This was absolutely one of the most heartwarming books. I have read in a very long time. It’s the story of cat, the little black stray, cat, and all of the people who are in his life. Each of the five characters has such a sweet connection to this little stray cat. It was just so refreshing to read and to think about the effects we have on the animals in our world. Highly recommend.

I loved this book!

A stray cat named "Cat" and 5 strangers come together over a summer in this novel about love, family, and connection.

Núria is a single-by-choice barista and member of the Meow-Yorkers, a group that takes care of the neighborhood stray cats. Collin is a best-selling author, self-professed hermit, and lover of coffee. Lily is a Georgia native who is fresh out of high school and has moved to New York to find her long-lost sister. Omar is the beloved neighborhood mailman. Bong is a grieving widower who owns the neighborhood bodega. "Cat" is a curious and observant stray black cat.

While volunteering one day, Núria starts finding Post-It notes left by an admirer at the place where she feeds her favorite stray, "Cat". She responds and the notes continue back and forth, with a little more information given in each answer. Are they from Collin, Lily, Omar, or Bong? Of course, "Cat" knows who is leaving them.

When "Cat" falls ill, the five strangers bond together, and the desire to save him creates chance encounters that lead to love, friendship, and family.

If i had to describe this book in one word, i would say 'Delightful'. Because that is exactly what this book was! I loved the POV of cat. I find it fun and refreshing to see from a cat't POV

🦇 Cat's People Book Review 🦇

❓ Do you have any pets? What are their names?

🦇 Cat is a curious, observant stray feline who spends his days among five New Yorkers:
Núria, a single-by-choice barista who takes care of strays
Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit who needs a little love in his life
Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half-sister
Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early midlife crisis
Bong, the grieving widower who owns Núria’s favorite bodega
When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers bond over their desire to care for him and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they’ve all been searching for.

💜 What a heartwarming story. Let's break it down:

✨ Characters (4/5): Each character is at an interesting crossroads; keeping a secret, struggling with grief, feeling stuck in their career. While this unites them in an unseen way, so does Cat. Each human's story was rich and well-written, but it's Cat's story, how he connects them, that makes this book special. There aren't a lot of books out there that switch to an animal's POV so much, but instead of feeling awkward or unrealistic, Cat's perspective is the glue holding the story (and his humans) together. This is, above all else, a found family story about connection, community, and possibility.

✨ Plot and Pacing (3/5): The pacing wavers from time to time, slowing the story. With an ensemble cast and multiple POVs, it's sometimes difficult to find balance.

✨ World-Building (3/5): Though the story is set in New York (which has its own, unique culture that can drastically change each time you turn a street corner), I didn't feel it much. There's so much tell in this story, but we're shown very little of the setting; a setting that should have a dramatic impact on Cat.

✨ Romance (3/5): The story's romantic subplot was cute, but the execution is a bit awkward. As much as I adore Collin's lack of people skills, the pseudo-stalking is a bit much. The letters he exchanges with Núria are sweet and show us his emotional depth, but I didn't really feel the intensity of the moment when they realize the other's identity (namely, the last coffeehouse scene). Same with the reveal between Núria and Lily; the emotional impact is missing. The one scene that DOES carry emotional weight is at the animal clinic, when the five humans come together to worry over Cat.

✨ Mystery/Suspense (2/5): I would have held off on revealing Lily's secret to the audience a LITTLE longer, if only to build tension.

✨ Tone/Prose (2/5): The prose is stilted and lackluster; all tell over show. Sometimes, that causes the pacing to drag. Unfortunately, I don't have any annotations for this book; a rare thing.

🦇 Recommended to all animal and cat lovers!

✨ The Vibes ✨
🐈‍⬛ Multi POV
🐈‍⬛ Secret Crush/Love Letters
🐈‍⬛ Uplifting Stories
🐈‍⬛ Found Family
🐈‍⬛ Cats!

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #CatsPeople

Cat was a stray who had lived his life on the street. Rainbow Lady, Cheery Mailman, Sad Bodega Man, Awkward Neighbor Guy - these were his people, and this the story of how he brought them all together.

