Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this upcoming title!

I am slowly easing into this historical/magical realism genre. It started with The Midnight Library, then Before The Coffee Gets Cold and now The Ghost Cat. To me, this was such a unique story that took the whole 'cats have 9 lives' and turned it on its axis. As a cat lover, I enjoyed this. But as a reader, I did not find myself loving this.
3 stars

The Ghost Cat is an enchanting, mesmerizing read about a special cat who has died and must throughout the years still earn its nine lives. With humor, sadness and irritation, his progression goes from the early 1900's into the 2000's. During this time, we watch this innocent cat learn about the changes, sometimes drastically which have occurred. All he really wants is the simplicity of what he lost, but unfortunately his journey only leads him into turmoil.

In 1902 Grimalkin, who resides at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh, the pet cat of a woman named Elidh whom he loves deeply, falls asleep for the last time after being petted by his owner.

When he awakens, he discovers he is not really dead yet. He is told since he has never lived the nine lives of a cat but was just loved and taken care of and sheltered from harm, he must travel as a ghost and earn those lives before heading off into the afterlife.

Thus, begins Grimalkin's magical journey through the changes in time and years, his home, his beloved, as well as the incredible (but sometimes unlikable) developments in technology, human behavior and life. To say Grimalkin lives those lives to the fullest would be an understatement. He tortures himself (and others) with his unhappiness of what at times he sees. But he somehow is always learning.

Finally, and only then is he allowed to cross over to where he belongs. His final resting place. Come along with this wonderful ghost cat and witness through the eyes of a feline what life is like and what it has become. What is experienced, what he has loved and lost will be a lesson for all who sometimes take the smallest things for granted.

The Ghost Cat was a marvelous journey.

Thank you #NetGalley #HarperCollins/Harlequin/Alex Howard #TheGhostCat for the advanced copy.

Thank you so much to The Hive and Harlequin publishing for this e-arc

I thought the concept of this book sounded so cute. A cat dies and didn't get his full 9 lives so is gifted them back BUT only as a ghost. I'm a fan of Before The Coffee Gets Cold and this is pitched towards the same style of readers.
However once I started reading the story seemed very flat to me. I couldn't find myself actually caring for the cat which is kind of sad and the whole point of the story. I found some parts strange for example in the beginning when we meet the author of Peter Pan and his plot line. It felt out of place in my opinion.

I felt like I was having to force myself to continue the story..

Alex Howard writes a cozy little novel that failed to enchant me. But maybe The Ghost Cat is up your alley! Read on to find out.
It is early morning in 1902. At 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, Grimalkin is snuggling next to the charlady Eilidh who is setting the fire alight. He licks her hand not knowing this was his last day on Earth. Since he had only ever used one life, Cait-sìth decides to send him back as a ghost with eight lives. “For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.” Since Grimalkin used one of his stay lives. he will start again with those lives.
The novel follows Grimalkin as he witnesses the world's changes for the next 120 years. Unbeknownst to the resident of Marchmont Crescent, the cat is listening and watching the house change. The blurb says that “startling revelations about the mystery of existence, the unstoppable march of time, and the true meaning of feline companionship” are addressed in this book. I found nothing startling, but it does contain some usual plots about those issues. The feline companionship part made me want to cry. It was sad but beautiful. It was truly the best part of the book.
I was not very fond of Grimalkin. It truly hurts me to say that as a kickass childless cat lady. He became the idolization of Boomer in cat form. He complained and complained about all the changes. It wasn’t until the end that he started to appreciate new things in the eras. That is what I liked; watching him embrace the flow of time.
The eight additional lives are not actually lives. He is destined to haunt a situation for a few days max. Then he falls asleep and goes on to his next life. (I can’t blame him for waking up grumpy, but he needed to open his mind.) These vignettes are used to teach you history. Or so I assume with the footnotes. I do question some of the reasoning for the periods chosen. Because there are a few that are mundane. But there are others that are huge historical moments and well chosen.
I didn’t find any true depth in The Ghost Cat and was tired of listening to a whiney cat. I feel like this couldn’t have been longer with more time spent on the themes the author wanted to establish. But it is a simple, cozy read that won’t take long if you want to escape the world.

Early morning, 1902. At 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, Grimalkin the cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat and lick his favorite human’s hand. But this is to be his last day on earth…before he becomes the Ghost Cat. Follow Grimalkin as he witnesses the changes of the next 120 years, prowling unseen among the inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement while unearthing some startling revelations about the mystery of existence, the unstoppable march of time and the true meaning of feline companionship.

