unfortunately i wasn't able to get into this book. due to its writing style.

this book follows five strangers in new york as they're brought together by one little cat. the main character is nuria, a barista who's dedicated to caring for stray cats in her free time. the cast of characters includes collin, a secluded author, bong, a grieving bodega owner, lily, a young cashier searching for her half-sister, omar, a friendly mailman, and cat, a little black cat who's the heart of the novel.

i did not enjoy reading this book. the writing style felt too simplistic; i saw multiple grammatical errors that frustrated me, such as missing commas and sentences starting with except and or. the similes used in this book were questionable to me at least ( "oozing like the middle of a chocolate lava cake" ). there were times where i was baffled by some sentences were short and static, yet there were times where i found sentences overwritten, running on too long to explain a simple detail. also, references. we cannot be making too many references to the modern day, and this book has a crazy reference in the middle that i cringed at.

now for the characters...i think collin is creepy. that letter? MEN NEED TO ACT NORMAL. and then his behavior later with omar is crazyyy. also nuria for me was sometimes likable sometimes not. like girl i get your frustration with your mom but don't treat your friend like that come on now. and then her treatment of lily was nasty like how are you okay with one "stalker" but not okay with the other??? i liked lily, omar, and bong though.

ultimately this is a cozy novel and if you're into those you might enjoy this book. however the writing style and characters were lacking, resulting in an unpleasant experience for me. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3

thanks to netgalley and random house for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press, and author Tanya Guerrero, for allowing me access to the digital ARC. Below is my honest review!

I truly believe this book was made for me. I am always loving the opportunity to read stories centered around cats and people who love them. This story was a slice of life experience, living through interconnected characters that stem from their interactions with Cat. I loved being able to read from the many different perspectives and it always felt like a cohesive, immersive experience. The topics at times were heavy, and they were dealt with beautifully. Being able to have a prominent perspective be through the eyes of a stray cat was so wonderful and it felt like you were learning about the characters alongside him.

This book was so wonderful and I will be buying a physical copy on release day to add to my shelves, specifically the section for cat specific books! I highly recommend this book and want to read more from Guerrero in the future!

Five peoples’ lives interact with a stray cat who has a profound effect on each of them. Nuria, a barista, who spends her time taking care of her New York neighborhood strays, Omar, a friendly mailman who takes care of his neighbors and Colin, a famous author suffering from writer’s block who is too shy to interact much with people. There is also Lilly, looking for her long lost sister, who happens to be Nuria, and a widower bodega owner, Bong, who is struggling to keep going alone.

Each of these people who have some difficult life issues begin to find their lives are enriched by not only being in Cat’s orbit, but by interacting with in small and large ways, they gain a found family. Cat acts as a narrator of sorts of the story giving his “opinion” on each of the characters and doing his feline best to bring them together.

This is a slice of life kind of story with no big surprises and predictable outcomes though there are a few jarring episodes. It will appeal mostly to animal lovers as well as people who like to see the lost and lonely everyday kind of people enriching their lives and those of the often abused and neglected street cats who need these kinds of heroes.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest opinion.

This was such a sweet feel good story and it definitely helped me see my cat in a different light.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This is such a great feel good book! The characters are so real and relatable. The scenes felt so right for each setting. Meeting Nuria, Collin, Omar, Lilly and Bong felt like meeting my new best friends. Cat was the best character throughout this book.

I feel so warmed and peaceful after reading this book. Makes me look at my cat differently and in such a great way. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for- Ballantine for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest opinion.

This is a heartwarming story about a stray cat, the people he interacts with, and how he brings them together and facilitates the connection they could all use.

Chapters alternate POV. There's Nuria, a barista in her thirties who works with Trap/Neuter/Return programs and rescue organizations; Collin, a struggling author with severe social anxiety; Omar, a cheery mailman who doesn't know what he wants to do with his life; Bong, a widowed bodega owner deep in his grief; and Lily, a young woman come to NYC from the South in search of the half-sister she only just learned she had. And of course, we get chapters from Cat's point of view!