I am a sap who loves stories about connection and found family, and those were two elements that were done so well in Cat's People. Guerrero assembled a fantastic group of characters and connected them to each other via Cat. It's amazing the way people can be part of our world but never part of lives though our paths intersect often. All these people inhabited the same Brooklyn neighborhood, but it took Cat to bring them together.

"Those were the sounds of his favorite people. As long as he could hear them, he was safe."

Each character as at a crossroads in their life (including Cat). One was dealing with grief, one with a stalled life, one with big career decisions, and others with discovering a secret. The beauty of it was how each person found strength and clarity with the support of each other. They were able to make those changes, take those chances, and make those choices because they had each other.

"he realized that home wasn't necessarily a place. Home could be people too. As long as he was with them, he would be all right. Cat finally found a home to call his own."

Not only was Cat's People a heartwarming tale, but it spoke to the power of community and connection. Overall, it was a pleasure meeting Cat's People, and I am left with so much hope and happiness for them all.Cat was a stray who had lived his life on the streets. Rainbow Lady, Cheery Mailman, Sad Bodega Man, Awkward Neighbor Guy - these were his people, and this is the story of how he brought them all together.

I am a sap who loves tales about connection and found family, and those were two elements that were done so well in Cat's People. Guerrero assembled a fantastic group of characters and connected them to each other via Cat. It's amazing the way people can be part of our world but never part of lives though our paths may often intersect. All these people inhabited the same Brooklyn neighborhood, but it took Cat to bring them together.

"Those were the sounds of his favorite people. As long as he could hear them, he was safe."

Each character was at a crossroads in their life (including Cat). One was dealing with grief, one with a stalled life, one with big career decisions, and others with discovering a secret. The beauty of it was how each person found strength and clarity with the support of each other. They were able to make those changes, take those chances, and make those choices because they had one another.

There is something about a non-human point of view that adds a little extra, too. Cat was old and wise. He experienced a lot during his eleven years, many losses and kindnesses. His observations of his people were keen, and I loved seeing him warm to this group as his trust in them grew.

"he realized that home wasn't necessarily a place. Home could be people too. As long as he was with them, he would be all right. Cat finally found a home to call his own."

Not only was Cat's People a heartwarming tale, but it spoke to the power of community and connection. Overall, it was a pleasure meeting Cat's People, and I am left with so much hope and happiness for them all.

"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.

Núria, a single-by-choice barista with a little resentment for the "crazy cat lady" label, is a member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood's stray cats. On her volunteering days, she starts finding Post-it notes left by a secret admirer in an area where her feeds her favorite stray - a black cat named Cat. Like most felines, he is both curious and observant, so of course he knows who the notes are from.

Núria, however, is clueless.

Are the notes from Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit with a weakness for good coffee? Are they from Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half sister? Are they from Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early midlife crisis? Or are they from Bong, the grieving widower who owns Núria's favorite bodega?

When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers find themselves bonding together in their desire to care for him, and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they've all been searching for."

Cats are what will unite us all.

This is a story of community, with a cat named Cat at the center of it all. In this little New York neighborhood, there is Nuria, a single barista who spends most of her time and money on the local stray cat society; Collin, a best-selling very introverted author who seldom leaves the safety of his home; Omar, the friendly and nurtering local mailman, and Lily, fresh from Georgia and searching for the half-sister she has never met. The book is the story of their interactions and growing relationships, with a certain cat assisting as necessity required. An engaging and charming story of community and friendship. Very enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a slow moving but cute story. Even though it was cute, I did have a hard time connecting to the story. I am slightly dissappointed because as a huge cat lover I was sure that this book was going to be 5 stars for me. I did not love it, yet didn't hate it and hence I am rating it three stars. It definitely was an interesting premise.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for the free ARC in exchange for my review. I was so excited to read this because I am a cat person and because I also take care of stray cats. However, I could not get into this book at all. I didn't like that the cat had a POV. I couldn't get into that. It felt a little juvenile to me. I hate leaving negative reviews on Goodreads since it is so hard to find readers in today's market so I won't be posting this on my account especially since I am a firm believer in "No two people read the same book."

