Member Reviews
If you are a cat lover, this book is for you. The entire book revolves around Kitty's cat sitting business and her never ending love for cats. I, like Miles, am unfortunately not a cat lover. I probably would have made fun of Prince Francis and his bald skin, so Kitty would've hated me. The storyline was fun and I laughed, especially when Miles was initially signing up for Kitty's services. However, I could imagine Kitty's falsetto cat-cute voice and I just couldn't enjoy the story as much as I wanted to.
When NHL analyst, Miles', Mom falls ill, he needs someone to look after his mom's demonic cat. He calls up Kitty Hart, a local internet-famous cat sitter. After terrible first impressions, they couldn't seem more opposite. After all, Miles is a DOG LOVER 😱 But as they spend more time together, the more similar they are at the core, eventually leading to attraction. When an unfortunate video of Kitty goes viral, will the duo's relationship prove strong enough to actually overcome anything?
**
Miles and Kitty are seriously quirky. Sometimes, Kitty's dedication to the brand by always incorporating cat phrases into her lingo were a but cringey but I could mostly get over it because her and Miles were so cute.
My only wish is that the tension and attraction between the two simmered a bit longer! I was just starting to feel the tension before they hooked up. Slow down that burn a bit longer!
I will start by saying I am a cat lover and and a romantic fiction reader, but even with those two being true I could not get into the book. It was awkward and cheesy in ways that I did not find interesting at all.
Kitty is a cat sitter who is hired by Miles to get care of a hairless cat named Prince Francis belonging to his mother, who is in the hospital. Not a fan of cats, Miles works in the NHL and has enough on his plate without Prince Francis and his bad behavior. After a rough first meeting, Kitty helps Miles warm to cats and more.
I picked this book based on the title and hoped for a cute story but there were too many cringe moments for me to ever really get into it. Kitty is a cat sitter who loves cats, but the extent of her love is beyond extreme and, at least for me, becomes creepy. She changes her vocabulary to mention cats as much as possible, wears cat clothing, has a car decorated as a cat…its overkill. Miles works for the NHL and likes dogs, and somehow that means he has to wear hockey and dog themed clothing. As adults, we can have things we love without it being that entwined in our lives. The relationship is clunky, going from misunderstandings and literal stumbling to sexual innuendos and attraction that was far from believable. I was embarrassed for the characters. The serious subplot of mutual loss felt forced.
I wasn’t feeling this story after about 15% but kept reading until the halfway point where I just had to stop. I am sure there is a reader out there that may love cats enough to enjoy this, but it just was not my cup of tea.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book for an honest opinion.
I really enjoy a romcom, love a cute cover, animal characters and have enjoyed several Helena Hunting romcoms in the past – so when I saw this one, I knew I definitely had to try it. The cover art is adorable and the premise appealed to me. However in reading the book, this one was a bit of a mix for me.
I thought the story started off a bit stronger, in that I liked the initial concept and found the Kitty / Miles dynamic intriguing. I also of course, adored an featured pet in the story with some personality. As the story got going, it started to have quite a bit going on – while I love a romcom that balances in some real life / serious issues, this one felt like it had a lot going on and felt like it was pulling in a few too many directions for me. As a result, it lost me a bit as the story went on.
This one wasn’t a great fit for me, however I know I’ll continue to try others from this author. I myself am an animal person, but definitely more of a dog person…so those that are cat people, enjoy cat puns, and are looking for a light romcom may find this to be a great fit for them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing / Forever Books for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
"A Love Catastrophe" by Helena Hunting is a sweet, fun contemporary romance that was equal parts heartwarming and hilarious. I enjoyed our main characters, Kitty and Miles, as well as the cast of side characters who added a lot of depth and emotional warmth to the plot. I appreciated the discussions about loss, the experience of grief over time, and aging parents. I smiled, laughed, and got a bit teary-eyed while reading this book - an all-around lovely read!
At the start of the story, we meet Kitty Hart, also known as The Cat Whisperer and Miles who is a dog lover and a sports statistician for an NHL hockey team. She is in the business of cat sitting and he suddenly finds he needs her services to tend to Prince Francis, his mother’s cat. Everything is awkward between them from the moment they first meet. However, between allergic reactions and an ill-behaved cat, they start to feel attracted to each other and connect through their grief (she lost her dad and he lost his brother).