As the English proverb goes, "A cat has nine lives. For three he stays, for three he strays and for three he plays". As Grimalkin had only used one of his lives, he still had 2 to stay, 3 to stray and 3 to play, so it was entertaining to watch him through the years as he went to sleep and then was re=awakened a decade or more later each time, with all of the changes that had gone on in the world. I laughed and I cried. I would definitely recommend having a tissue or two on hand when you read this...and you are definitely going to want to read this. The plethora of fun facts about history during those 120 years was fascinating. Cat lovers, actually I think any animal lover, will treasure this book. I highly recommend it!

The Ghost Cat is an adorable, silly, cozy fantasy that follows Grimalkin after his death as he haunts for 8 “lives” that spans time. I enjoyed seeing the inner workings of a domesticated cat witnessing the breakneck speed at which humans advanced after the 1890s. The Ghost Cat sneaks in historical events, slang, and fashion from each era while keeping the reader entertained and invested in Grimalkin’s adventure. This was a great palate cleanser and an easy read I breezed through. Overall, I think this is a great choice for any adult who enjoys a wholesome tale every now and then!

Thank you to the HTP Hive, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

I tried to get through this whole thing. It did intrigue me in the beginning, and loved the concept of the nine lives of cats but I just couldn't get into it. Possibly in the future I will but not anytime soon.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute but heart wrenching story. 5 out of 5 stars for the Ghost Cat by Alex Howard.

A sweet story that follows Grimalkin the cat through his nine lives- eight of them ghostly-over 120 years in Edinburgh. This will make you smile. Grimalkin experiences all the changes over time, some of them quite surprising to him, and bits of history which is used mostly for context. Thanks to the publisher for the ArC. An easy read.

The Ghost Cat follows Grimalkin as he travels through time living his nine lives - 3 to stay, 3 to stray, and 3 to play. However, Grimalkin isn’t dropped into consecutive timelines. He finds himself popping up all throughout history during important events. In an interesting move, Howard has Grimalkin checking in on average people during the designated timeframe to see how the events shaped their lives. Grimalkin certainly had his eyes opened to changes in culture going from the Victorian era through modern times. I also appreciated the historical footnotes that add context to the timeframe. What I really loved about the story was how Grimalkin never forgot about Eilidh and made a point of seeking her out when he was dropped into a new timeline. Given the nature of the story, it reads at a slower pace which made it challenging to get through at times. Overall, though, I’m still happy I read it.

Overall Rating: 3.5⭐️

This book had everything I should love in a book. A little bit of history, cats, cat love. But the book fell a little flat for me. I don’t feel like every time period was really developed and each time he got to a new time period there was little to draw me in. I liked the call backs between different periods and I love that it was based around a cat. But honestly, I fell asleep reading this more then I would if it were a different story.

The cat Grimalkin dies before his time. To make up for that error he’s given a chance to live the lives he has left. The only catch is he’ll be a ghost cat and no one can see him.
It’s an interesting story watching the world go by through a cat’s eyes. Perfect for any cat lover.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Animal Fiction
Audience: Adults
Language: There is swearing—some chapters more than others.

THE GHOST CAT has an interesting concept to see history unfolding through the eyes of a cat—in this case a ghost because Grimalkin died unexpectedly in the beginning. A cat-síth uses power to allow Grimalkin his remaining eight lives.

Because of the format of seeing things through the cat, there is a lot of prose—I missed having more dialogue. The lives of Grimalkin give us snatches of history. Like some of the Asian books I've read, there isn't much in the way of plot. Though, in fairness, Grimalkin uses the girl who saved him, Eilidh as a touchstone as he plods through history. I laughed when Grimalkin moans about the pug dog.

The delivery is almost like stream of conscious writing. There is a sweetness or naivety having the cat as our lens to the outside world. I love cats! And this cat often longs for the past—perhaps that's why cats sleep during the day.

This is a very different book. It's a short and cozy read. I think if you want to see the world in a new way, this is the book for you.

Happy reading!

I always have a weak spot for stories about cats as well as a Scottish setting, and there was just something about The Ghost Cat that intrigued me immediately. I loved the sound of traveling through 120 years of Edinburgh through the eyes of a cat; an animal POV does make a story feel special. Sadly, in this case I think that I enjoyed the concept considerably more than the actual story. Somehow I expected to find a completely different story based on the blurb, and what I did read was a bit underwhelming for me.

Before I continue, I do have to say that the premise itself was without doubt fascinating. It's such a clever idea to show different points in Edinburgh history through the eyes of a cat, and I could especially appreciate the magical realism part which explained how Grimalkin became a Ghost Cat. BUT. I personally found that there was WAY too much focus on the historal elements, and as a result this story felt almost like a history lesson. There are SO many footnotes along the way, which disrupted the flow considerably and made it very hard to get a proper feel for the story.

