A Love Catastrophe by Helena Hunting is laugh out loud funny and over the top ridiculous--but it somehow works. Kitty Hart is the Kitty Whisperer--a cat trainer and all-around feline expert. Miles, her newest client, dislikes cats, and only reaches out because he's now caring for his mother's cat, Prince Francis. Their initial awkwardness slips into attraction, and their opposite personalities end up balancing each other out perfectly. But when an edited video of an animal-related catastrophe goes viral, Kitty's professional qualifications are called into question as people call for her cancellation.

I loved that this low-stakes romance didn't have a third-act breakup. It was refreshing to have the conflict be something other than a dramatic breakup or misunderstanding.

Content guidance: Dementia (side character), grief (character's parent and character's young sibling in flashbacks), hoarding from side character

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advance reader copy,

This book was so cute, cozy, and SO sweet!!! I’ve been a massive Helena Hunting fan for years now and I can always count on her to put a smile on my face with every book she writes. She has this magic about her writing that draws you in, makes you fall in love with her characters, and makes it all such an enjoyable experience.

This book was such a cute read. I loved the tension at the beginning that morphed into their love story. The quirkiness of both characters was beyond endearing and just made me love them both even more. What I also love about Helena’s writing, is that there’s always a serious topic that is written with such care and love. I love going into books blind so I won’t go into detail, but I felt like Helena handled it with such respect and love. You could feel it through the writing.

Overall, this story was beyond cute and adorable and made me want to cuddle my cat. I loved it (unsurprisingly because I love everything Helena writes) and would highly recommend this to any fan of Helena or any cat lover because this is basically a giant love letter to cat lovers. 🤍

*Thank you Netgalley, Forever publishing, and Helena Hunting for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute, cozy, and SO sweet!!! I’ve been a massive Helena Hunting fan for years now and I can always count on her to put a smile on my face with every book she writes. She has this magic about her writing that draws you in, makes you fall in love with her characters, and makes it all such an enjoyable experience.

This book was such a cute read. I loved the tension at the beginning that morphed into their love story. The quirkiness of both characters was beyond endearing and just made me love them both even more. What I also love about Helena’s writing, is that there’s always a serious topic that is written with such care and love. I love going into books blind so I won’t go into detail, but I felt like Helena handled it with such respect and love. You could feel it through the writing.

Overall, this story was beyond cute and adorable and made me want to cuddle my cat. I loved it (unsurprisingly because I love everything Helena writes) and would highly recommend this to any fan of Helena or any cat lover because this is basically a giant love letter to cat lovers. 🤍

*Thank you Netgalley, Forever publishing, and Helena Hunting for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The last time I “read” a Hunting rom-com was listening to the Make A Wish audiobook. My response to A Love Catastrophe echoes what I reviewed about the latter: there were aspects I enjoyed and others I grew impatient with. Frankly, I near-skimmed the last third of Love Catastrophe, so flat did it prove.

To start, while Love Catastrophe is touted as a rom-com, most of the narrative is taken up by the protagonists’ sombre backstories. If you’re looking for chuckles, they don’t come from wit or banter: Hunting leans to physical comedy, which I’m not amused by…further diminishing what little pleasure I found in the romance.

Let’s set us up with the publisher’s blurb to orient protagonists and plot:

Kitty Hart has become internet famous as the Kitty Whisperer for her expertise on all things feline, and as a result, her cat-sitting business is booming. But lately, she has a terrible feeling that maybe her life isn’t quite going where it’s supposed to—especially after falling face-first into her newest client. Not exactly the best first impression.

Fortunately, Miles Thorn is just as bad at first impressions. Strike one: he doesn’t like cats, especially Prince Francis, the haughty and mischievous Sphynx his mom left in his care. Strike two: tackling Kitty to the floor in a misguided attempt to save the pet he continually calls “the gremlin.”

As awkwardness slides into attraction and things start to turn purr-sonal, will these two complete opposites ever be able to find their furry-tail ending?

Working through the protagonists’ backstories, as I stated above, takes up a good two-thirds of the narrative and, frankly, is the best part. Miles’s mother hasn’t left the cat in his care, she has early-onset dementia and is in hospital. Hunting handles this with sensitivity and knowledge. I thought this portrayal of what Miles and his mother are going through, the difficult practical decisions and, more importantly, emotional turmoil, were beautifully done. Moreover, Kitty and Miles have tragic family backstories of loss and grief. This too is sensitively handled with Hunting doing a good job of showing realization and growth on both their parts.

