This is a sweet, charming book about a diverse set of characters. They center around Cat, a black stray cat in Brooklyn. There are a handful of neighbors who are all connected in different ways, feeding Cat or otherwise. The chapters are told from the perspective of the characters. I really enjoyed getting to know Cat and the humans, and seeing how their love for Cat brought them all together.

Cute read but a bit wordy. Honestly some of the details could have been left out, I don’t particularly care about what Nuria is eating and when (i eat a vegan diet as well). Cat’s story itself was kind of sad as were some of the friend stories. Easy read though.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

My kids accuse me of being a "crazy cat lady" so this book had definite appeal. Told in multiple voices, including Cat, we get the daily life and connection between the characters and their feline friend from the streets. Simple and yet so endearing as each person is led to another through Cat.

4 stars

In a Nutshell: A heartwarming contemporary uplit novel about a group of strangers united by a black cat. Found-family trope used well. Touching without turning cheesy (for the most part.) Multiple characters with diverse backgrounds and layered arcs. Perfect for the times you want something relaxing. Read this with your heart and not your head to enjoy it better.

Plot Preview:
Cat lives an independent life on the streets of New York. As he strolls the streets, he crosses paths with five strangers: Omar, a happy-go-lucky mailman; Núria, a barista whose two passions are cats and coffee, in that order; Collin, an erstwhile bestselling novelist looking for inspiration for his next writing attempt; Bong, a bodega owner mourning the loss of his beloved wife; and Lily, a young Georgia native who has moved to New York directly after high school on a secret personal mission. As Cat purrs his way in and out of these characters' lives, their paths too intertwine.
The story comes to us in the third-person perspectives of all the above characters, including Cat.

PSA: The blurb contains a major spoiler.

This book entered my life when I wasn't able to concentrate on anything too literary or complicated. As such, it was perfect for my mood and held my attention without my needing to tax my brains too much, even though it had so many characters and character perspectives.

Bookish Yays:
😻 Cat’s perspective. I love black cats, and I love that this book chose to have a black cat as one of the narrators. I found it amusing that some of the human characters had different names for the same cat. (Equally funny that Cat had his own names for the humans.)
😻 The division of the story across the human characters. Núria’s role is slightly more important in the overall proceedings, but all characters get almost an equal share of the narrative. Quite fair!
😻 The character arcs. Every person (and Cat) has a personal struggle, an agenda, some grief or past hurt, and each is still determined to push through life. I liked the distinctness of their individual perspectives as well as their personalities. Cat is the common factor but there are also other connections across the humans.
😻 The diversity of the characters in terms of age, nationality, financial status, as well as sexual preference. The author is Filipino and Spanish by birth, so I appreciate how she created two characters (Bong and Núria respectively) honouring each of these nationalities. The varying ages of the characters creates a nice range of life experience.
😻 OwnVoices not just in terms of the author’s background but also because she's a cat lady in real life as well. No wonder all the cat content felt utterly real!
😻 The found family trope – used excellently without feeling too forced.
😻 The plot – easy on the mind without being too simplistic. It covers a variety of emotions even though the book is primarily uplit.
😻 The romance – present but never at the cost of the main plot. Clean and cute.
😻 The title. “Cat's People”, which I first misread as “Cat People” and thought that this was a book about cat lovers. Well, not everyone is a cat person at the start, but they soon come to their senses. 😉 The perfect title for this book! (Dog lovers: There's also an adorable chihuahua named Sinatra in a minor role.)
😻 The cover. Someone give that cover designer a raise! What a purrfect depiction of the plot, with Cat as well as his five humans (or rather, their hands) sketched so well! (To be honest, I didn’t even read the blurb in detail. The moment I saw the title and cover, I grabbed the book with much eagerness.)

