For someone referred to as the “Kitty Whisperer,” it’s no surprise Kitty Hart is all about cats. She has a flourishing cat-sitting business and is the first line of defense against misbehaving felines. Uptight NHL analyst Miles Thorn is admittedly more of a dog person, so he can’t deny there’s no one better to help care for his ailing mother’s Sphynx than Kitty. But the cat needs more sessions that the two anticipated, a problem compounded by the awkwardness and animosity lingering from Miles and Kitty’s first meeting.

While it’s certainly very quirky and reads like a romance, A Love Catastrophe has substance and tackles heavier topics than one might expect. This results in the book being more slice of life than plot-forward, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit. I also appreciate that the book doesn’t follow the same formula common in many contemporary romance novels when it comes to the conflict.

However, the conflict feels a little too unbelievable and is over about as quickly as it starts. And I love cats, but the excessive, cringey cat puns become grating very quickly. I like the main characters and think they compliment each other nicely, but ultimately they’re not memorable.

Overall, this is a sweet, albeit average, love story that helped guide me out of a fog left by finishing a four-book mystery thriller series.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although there’s nothing problematic with this story, it’s also not exciting, intriguing, steamy, nail-biting or any other adjectives that would make it memorable, Honestly, it’s just boring and forgettable.

Hunting’s books are hit-or-miss for me. I recently read Make a Wish, the final title in The Spark House trilogy, and loved it. Unfortunately, Miles and Kitty, the romantic couple in A Love Catastrophe, lack chemistry and other than sharing the grief and misplaced guilt of losing a beloved family member in their teens and dealing with mothers (and Kitty herself) who seem stuck in the past, I didn’t get a clear sense of things they had in common. He works for the NHL as a data analyst (a math nerd in a cool organization) and she has built her obsession with cats into a lucrative business. (There are some things that indicate she might be autistic-coded.) There’s an initial grumpy-sunshine vibe until Kitty realizes that Miles just had a lot on his plate dealing with his mother’s early-onset dementia. Otherwise, it’s just a vanilla relationship with no “will they or won’t they” conflict.

I also found Kitty’s use of what I call cat-isms (pawsitively and Thank catness instead of goodness, for example) and her platitudes at the end of several chapters to be really annoying. Overall, this was was a miss for me.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Forever Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This book started out cute. Quirky, slightly awkward main characters. Cat person (Kitty) vs. dog person (Miles) I was entertained by maybe the first 3rd of the book.

Background: I am a cat person. I for sure bought some recordable buttons to train mine in the middle of this story. I have attempts to walk my little fur ball with a harness and a leash on the street of a big city. But this book…WAY too cat focused. Prince Francis should not be my favorite character in this rom com. The multiple scenes of him hiding amongst and knocking over ceramic gnomes? Only funny the first time. Long discussions about litter boxes between Miles and Kitty? Please, just no.

There is a great deal of bonding between Miles and Kitty over a history of family trauma, grief, and their current relationships and stressors related to their mothers. I’m not opposed to serious topics in rom coms but this was too much and didn’t balance well with the cheesy cat content…not to mention the cringey intimacy.

They pretty much go from a few kisses before they are even together to declaring their feelings with full on open door sex. Except the door is closed and the cat is scratching on it during the scene. I almost stopped reading. Their chemistry doesn’t get less over the top cringey after that either.

The rest of the book has just lost its plot. The third act conflict and resolution just falls flat and I honestly I struggled to keep reading.

Honest review in exchange for an advanced copy from NetGalley.

I really loved this book! What’s better than a cat person and a dog person falling in love? Helena Hunting writing it! I forgot how much I enjoy her words and I couldn’t put this down once I started reading.

What a feel good book about moving past grief, people coming together when they need someone and being true to yourself.

Kitty owns a cat sitting business and Miles is dealing with health issues with his mother who has a sphinx cat. Kitty has an automatic dislike for Miles because he definitely is a dog person and not a cat person by his horrible comments. However, the more time they have together the more her walls start to come down.

I thought this was a great rom-com with some substance to it.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy.

Full disclosure, I am a dog person. I do like cats too so I wasn’t surprised I did find myself enjoying this title.

I found some of slapstick comedy a little over the top at some points, but I did like the story as a whole. The bonding moments between Kitty and Miles with their past family tragedies, and current realistic ones, coupled with light hearted moments made this a well balanced read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

A Love Catastrophe by Helena Hunting was just the best!
I always enjoy how this author finds a way to blend just the right amount of humor, charm, and sweetness to her stories.
An adorably sweet romantic comedy. I loved the main characters, their chemistry, and their fun banter. There was just enough heat and tension with a great balance of serious and light.
Another amazing book by Helena Hunting.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC

Thanks to NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute, low stakes, but ultimately forgettable, romance. A professional cat lover/carer and an NHL analyst are brought together at a difficult point in their lives. Both are dealing with the after effects of loss and grief and can relate to one another’s feelings of guilt and regret. Not much drama once they get together.

Another fantastic Helena hunting book that validates why she is one of my favorite authors! Loved the story line, all the cat puns and romance!

In this story Miles an NHL data analyst realizes he needs to find someone to help watch his mothers cat. When searching the internet he finds Kitty the Cat Whisperer. The interactions between Miles and Kitty are incredibly awkward as they meet and butt heads because Miles is a dog lover who hates cats, and Kitty adores cats more than people. The story starts slow, but picks up as we learn more about who Miles and Kitty are, and that they are so much more than they seem at the beginning of the story. There was a lot of talk about grief in this story, and how easy it is to get stuck when you lose someone in your life. This was not your typical light rom-com because of the emphasis on loss and grief, and dealing with a chronic illness in this book. I would have preferred a little less emphasis on these topics, and a little more time devoted to developing the main characters relationship. Overall a cute easy read with very quirky and awkward yet lovable characters. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

When Instagram famous Cat-Guru, Kitty, gets hired by Miles (who is definitely a dog person) to watch his mother’s cat, the two realize they are about as opposite as you can be. However, over the course of getting to know one other, they realize the similar hold grief and loss has had over their lives. Both Kitty and Miles help each other walk through the process of letting go and moving on.

