Rating: 3.5

In "The Ghost Cat," readers follow the journey of Grimalkin, a senior Victorian cat who experiences his nine lives throughout 20th and early 21st century Edinburgh. When Grimalkin dies peacefully at 15, he becomes the Ghost Cat and is given the chance to explore eight moments from the future, including witnessing the growth of his beloved owner Eilidh and roaming freely beyond her home.

Grimalkin's journey offers a unique perspective on the city and its inhabitants over the years, revealing changes in society, technology, and culture. As he interacts with different people, from notable figures to ordinary college students, Grimalkin observes shifting trends and the impact of significant events such as wars. His adventures bring insights into the passage of time and the essence of feline companionship.

Though the novel captivates readers with Grimalkin's ghostly travels and insights, some may wish for deeper exploration of the human stories in each setting. The narrative moves quickly through each of Grimalkin's lives, leaving readers wanting more time to connect with the characters and their worlds. Nonetheless, "The Ghost Cat" offers an engaging and charming tale of life, time, and the mysteries of existence through the eyes of a cat.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC!

This novel is the perfect ode to anyone who has loved and lost their dearest pet. As someone with a heart that is much too big, the two times I have lost a pet have been nothing but sorrow and pain. With all the love I had for them, I can only believe they had it for me in tenfold. This novel takes that idea and runs with it. It is the physical proof and embodiment of the immense love your pet has for you, and reminds you that no matter how many lives they live, they will always be looking for you in them. I cannot recommend this novel enough, and while it may split your heart in half, I speak from experience when I say it will truly heal you if you are experiencing one of those gut-wrenching loses.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher and the author for allowing me an advanced readers copy.

The Ghost Cat is an amazing story following the adventures of a ghost cat. Going through all of Grimalkin’s adventures has been a journey for me and him and I’ve loved every minute of it. This story is so enjoyable!

This was a pretty cute book. I definitely understand the cozy feel of it other people have mentioned. I will say I should've known there were going to be sad moments as well. I did tear up a few times.
But this book was cute, and it made me wonder what my cat thinks about and how he speaks in his mind. This book was a very interesting premise and I'm glad I read it.

4.25*

We tag along with Grimalkin, a senior Victorian cat. At age 15, life is simple for Grimalkin living with Eilidh, his kind owner and housekeeper to 7/7 Marchmont Crescent. When Grimalkin suddenly passes in his sleep, he is presented with the chance to visit 8 future moments equaling nine lives total.

For three he stays: Grimalkin is bound to 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, he gets to see Eilidh mature.
For three he strays: Venturing out of the house Grimalkin gets to run free and explore.
For three he plays: Now equipped with “Poltergeist” abilities, Grimalkin can interact with the physical world.

What a sweet and comforting thought that our treasured furry friends watch us throughout the rest of our lives and silently hope the best for us. If only we could have more time with our little companions.

It’s so interesting to follow along with Grimalkin through the 20th and part of the 21st century, as he overhears conversations with notable figures from the past, the rich & famous, and even ordinary college kids. Discovering new fashions and slang, and the hardships and devastation of war.

I love Grimalkin’s crotchety, old man nature. He is such a righteous, thoughtful and introspective character and a fun little guy to follow through time.

Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this advance copy.

I instantly fell in love with the cover and its premise, and was pleasantly surprised with how in depth and emotional this became. Would recommend for those who enjoy a slice of life type of read.

I really enjoyed Grimalkin's voice and the devotion he showed to his first savior. The idea of a cat-god coming in and setting him up to be able to visit other time periods was really interesting and the Howard changed up the slang for each life Grimalkin had in a seemingly appropriate manner. A really fun and quick read for Historical Fiction that introduced huge figures in history with a brief glimpse into their lives.

DNF at 50%

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC! I tried my best to read this book completely, but at around the 20% mark I stopped enjoying it. The writing style was jarring for me, and the minor characters felt flat. I really liked Grimalkin's characterization in this book, and the historical aspects. The story just didn't work well for my tastes.

This books would be a great recommendation to people who love the Travelling Cat Chronicles and Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It's a short and quick read.

Let me start by saying I’m a huge cat lover and loved the premise of this book. 3/5 stars. I think overall, the story accomplishes what it set out to do, but the way it did so just wasn’t for me. I was hoping to read deeper into the human aspect of each of Grimalkin’s visits and spend more time in each setting, and that just wasn’t the case. I felt like each time I finally got to a place in the vignette that I understood and was invested in the characters, that part of the story ended.

