This was a sweet, easy read. I love a story that takes place in New York and I am surprisingly into animal narrators, more so than I thought. Even though the premise was simple - a cat connecting five New Yorkers - it was still fun to be in their world.

A cute, heartwarming book about a cat who brings people together unexpectedly. A little corny and slow at times but overall I enjoyed it

I can honestly declare this is one of the best books I have ever read in my life - I loved every page and would have read it in one sitting if I didn’t have a toddler that needed my attention. I truly cannot string together the words to properly express my deep obsession with this novel.

We follow the POV of 5 strangers and 1 stray cat in present day Brooklyn, NYC. Each stranger has a unique relationship and pull toward this stray cat & eventually they become connected with one another. There’s a lot of satisfying dramatic irony and the cat POV is so perfect - I loved the nicknames the cat had for each human and hearing about his day to day life. Cat has really brilliant perspectives and a terrific sense of humor - he is the best character of course.

Nuria is “Rainbow Lady” my favorite character after the cat - she’s pushing 40 and a VEGAN barista with 3 cats of her own. She faces her own trauma and has paved her own way after going through life being abandoned by her father. Nuria feeds Cat every single day & he saves her life later on in the book!

Bong is “Sad Bodega Man” he is a Filipino bodega owner who recently lost his wife and is dealing with that grief while trying to keep his store running and find joy in day to day life. As a Filipino-American I really was excited for this character. Bong gives Nuria paper plates for her to feed Cat.

Omar is “Cheery Mailman” - the mailman everyone loves !! he has a romantic partner named Carl and loves being a mailman even though he sometimes wonders if he should be doing something else with his life. He always gets creamy treats for Cat at the bodega & has deep conversations with him. He bumps into Nuria one day while hanging with Cat and agrees to take a selfie with her so she can tell her mom she has a boyfriend!! He has such a big heart & makes himself available to Bong after noticing he’s going through a tough time.

Collin is “Awkward Neighbor Guy” - he’s a best selling author but somehow his mom is still disappointed in him. He builds a house for Cat and starts leaving love notes for Nuria to find when she feeds Cat. He starts visiting her at work but is too shy to admit who he is.

Lily is “Bright Pink Person” & Nuria’s long lost sister who moved from Georgia to New York to find Nuria. Nuria befriends Bong at the cemetery when he’s visiting his wife. Lily is too scared to introduce herself to Nuria properly even though she works as a cashier at Nurias grocery store and sees her often.

They all have their own separate relationship with Cat and are mostly strangers to one another until slowly friendships begin to form and eventually they all end up together to help Cat when he needs them the most… Cat had never wanted to be domesticated, he liked being a stray and thought being locked in a home would be a prison to him… but he starts to realize that maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world.. there are people who love him that he can trust.

I would highly recommend this book to cat lovers - and to folks that just enjoy a good heartwarming story of interwoven perspectives and individuals navigating different seasons of life.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! I’d love to read more from Tanya Guerrero in the future!

I loved Cat's People! The concept was automatically interesting to me as someone who loves found family trope and cats. It reiterates the importance of connection-- how we are all seeking to love and be loved. My favorite perspective was Núria's and seeing her growth throughout the novel was really lovely. I thought the middle went somewhat slowly, but picked up at the end!

If you love cats and are looking for a heartwarming story, you can’t go wrong with Cat’s People!

As a lover of animals and a regular recipient of gifts from the cat distribution system, I feel like I know a good cat story when I read one, and this is far and away the best one I’ve found! Guerrero brings together such a fun group of characters, all struggling with something personal, who take time to be kind to a stray cat in New York. In return, that cat brings something they need to them— courage, love, bravery, and a family of sorts.

If you love cats, explorations of the human condition, and slice of life stories, this book is for you. If you need the reminder that small gestures of kindness make a difference, this is for you. If you’ve ever received your own cat from the universe and counted yourself lucky, this is for you. The way Cat’s People is told reminds me of a lot of the translated Japanese fiction I’ve been reading— there’s just something comforting about these reads, and I love them.

Wonderful read from beginning to end!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me a copy of, “Cats People” by Tanya Guerrero! You will not want to miss this book coming April 1st, 2025! Wow—to say I was surprised by this would be an understatement. I was hooked from page one and this is a book with characters that will stick with me. I loved Cat, Núria, Collin, Omar, Bong, and Lily. I was so impressed with how Tanya had us navigate each character and perfectly bring them all together, because of “Cat”! ❤️❤️

Sometimes you just need a sweet, heartwarming, content book to read - and this is it. Five New Yorkers who all share a special bond with a stray cat each get to tell their side of the story in this debut book. Cat even gets chapters which I loved. It wasn't overly sappy and frankly there were some chapters that were downright sad.

I loved how very diverse people each got their say in this book and how Cat really drew them all together. I have to say I am a dog lover - but I still really enjoyed this book - and they do even have a dog make appearances in this book.

Loved the ending of this book too.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tanya Guerrero, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book found me at the perfect time. It is a wholesome, feel good story about a stray cat and the way he brings people together. As a cat lover, I loved reading a book where cats are painted in a positive light. I highly recommend this story of friendship, community and humanity (with a feline thrown in!).

