amount of people showing up at the cat café, so she is snippy and rude to Ben after she finds out his company is responsible for the marketing, and Ben thinks she is over-emotional, ungrateful and crazy for expressing her emotions and having anxiety. (it came off a tad misogynistic)

Both of these main characters are going through a lot, but they both were insufferable at different points in the novel. At one point, Kara literally harasses Ben to keep a helpless little kitten even though he’s living in a home under construction, and has never owned a pet before. That behavior was…really off-putting. Not everyone wants to own an animal - it doesn’t make them a monster. As someone who has owned many pets and fostered plenty more, owning animals and taking care of them is a HUGE RESPONSIBILITY and you should never judge someone for not wanting to take care of them. Ben brought the kitten to a shelter to get care, not to get shamed and ridiculed for doing the responsible thing.

Kara also makes a point to say that audiobooks are not actual reading, which is extremely ableist and frustrating. As a personal gripe, I just can’t get behind a character who believes that! And Ben doesn’t have any concept of boundaries. He snoops through her past, makes a marketing plan without consulting her or Charity, etc. He also complains about his family with no boundaries yet completely oversteps all boundaries with Kara???

Also, this didn’t really have a big Christmas vibe. The holiday season was definitely in the background, and this felt like a story more about saving a cat café and helping these two main characters heal from their past than anything else.

However, I did love that there was a little “Tinder” blurb for a different adoptable cat before each chapter! So freaking cute. I also think that if you stick it out, you end up liking the characters a bit more than in the beginning, and they call each other out on the unfavorable behavior. Plus it’s super cute to see the cats getting adopted, but it made me think about all of the pets who don’t get loving homes or have a happily-ever-after…

**Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review**

Such a cute book! This was my first holiday book ever and it was adorable! Very much hallmark/lifetime movie vibes which normally aren’t my thing. I’ve always loved the idea of Cat Cafes but never really went to one before but this story may have changed my mind.

The hardships that Ben and Kara overcame was inspiring. I don’t think I could do what they did. And they worked so hard to help all the precious kitties.

I also ADORED the chapter headings! The doodle kitties where a lovely touch and it was fun reading a small snippet to get know the cats they were talking about.

This book was unfortunately a miss for me. I listened to the audiobook and the man’s Boston accent made him SO unattractive to me I couldn’t get past it. I also thought it just overall was kinda a lame story and dragged on (and on and on and on)…

I have mixed feelings on this story. I enjoy the premise, the characters, and naturally, the cats. I love the cat cafe and all of the marketing stuff - that’s all really great!

The writing is…okay. Some of it is pretty good, but some of it is not good at all. Some of the dialogue was stilted and did not feel natural to me. And, while I realize that the author is not a veterinarian, the blocked cat scene left me feeling some things because I DO work in a vet clinic and *face palm.* I was very happy that there was finally a story where the main character is a vet and they use their skills in the story, I just wish a veterinary professional had maybe read over that part? Some people may say that’s being nit-picky and it’s “just a fiction book”, but that is my field of profession and it matters to me!

Overall it’s a cute story (it’s not a Christmas story, just set at Christmas time!) that has some enjoyable stuff in it! If you like cats, underdog characters, and fun romance, give it a shot!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Codi Gary, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Christmas romance that involves cats... does it get any sweeter? I absolutely adored this story of Kara, the veterinarian who is co-owner of a cat café who has had a recent tumultuous relationship, and the new boy in town who is running from his own relationship problems, Ben. Their story is one that many people can relate to; a story of people who have been hurt in their past relationships but who learn to heal together. It was a feel good Christmas book that kept me entertained and I truly enjoyed it. The only note that I would have is that the steam level is very low, but that makes it fantastic for readers of all ages. I also have to say that I enjoyed reading the little blurbs regarding the cats at the beginning of each chapter as well. It was adorable, and the names of the cats in the café were so cute, inventive and unique! Again, truly enjoyed this Christmas romance, and look to buy it for gifts for my family.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy. The opinions in this review are all my own.

I actually pre-ordered this book with a local bookseller because I thought it was going to be great. This book was awful. The writing was meh. The story was meh. Overall a huge flop.

This is a wonderful holiday book about overcoming loss and betrayal and finding the courage to try again. Kara is working on finding her footing again when her last relationship ends up with both her and her ex in cuffs and on the news. Kara was cleared of all wrongdoing but is now media shy and just wants to keep her head down and take care of the cats in her care at the local cat café which she runs with her friend. Ben is decidedly NOT a cat lover. He recently moved into town after his brother ends up marrying Ben's ex-fiancé. Working in publicity, Ben runs into Kara and even though the two get off on the wrong foot, he ends up writing up a business proposal for the café to get in the black and realize their plan to run a full veterinary practice in the back.