But you would rightly say, “MissB, isn’t this a romance?” Well, yes, and a convincing one at that. While the blurb makes Miles and Kitty sound like “opposites-attract/grumpy-sunshine” combo, they’re more nuanced than that. And they have a lot in common: not just their family histories, but their love of animals and their ability to have fun together. All’s well in the bedroom too because this IS a romance and that seems to be de rigueur. Here’s my problem with what Hunting does: after a little initial verbal sparring, all tension deflates…oozes right out of the relationship. Miles and Kitty are great together: so where does the conflict come? As long as it’s inner and they’re working it out, with each other’s help, things stay interesting. But then…oye.

Hunting obviously doesn’t believe in the romance “dark moment” to create tension, drama, and anticipation. So…instead, there’s a silly slapstick incident, which is made way more important than it should be. And Miles works it all out for Kitty because he is, after all, the perfect boyfriend. I was bored. And I can’t say I’d jump at the chance to read another Hunting. Too bad because there were aspects I liked. But the resorting to tripping, falling, stumbling, and embarrassing your protagonists for tension and drama and to make sure, despite the serious “stuff” you’ve done well, you put the com in the rom doesn’t work for this reader. In the end, Helen Hunting’s Love Catastrophe, Miss Austen agrees, offers “tolerable comfort,” Mansfield Park.

Helena Hunting’s A Love Catastrophe is published by Forever and has been out and available since early June. I received an e-ARC from Forever, via Netgalley. This does not impede the free expression of my opinion.

A thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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I plowed through this read during a readathon earlier in the year, and while I’m really more of a dog lover, cats are just fine too. Kitty is a cat whisperer, and Miles hires her to train his mother’s cat that he is tasked with taking care of while she is ill. This was a light and fluffy rom-com that didn’t really take too many turns that the reader isn’t expecting. There are a ton of puns and innuendos made around Kitty and her company’s name, which personally I thought got a little overdone, but in life…you know everyone would be making the same commentary.
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Kitty and Miles make an okay pair. I wanted them to get together because I knew it was coming, but as characters I didn’t totally see the attraction on the page. I am glad that Miles didn’t have a dog-related name, since Kitty’s best friend, Cat, runs a cat cafe, and it seemed like this might be an ongoing theme. I’ve liked the author’s books in the past, and I’m sure I will like more of them in the future, but this one was just a bit of a miss for me. Fine for a fast read, but not one I’ll be picking up a second time.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a funny, sweet, and really easy read, which is perfect for summer, when you just want to escape the world and relax.

Kitty Hart has a cat-sitting business, which is doing well enough for her to work at it and her social media presence full time. She has a range of amusing clients and is definitely adept at her job – even training cats to press bells to ask for treats, etc.

Miles is a statistician working for an NHL team finding how to improve small things in players to increase their effectiveness on the ice – I found this engaging as a concept and gave another dynamic to the story. He is also dealing with a mum who has just been hospitalised and found to be suffering from early onset dementia. He now needs to sort out how to care for her Sphynx cat too. I felt that Hunting did a good job of adding some difficult elements to the story without bringing the whole vibe down, and she paired it well with Kitty's parental issues.

Miles calls Kitty for help and the rest all falls together in a cute and slightly crazy way. You will have to read it to find out just how crazy, because it is always best to come to these things afresh, but I don't think you will be disappointed. I like it when awkward becomes confident thanks to the people around them supporting them through the difficult things that life kicks up. It deepens the connection and reminds us that love is not just passion – although, that is good too. 😻

I did laugh out loud a few times, as well as having a few tears, but I enjoyed racing my way through to see how a Great Dane owning guy could have a relationship with a cat-loving Kitty Whisperer!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
A Love Catastrophe made me laugh out loud. Kitty and Miles’ first meeting was funny and Miles’ comment about his mother’s – OMG, I couldn’t stop laughing. Initially, the story had a little bit of an enemies-to-lovers vibe because their first meeting doesn’t really go well, but it doesn’t take long before romance has things between Miles and Kitty moving in the right direction.

Despite the fact that Miles works for an NHL team and Kitty is a bit of an internet star, they feel like regular, every day people. Their love story felt like something every day people could aspire to.

While romance is blooming, Kitty and Miles are both dealing with grief and the aftermath of losing a loved one. Even though dealing with grief is a serious issue, it didn’t bring the book down. I really appreciated their honest conversation, and I loved the way they supported each other.

If you are looking for a traditional, fun romance with just a dose of spice, I’d definitely recommend A Love Catastrophe, I really enjoyed it.

This wasn't as good as I had expected. The author has a lot a hype so I was expecting more lovable characters. I'll try some of her other books, but this one isn't on my recommend list.

I enjoyed the relationship between Kitty and Miles. I enjoyed how their relationship developed so so much! Kitty is obsessed with cats which is a big part of the book and she is a bit different which might drive some readers crazy but I actually enjoyed her a lot!

This book was a fun read with a lot of laugh out loud moments as well as some serious topics.