With so much focus on the historical facts of Edinburgh and the world, I also felt that we never really got to know Grimalkin. The cat is the main character, but he just never really came alive for me and I actually found him rather unlikeable and offensive in parts. The different people mentioned in the chapters almost felt like afterthoughts (with a few exceptions who appeared more than once), and it was a shame there was hardly any interaction at all between Grimalkin and the rest. Instead, the chapters mostly felt like random observations with a main purpose of showing historical facts instead of character development or growth.

I was initially quite charmed by The Ghost Cat, but the story soon started to fall rather flat for me. This happened especially once Grimalkin became a ghost and the main focus shifted to the history... Not a bad thing if that is what you enjoy, but I was hoping for something more. The pace was a lot slower than I thought it would be, and the chapters started to become quite repetitive as well; especially since it is extremely hard to connect to Grimalkin or any of the other characters mentioned. I caught myself skimreading more than once, which is never a good sign of course.

All in all, I did end up having mixed thoughts about The Ghost Cat. I can't deny that the concept is absolutely fascinating, but the execution was a bit lacking for me. That, or at least I expected a story with more balance between the historical facts and for example Grimalkin himself... This would have made it so much easier to actually connect to the plot.

Thank you, Alex Howard and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

This was such a beautiful book. From the moment I picked it up and till the end of it all I wanted was to finish it. This truly is a one of a kind book. Told by the eyes of a cat and how he sees and experiences things in his lives as he haunts his home through different time periods. It's written so beautifully, and it made me tear up in some places. If I wasent a cat lover, this certainly would make me one. This book makes me wonder, is this how cats think, how they see the world? It truly is unique, and I couldn't put it down. The only thing I had problems with is, of course, the language, but that's not a huge deal.

A cat is no longer part of the living world but is experiencing the rest of his lives through different times of the world. What does he see, experience, and do? Can he change things? Make things better for others, or will he simply do nothing and watch as time goes by? Read to experience such love, sadness, happiness, and more through the eyes and emotions of a cat.

There is so much going into this book. So much deeper meaning and just the meaning of what is life and what can you do with it. Not only that, but this book let's you experience different parts of time and what people were like, what they wore, did, and much more. It truly is eccentric, but I really enjoyed every moment of it.

This is definitely one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. I love cats and I found the idea of seeing the changing world through the eyes of a cat intriguing. While it was a great idea, I found the execution to be subpar.
In 1902, Grimalkin, a 15 year old cat, died and went to the kitty afterlife. Once there it’s discovered that out of the nine lives cats are granted he has only lived with one. He is told he will be able to live out his remaining 8- as a ghost. Throughout the next century and a quarter(ish) life passes by with all its changes and Grimalkin observes it all. He can’t do anything but observe and muse how drastically different the years are from when he was alive.
While this is rife with historical facts, there is no real point to the story. I think this would have been much better as a series of children’s short stories to teach history than a full adult novel.
So many of Grimalkin’s observations and thoughts throughout this book were repetitive and really didn’t add any charm, if anything they just made the book drag on.
I love the idea of an animal protagonist, but I much prefer them to have interactions with their human counterparts as opposed to just observing them.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Hanover Square Press for an advanced copy of this. The Ghost Cat hits the shelves on August 29th.

This was a very unique read featuring Grimalkin, a cat who died too soon. Before getting all nine of his lives he dies and so then is allowed to come back as a ghost.
Seeing Scotland over a period of 120 years through Grimalkin's eyes was quite entertaining. There were times it ran a bit slow for me and I got lost--but all-in-all it was entertaining, quick, and enjoyable.

Okay, so I reeeaally liked this book. I LOOOOVE how the author used mythology to explain the possibility of the ghost cat. As a cat lady who has a major appreciate for all types of myths around the world, having Cat-sìth be a part of the story made my heart happy. I loved the story and seeing the evolution of time through Grimalkin's eyes, he was such an incredible character. I also found it really helpful that the author included footnotes describing these major people and events of which Grimalkin -a cat- obviously wouldn't understand the importance. Also, let's not forget to mention how gorgeous this cover is!

The Ghost Cat is the story of a cat who died before he used his nine lives. Because of this mistake, the Being in charge of cat lives offered Grimalkin, the feline main character, the opportunity to live the rest of his lives as a ghost. He got to "live" those lives until he got tired and then he would whoosh to a new time and get to see what was happening in the world.

I was a little confused as to the author's intended audience. I began reading thinking that the book was written for students. By Grimalkin's second haunting, however, it was obvious that The Ghost Cat is for adults. There is mature language and situations in this book, which made me sad, because the premise could have been highly entertaining for younger audiences.

I absolutely adored this book. When I first saw it, I was like SIGN ME UP! A book about a cat and Scotland? Yes! It was a wonderful, heartwarming book and made me want to give my cats cuddles.