This was such a funny and heartfelt read! I would absolutely recommend it!

I typically love Helena Hunting, but I have to admit this was not one of my favorites. It was a nice, fast-paced read, but I found myself skimming through parts. The characters didn't seem to have much depth and the plot lines were lacking. If you're looking for a simple read that doesn't weigh heavily on your mind, this is your book! Maybe it's because I'm not a cat lover, but the jokes and cat obsession just didn't do it for me. Kitty seemed like a caricature of an adult - I had trouble relating to her and her "meows..."
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I got this as an ARC from netgalley, all in exchange for an honest review of my thoughts. This book was interesting, to say the least and it did take me a couple of chapters before I found myself enjoying it. There were some grammatical errors that I noticed, but because this is an early copy, that tends to happen sometimes. Being both a dog and a cat mom, I loved this being about a cat person and a dog person. There were some parts of this story that seemed a little too “high schooley” to me, such as the way that Kitty acted sometimes. Also how in the world is there both a person named Kat and a person named Kitty that love and work with cats? It seems a bit of a stretch, but I do love the pun of it. Parts of this book made me laugh, or put a smile on my face. Ultimately, it’s not one of the best books out there and I may forget about it after awhile, but it was, for the most part, pretty good and that’s why I’m rating it a 3/5.

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘
— cats
— no third act breakup
— lots of cat talk

This is a cute novel.
Nice for curling up with your own pet on a lazy summer day.
Kitty is a quirky cat sitter. And Miles is out of his depth with his mother’s precious cat.
It’s lots of fun.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really cute read. It had a lot more depth than I expected and spoke about loss during the early years - tragic and sad. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their awkward interactions. I was not interested in the constant cat jokes. It got to be very old and irritating. I'm a huge animal lover, so this is difficult for me to admit. It just seemed over the top and distracting. Overall, it was a cute read and would be a huge hit for big time cat lovers.

When NHL analyst Miles Thorn and professional cat-sitter Kitty Hart interact for the first time, their meet cute is anything but. In fact, it is an utter disaster. The next few times they meet, it doesn’t seem like they have much in common except for an unwanted mutual attraction. When an emergency brings them closer together, they realize that they may be more similar than either of them expected. Both Miles and Kitty experienced profound loss during their formative years and it left an indelible mark on their lives and relationships. With the love and support only the other can provide, Miles and Kitty may just be able to let go of the past and embrace the future. Together.

In general A Love Catastrophe proved to be a sweet, low stakes rom-com. Once Miles and Kitty get to know each other better, there isn’t much in the way of angst and they definitely don’t have any problems with miscommunication. In fact neither have much of a filter and tend to say whatever comes into their heads—to hilarious (and sometimes cringe-worthy) effect. Opponents of the third act break up will be pleased that the oft-reviled plot device does not come into play in the book; the third act tension/climax has to do with Kitty’s growing social media presence and her need to decide how to handle her growing fame/notoriety. I thought that aspect of the plot came a little out of left field but it still provided some needed tension and allowed Miles to support Kitty in a very sweet and romantic way. I would highlight grief and loss of family members as potential content warning but otherwise A Love Catastrophe was a quick and light read and one specifically made for all the cat (and pun) lovers out there!

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for the opportunity to review this eARC; all opinions are my own.

A Love Catastrophe by Helena Hunting was a joy to read. I have loved every Hunting book I read, her writing is fun, witty while also tackling some tough topics in ways that make it easy to digest. How both Miles and Kittys family have had to navigate grief really stood out to me in this novel. Miles’ and Kitty’s relationship was adorable and oh so much fun to read, it was relatable in ways I didn’t expect. I really really enjoyed this book!

As an animal lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this story. It gave me major "101 Dalmatians" vibes except with cats of course. At first, I thought the protagonist's name was little too on the nose, but honestly Kitty won me over the minute she observed that a man not liking cats is a red flag. This story was laugh out loud hilarious and charming. Honestly, this book has a trope for everyone: a hockeyish romance, cat sidekicks, enemies to reluctant friends to lovers, an internet famous protagonist, and a grumpy-sunshine romance.

Miles and Kitty where absolutely cat-tastic!

I did not expect the amount of hilarity that this book had and I should’ve because it’s Helena and her books always get me but this book was seriously packed with funny puns and hilarious oops moments on almost every page! It was also a highly emotional read!

Both of our amazing main characters have experienced loss. A loss that though help each other heal from! This story really got me in my feels and I love how it all came together in the end!

The story did start off a little slow for me but I am so happy I kept reading because once it starts to pick up things really take off and I fell for these two completely!

I am such a big fan of Helena Hunting's books - I'm not totally sure what it is, but I absolutely love them. The writing style, the characters, the humor, all of it is just right up my alley and A Love Catastrophe was no exception. The "enemies" to friends, to lovers trope was really well done and I loved the relationship between Kitty and Miles. I also loved the inclusion of both Kitty's and Miles's families. I appreciated the nuanced approach to grief, and figuring out how to balance remembering a loved one and also moving forward.

The cat puns in the beginning were a bit much for me, but they tapered out pretty quickly. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it for any fans of Hunting's previous books.