This book. It's about so much more than cats but also about cats. It's a beautiful reflection on dealing with trauma, building community, and finding purpose in unexpected places. What would you do if you were suddenly living on a property where 30+ feral cats depended on you? This is the story of how Courtney found herself in that situation (during the pandemic, no less) and found her way through those challenges while also finding herself and building a community of support for cats - and the people caring for them. As someone who lives in Tucson and intimately knows the neighborhoods she's describing, I felt moved to learn more about the work she's been doing to provide care and support to those doing their best to survive while also supporting the creatures living with and around them. The cats are brilliantly described - you can feel their funny little personalities jumping off the pages. If you don't follow Poets Square Cats on social media, you should. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

"Poets Square" is a heartfelt memoir by Courtney Gustafson about unexpectedly becoming a caretaker for thirty feral cats while navigating her own life challenges during the pandemic. Moving into a rental house in Tucson, Arizona, Courtney initially struggled with her mental health, job instability, and a new relationship. Despite her reluctance, the plight of the cats drew her in, leading to a journey of animal rescue that intertwined with her personal growth. I started following her on TikTok and fell in love with the creator, and this book offers additional stories and depth not often seen on social media. The book beautifully captures the emotional highs and lows of caring for these animals and highlights the importance of community and compassion.

(Had this book been written a bit more recently, there should have been jokes here about a childless catlady.)

The first year of pandemic, Courtney has moved in together with her boyfriend into the rented house at Poets Square, only to realize that the accommodation comes with thirty feral cats. At that point, they was just barely able to provide for themselves (student loans, old medical bills, Courtney would be soon thereafter laid off from her job at a non-profit), so it was very far from an obvious decision that she should extend her sphere of responsibility to care about those thirty non-human persons. This book is about the wild ride that her life has been ever since she opened up to this possibility. It is about an encounter with the animals - their bestiality, their existence beyond the human conceptions of them - but it is also about people, their relationship, economic, and mental health struggles. All told in such a manner that if that was just about the animals or just about the humans, it would be nowhere near as powerful.

"And then at some point I accidentally survived."

I am not an avid reader of memoirs, normally. Somehow. I am so glad that this title, thanks to its catchy cover and the description made it through my filter that usually keeps the memoir literature out. I really needed to read this. It felt surreal sometimes, so many elements of this story were so recognizable and relatable. During the height of the pandemic lockdowns (something about the loosening of human interactions at that point), I also made a special connection with some non-human residents of my block, discovering their bestiality and their amazing non-cultural ways of existence and communication. So it felt a bit like reading a version of the same story from a person who has been thinking many of the same thoughts instigated by this experience (and unlike most humans) but so much better capable with the words. I am definitely looking out for what she writes next - hopefully she does.

What else is amazing is that all this is real. I mean, as real as stories get. You can search for the author's name and find the cats' instagram account and look at all of the cat characters in person instead of just imagining them based on the descriptions.

Being a follower of the Poets Square cats on Instagram and TikTok for several years, I was so excited to read this book.

I think I was on the brink of tears the entire time I was reading. It covered a wide range of topics and emotions involved in cat rescue and the human experience in general.

I’ve followed the stories of all the cats on instagram, and now have the new experience of seeing the human side of things. It felt very relatable and inspiring. Happy and sad.

This was a beautiful, well written book that I’m better for having read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Courtney Gustafson’s memoir, Poets Square, offers an unexpected and deeply touching exploration of community, care, and survival through the lens of animal rescue. Gustafson's journey highlights the profound ways animals can shape our lives—often in moments when we are least prepared for it.
Gustafson details her struggles during a time of personal crisis—a new relationship, mental health challenges, the pandemic, and a precarious job. Caring for the cats initially seems like an impossible burden, but their presence slowly forces her to confront her own capacity for care, empathy, and connection in a world that often feels fractured.
Through these cats—Monkey, Goldie, Francois, Sad Boy, and others—Gustafson discovers a larger community, both locally and online, as her quirky and heartwarming videos about their lives go viral on social media, ultimately helping her navigate the challenges she faces.
Gustafson’s candid exploration of the emotional toll of animal rescue is both heartbreaking and uplifting, and her writing on the ethics of care—how individuals must step up in a world with failing systems—feels urgent and necessary. Her story is as much about the fragility of human connection as it is about the feral cats she tends to.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have been following Courtney (better known as Poetssquare in my mind) for a couple years now on social media. I've attached myself to her cats and cried when they died. I've donated money to various gofundmes and amazon wishlists. I've refreshed her tiktok and instagram, waiting for updates on my favorite cats. When she announced she was writing a book, I knew I was going to consume it in less than a day. And that's exactly what happened. Just like her instagram posts, I devoured this book and sobbed after almost every chapter. I remember when she bought the house at Poets Square and I remember when she started working on the Trash Colony. This book is just a fraction of the stories she has about the cats she's cared for at Poets Square and around Tucson. This book is, of course, a must read. But even more so, her social media is a must-follow.

“Feral, for all the wildness it implies, just means that an animal was abandoned by the system that created it.”

Full disclosure: I have followed this author on Tiktok and Instagram for years and have been a fan of her storytelling the entire time. I knew going in that I would, if nothing else, at least appreciate this book because I love the cats who were written about and deeply respect the author - the cats and author alike have personally impacted me enough that I got involved with a cat rescue organization in my own community.

This book isn’t a feel-good memoir about how the author started caring for the feral cats in her neighborhood and everyone lived happily ever after - it’s gritty and sad and touches on a lot of tough subjects (both human and cat-related), and it refuses to shy away from the harsh realities of the brutal, short lives that feral cats live. But where there is darkness, there is always hope, and this book does a great job at showing how much change can be affected by one person, so long as they’re armed with hope.