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🐱 Cat's knowledge is a little beyond what we might expect of animals. The concept is imaginative anyway, so don't overthink if you want to enjoy his POV.
🐱 The characters are overly sweet, with not a single negative shade in the main characters. Perfect for the genre, but a bit unrealistic.
🐱 The writing is quite simple. This wasn’t a major problem for me as the characters kept me mostly happy. But I wish there had been some descriptive prose, especially connected to the city setting. Those looking for some lyrical turns of phrase might be disappointed.
🐱 Two of the characters are near forty, but their behaviour reads much younger. They are still likeable; just that they aren’t convincing representatives of their actual age. One guy blushes almost in every scene where human interaction is involved – it gets a bit repetitive after a while.
😿 Too many coincidental bumps and connections. Okay for a small-town setting but tougher to believe for a story set in New York. Some of these interactions can be attributed to their staying or working near each other, but a few scenes are too serendipitous to be convincing.

Bookish Nays:
😿 The ending dragged a little. It was suitable to the feelgood genre, but felt too stretched. A little trimming would have helped.

Overall, despite some minor issues, I had a good time reading this novel. While I am more of a dog person, cats are a close second favourite, so such a book anyway had a good chance of clicking well with me. But it helped that this book came into my life at the right time. My mind needed a relaxing story with relatable emotions, and this book satisfied that need perfectly.
This is the author’s debut adult fiction work. She has written only middle-grade fiction so far, so perhaps this leap in target age, though commendable, kept the characters from sounding older (except for a couple of cuss words). Regardless, based on this reading experience, I would like to keep an eye on her future offerings, whether adult or MG.
Definitely recommended to those looking for a soul-soothing contemporary work with likeable characters, simple but effective storytelling, and an adorable black cat. This is a heart-read and not a head-read.
4 stars.
My thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for providing the DRC of “Cat's People” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Cat’s People is a heartfelt and tender novel that celebrates the beauty of unexpected friendships and the quiet magic of everyday encounters. Tanya Guerrero weaves an uplifting tale centered on Núria, a reluctant “crazy cat lady” and barista in Brooklyn, whose world gently shifts when she begins finding mysterious Post-it notes while feeding her favorite stray, a black cat simply named Cat.

What starts as a charming mystery quickly blossoms into something more profound—a story of five very different people drawn together by one remarkable feline. From a reclusive author to a grieving widower, Guerrero introduces us to a cast of characters who feel authentic and richly layered. Their individual struggles and longings are delicately explored, making their eventual bond all the more rewarding.

Guerrero’s writing is warm, insightful, and filled with emotional nuance. The novel gently reminds us that love, community, and understanding can be found in the most unlikely places—even at the corner of a Brooklyn street, beside a dish of kibble.

A must-read for cat lovers and fans of feel-good fiction, Cat’s People is a quiet triumph that lingers long after the final page.

This one took me a little while to get into, admittedly. I am a mood reader and it just didn't grab me at first. But when I picked this back up a second time I could hardly bear to put it down. I absolutely loved this wholesome, found family of diverse characters in different stages and phases of their lives. I loved the flipped narrative that the "super successful" character was the grumpy, socially stunted one. I love that the cat is a narrator. I just really loved this, overall. Honestly, it's a 4.5 with the only thing holding back the full and enthusiastic 5 stars being that I could have read more, it ends a little fast once the strings begin to all weave together and I would have loved just a little more story for each character. I will absolutely be recommending this one!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press, and Tanya Guerrero for the advance reader's copy.

If you like Fredrik Backman, but wish it wasn't so depressing, welcome to Cat's People.

It's told through five different POV of humans who interact with Cat, a black homeless cat who roams the street near where they all live or work. The perspective of Cat is also given. There is some heavier subject matter, like an attempted sexual assault, but it is very surface level since that is seen from Cat's perspective. This book is perfect for cat lovers and readers who enjoy more character driven novels. The chapters are very short too, which allows for more perspectives from everyone to fit into this just over 300 page novel. Cat's People is Guerrero's debut adult novel and I hope she writes more in the future.

Quirky and gentle, this story wanders like a stray but finds its way with heart. A cozy, if slightly meandering, tale of unlikely friendships.

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a stray animal? Do they lament their fate or are they living a life of adventure. Tanya Guerrero shares the tale of a black cat in Brooklyn and the people she regularly interacts with. Between the ladyship feeds her, the local post man, the reclusive author, the bodega owner and the new to town shop worker, their relationship with the cat brings them together in wonderful ways.
I will not say more because I simply want you to read this cozy book that satisfies so well.