Helena Hunting was one of my first romance authors and there are several of her books I love. However, this book missed the mark for me. The characters, especially Kitty, were just over the top as was much of the plot. While I appreciated no third act breakup, the conflict in its place was a little strange and random, coming out of nowhere.
I just didn't feel the chemistry of these two characters that much

What a sugary sweet, fun, romantic comedy. I love an opposites attract trope, and this one felt unique. There are serious tones but they are tackled with a light hearted tone. If you're into hockey, cats, dealing with parent issues, or just want a sweet romcom...this book is for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars.

Cute but lacked any substance. I like a little more conflict between the main characters and while Miles was grumpy, it didn’t last long. There were some overly cutesy things that also didn’t help me enjoy this. Not quite what I was expecting; there’s usually much more to Helena Hunting’s stories so this fell flat for me.

I wanted so badly to love this book. Kitty - of course her name is Kitty - owns Kitty Queen, a cat-sitting/care service. She meets Miles when he desperately needs help taking care of his mom's cats. It's not quite a meet-cute, but it's close enough and their attraction grows and simmers throughout the book.

There is a lot of grief in this book - grief for lost family members (one in a tragic childhood accident), grief over illness (dementia). It's unexpected and while I felt it was handled well, I did not anticipate that from the description. This book was surprisingly heavy at times, especially as the child of a parent with dementia.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was adorable. I loved how the romance developed organically and they were friends first.

There were some hard things represented in this book. Loss of a child, dementia, loss of a parent. The author handled them all well and with grace.

The hockey references were a bonus too.

Overall I liked the book. I’d like to thank NetGalley and Forever Publishing for my advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is cute, quirky light hearted romcom with a lot of cats! I am an animal lover and cat lover so this book was one I was really excited to read. It’s funny and has many cat puns throughout the story. I loved the two main characters of Kitty and Miles. They could t be more opposite people who seem like at first would not be a likely couple. As the story evolves we learn they actually have a lot more in common than they realize. It’s what makes their connection so special I think. There are some heavy topics intermixed in the book and I think the book does a great job addressing those and handling life with such heavy trauma that has happened to both characters. Many thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Give me all the books writing by this author! Helena Hunting is one of my favorite authors. She makes me laugh and fall in love with the characters before the book is over. I always know when I pick up one of her books I am going to smile at some point and be sucked into the story. This one was no different. A Love Catastrophe was a fun quick read.

Oh my god I read a lot of modern romance and this book was so stinkin' sweet and I loved every minute of it. I loved the sunshine/grump dynamic between the two main characters, Kitty and Miles. I loved how eccentric Kitty was with her cat whisperer job and that she was also a social media influencer and even though Miles made a couple missteps with Kitty in the beginning they had such a sweet and honest relationship. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that a lot of contemporary romances rely on an issue between the two MCs to create conflict but this one had an outside conflict for Kitty and Miles was so sweet and supportive for her. I think both of their characters had a lot of growth especially when it came to dealing with their families and also just as a couple and growing together. This book was such an easy and lovely read and I'd recommend it to any romance lovers.

This was a cute romantic comedy. If you're a cat lover you will enjoy this. Overall a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Miles is a sexy stats man who works for an NHL team but he needs help with his mom’s cat while she’s hospitalized and moves into specialized housing. I loved that hockey is still a part of the story (as I’m obsessed). Enter Kitty Hart the cat whisperer. Mile’s needs Kitty to take care of Prince Francis and along the way the strangers become friends and then more.
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The book has a few open door scenes but if you’ve read other books by Helena, this is very tame! A huge thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for my newest book boyfriend (Miles) not Prince Francis.

"Sometimes, we have to let go of the past to make room for a brighter future."

Another super cute summer read that you should all get your hands on :) Kitty Hart is known on social media as The Kitty Whisperer. She's absolutely amazing with cats, and her profile has caused her cat-sitting business to do extremely well. One day, she gets a call from a brand new client, and that client is none other than the handsome Miles Thorn. Miles is a NHL data analyst, and to be honest, he's more of a cat person than a dog person. The only reason he called Kitty was to help take care of his mom's cat, because she hasn't been doing too well. When Kitty and Miles meet, their first impressions are not it. I'm talking about a hilarious meet-cute. The two constantly butt heads (I mean, it's a dog person vs. a cat person, so what can we expect🤷‍♀️). Kitty and Miles are polar opposites, as we've got a woman who loves sunshine and smiling, and a man who is grumpy pretty much all the time. But, opposites attract...and the chemistry is there. Also, Kitty and Miles come from a lot of family trauma. Hearing about the tragedies of Kitty's father and Miles' little brother, and how it affected their families, made me cry😭 Such a wonderful story about learning to forgive oneself, self-growth, and staying true to who you are.

This was cute, especially if you love cats. There wasn’t much up and down tempo to this, it was just cute in a refreshing easy read kind of way.