This reminded me a lot of the cozy stories coming out of some Asian countries these days (<i>The Full Moon Coffee Shop </i> from Japan, <i>Marigold Mind Laundry</i> from Korea), although the writing style on display here suits me a bit better - possibly just because it's more like what I am used to. That being said, it certainly isn't going to be winning any literary awards. But it succeeds in its aim of being a cozy, heartfelt, inspiring story that also exudes a love for cats and coffee (I am the target audience here!)

This was such an overall sweet story that it took me be a surprise when there was an occasional F-bomb dropped in out of nowhere. It includes queer representation, and gets bonus points for the couple who named their daughter Bernie in honor of the senator they ferociously campaigned for in 2016! For me, this was a nice 3.5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press and Ballantine of Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased review. I plan on posting my review to my blog at jessicacrawfordwrites.com on March 29, 2025, and will post it to my Instagram account @shelfesteem101 around the same time.

I’m so happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy of Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero; thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/ Delacourt Press.

Cat’s People was just the story I needed at the moment. It took me away from the winter snowstorms and put me into the steamy heat of summer in New York. An entertaining story of friendship, family and fur! Getting to know Cat, Nuria, Collin, Omar, Bong and Lily was a chance to head into Brooklyn and enjoy the moments and places in the neighborhood that connected these characters. Being Ms. Guerrero’s adult debut from previous kidlit; there seemed to be a lot of emotions, sugary sweet scenes and tears scattered throughout for an adult story. Somehow all the “secret admirer” and feel good moments worked for me. The cover art for this book was perfect too, I found myself looking at all the hands who cared for this special and very observant Gatito. You don’t have to be a lover of cats to enjoy this one, just a lover of joy and happy endings.

Cats People is a story about 5 strangers and a stray cat that connects them all. This story has romance, grief and the day to day struggles of life. All 6 characters (including cat) were well thought out and enjoyable. A cat POV is a first for me but it didn’t disappoint and the short chapters make for fast paced read. I want to thank Random House Publishing, Net galley and Tanya Guerrero for providing an ARC for my honest review! Cats People will be available to enjoy on April 1st 2025.

**Features:**
- Cozy read about found family and connection
- A Cat as a perspective
- Straightforward, slice-of-life story set in Brooklyn

**Synopsis:**

Cat may be a stray, but he still has people of his own. There’s Rainbow Lady (Nuria) who brings him food and water, Awkward Neighbor Guy (Collin) who lets Cat live in his hedges, Sad Bodega Man who has treats, and Cheery Mailman that Cat keeps company on his route. Now there’s also Bright-Pink Person (Lily) who looks a lot like Rainbow Lady. If only all of his friends didn’t seem so lonely. The companionship they really need is closer than any of them realize. They just need someone, a cat perhaps, to show them.

**Thoughts:**

This book was cozy, charming, and exactly what I needed. There is a lot more to this story than I was expecting when I picked it up and you definitely don’t have to be a cat lover to find the characters and story relatable (though it definitely helps)! I was worried going in that this book might be too ‘cutesy’ for me to really get into, but there is a lot of depth to the characters as each struggles with a different kind of loneliness and/or isolation. Despite the book’s more straightforward and gentle approach in exploring their struggles, the characters are well realized and I found myself rooting for each and every one as they started to enter each other’s orbit. Even Cat’s perspective was well executed and brought a great level of sarcasm and humor to the story.

Though the book handles its adult themes, characters, and Brooklyn setting extremely well, the writing style lacks some flourish and detail. For me, the style helped keep the story moving and keep its cozier vibes. However, it might feel too ‘young’ for some readers and there are definitely some missed opportunities in character development that would have made this great story a phenomenal one. That being said, this doesn’t have the issue of repetition and oversimplification that is so prevalent in books for younger audiences and I appreciate that this book doesn’t try to do more than it needs to. If you are looking for a light, cozy read, I would definitely recommend this one!

This book was SO cozy. I loved every minute of it. It was so sweet and adorable, but also tugged on my heart strings at the same time. I loved this book so much.

4 lucky black cat stars

I was intrigued by the description of this book and wondered how the cat’s perspective would come across. I ended up really enjoying it, especially the chapters from Cat.

