Poets Square is an incredible memoir about the cat rescuer behind Poets Square Cats, and the cats she's encountered and cares for. The book is written in interconnected essays and each one holds deep truths about humanity. As someone who used to work at a cat rescue, I found the emotional beats extremely relatable. Working with cats is a study in suffering and persevering, and usually about helping people, because when cats are in need, the people around them are too. Anyone who follows poetssquarecats or works in animal welfare will naturally gain something in reading this, but so will anyone else who picks up this book that is at the end of the day a human story.
Thanks to Crown and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Poets Square by Courtney Gustafson is a very moving and emotional memoir. After moving into a new home, Courtney becomes the caregiver to thirty feral cats. What follows is a journey of resilience, empathy, and hope.

I have followed Courtney online for a number of years, so this is as definitely one of my more anticipated reads of the year. Poets Square lived up to and exceeded my expectations. This book perfectly encapsulates grief and relationships. It is a heavy read, but I think that’s what made it such a good book. Courtney seemed to put in words the emotions I felt after losing my pets, and I think because of that this story will resonate with a lot of people. I loved reading about the thirty cats and I hope Courtney is able to continue saving lives of both people and animals.

This was a wonderful memoir about cats, life as an adult, societal issues, and mental health. I’ve followed the Poets Square Human (Courtney) for a while now on both TikTok and Instagram. I was excited to hear that she had written a book about her experiences with TNR and her colony of feral cats. Her storytelling on those platforms are beautiful and paints a vivid and sometimes humorous picture of the cats. What I didn’t expect from this book was a touching and moving masterpiece of literature that brought me to tears several times.

I don’t want to go too into detail about the book itself because I think it’s worth a read, but I did want to point out one of the many powerful quotes that I found:

“But the items I had added to the list for people - winter hats, wool socks, protein bars, and soup - didn’t move. No one donated them. Why was it so much easier to feel compassion for the cats?”

This is one of the many powerful quotes that make you sit back and think about how society views animals versus humans. Courtney’s memoir, the cats, and the humans she talked about will be sitting with me for a very long time. 10/10 worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of Poets Square: a Memoir in Thirty Cats!

Courtney has written a wonderful book that both gives us a look into her life of caring for a colony of feral cats that I have learned about through her TikToks; but also a look into how our communities can work together to help each other under capitalism. A wonderful read for anyone who is community-minded, and a huge bonus if you love cats.

Prior to requesting this book, I had never heard of Poets Square, or the author's instagram account. I don't even consider myself a cat person, and I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this. I am so happy to be proven wrong, and I've already recommended it to a friend who works with animal rescue organizations. This is partly a recollection of the cats (who totally won me over with their personalities), and much more a look at the transformative experience the author encountered throughout her time living among 30 feral cats in Poets Square, a neighborhood in Tucson.

I was so impressed with the depth, self-exploration, and beauty of her writing. I really hope Courtney Gustafson writes more books, because I will read anything she writes!

This is a fantastic memoir discussing how Poets Square cats came to be. I like how it dives into the “cat society” learning about how they interacted. You’ll definitely cry at parts. I really could not put this down. I didn’t follow Gustafson prior to reading this - but as a cat lover I just did. What excellent work she’s done for the feral cats!!!

This is a really solid book that is about a cat rescuer, but also about being a person existing in capitalism and relationships and learning to trust. I wasn’t sure I’d be into a book about 30 cats, but sometimes NetGalley (from which I received a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review) really surprises me in a good way!
Here is 2 quotations I pulled because I loved them:
On how hard it is to rescue cats and deal with their deaths and the cruelty in the world: “I don’t know how to explain that I can’t do it either. People are always saying how hard it must be, but there is no special hardness about me.”

And one about learning to live with her limitations: “There’s no version of myself that could ever be enough to save every one from all suffering and it haunts me, it destroys me, it keeps me up at night. I don’t want my main emotion to be despair.”

Admittedly those quotations make this book sound sad. And it isn’t! It’s just a surprisingly deep book about wading through hoarder homes and building a life as an internet influencer because of stray cats. Recommend!

Courtney Gustafson's memoir is about thirty feral cats - and it is also about love and loss, light and dark, grief and hope, community, feeling lost and being found, and so much more. Gustafson's writing is both approachable and intimate and very relatable. I found myself rooting for both her and the cats and look forward to following both on social media going forward. I also hope that Gustafson continues writing - would love to see more from her in the future.

I really enjoyed this memoir and found that I've remembered so much of it, months after I finished reading it. The author brilliantly weaves her personal story with that of the cats who live amongst her. I really loved getting to know the cats and following her journey. It's a quick and compelling book.

I've been following Poets Square Cats for a few years now and I love the community that's been built around these furry friends. My own cats are the most important part of my life and I couldn't imagine my life without them, so I decided to start caring for the feral cats outside of my old apartment building, all because of this little Tiktok account I follow who does the same thing. Courtney has inspired me to take care of my own colony of cats and I love that she's done the same to others around the world. This book is such an accomplishment and I can't wait to see what she does next.