Ben and Kara are great together and really made me laugh out loud. I appreciated that their relationship gradually changed instead of doing so overnight. It takes a long time for them to trust one another after their past experiences and hurts which feels very real. Their friends offer both genuine care and support along with some great comedic relief. There is somehow a small-town feel that works. The holiday setting to the book puts you in the right mood and the beginning of each chapter opens with a delightful recommendation for adoption of a cat or kitten with a witty name. The two characters show growth and it makes you so happy for their win in the end. I had not read anything by Codi Gary but will be looking for more in the future. If you want a funny, light, holiday read this one is great...even if you are not a cat lover yourself.

𝘼 𝘾𝙖𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙛é 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 by Codi Gary

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre/tropes: fiction, romance, opposites attract
CW: cheating exes

Gotta love when two people don’t hit it off immediately, but circumstances bring them back together later. Such is the case with marketing expert Ben and veterinarian Kara who first meet outside her cat café during a promotion campaign created by him and his agency. Kara’s terrified of the spotlight because she’s been traumatized by negative publicity that continues to harm her reputation. Ben’s unaware of her past so doesn’t get her attitude. He hopes to never see her again, but when he discovers an abandoned kitten in his home that he’s rehabbing, he brings it to the café to be checked. He’s not a pet person, but reluctantly fosters the kitten due to shortage of foster homes during the holiday. Because of this Kara and Ben have to stay in contact. And then stuff happens between them…

I was smitten by this story! All the characters are charming, the storyline compelling - both Kara and Ben have been burned by their exes and so are extremely slow to trust. Their friendship evolves naturally into something deeper which is scary territory for both of them. All of their hesitancy is valid, and I just quietly rooted for them to work through it to find their happiness.

You can add this to the list of sweet, uplifting holiday reads that’s loaded with humor. I liked Codi Gary’s writing so I’ll be checking out more from her. You’ll be amused by the brief description of each cat up for adoption at the beginning of each chapter. Spoiler alert: everyone and the cats get their happily ever after!

Thanks to @netgalley & @readforeverpub for my ARC. This is my honest review.

I was really hoping this would be a cute, light, fun read, but it was a bit of a letdown. There was so much dialogue and it felt very stilted. I can't imagine friends talking to each other in that way (e.g. avoiding cursing for example). I also thought it was very strange for a character in a book to be dismissive and ableist about audiobooks, when a reader might literally be listening to the book! The character's thoughts on audiobooks were never called out or critiqued as ableist by the other main character.

One thing I did like about this book were the descriptions of cats at the beginning of each chapter! I wish the cats had played a bigger role in the book.

A cate cafe Christmas had everything I thought I wanted in a romcom. A fun merry cute, a strong heroine, and cats!

However, I found myself not liking our FMC. The one part that really turned me off from her was when her friend (who is black) was talking about her problems and the FMC (who is white) says she wished her problems were like hers. Implying her problems aren’t important. But also completely inconsiderate for a white woman to say that to a person of color.

I just could not get invested in the story but I thought the cat bits at the front of each chapters was cute.

Cats, Christmas, and cozy vibes. A Cat Cafe Christmas offers a Hallmark vibes premise of a heroine trying to start over and run a beloved cat cafe.

By far my favorite part of the book were the cat intros and descriptions that mark the beginning of a new chapter. Our main characters are flawed and stand on the trope of enemies to lovers. I didn't feel particularly connected to any of the characters other than Matilda, the cat. It felt the characters leaned too far into their flaws and insecurities from past trauma. For example, Kara is just always jumping to conclusions and standing firmly rooted in her point of view. While I understand and can empathize to a point of why she does, she consistently pushed others a way over it and it toed the miscommunication/no communication line. The setting is fun, fresh, and unique. The vibes are cozy and a perfect read to snuggle up with your own furry friend by the Christmas tree.

This was such a cozy Christmas book that felt like a Hallmark cozy movie. Codi Gary/Hall is one of my favorite authors who brings places and people to life with her writing. I own all of her cozy Christmas books and can't wait to read more from this author. Excited for more!

This book gave me all the warm, fuzzy feelings that a Christmas story should give. There was romance, humor, characters with interesting backstories, and cats. I genuinely enjoyed reading this story and always find Codi Gary books worth the read. This is a quick story that still had heart put into the characters. I loved the different friendships and the family dynamics. The way the relationships were portrayed seemed realistic. A good book for the holidays.

This is definitely a book for cat lovers as every chapter stars with mini cat intros. I adored reading about the cats, especially Chaos and Matilda, and seeing them find their forever homes.
I found some of the dialogue cringey but the characters were still likable. It took a while for the story to get interesting but there were enough conflicts to liven up the plot. The second half was significantly better than the beginning as the starting storyline didn’t flow naturally and seemed rushed.
There is some diversity to the characters with the leading lady having ADHD and both main characters’ descriptions leaning towards plus-size. I absolutely loved that Kara’s nose was brought into her characterization since most romcoms’ women have little button noses. There’s also a lot of diverse secondary and background characters as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adopted my own cat from a cat cafe, so I was really excited for this. And I did really love the fun cat names and descriptions that started each chapter, and the general love for cats throughout the book. Unfortunately I found the heroine pretty insufferable. She was so incredibly judgmental and quick to come to the wrong conclusion. Unpleasant!