This is a very cutesy, adorable and quirky over the top cat story. There wasn't much of a conflict and the love interests go from annoyance to love very quickly. It was cute but not what I've come to expect from Helena Hunting books so I was a bit disappointed. I feel like she normally does smut very well and these were pretty closed door and awkward.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.
2.5⭐️
While I'm not a cat lover the way Kitty is, I still thought I would enjoy this book for the romance but the constant use of cat puns and everything and anything related to cats was just too much. I'm not a huge animal lover but I generally still enjoy pets and animals in books and I thought all of the cat stuff would die down after the first few chapters since I thought it was played up to hook you in, but I was unfortunately wrong. Even beyond that, I felt the story was just very awkward and cringey (I wish I could use a different word but that feels most accurate). So many times when I was reading I wanted to shake Kitty by the shoulders and tell her to just use normal words and to speak normally because it was grating on my so much. I didn't feel the chemistry was that strong. I think this would have been funnier if I had lower expectations, but once I was annoyed with the characters, I couldn't get out of the mindset. I did appreciate the lack of a 3rd act breakup and I did think all the more emotional parts of the story were handled with a lot of care!
Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the early copy!
This book was such a fun surprise.
I am not a cat person but I felt myself slowly changing my mind. Between all the adorable cat content and the wonderful grumpy sunshine, this book has become one of the most refreshing and fun romcoms I’ve read this year.
My sister is a big cat lover so I plan to give her a copy for her bday!
Thanks for the early copy, forever!
📖 A LOVE CATASTROPHE | Helena Hunting
🗓 Pub Date: June 13, 2023
THIS BOOK WAS A-MEOW-ZING!!! 😁
I loved absolutely everything about this book! It's got:
💗 Cats! And more cats!
💗 Dogs
💗 A fun and almost enemies to lovers meet-cute. IYKYK 😆
💗 Lovable and smart business-minded leading lady
💗 Insufferable romantic jerk who's really just a hot awkward geek
💗 Wonderful family dynamics that also shines light on loss, grief and the struggles of dementia.
💗 Fun and supportive friends and man-boys who will make you chuckle with their antics.
💗 oh and did I say cats? 🐈
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I freaking loved all the animal content in this book. As a crazy cat lady and animal lover, I could read about animals all day. And this book does not skimp on it!
However, on top of that, we get this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G love story! Kitty (Yes her name is kitty and it freaking works, okay!) and Miles, that are these two stuck individuals. They are living in redundant routines, not even aware that they are stuck. Each of their families have been dealt a blow, that has them both struggling to move on. By no means we're they hermits or not living their life, but the author wrote their stories to be just so real. Where you go through your days, following routines, because that's what you've come to know and become accustomed to. Kinda like if it ain't broke then don't fix it.
But as Kitty and Miles work through their dislike for each other, we get this new developing story of accepting change. And it's breathtaking. I'm just blown away by how real these characters felt to me.
This book! These characters! I wanted their story to keep going and NEVER END!!! Having them together, was such a joy! Urrrgg and their fur babies! 😍
So I'm telling you, if you are an animal lover (or not even!) and you love romance, you gotta read this book. Yes, I purposely say this to be very vague because I think most people will love this story! But especially if your an animal lover 🥹
PS: Hands down my favorite book of 2023!
| RATING |
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book was not for me. The synopsis sounded cute and charming, but it was just too much going on. Kitty’s cat puns were a bit over the top, and I couldn’t really tell whose story this was and what the main focus was supposed to be. The romance didn’t quite work for me, either. Disappointed, but I’m sure others (especially cat lovers!) will enjoy it!
Light of plot yet full of grief, this one never came together for me. I cringed a lot during my reading of this.
Too little chemistry between the mc’s, but too much awkward cringe, too many triggers, too many cat-esque phrases/words, and cringey body part names “bingo button” to boot!
This one really really wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGally for the ARC.
The story of Kitty and Miles is an enemies to friends to lovers. Helena Hunting writes a beautiful story of not only love but lose. You are truly heartbroken for both the Thorne and Hart family but the adversity that Miles and Kitty overcome is remarkable.
