As a cat lover, I was intrigued by the concept. A rom-com about cats, with a sporty male lead, and enemies-to-lovers trope? Sign. Me. Up.

Unfortunately, the execution fell flat. Both the romance and conflict/internal character struggle felt underdeveloped. And, while I recognize this is a book focused around a main character that is a "cat whisperer", the cat references were excessive and took away from the story as a whole.

First let me say that I typically really enjoy Helena Hunting. Her books are always a solid read and she does series really well building on siblings or work partners and their relationships. I knew the premise of A Love Catastrophe would be a little goofy with a FMC named Kitty Hart that’s known as the Cat Whisperer. I was definitely up to the silliness. But I think the tongue in cheek tone of ALC was just a little too forced. Kitty drives a cat mobile, her lingerie and clothing is cat print, she speaks in kitty puns and it just made me cringe because I really really wanted to like her. Miles is a great foil to Kitty and he hires her to take care of his mother’s cat, while she is unable to live in her home. This is definitely a meet cute of awkwardness and the two initially don’t like or respect one another until they are forced to work together and take the time to see beyond the stereotypes. Hunting is known for her hockey books and so loved how she gave Miles a hockey adjacent career. The romance falls secondary to the stresses of being a caretaker for an aging parent, career challenges, negative social media posts, grief and there is a definite heaviness to the plot. Although I enjoyed the intimate scenes between Miles and Kitty, I think the cat puns and language at the beginning of the book just turned me off from liking this book more. I know Helena Hunting will continue to write solid romances and know that for me, this just wasn’t a favorite. I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This was the cutest romcom ever! I’m obsessed with every aspect of this book. We love a cat lady! I’d love another one ;)

This is a fun grumpy-sunshine romance. Kitty has become an internet famous cat-sitter deemed the Kitty Whisperer. When Miles hires her to help care for his mother’s cat, Prince Francis, they both start off with bad impressions of each other. But as Kitty spends more time with Miles as well, they get to know each other much better and this alters those not so great impressions they had of each other.

I think I would round up to 4 stars. I enjoyed the audiobook narration and the story kept me engaged. It was heavy on the puns & a tad cheesy (cringed at "bingo button"). I loved the Sparks Fly series and will definitely read more from Hunting.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I am a cat lover so for me, this book was a blast to read. The cats antics were so true to life and it made me smile. Kitty is a really nice girl and Miles is much more logical and pragmatic. They somehow still click and it was fun to see happen. I liked Wilford as well. 4 stars

This one was just okay for me. The plot was promising - A cheerful cat sitter and a grumpy hockey nerd but I am not feeling the chemistry and the sexy part was just a little awkward. Some people probably love this quirky humorous romance though.

Kitty is an internet famous cat sitter and Miles is more of a dog lover. He hires Kitty to help him out with his mother’s cat. They have a hilarious meet cute and soon the sparks start to fly.

It’s an opposites attract romance with a little bit of spice. Both characters are delightfully awkward which made for some laugh out scenes. It was a little cheesy with a lot of cat puns, but if you can overlook that it was an easy and lighthearted read. I did enjoy the development of Kitty and Mile’s relationship becoming friends and then eventually more, and there were some serious topics of dealing with grief and a parent with dementia. If you’re looking for a fun read with cats give this one a try.

Holy hell, the beginning of this story kept my second-hand embarrassed on high. This quite honestly made me think of a romance between Jess and Winston from New Girl, I couldn’t stop laughing at their hijinks. I really wasn’t expecting the depth of the themes of long-term grief, but I found it quite touching how the characters helped each other grow and heal. Loved that there was no second act break up, however the conflict did seem a bit forced. Overall a pretty solid read!

a love catastrophe is a silly, enjoyable comfort-read type of romcom that is aptly named considering the cat-themed content. i thought this story was so cute and really loved the evolution of miles and kitty’s relationship. i also really love that helena hunting created a third act crisis rather than a third act breakup — that’s what i like to see. i just love a good grumpy sunshine romance and of course that’s exactly what this was (though miles dropped the grumpy act and fell hard REALLLLL fast). speaking of, miles is such a cute mmc. i love him dearly. i also think the way he and kitty were able to find emotional freedom within each other was so beautiful.

my main criticism of this book is the number of cat jokes. there were definitely too many, so much so at some points that it was hard to focus on the actual book because of the cringe factor.

overall, this book is a great romance with lots of good laughs, and i would definitely recommend to fans of helen huang, sarah adams, etc. super cute and quick, will definitely leave you with a smile on your face!