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard was a mostly cute story. I enjoyed the premise and Grimalkin as a narrator. However, I wished at times that we could have spent a little more time in each era as it felt a little rushed and as if our feline friend did not get long enough to experience all the new things in each decade he visited. As such, the story lacked the depth it could have had. Nonetheless, many people are sure to enjoy this book as it is in the same vein as many of the cat-centred Japanese tales that have become popular in recent years. I am giving it four stars.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. My review is scheduled to go live on my blog and on Goodreads on 26 August 2024. At that time I will also share across social media.

Thank you for the advanced review copy. I liked the concept of this book and fell in love with Grimalkin. Unfortunately it read a little choppy. Part of the cause may be that it didn’t translate to kindle format well. I enjoyed the historical aspects

A charming, heartwarming and nostalgic read, I fell in love with Grimalkin and all of his humorous musings. I love the concept of following this loveable cat through time, getting to see different time periods through his eyes. If anything, I wanted this book to be longer, with more depth in each of the time periods. I would recommend to a historical fiction lover who is looking for a quick and cozy read.

This book was so sweet and sad at the same time. I felt so much for the cat and the life it lived. It did remind me of "Before the coffee gets cold x, but in a more charming read.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Hanover Square Press for this arc

4/5 stars

This was cute, silly, dry, and heartbreaking. This compares well to Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and I feel lovers of that series will really enjoy this. I loved Grimalkin and how this sweet kitty adapts to each new era he's in, quick to realize he's being judgemental in a way that is better left staying in his decades past. He and Eilidh's relationship was so very special and made my cry more than once. I will say, once their storylines ended I found it hard to get through the rest of the lives. I guess their relationship to each other and Grimalkin's love for his human was an important point that left quite a gaping hole after it was gone. The authors self insert at the end was funny though, and reading the acknowledgements at the end and seeing how he came up with the story was cute.

If you are a cat lover and/or history buff you will love this book. I am both and I found the protagonist cat, Grimalkin, authentically drawn and his reactions to his decades long journey through history very appealing and informative. It's a gentle story with humorous moments and a few wistful ones as well. I took away one star for an annoyance on my part that the 9 lives legend was re-imagined so that he had to be a ghost cat for 8 or his 9 lives and, for the most part, couldn't engage physically with his world. I felt it was a missed opportunity for him to reappear in each new era and interact with the new residents of his home. No matter, I was still charmed by the story and will recommend it to all.

As someone who has been to Edinburgh and is mildly obsessed and a major cat lover, this book was made for me.

The concept is amazing. I feel like we get works like this but for dogs, and it was so refreshing to have a look into Grimalkin and his nine lives. This is great for individuals looking for a quick and cozy read.

An entertaining and at times genuinely heartfelt read about a cats adventures in the afterlife tied to a particular address in a Scottish tenement. I found myself tearing up at times reading about the cats interactions with the living inhabitants of the house.

I'm only crying a little but. The Ghost Cat was an entirely sweet story of a little cat who dies old, and well loved and the journey he goes on after. Like, I'm seriously tearing up writing this. I think anyone that likes cats would like this a lot. The last time I cried this hard over a cat book was when I read The Travelling Cat Chronicles.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The above is my honest review.

This book was cute. Dry, but cute.

I preface this with I love cats and I was really hoping for more fantasy aspects.

Grimalkin (our historical ghost cat tour guide) meets an unfortunate early demise in his first of nine lives and comes back to take us through 150 years of history told with wit and humor.
The pacing was a little hit or miss but overall I enjoyed reading Grimalkin’s story!

I recommend this book for people who enjoy historical fiction.

This book was written from the perspective of an orange tabby cat with a crooked tail. Upon his death, he is awarded nine lives, for 3 he stays, haunting his former home. Yiddish 3 he strays, where he can leave the confines of his home to roam. For 3 he gets to play, and at this stage he has the ability of poltergeist. His haunting spans over a 120yrs and we can observe the changes in history, seeing historical figures, new inventions, through a cats eye. I did quite enjoy this book, but my only complaint is I wish that each of his haunting showed more of the history. The book was mainly about the cat and not the history, so in understand. But I personally would have enjoyed seeing more of the history.