Many of us know of Poets Square Cats from the TikTok and Instagram accounts. We know the story of how this young woman moved into a rental house, how she unknowingly became the steward of a large number of feral cats, how this motivated her to become involved in TNR, and how the community has helped in small and one very large way (which might count as a spoiler, but IYKYK). I myself have donated a bit of money here, an item from the Amazon wishlist there.

But we know these stories through the outward facing lens of her camera, which has usually been focused on cats, and not on herself. For a really long time, we didn't even know her name. She was referred to as Poets Square Human for the longest time, and we didn't ever see her face.

This memoir turns the perspective inward and shows us the very personal story that led Courtney to the path she's on now. It could be trite to write a memoir about how diving head first into animal rescue could save a person, but this is anything but. It's sometimes raw, always very honest, and not always sympathetic. We go on quite a journey with Courtney and her physical and mental health while she bares all about the time spent working with feral cats, and flashes back often to times beforehand as well.

As she continues to grow and learn more about TNR, cat care and community outreach, the Poets Square Human shares the internal monologue, the uncertainty, the deep compassion and the human complexity we rarely see on social media. The cats are there, but they take a backseat to Courtney's story.

-I received a complimentary advance copy for review purposes. The opinions here are 100% my own.

I’ve been following Courtney online for years, and when she announced her memoir, it quickly became my most anticipated book of 2025. I was honored to receive an eARC, and reading it was a truly emotional experience. While the book is, at its heart, about cats, it is also an abstract love letter to many things: the city of Tucson, the people and cats who live there, and the deep capacity we have to care for others—even when it is difficult. The journey through this memoir was often bittersweet, filled with moments of sorrow but always tempered with hope. I’ll be purchasing a hard copy on release day, and I fully intend to share it with everyone I know. It’s a book I can’t wait for others to read and experience.

Poets Square tells the story behind @poetssquarecats, a social media account that cat-trapper and author Courtney Gustafson started when she moved into a house on Poets Square and inadvertently inherited a colony of 30 feral cats. Over the next months and years, those cats changed her life, and in her memoir, she does a beautiful job of describing how. We get to know Courtney (she doesn't post much about herself on her socials) through interwoven stories about her cats and her life, both pre-and-post Poets Square.

I cried so much reading this book. Honestly, I mostly don't like reading books that I know will be sad (in particular, "literary" fiction sometimes just feels like trauma porn and I don't enjoy that) but this is one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and, and it's fantastic. And, sure, some of it is that I recently changed SSRIs and my emotions are currently very close to the surface, and some of it is that I have had an intensely parasocial relationship with these cats and their caretaker for years now, but I don't think that negates the fact that this book made me *feel* stuff. I started off reading one chapter at a time because I needed to ease into the mood, but then I just began devouring it.

The thing that is so brilliant about Courtney's memoir is how she seamlessly draws connections between the problems facing cats, and those facing humans. These are not just the economic problems I was expecting (in addition to a cat wishlist, she keeps a human wishlist of sunscreen and socks and hand warmers and beans other vital items for those who need them), though that is an inextricable part of this book. In one chapter, "Men Call Cats Sluts," she describes the "casual misogyny of cat rescue," connecting her own experiences of sexism and harassment to the way people describe cats in heat. She draws thoughtful connections between cats and humans throughout.

Yes, this is about cats, but it's also about people, and, more fundamentally, about care: why we care, what we care about and for, how we care, finding community through care.
Not all of the stories are sad (I cried even at the happy ones, because I cry when I am overwhelmed by sweetness as with grief), but many of them are, or are tragic in illuminating the depth of inequality in this country. I recommend it to cat people and others alike.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Poet’s Square is Courtney Gustafson’s dedication to the cats that roam around her building in Poet’s Square. She recounts how cats helped her through major life events, including grad school and the pandemic. Her social media postings and descriptions of these cats over her living in Poet’s Square enable her to find a new community and to understand what places she wants to have in the world. Gustafson’s work also features beautiful illustrations of the cats she meets, further emphasizing their individuality and their impact on her life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! my favorite non-fiction read of the year.

i have never been more honored to receive an ARC in my life! i’ve been following courtney and her journey for a number of years, and had the pleasure of meeting her working for flatbush cats. regardless of my personal ties, this is still a fucking fantastic memoir that is going to sit with me for a long time.

as a woman who’s worked in cat rescue for 4 1/2 years now, there are feelings that i experienced that i never was able to vocalize. courtney wrote them down and did it beautifully. i found myself time and time again with my heart aching at the relatability of so much of what she was writing. she quite actually tore my bleeding heart out and put it on the page. if you work in animal welfare, especially in TNR, in any form, this is an absolute must read. even if you don’t, and just are a cat lover who’s enjoyed the poets square saga over the last few years, there are still many parts of this book that will feel relatable to you.

cats aside, it’s admirable how personal courtney got. she writes about mental health in such a beautiful, captivating way i felt like i was right there with her reading through the pages. it’s hard because this is so much about cats, but then it kinda isn’t? it’s a not wordy beautifully written piece of art about cats and humans, and humans and cats.

i cannot recommend this memoir enough, be prepared to have a few tear jerker moments (i had way too many to count). i can’t wait to pick up a physical copy when it’s released and proudly display it on my desk at work so i can talk to literally everyone about it. flatbush cats loves and misses you in brooklyn 🫶

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

Poets Square is a memoir about a woman who moves into a rental home in Tucson, Arizona, and accidentally inherits 30 feral cats who live on the property.

I loved this book so much. It’s about so much more than just cats. It’s heartwarming, sad, funny, and details stories of grief, hardship, and loneliness, but also love, companionship, and care. Courtney brilliantly weaves her own life experiences in with anecdotes about her cats. This is so different from the average memoir and I would recommend this book to literally anyone (and I will when it’s released), but especially to any cat or animal lovers.

Thank you for the ARC. When I heard about this book coming out, I immediately added it to my bookshop.org want list and followed the author on social media. I read this book in one day, I could not put it down. I loved reading about the different cats personalities, but this book is so much more than that.

Gustafson writes about her job, education, relationships, family and is able to tie it all together seamlessly. I especially enjoyed the glimpses into working at the Food Bank during the pandemic, her struggle to form relationships at school, and her relationship with her family. This book is not about the cats, it is about who we are, our struggles, wants, needs, etc. Loved this book and can't recommend it enough.

This beautiful little memoir made my animal lovin’ heart so incredibly full! Not only did the author discuss the rewards and struggles of navigating cat rescue, but she also dove into the broader life lessons she has come to learn over the years which was very relatable to me. This memoir brought me happy tears, sad tears and several laughs throughout. So inspiring and refreshing to read about communities who come together with compassion for animals. My favorite book of the year by far- I will be purchasing a hard copy to keep on my bookshelf and recommend to others for years to come!

Publication date: April 29, 2025

Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital ARC copy in return for my honest review.

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.