Yes, this is a book about cats. But at the same time, it’s not really about cats at all. It’s about how sometimes it’s easier to love the idea of 30 feral cats who live in your driveway than it is to love yourself. It’s about how animal rescue is inherently political, and how human and animal welfare are intrinsically linked. It’s about wealth inequality and misogyny and what it’s like to suffer from imposter syndrome over the very basics of your human foundation: Am I a good person? Or am I not?

But down to its essence, this book is about friendship and love and community, and about how those of us with the tender, bleeding hearts are the strongest of us all, because those soft hearts take a beating day after day and they still keep coming back for more.

As I said in the beginning, I knew that I would at least appreciate this book because of how attached I already was to the people and the cats it’s about, but I genuinely and truly loved this book. It’s the kind of book that breaks your heart and then puts it back together again - painful and heartfelt and full of love.

Courtney Gustafson’s *Poets Square* is a heartfelt memoir that beautifully intertwines the themes of community, care, and personal healing with the unexpected journey of rescuing feral cats. Set against the backdrop of a pandemic-stricken world, this intimate narrative reveals how a seemingly insurmountable problem—caring for a colony of thirty feral cats—became the unlikely catalyst for Gustafson's own emotional recovery and a testament to the power of small acts of kindness.

When Gustafson moved into a rental house in the Poets Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, she was already struggling with the challenges of a new relationship, poor mental health, and a precarious financial situation. The discovery of thirty feral cats living on her property added another layer of complexity to her life, one that she was initially reluctant to embrace. Yet, as the cats’ pleading eyes and visible suffering became impossible to ignore, Gustafson found herself drawn into the world of animal rescue—a world that was as heartbreaking as it was rewarding.

*Poets Square* is not just a book about cats; it’s a poignant exploration of how caring for others, even when we feel broken ourselves, can lead to profound personal transformation. Gustafson’s writing is raw and honest as she shares her struggles with mental health and the immense pressures of living in a world that often feels like it’s falling apart. The cats—each with their own quirky personality—become symbols of resilience and the small but significant impact that one person can make when they choose to care.

The memoir also touches on the broader issue of animal rescue, shedding light on the often-overlooked problem of feral cat colonies in neighborhoods across the country. Gustafson doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of rescue work—the grief, the frustration, the overwhelming sense of responsibility—but she balances these with moments of joy and connection that come from building a community around a shared purpose. The TikTok and Instagram accounts she created to document the cats’ lives not only brought attention to their plight but also helped her to save her home, illustrating the unexpected ways in which care and community can intersect in the digital age.

Gustafson’s story is also about hope—what she calls “a little bit of dumb hope”—and the belief that even in the darkest times, small acts of kindness can light the way forward. Her narrative is compelling and tender, filled with moments of both despair and triumph as she navigates the challenges of rescue work and her own personal struggles. The feral cats of Poets Square, with their wild spirits and enduring will to survive, serve as a mirror to Gustafson’s own journey toward healing and self-acceptance.

In *Poets Square*, Gustafson writes toward a vision of connectedness that extends beyond the boundaries of her own driveway, encompassing the neglected homes and dark alleys where she feeds the cats, and the broader community of people who come together to support one another in times of need. It’s a book that will resonate not only with animal lovers but with anyone who has ever felt the weight of the world on their shoulders and wondered how they could possibly make a difference.

In conclusion, *Poets Square* is a touching and powerful memoir that reminds us of the importance of care, both for ourselves and for the world around us. Courtney Gustafson’s journey from reluctant caretaker to dedicated animal rescuer is a testament to the transformative power of compassion and the profound connections that can be forged through acts of kindness. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a story of hope, resilience, and the enduring impact of community.

A really fantastic memoir that's about cats but also not really about cats. Full disclosure, I've followed the author on Instagram and Tiktok for a long time and have been a big fan of her content. She's a natural storyteller, and she's quite moving on social media and in written, novel form.

The author, Courtney, has a powerful voice (her Instagram captions alone have made me happy cry and sad cry more than once) and she is able to convey emotion and empathy in her storytelling in a really forthright manner. Her prose isn't dense, verbose, or overly flowery; she says exactly what needs to be said. The format of the book was really unique and interesting and made moving from lighthearted to really heavy topics very digestible. I read her book very easily in almost one sitting.

I'm really impressed with how vulnerable Courtney was in this book, able to really understand the cats but also very self-aware when her emotions seemingly about the cats were really directed inward. I feel like I intimately know every cat she described, and it was really fun to hear the backstories of cats and events Courtney has mentioned online. She's so introspective and open in this book that I think most everyone will relate to at least one of her characteristics or experiences. Courtney is also just really funny in a silly, kind-spirited way. It's very easy to see why she's been so successful online and in community organizing.

I'm usually skeptical about memoirs written by young people (how much can there be to talk about when you're not even halfway through your life?) but Courtney really told the full spectrum of the human experience. I smiled, shook my head, laughed, cried, and made comments to my own cat while reading this book. There are serious topics discussed, including mental health issues, poverty, unhoused community issues, relationship abuse, grief, and, of course, the hardest parts of pets and animals. Courtney approaches her story and the cast of characters and cats with honesty and respect. I'll definitely buy a physical copy when this book is out and bug everyone I know to read it. I will also read all of her next books, which I hope are forthcoming.

I was thrilled to get this arc, and it didn't disappoint. Thank you, Crown Publishing!