Cat is a stray cat who has befriended five people in his neighborhood. One feeds him every day, dressed in colorful clothing. She’s Nuria, a top-notch barista with a side passion for cats. Another person is Omar, a mailman who has excellent conversations with Cat. We also have Lily, who works at the neighborhood grocery store. Another human is the grieving owner of the corner market, Bong.

Then there’s Collin, an author with writer’s block after a successful novel. He’s not really a cat person, but he’s intrigued by Nuria and watches her feeding Cat each morning. Too shy to approach her, he starts to leave her notes.

This is a sweet story, and I love how Cat brings these people together. The ending was touching!

This was a heartwarming story about a cat and the lives that interact with him. Told from multiple point of views, including the cat's!

This novel is definitely a sweet, wholesome one. A good one for cat lovers. It made me think of Remarkably Bright Creatures, but in Cat's People, we have a Cat pov who touches the lives of all the povs involved to some degree, even uniting some.

I did struggle with it though. As sweet and wholesome as it was, the author chose to include f-bombs and other curses. On top of that we get an attempted rape scene. Those two things, those two vibes of wholesome and dark content clash. They do not flow together. Therefore I didn't really connect with this book or any of the characters. I was constantly pulled out of the story by either the contrasting vibes or whenever the author included real life names, brands, politics, etc. I also was thrown that this cat understood human speech and had human thought process and understanding of things. I wish it had remained more like a cat. As it was, it felt like a human pov rather than a feline.

Thank you NetGally and Penguin Random House for the digital arc for an honest review.

In a Brooklyn neighborhood there lives a street savvy stray cat who is known by its residents by many names,

Núria, a single-by-choice barista and member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood’s strays just knows him as “Cat”.

Bong, a lonely Bodega owner, knows the black cat as Itim-the stray is late wife would feed until the day of her unexpected death.

Omar, the cheery mailman, calls Gatito, his friend, as the cat will often walk beside him as he delivers the mail.

And, Collin, The NY Times best selling author with writer’s block, enjoys watching this particular cat, being cared for by the most fascinating volunteer, and decides that he would like to make the cat’s life easier too.,

When Cat suddenly falls ill, during this sweltering hot Summer, these strangers find themselves connected by their desire to care for him. Their chance encounters create a “found family” and all of their lives will become fuller and more meaningful because of their compassion.

I was afraid to read this book, as I know that the life expectancy of a Stray Cat is about half of a cat who lives indoors, and I didn’t want to risk becoming attached to this one, just to have him not survive the 304 page novel. Fortunately Cat has a fan club of good folks looking out for him, and this story is HEARTWARMING-not heartbreaking!

This story really resonated with me, as I have seen many neighborhood cats come and go over the years, usually appearing regularly for a couple of them and then one day never appearing again. 😕

The latest is a black and white cat that most of us call Oscar. We found him bleeding from his neck one day, and went looking for an owner. Everyone knew of him, but nobody claimed him. A neighbor who feeds him, was the only one who could close enough to catch him, and we brought him to the Vet to get him doctored up.

He now has food and water, and his own bed in our garage-when he chooses to visit. He even tolerates a head scratch on occasion. I sure hope he continues to show up-as my neighbors often leave gifts for him on my fence, like a bag of catnip for him, or fresh baked bread for us, as they are happy that we helped him.

Everyone who loves cats, will LOVE this book-the author captures their personalities PURRFECTLY. 😻

BUT- It’s also a novel for anywho loves stories of FOUND FAMILY too. And, for you dog lovers, there is even a misunderstood, blue eyed Chihuahua named Sinatra!

You can pick up your copy of Cat’s People on April 1, 2025.

Thank You to Delacorte Press for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

According to Cat: “People are there to serve cats.” So this is the story of one stray black cat’s people friends. There’s Rainbow Lady (Nuria), Cheery Mailman (Omar), Awkward Neighbor Guy (Collin), Sad Bodega Man (Bong), and Bright Pink Person (Lily). It’s a heartwarming, charming, feel good, slice of life story that sort of reminded me of Fredrik Bachman books (but with a cat instead of a grumpy person at the center). It’s a clever way to unite a story about kind people who also have bittersweet moments.