(ARC review)

This was such a heartwarming story and really captures the heart of Brooklyn - sometimes we find community in the most unexpected ways, and in this novel that was through a stray black cat. I loved seeing all of the characters’ individual stories converge as the story unfolded, and would definitely recommend this book it comes out!

Cat's People is about strangers in Brooklyn brought together by a stray cat. The story included six POVs, including the cat. Overall, it was a very cute story, I appreciated the diversity in the characters and their stories, but I did find the writing to be a bit rough, specifically in relation to the cat's POV.

Deciphering what the cat does and does not understand took up more time than it should have while I was reading this story. It seems the cat knows what cabinets are, understands what a kitchen is, but does not know how a doorway works? He also states in one chapter that he does not approach humans, then about three chapters later it states he's doing circles around a woman's legs. Maybe not a huge deal, but it certainly takes me out of the ability to actually envision it as a cat's POV. It's also stated the cat doesn't understand love or money, but he understands the concept of minutes, which simply does not make sense to me. I did enjoy the explanations of why the cat is hiding and how it investigates smells and things, but overall it just did not read like it was actually coming from a cat's perspective.

Again, very cute story. If you are interested in a cute read about a stray cat and some lonely people, it's worth a shot!

This was such a cute, heartwarming story… and was unlike anything I’ve read before. This book is unique in that we get multiple POVs including Cat’s as we learn about his interactions with his people throughout NYC. We learn about each person’s backstory and how their lives interconnect with or without them knowing about it. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the eARC.

A simple but lovely story about five people who get to know each other because of a cat. thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This is such a different book than I usually read. It was a wonderful changes, as an animal lover, i know how animals can change your life and this book tells the stories of 5 new yorkers and how they and their relationships were affected by one special cat. well all cats are special as well as all dogs. this is a good feel good book.

What an amazing tale! The story of a stray cat and the people who interact with him in a neighborhood in Brooklyn New York.
Cat livers will live this book but it is such a feel good tale focusing on the connections we all need in our lives it is truly for all readers
Nuria is a wonderful quirky heroine who is at the center of the book. Gotta live their name - Meow -yorkers
We also meet Colin, an author and a loner, Omar the neighborhood mailman , Lily a young woman searching for her unknown half sister and Bong who runs the local bodega. The way they all meet and ultimately unite over Cat is so charming. Be prepared to feel moments of great emotion.
The ending was perfect but i can still see room for more from these characters!
Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the advance reader copy to enjoy. Expected publication date is April 11 2025.

Such a heartwarming and sweet story about strangers that are brought together by a stray cat. I liked it well enough that I could overlook the thrown in your face all-inclusive variety of people to finish the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press for this book. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

This book is heartwarming, ingenious, moving, and overall, such a stunning novel. Showing the ways that people can create connections over something as simple as a street cat, is just beautiful. I loved all the different voices throughout the novel and felt like Cat’s voice was just so strong. His compassion and curiosity bringing strangers together through their connection to him is just so poignant. This is a book that I will be proud to recommend and one that I hope gets all the positive attention it deserves.
Thank you ever so much to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and Netgalley for allowing me to review this stunning novel. I will post my review closer to the titles release.

{ ARC REVIEW }

• Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero

A stray cat brings together five strangers over the course of one fateful summer in this heartwarming novel about love, found family, and the power of connection.

Cats rule! Dogs drool! Just kidding... please don’t come for me.

This was a simple and cozy read. It’s 100% for cat people. If you don’t like cats, you’re not going to like this book. It’s just the way it is.
The story felt like a quick episode of Friends of Gilmore Girls, how random strangers in a walkable town bump into each other over one commonality: a scruffy stray cat that doesn’t like to be touched.

But just like that, a sitcom episode, there wasn’t a whole lot of depth. I don’t think it’s meant to be mind-blowing or even earthquake-life-changing. Too many serious problems got resolved too quickly, and simple problems were blown out of proportion with a dose of immaturity on some characters’ parts.

It is the author’s first book! so, overall, well done. It kept me entertained enough to finish.

As the biggest cat person I know... I loved this book so much 😭😭

I knew that, as long as nothing horrific happened to this kitty, I was going to love this story. This book was made for people like me. The people who try to help abandoned and stray cats. The ones who look out for our helpless furry friends. The ones who care so deeply about the little angels roaming around out there. I, myself, am currently on a mission to help the 5 stray cats at my work, and I have a group of conspirators with me, much like this story.

I really enjoyed the aspect that all of these people are connected, one way or another, and that they all become friends in the end. That connectedness was beautiful to watch develop, and it made my heart feel warm.

Also, if you're afraid to read this book because you think harm will come to the kitty, I can tell you that nobody harms the animal. The animal also doesn't pass away, but it does get sick, so if that bothers you, please prepare yourself.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press for this ARC for review. I loved this sweet book!! This book is a lovely book about a community of different people and how an adorable stray cat brings them all together to care for him and care for each other.. I can’t recommend this adorable book enough!

Even if you are not a fan of cats, you will be a fan of this book! Such a sweet uplifting story about a group of five strangers who come together one summer to save a stray cat living on the streets of Brooklyn. It’s told in different points of view for each chapter - even from the cat’s- but I found it easy to keep the characters and their stories straight and became quite immersed in each of their lives as the story progressed. I liked how the author subtly revealed the connections between the “strangers” which the cat helped orchestrate. I highly recommend this charming story!