Cat's People was extremely cute and Cat's chapters were adorable. I loved seeing the world from his perspective.

I do have to say that the writing was a bit simplistic and I feel like the story drug on a bit too long, I was starting to get bored a little more than halfway through.

Overall though it was a very sweet easy read that I think most cat lovers will enjoy!

Cat’s People is such a sweet, heartwarming story about 5 seemingly random people in Brooklyn and the stray cat that connects them all. Of course, some of the chapters are from the cat’s POV and being a major cat lady, lots of tears were shed. I cried 10 separate times to be exact. I definitely recommend if you are a cat lover, animal lover, or just needing a happy lil story to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy to read and review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m sure people that don’t like cats might still enjoy this book, but I highly recommend this story for self-proclaimed cat ladies and cat lovers out there. This was so sweet and heartwarming, and the story beautifully portrayed how these sneaky, cunning creatures can worm their way into your heart, even if you didn’t considered yourself a cat lover before. That’s honestly what happened to me with my cat daughter, so it just made this story all the more enjoyable and relatable.

It’s not often I find a story where I connect with more than 1-2 characters, but I thought just about all the characters were quite charming and adorable with their quirks. Their fears, their insecurities, and their doubts about themselves resonated with me, as some of their worries and thoughts felt like a reflection of my own.

I did have a bit of issues with Collin’s characterization. He was meant to be awkward and endearing, but he was so high strung and still borderline creepy at times. He made up for it in the end though with his kindness, so I won’t hold it against the story overall.

Wrapping up this review, I will next seek out my cat daughter to give her some pets and affection. She snuck into my heart and now I’m stuck with her, just as the rest of the motley crew in this book are stuck with Cat.

Cat's People is a lovely, sweet story about a plucky stray cat in Brooklyn and the five humans he brings together in various ways. All of the characters, as well as Cat, narrate the novel in sections. If you liked Hiro Arikawa's The Travelling Cat Chronicles but would prefer a story that doesn't make you reach for the tissues, this is a great choice. I was in the mood for an easy, heartwarming, feel-good read, so I flew through this. On the other hand, in a different mood I might have dismissed it as slightly too saccharine, so go into it knowing what you're in the mood for. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press for a digital review copy.

Happy easy read. Did not necessarily feel wildly connected to any characters and felt the ending was rushed.

🥹🥹🙌
STOOOOOOOP!! This book is so cute! My frickin heart! I loved every part of this one!! The characters are so real and I instantly loved them all! Especially the POV chapters from Cat!! 🫶🏻
This is a story of how a stray cat brought together a group of unlikely individuals in New York City.

I just felt so light and optimistic reading this story. It was cute, funny, emotional, and so heartwarming. 🥰 I hope there is another one! I would love to hear more from cat, nuria, collin, lily, omar, and bong. 👌🏻
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ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•cats
•secret love
•uplifting stories
•New York life
•found family

Cat is a stray who lives by his wits on the streets of Brooklyn. This story centers on the people who feed and care for this wily feline. A perfect book for all animal lovers, that feeling of joy and community as this cat brings his various caretakers together.
One of the sweetest stories I have read and quite an enjoyable one too. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC

I don’t even know where to start with this one other than this book brought me so much joy! My heart is full & as I am currently away from my most handsome feline babies, I can’t wait to snuggle them so hard.

This is so out of the box of what I normally read & I am glad my cat-loving, simple brain got caught up by the adorable cover – I mean look at Cat (/Gatito/Itim)! His little face! & the pink background! I was in love. I went in expecting to love Cat & came out with 5 other new friends too. Seriously, I loved each character so much & want to be in their little found family group.

I really appreciated the Guerrero’s writing style. It was straightforward, yet kept me captivated & caring about the story. Each character was nuanced & had real personalities, without having to dwell on long backstories or ramblings that didn’t add to the story. I also appreciated that I could clearly picture each character, without having overly detailed paragraphs devoted to their appearance. Small details were added in organically & a lot was told more by how the characters interacted. I never wanted to put the book down, but given the character-driven style, so there were definitely times in the middle I felt the pacing slow a bit. But for me, it didn’t change the enjoyment of the book.