The central part of the book did lag and the amount of characters takes time to get used to. I think this novel will really appeal to “cozy cat mystery” fans who love the feline series written by Lilian Jackson Braun, Rita Mae Brown, Miranda James, and Laurie Cass. It’s a sweet book. 3.5 stars

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero

The author knows cats. The majority of the cats that have spent the rest of their lives with us once we rescued them, and the cats who are a part of our family now, have been formerly stray cats that needed a home, needed help, or both. Being owned by a cat is a very special experience and being owned by a cat that was stray and very wary is rewarding in so many ways.

We meet a stray black cat who is fortunate to have lived a long life already, which is unusual for an outdoor, homeless cat. He's very street smart, he has to be street smart, because almost anything could lead to his end. But this cat has people who care about him although these people aren't aware of each other...yet.

Through caring for this cat, leaving food and water for him, talking to him, listening to him, spending time with him, and checking on him, these people find various reasons to be in the same vicinity as each other and eventually come together in one way or another. This cat is of an age that street living will not be survival-able for him much longer, it's taken a toll on him. But he has people, he has friends, he has those who love him, and the way all these people and the cat come together is heartwarming and a beacon of hope for each person and their beloved cat.

I'm very picky about reading books with animals in them because I don't want to read about animal abuse or harm. I was able to handle this story and enjoyed it. Seeing lonely, mourning, anxious, isolated people come together and help each other live better lives and seeing the cat be the center of their caring friendships brightens my day. I enjoyed reading and discussing this story with my cat loving friends, DeAnn and Jayme.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, but the moment I saw it was about a stray black cat bringing lonely people together, I was in. And honestly? It was such a heartwarming, feel-good read.

The story follows five people in Brooklyn who don’t realize how much they need each other. There’s Núria, a barista who loves cats and spends her free time feeding strays; Bong, a bodega owner still grieving his wife; Collin, a writer with anxiety who hasn’t been able to write in ages; Omar, the friendly neighborhood mailman who looks out for everyone but himself; and Lily, a young woman searching for the half-sister she’s never met. And then there’s Cat—the black stray who unknowingly connects them all.

I loved watching their lives slowly intertwine. The alternating perspectives worked really well, and surprisingly, I cared about all five characters equally. (That almost never happens for me in multi-POV books!) Even Cat gets his own chapters, and while I thought his inner monologue was a little too human at times, I still enjoyed his dry, slightly judgmental take on the world.

Not a whole lot happens in this book, but that’s kind of the point. It’s about everyday life—grabbing coffee, running errands, crossing paths with the same people until one day, they become part of your world. It’s a story about small acts of kindness, how caring for a stray cat can lead to unexpected friendships, and how family isn’t always the one you’re born into.

It’s sweet, funny, and just the right amount of emotional. If you’re a cat person, love found family stories, or just want a book that makes you feel warm inside, Cat’s People is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

A very sweet and straightforward book about a rather diverse group of people in Brooklyn, NY and the black street cat they all know and care for. A true "found family" story, we get to know them mostly from the cat's POV - "the Rainbow Lady, Cheery Mailman, Sad Bodega Man, Bright Pink person, Awkward neighbor guy & more - and Cat brings them all together. I really LOVED the ending! Many, many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the widget for an Advance Reader's copy - most grateful & very happy I read this one!

This book speaks to the loneliness that so many people have been suffering from lately. It's about people living in a Brooklyn neighborhood and how a cat brings them together. It's a sweet story, and I read it in a day. The writing went down easy, and the characters were nice to visit.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. This was a cute story. I enjoyed Cat's point of view and I loved how Cat connected all of these people. I cannot give this work a perfect score though because I told myself if anything happened to Cat I'd stop reading. (I was invited to read this book and I never read the synopsis.) Well something happened to the cat but I didn't stop reading, I did finish the book. I'm just saying that the cat didn't need to be as sick as he was diagnosed. The characters are good and somewhat interesting but I feel like there was a lot going on with them and that it could have been a little more focused. 3.5 stars out of 5