Thank you Tanya Guerrero and Random House Publishing for a NetGalley ARC copy of the Cat’s People!

Rating 4/5 ⭐

This is a lovely and cozy slice-of-life narrative set in NYC that follows 5 strangers as their lives all begin to intersect around an adorable stray cat.

Núria: Master barista and cat rescue volunteer
Collin: Best selling author who has lost all inspiration
Omar: Friendly neighborhood mailman looking for a life change
Bong: Bodega shop owner dealing with the grief of his wife’s passing
Lily: Grocery store clerk in search of her long lost half sister

The NYC setting was artfully done, making it easy to picture the neighborhood and all the movement of the big city. I loved how each of the characters were unique, but seamlessly fit into the narratives of the others with ease. Cat’s perspective was especially humorous and endearing throughout the book. This is the perfect book for a relaxing afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 💕

This is a cute and heartwarming story about a stray black cat and his human friends. All cat lovers will enjoy this book. Thanks to author Tanya Guerrero, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I loved this book! Nuria's love of cats and not caring what others think of her. Collin's awkwardness and note writing. Lily is looking for family and answers. Bong is working through his grief. Omar is finding his passion. Cat is organizing his found family into their own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press, and Tanya Guerrero for the eARC.

cute and well-written story! Some of the formatting was definitely a bit weird but in general I really liked this one. My favorite POVs were Bong's and Cat's. 4 stars. tysm for the ARC.

This was such a heartwarming story! It centered around five semi strangers who all come together for one stray black cat, whose perspective gets his own chapters. I loved watching the interactions between characters happen on the page and slowly grow closer. I loved best the moments where the cat felt so loved and happy. There were many moments where I teared up as each character goes through life, but the book ends in such a happy ending. Absolutely recommend this for a good cozy read!

Thank you to Delacorte Press for an early copy.

I really enjoyed Cat's People. It's the story of five people whose lives are touched by a stray black cat in New York City.
Collin is a bestselling author, Nuria is a barista who feeds feral cats, including the black cat outside Collin's apartment. Lily, is a Georgia native who just moved to New York to find her half sister, who doesn't know she has a half sister. Omar, is a mailman who needs a life change, but doesn't have any idea what direction that change should take. Bong, owns the neighborhood bodega and is still grieving his late wife.

Collin notices Nuria, and is very attracted to her, so he starts leaving sticky notes by the cat's food dish. Nuria starts writing back without any idea who she writing to. Throughout the book, all 5 characters come in contact with each other, and Cat. Thank you to #NetGalley & #RandomHouse for an advance ebook to review.

This was a quick read that really tugged on your heart strings! It's for cat lovers, but it's also for people. People who love connecting with others. People who love showing kindness to others. People who believe one small deed goes a long way. This story was adorable!

This was so so so good! I do have to give a trigger warning for a sick cat, though, in case that wasn't made clear by the description. But I really loved getting to hear Cat's thoughts and seeing all of his favorite people. This was so heartwarming and a definite cozy comfort read. 5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This story was like a warm hug from a cats point of view. This is multiple point of view with human viewpoints too. This can be difficult for me to keep track of but each point of view had unique and interesting storylines. I would consider this a 'cozy comfort read' ideally paired with a cat curled up on your lap. Content warning: ill animal

I was not able to get this onto my Kindle to read. :( I tried multiple times and i'm not sure what the problem was. I have heard great things though and if a physical copy were available, I would love to read it!

We get a lot of perspectives in this book, but it starts off with Cat's. He's lived on the streets for years and is cautious of people, however there's one lady, whom he calls Rainbow Lady, who feeds him each day.

In fact, Cat is the central point connected a variety of people. A barista who loves cats, a shy author, a grieving bodega owner, a friendly postal worker, and a long lost sister. In his own way he communicates with each and brings his circle of people together.

I love books where lives intertwine and we get to know characters - and cats. So for me this was a heartwarming win.