Member Reviews

This review will be posted on BookwormishMe.com & goodreads.com today.

Call me a cat lady, or an animal lover, but I adored this novel. Told from multiple points of view, the best were the cat’s point of view. There were times Cat literally had me crying. So moving were this little stray’s words. Honestly I loved this one.

Cat is a stray on the streets of Brooklyn. He lives near a hedge where a really nice lady, he calls Rainbow Lady, comes to feed him and talk to him daily. Rainbow Lady is Núria, who volunteers to take care of strays. She has three cats of her own, and her paying job is as a barista. She adores the cats though.

Next door to Cat’s hedge is Collin. Collin is a bestselling author with no ideas for his next book. He sees Núria visit Cat everyday and takes notice of her. She is the bright spot in his life these days even though they’ve never met. There’s also Omar, the mailman who has a smile for everyone, including Cat, who makes the delivery rounds with Omar.

Add in Lily, the checkout girl from the grocery store, and Bong, the owner of the nearby bodega, and you’ve got a group of people who all care about Cat. And vice versa. Cat is very intuitive and brings such a spark of life to these people’s daily lives. He is a very special cat. Somehow his relationships with all of these humans brings the entire story, and this group of random people, together. He gives a story to remember.

Yes, I cried. I cannot remember the last time a book made me actually cry, but this one sure did. Cat’s commentary was the key. His sadness, joy, exuberance, pain, and love were so real. Honestly, if you’re a cat person, or maybe if you even like stories that make you feel good, you will like this one.

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Cat's People by Tanya Guerero

I’ll begin with the fact that I am more of a dog person than a cat person. With that said, I’ve been blessed, as an adult, with two dogs and three cats. If you think animals don’t have abundant personalities and individuality, you may as well stop reading here.
I assumed I would be writing a negative review about this book when I started to read it, and boy was I wrong. I loved the darn book. The main protagonist is a cat with many names. Many names for the impact he has on many people.
Cat, a stray, impacts those around her, including a bodega owner, a barista, an award-winning author, a mailman, and a precocious niece.
That is the gist of the book: relationships and how each person showed themselves to a shrewd judge of people, the cat!
If you like animals, not just cats, you really should read this book. It was delightful!
I strongly recommend it.

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Cat is a black stray cat, and the story is centered around him. Before I started reading the book, I wasn't sure if I would like the book, but once I started reading it, I loved it. This isn't a spoiler but, the reason I loved it, is the people who became connected over taking care of this stray. I learned so much about each one, and each one had different personalities, problems, jobs, but their common ground was the cat. I saw them grow, learn, change, and how their connections got stronger.
Cat's People is a perfect name for this book, and I really enjoyed it. I received an ARC from Delacorte Press through NetGalley.

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This cozy cat book made my heart happy! I am a huge cat lover and found this story to be heartwarming and captivating. It made me smile, laugh and cry tears of happiness. This is my first book where I am reading about the cat’s point of view. I loved every second of it!

Cat’s People is a beautifully written novel that is about a black stray cat that brings completely different strangers together. One person is a mailman, named Omar. The second person is a barista named Nuria. The third person is a grieving guy named Bong. The fourth person is Lily, who works at a grocery store. Lastly, the fifth person is a writer named Colin. The way that this stray cat brings all of them together is a truly beautiful story

I recommend this book to anyone that loves cats and reading a cozy and happy story. I give this novel a 4.75 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NeGalley, author Tanya Guerrero, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine | Delacorte Press for this digital advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review of this book.

Cat’s People is set to come out on April 1, 2025! I have published this review on Goodreads, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and Fable on March 6, 2025 and I will be publishing my review on Amazon and Barnes and Noble when it is released. If you have any questions or comments about my review, please reach out to me via email at TheConnieFox@gmail.com. Thank you to everyone for reading my review!

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I DNF this book, I just couldn’t get into the story. Too slow moving for me. I have tried to read it two different times. Therefore, I will let other reviewers who enjoy this book promote it, so I will not be posting on social media or reviews on retail sites. That way, this book gets much deserved attention from those reviewers who loved it!