& of course CAT! Oh my goodness. I absolutely loved his point of view, I just know I was smiling like an idiot. Guerrero put us in the mind of a cat (or at least what we assume would be the mind of a cat) so easily. Every mannerism was spot on & I could picture so easily. His attitude was a perfect combination of inquisitive, cat-superiority, trepidation & charming. I love how he knew his people & tried to do his best to (knowingly or not) pull them together. & even attempted to save them. Cats are truly wonderful creatures & I just can’t get over how well Cat’s POV really personified what I feel like goes on in every cat’s mind.

Bottom Line: this book is perfect for any cat-lover, or animal lover in general. I feel so warm & happy after reading. Did I cry? Look I cry at most books, so knew on page 1 of this that I would sob. & I did. I adored this one & will definitely be recommending to anyone with pets, but especially cats!

PS. I know animal-centric books can be super sensitive for some, so to alleviate any TW concerns, please know this ends happily for all felines.

Well this was just the sweetest story! I was a little apprehensive going into it, I was worried it was going to be too cheesy and weird. But I was very surprised to be so invested in the lives of these strangers!

I loved hearing more about each of the characters; finding out about their lives, struggles and all. It was fun to see the ways that they all intersected too.

And at the heart of the story was Cat. Being a cat person, I could really see all his mannerisms and actions. Reading his inner monolog allowed for his character to come alive! I was very worried as to where his story line was going and am pleased with the ending!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story prior to its publishing!

Cat's People
Disclaimer - This is Not a Romance Genre Book
By Tanya Guerrero

Delacorte Press - April 2025

Fiction


Cat had a good life. He had street smarts and had his neighborhood. He also had a few people he graced with his presence. Some even fed him. These were Cat's People. Five individuals whose lives begin to intertwine.

Nuria, a cat lady who worked as a barista, volunteered at a shelter, and fed some local cats.

Bong, a bodega owner who was recently widowed.

Collin, a reclusive bestselling author struggling to find his muse.

Omar, a mailman who truly enjoyed his interactions with the people and animals on his route.

Lily, a young lady who had recently lost her father and come to town searching for someone.

Cat's People was a fascinating read that I truly enjoyed. Each chapter would end with me eager to continue to see what happened next, only to move on to the next character with their intriguing storyline. As the pages passed, their stories began to weave together in a very Love Actually-esque way and I was engrossed to see how all their stories would end. I highly recommend this story for any cat lover.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

Cat’s People tells the story of five complete strangers who are indirectly brought together by one very special black alley cat.

“Cat” has lived his entire life on the streets of New York, living off left behind scraps and the kindness of strangers. One stranger in particular, Nuriq, is a barista who feeds the stray cats of the neighborhood regularly. Cat feels Nuria is a human he can trust, but as an any smart stray cat knows, it’s still important to keep your whiskers on high alert.

Unbeknownst to Nuria, a shy author named Collin watches her from afar. Just like a cat, Collin is curious about Nuria’s interest in the cats, but even more curious about the woman herself. Still he maintains his distance, often finding himself entering Nuria’s place of business, but unable to speak to her at length.

One day with some pawing from Cat, Collin begins to communicate with his crush via sticky notes left by Cat’s food. And so begins a unique friendship that slowly brings in other members of the neighborhood like Omar the malcontented mailman, Bong, the widowed bodega owner, and Lily, the half sister Nuria never knew existed.

Then Cat gets sick. Suddenly, these five lonely strangers are brought together to help the charming feline who managed to steal all of their hearts. Their strong feelings a surprise to everyone, even Cat is confused by his newfound attachment, finding himself warming to the idea of being a late in life house-cat.

Cat’s People is the literary equivalent to a warm hug- its premise whimsically simple and childlike, yet somehow still appropriate in the pages of an adult fiction novel. Never cringey or corny, it’s a story that reminds readers how powerful the presence of a pet can be, and how the animal/human connection is one that can be pawsitively purrfect when given the opportunity to grow.