Five stars! My interview on While You Were Reading, a podcast for contemporary romance readers is here:

https://www.whileyouwerereading.com/episodes/helena-hunting-a-love-catastrophe-lisa-daily-romantic-comedy-while-you-were-reading

3.5 stars!

I always look forward to each book that author Helena Hunting releases. A LOVE CATASTROPHE was a cute, heartwarming read I hoped it to be.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-opposites attract
-meet/cute
-grumpy x sunshine

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy

3.5 stars! This was an adorable storyline - with an interesting mix of back story - I was continuously trying to connect the NHL and cat sitting backgrounds in my head and Helena did a good job bringing the two together - but more so with the love interests shared experiences, not their current situations. That being said - there was a lot of back story content and side stories that may not have always helped move the story forward. I liked the interconnections that existed and the way that they brought two very different characters together in a way that made sense.

Overall a light enjoyable read, while still dealing on a surface level with some heavier topics. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review!

A really cute, light-hearted book. You know what you're getting when you read a Helena Hunting book and this one didn't disappoint. Enjoyable and exactly what you expect (not in a bad way!)

I wanted to love A Love Catastrophe. What could be better than a cat loving, clumsy, big hearted, female lead character? Kitty really is adorable and kind; her caring for animals and humans alike draw the reader to her. Similarly, the hard working Miles has many redeeming characteristics. Still there just wasn’t enough. Not enough meaningful interactions between the two to bring the reader into their romance; to feel their emotions; to root for them.

I have really enjoyed many of Helena Huntings but unfortunately this is not one of them. Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this ARC for my honest review.

Super cute!! I loved Kitty’s character and how fun she was. I really adored the plot of this one and how fun it was to read. It had a lot of funny parts as well!

We loved flawed characters around here and this title did not disappoint. A cat sitter! We think of it as a dream job, but there is always more than meets the eye! A funny, yet sensitive and poignant tale - not to be missed!

A Love Catastrophe is a heart warming, laugh out loud, and emotional adventure that revolves around Prince Francis. Miles has a lot in his plate at the moment and that includes finding a cat sitter for his mom’s Sphinx cat, Prince Francis. This leads to him hiring the Kitty Whisperer, Kitty. Kitty is trying to reach her goal with her business that involves all around cats. Kitty and Miles get off on the wrong side when they meet and the tension only continues with these two. As Miles and Kitty try to make things work and do what’s best for Prince Francis, we are taken on a wild journey that will have you rooting for these enemies to friends to finally cross the line and see what happens. Plus add in all the hilarious actions of Prince Francis and you’ll be laughing out loud at his shenanigans.

This is another hilarious, cute, and fun rom-com from Helena Hunting. Kitty loves cats, so much so that she is considered the cat whisperer. Miles needs her services when his mum entrusts her cat to him. Filled with a smorgasbord of cat puns, A Love Catastrophe is a cute, fun, and sexy standalone romance.

I really wanted to like this one more than I did.

I'm going to start by saying that I absolutely love animals. So I really thought I was the target audience for this book. But I had such a difficult time getting through it, despite the cute, rom-com(y) vibes of the story.

The protagonists, Miles and Kitty were probably two of the most awkward characters I've ever seen. For the most part, it was bearable when it was just regular conversations between them...up until the romantic and sex scenes that gave me partial secondhand embarrassment. I tried to root for them, I really did, but I just couldn't feel the chemistry between the two characters. The entire book was also littered with a large amount of cat puns; which while initially endearing felt a bit over-the-top towards the end.

I did like how Helena Hunting touched on strong topics like child loss, death of a parent, dementia, and cyber bullying throughout the story. But all of that wasn't enough to make this a hit in my books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.