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A heartwarming, feel-good story about connection, helping others and love. Cat is a stray who brings together five people. I really liked that Cat’s POV is included too.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I gotta tell you guys, Cats People is by far my favourite book of 2025 so far. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the book but I was invested right away and absolutely loved every page. Fellow cat lovers will swoon over “Cat” and the humans who come into his life. The author did an amazing job nailing the unique personality of a cat and I got a few giggles in while reading “Cats” chapters. The story follows several different people who don’t initially know each other but quickly become connected because of Cat. I was initially a little worried that having 6 main characters would be confusing but the story is written so seamlessly that each chapter flows from one person to the next and you quickly start to see how they will eventually connect. It was a pleasure to read and I’m actually sad it’s over.
Cat has always lived on the streets and gotten used to being alone. Rainbow Lady feeds him every morning and Mailman lets him tag along on his route, bodega man has the sweetest treats and Awkward Neighbor Guy seems just as skittish as he is. He’s always just been happy with what he has but lately it seems like things are looking up for him. All these new people seem scary at first but Cat realises that they just want to help. Núria, Collin,Omar, Bong and Lily all come into each other’s lives at a time they are each going through something. None of them could ever imagine how their lives will change because of a stray Cat.
Funny, smile worthy, even a little tear jerker at times. Loved it!

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This is a cute and sweet story. All the human characters are centered around this one cat character. The cat plays an important role in all the humans lives and connecting them. I loved how the Cat was his own character and was central role in the book. It was unique. It was charming. It had found family, romance, and of course the undying love that you can only have for the stray cat you share with complete strangers.

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thank you, NetGalley for the e-arc. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

The synopsis of this story dragged me in. It was so unique and so sweet and cute. I absolutely adored it. This book center is around a stray cat, and the five people that he brings us together. I haven’t read anything like this before and every time I think of it, I will smile!

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*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Be still my heart.

This was the exact book I needed right now-- heartwarming, charming, and so wholesome I think I gained back two years of my life. CAT'S PEOPLE was a really lovely intertwining story, written from six different perspectives but all centering around Cat. An eleven-year old stray, Cat knows his way around the block, and he also know's who he can and can't trust. Becoming a part of his inner circle is difficult, but the five people who have are all important in their own special way; just as they are all important to each other in special ways.

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this story, but all I know is CAT'S PEOPLE exceeded everything I thought it was going to be. It was tender, and loving, and very sweet-- and it was a beautiful reminder (especially in today's times) that each of us has a layered and complex story, and we all deserve love and acceptance (even if it enters our lives in unusual ways).

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This was a cozy and warm read that reminded me of how important the need for connection is, whether it be feline or human, communities are so important to building that sense of belonging and connection.
I enjoyed the diversity of characters in this book. I also liked their personalities and characteristics, I was rooting for each and every one of them throughout the book.

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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. Simply stated, this book is about people and how the can be brought together by the shared admirable for animals. I very much get this! While very simple in its delivery, this novel provides a low-stress and thoughtful read that is purrrrrfect (had to) for cat lovers everywhere! I really enjoyed this book.

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One of those slice-of-life books, centering around the lives of several people cat knows. He's technically feral, but has adopted a number of people and becomes an important part of their lives. Quiet, well-written, nothing surprising.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

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No cats are seriously harmed or die in this book. I just wanted to post that really quick, because I hate reading an animal story and the animal dies in the end. I want a heartwarming story, not a story that will leave me weeping. This story is a multi-POV story about 5 people and one stray cat in Brooklyn, New York. The cat even has his own sassy POV, which I absolutely loved. Really the best part of the book is the Cat narrative, especially when he is pushing the human characters together.

Ultimately, this is a story about how lonely living in the city can be and the unexpected things that can bind us together. We have Nuria who is a single woman who volunteers to take care of stray cats, Collin a semi-shut-in author, Bong a widower who owns a bodega, Omar the friendly mailman, and Lily a young grocer. Each person is connected by the neighborhood they live in and the black cat, Cat, that they all sort of take care of. Of course, Cat is also taking care of them.

I've always felt like pets choose us and I absolutely love the found family of this story. The way the Cat draws them together and the way grief is woven into the story is so lovely. The only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is because there are several phrases that are repeated over and over that I just didn't like. It felt like the author didn't know what to put, so they just used a filled sentence. Normally it wouldn't bother me, but it kind of took me out of the story.

If you're an animal lover that enjoys a good found family story, this is definitely a book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine Delacorte Press.

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Book: Cat’s People
Author: Tanya Guerro
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Delacorte Press, for sending me an ARC. This is another case where until the publisher reached out, I had never heard of this book. I was very surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this one. The story is sweet and feels like a warm hug, but somehow manages to stay away from being too cheesy.

In this one, we follow a group of five strangers, who find themselves being brought together by a stray cat. Núria, a fiercely independent barista and devoted member of The Meow-Yorkers—a Brooklyn group that cares for stray cats—has no patience for the “crazy cat lady” stereotype. But when she starts finding mysterious Post-It notes at the feeding spot of her favourite stray, a sleek black cat named Cat, she’s caught off guard. Someone has been leaving her secret messages—but who? Could it be Collin, a reclusive bestselling author with a taste for good coffee? Lily, a determined teen fresh out of high school on a quest to find her long-lost half-sister? Omar, the neighborhood’s friendly mailman facing an early mid-life crisis? Or Bong, a grieving widower who runs her favorite bodega? As Cat falls ill, these five strangers find themselves drawn together, each discovering that sometimes, the connections we least expect are the ones we need the most.