The story really pulled me in and not because my parents own “gas station Olympicware from the 80s/90s”.
I really hope we get a series out of this as the epilogue has pointed too.
Must love cats! This was a quirky read, and I think you definitely need to enjoy cats to embrace this book. It also felt a little too heavy to be considered a rom com with the topics that it covered.
Helena Hunting has written several books that I’ve loved, so when I got a chance to read this newest book she wrote, I jumped. Now that I’ve finished the book, I find myself wondering what on earth I just read. In some capacities, it struggled with an identity crisis. Is this about a relationship between Miles and Kitty? About Kitty & her mom & her dad’s death? About Miles’ mom & her dementia & his brother who died? About Kitty’s rise to IG fame because of her cat-sitting business? Kitty overcoming her social anxieties? I just didn’t even know. On the other hand, it’s very clearly a cat book. Look, I love cats as much as the next person, but this was a bit too much cat content (and cat puns) for me.
Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. Fortunately, Hunting’s writing has typically been reliable and engaging, so it won’t keep me from picking up future books of hers. I just don’t think I’ll be rushing to do so.
I hate writing negative reviews, especially with early copies of books. I am hopeful there is an audience out there that will love this. It just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book is slated to be released in June 2023.
Kitty Hart has a massive online following as the famous Kitty Whisperer. She has expertise in all things feline. Kitty and her best friend Kat are featured in this story, as both women entrepreneurs try and hold down the fort at their respective businesses.
Kitty takes a job cat-sitting for Miles, and things start off hilariously. What starts out as a grumpy/sunshine, or dog/cat romance, turns into so much more as the family dynamics of both Miles and Kitty are unveiled. (TW: grief, parent/child loss, sick parent)
I thought the cat puns were just fantastic and loved every minute. Helena Hunting never ceases to amaze me!
I thought that this was a cute book! I found the main characters to be likeable, the story to be compelling and the struggles that they were dealing with to be real. However, I do think the cat puns were a little over the top at times. As someone who has lost their dad to a heart attack, it was a little hard to read at times but I also felt like there were some compelling quotes that captured grief well. So glad that I was able to read this book! Thanks so much for my advanced copy, NetGalley!
This was a cute & easy read! I’m a cat lover so I definitely loved the cat references & I even learned some things! It was a little cheesy at times & maybe a few too many cat puns but this was a fun book.
“Why be beige when you can be a calico?”
A Love Catastrophe was a quirky, fun tale of opposites attract that is at times both charming and emotional. Miles is definitely a dog person while Kitty is a cat person and they clash from their first meeting. When the fur settles, will they find they have more in common than they think?
“Under her sunshine are some dark clouds, and it’s a reminder that we all have struggles.”
Both Miles and Kitty are dealing with a myriad of personal issues which result in the need for change and growth in their lives. They find themselves leaning on each other and becoming a source of strength for one another. I loved how supportive they were for each other and how they soon find that while they had their differences, they were both alike in a lot of ways.
“Do you ever feel like maybe we were meant to come into each other’s lives at exactly this time? Like destiny had a plan.”
Full of snappy banter, eccentric characters, adorable animals, humor and a lot of heart, A Love Catastrophe was a fast, adorable read that deals with some heavy issues in a lighthearted way. Miles and Kitty are both a bit awkward but are a perfect match for each other.
As much as I love a romcom that leans in and embraces it, this one just felt like too much of too many things. I loved some pieces but took me weeks and weeks to read cause nothing was engaging me to finish. Overall a light read but might not be for most readers
This is 100% a book written and made for cat lovers. If you love cats, maybe even a bit obsessively, you’ll relate to this book so much.
I think the message and premise of this story is good. The way both characters had their own trauma and struggles that they learned to deal with together, was very refreshing.
Although the book was a bit cheesy and unrealistic at times. I feel like there needed to be more build up to the romance, because I think I missed the attraction and connection. The romance felt a little unsubstantial and forced. I think all the relationships in this book could’ve been developed further, with the supporting characters fading into the background.
Overall, it was a light, easy read and I loved all the cat content. I’m all about animal rights so I loved the story behind this.