I loved this book on every level. Beautiful writing and an author you instantly want to root for - I was captivated from the first chapter. I'm not a 'cat person', but I was still drawn into the story and found so much more than a story about rescuing cats. Gustafson shares her authentic heart and anyone can relate to the challenges of being a young adult and finding your way. I particularly loved the stories that so clearly illustrated the challenges of relationships and of adulting in this day and age. It gave me great hope for humanity and made me believe that in the kindness and generosity of people. Such a wonderful book I'm sure I will be sharing with people - cat lovers or not. Great job and I hope this is the first of many books to come from this talented, beautiful writer.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and offer my honest review on this lovely new book.

This is a great story about what's happening to the cat world and how much of the suffering that is happening to them is caused by myth and negligence and how a few devoted people are trying to help. I also found that this story took me on an emotional journey, not only because of the cats that the author talks about but also her disclosure about her life and how she was dealing with problems that were coming up while she was helping the cats Very brave thing to do.
I love the journey that the thirty cats took the author on, and how much she looked forward to seeing them everyday. I also like that she thought she was just rescuing them, but they were also rescuing her from a life she liked to one where she had more possibilities. It is revealing how the cats made her look more closely at how she was looking at life and how life actual is for many, not only for the cats, but people too. I love reading about how much the cats meant to her even if she doesn't see it herself. I love the communities she created every time she went to help someone else with a stray cat issue, and how she talked about how people are willing to help her, but also found it sad that people aren't willing to help in other areas.
There is so much to learn from this book not only about cats but the world around us that we don't see. I believe that reading this story will show the reality of what is happening to the cat world and maybe it will spur cat owners to do the right thing and get them fixed. There are currently 70,000,oo0 stray cats in the U.S and between 530,000 to 1, 400,000 are euthanized for no other reason but not getting them spayed.

I want to thank Crown Publishing | Crown and NetGalley for an advance copy of a story about one woman cause to do the right thing.

This was an absolute delight. I was vaguely familiar with the Poets Square cats from Tik Tok, but I hadn’t followed them super closely. I loved this so much—the stories about the cats and how Courtney weaved in her own experiences and commentary of society and how our systems fail animals and humans alike.

My words will not do this book justice. This is a book for everyone. If you love animals, this book is for you. If you care about people, this book is for you. This book tells a story of one young woman, not feeling good enough to like herself, and trying to live her life so other people would like her. At different times, throughout the book she relates these stories that made her who she is. And then one day, she realizes that she's not like that at all. And it took caring for unwanted, hungry, sick felines to show her how strong she actually is. This is a love story on so many levels and in so many ways. This is truly an exceptional book, and I thank the author for sharing her experiences. This book will be on my shelf after publication, after I have read it for the second time! I thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this amazing read.

This book spoke to my soul. I found myself crying in happiness and sadness. Relating to feeling so much room to love and care. And being overwhelmed at times by that love.

Never felt anything soft before in their lives line stuck with me.

I just love reading memoirs like this that tell you more about a person than usual memoirs. It’s not a biographical timeline but more a learn as you go.

I’m now following Courtney on Instagram and I can’t wait to see more. Thank you, Courtney, for all you do!

Thank you to NetGalley, Courtney Gustafson, and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read Poet’s Square. I have written this review voluntarily.

I’ve followed this instagram account for a long time and I was so excited to receive an arc. This book was the perfect blend of memoir and information about feral cats/cat rescues. I loved the whole thing, even if I knew what happened to some of the cats ( r.i.p. sadboy). If you’re a cat lover I think you would love this book.

Thank you Net Galley and Crown Publishing for the ARC!
I knew that this was a memoir going in, but I think I was so excited about the cats that I forgot about it? I was not expecting the emotional wallop that this ended up being. From covering every struggle that a human can go through, how these were exasperated by a pandemic, to the emotional toll and love one can feel to suddenly have 30+ feral cats rely on you, I was not expecting so much! I really want to revisit this book again after completely going through the tiktok and instagram haha.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion. I have been a longtime follower of Poet Square on instagram and I found myself drawn to Courtney due to being a cat lady and having feral cats that I would feed. This book tells not only the evolution of Courtney but of many of the cats. If you are a follower, you will be so happy to see so many of our favorites mentioned. If you aren't a follower, then sit back and enjoy a book about self discovery and the love of felines.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I have not ever followed Courtney's IG or Tiktok so you could say I went into this blind. However, I was easily captivated with her writing, and I felt the connection and the affection that she had for each and every one of these cats in Poets Square. Courtney's self awareness is refreshing (most memoirs I have consumed do have the aspect of a professional with help and how they overcome it) and at times heartbreaking. What I thought was a memoir about a feral cat community expanded into mental heath, poverty, inter and intrapersonal relationships etc. Easy to pick up, but heartbreaking to read and to digest.

10/10 Meows

This memoir is a delightful read that really hits home. I loved how the author uses metaphors throughout—very clever and relatable! The way they seamlessly transition between their own life and the experiences of with the cats is truly impressive. It’s such a heartwarming story. Definitely worth picking up if you're an animal lover.

5/5