I started my review out by saying that this is sweet and it is. It’s a story of people coming together from all different walks of life and are brought together by chance. All of them are strangers, yet their lives are interwoven together and they have no idea. It’s all because of a street cat. Cat watches them and sees everything. He sees how they need each other, but cannot make themselves make that final shove to see it. All of them go throughout their day to day without even realizing how much and how often their paths cross. They see each other at their place of work, on the streets, and whenever, but they have not made the connection. That is until Cat falls ill. However, Cat is also like the humans. He is a stray and has never had a home of his own. He thinks he is fine on the streets, counting on others to take care of him. While he does let some humans get close, he never allows them to make a connection to him. He keeps his distance, just like the humans.

Yet, everyone does manage to find their way to each other. We get everyone’s point of view, which means we get all of their backstories and can see how everyone is supposed to fit together. All of our characters are awkward. They are the ones who people don’t pay attention to-, even though they do touch so many lives. If you were to pass them on the street, you probably would quickly forget about them. Yet, these are us. They are humans just trying to get through life. They have real interests, likes, and heartbreaks. They all have their story, just like all of us. By allowing us to see all of this, it gives us a chance to form a really deep bond and connection with the characters. We all can see ourselves in them.
What I enjoyed the most about this book was the sense of found family. All of our characters have had their ups and downs, but they don’t have anyone to turn to. It is through Cat that they all find each other and end up where they are supposed to be. We see the bonds of friendship and a connection that may run deeper than blood. Now, not all of the relationships are based on friendship; some of them we can see becoming a bit more. It’s a slow development that feels right. We see the natural connection of humans and it is done in a way that feels natural. It’s not rushed. Our characters do take their time to let their guard down. However, it works and it fits the story. If the author had done it any other way, the story would not have worked as well as it did.

If you are looking for a sweet story about five strangers coming together and a cat, I think you will enjoy this one a lot. It will certainly put you in a good mood.

This book comes out on April 1, 2025.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Xn_ATjO6QBs

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I didn’t care for this book at first. I really liked the cat's chapters and his perspectives on what he saw. The human characters grow on you as you continue to read but that still didn’t make me want more. Each of them had some type of insecurity they were struggling to overcome. There was too much use of foul language for my taste and it added nothing to the story. The same with the gay character, what difference does it make? The cat does bring the other characters together to form a type of family. I’m glad the cat was still happy at the end.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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I adored Tanya Guerrero’s “Cat’s People.” The novel is set in Brooklyn and is about a black cat named Cat, as well as five people who take care of him or come to know him.

Núria is a barista who is also part of The Meow-Yorkers, a group that takes care of stray cats in the neighborhood. The reader also gets to know 1) Collin, who is a bestselling author, 2) Bong, a widower who is mourning the loss of his wife while running a bodega, 3) Omar, the local mailman who is having a midlife crisis, and 4) Lily, a recent George high school graduate who moved to Brooklyn in search of her newly discovered half sister.

The description is a little misleading. The reader knows from the outset who is sending notes to Núria. I enjoyed being able to escape into this novel, getting to know the characters, and discovering how the author would end things. The book was mostly hopeful and uplifting, but there were a couple realistic aspects to it that were on a little on the sad side.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

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**3.5/5 Stars – A Heartfelt Story for Animal Lovers**

Tanya Guerrero’s *Cat’s People* is a warm and charming tale that beautifully explores the bond between humans and animals. The writing is gentle and engaging, with a touching message about kindness and connection. While the plot is somewhat predictable, its heartfelt storytelling and lovable characters make it a comforting and enjoyable read, especially for cat lovers.

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I really wanted to love this book, and was totally open to the concept. But sadly, I didn’t love it. I didn’t find myself engaging with the characters, or compelled to read their stories. I think maybe it was all too disjointed for me. I appreciate the chance I was given to read it, though.

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This is a fantasy only in that a Cat's POV is included among the five humans this cat visits. It's mildly a romance, though the story is really a gentle, feel-good story about five lonely people and the stray cat who becomes a catalyst (see what I did there?) in their lives.

I read this over several late nights, and it always made me smile. For my own taste--being a SF and fantasy lover from the very first--I would have liked the cat's POV to be more cat-like and less about human concepts, but that is a very small complaint, and a lot of readers won't notice it, or give a flying fig if they do.

If you're looking for some lovely, peaceful escapism from the horrible news, you can't go wrong with this charming story.

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