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Meow and Furever Cat Café #1
A Cat Café Christmas
A laugh-out-loud, opposites attract romance about three of the world’s most beloved C’s: Christmas, Coffee, and Cats.
Veterinarian and animal lover Kara Ingalls needs a Christmas miracle. Opening the Meow and Furrever Cat Café to find loving homes for adorable, adoptable cats was a dream come true—but with more cats than customers, it’s quickly turning into a nightmare. If Kara can’t figure out some way to get the café out of the red, it won’t last past the holidays.
Marketing guru Ben Reese may be annoyingly smart and frustratingly bossy, but when he hatches a plan to put the café in the “green” by Christmas, Kara realizes that she’d be a fool to turn down his help. And so what if he turns out to be an excellent problem solver and nerdy-hot—he can’t even handle fostering one little kitten. She needs to keep their relationship professional and focus on saving the cafe.
But if Ben and Kara can set aside their differences—and find homes for all the cats by Christmas—they might discover that, by risking their hearts, they’ll have their own purr-fect holiday . . . together.
Veterinarian and animal lover Kara Ingalls needs a Christmas miracle. Opening the Meow and Furrever Cat Café to find loving homes for adorable, adoptable cats was a dream come true—but with more cats than customers, it’s quickly turning into a nightmare. If Kara can’t figure out some way to get the café out of the red, it won’t last past the holidays.
Marketing guru Ben Reese may be annoyingly smart and frustratingly bossy, but when he hatches a plan to put the café in the “green” by Christmas, Kara realizes that she’d be a fool to turn down his help. And so what if he turns out to be an excellent problem solver and nerdy-hot—he can’t even handle fostering one little kitten. She needs to keep their relationship professional and focus on saving the cafe.
But if Ben and Kara can set aside their differences—and find homes for all the cats by Christmas—they might discover that, by risking their hearts, they’ll have their own purr-fect holiday . . . together.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2022
257 people are currently reading
14264 people want to read
About the author
Codi Gary
32 books977 followersFrom the time I could put a Disney Book cassette into my little stereo,and read along, books have held a fantastic distraction. When I was eleven, I decided I wanted to be one of those magical people that brought stories to life. Devouring a book a day sometimes, my first romance novel stuck with me. I've always been a sucker for a happy ending (and the great romantic gesture)and that's what I try to put into my stories. I am so honored to be a part of Avon, and am so excited to have my own dreams coming true.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,262 reviews
September 6, 2022
Absolutely sweet, soft, swoon, lighthearted second chances and opposites attract romance you may honestly enjoy in one sitting, safely cuddled into your blanket, nursing your hot cocoa ( or perfectly chilled Chardonnay like I did) !
Kara Ingalls is exhausted and heartbroken after giving her heart and password unprotected computer to her fraud fiancée who embezzled the charity funds, ruining her reputation!
After acquitting from acquisition against her, she starts working at veterinary 24/7! Then her best friend Charity who has amazing cooking skills comes with a plan: they will team up to create a dreamy concept: Meow and Fur Cafe where you can taste best bakeries of town and adopt a lovely cat at the same time!
Unfortunately their investment vacuumed their entire savings and now they are financially struggling, needing a Christmas miracle to save them!
Maybe that miracle can be a brooding, heartbroken man who has amazing marketing skills. Yes: Ben Reese who recently moved from Boston can be solution to their problems with his brilliant promotion ideas even though he can’t stand with any kind of animal. Nobody is perfect!
When Ben and Kara start working together, their chemistry is palpable. But Ben is still emotionally unavailable after his own brother took his fiancée from his hands. It seems like both Ben and Kara have to confront with their emotional baggages. Could they believe in second chances in love and Christmas miracles?
Read and find out!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever ( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this lovely digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Kara Ingalls is exhausted and heartbroken after giving her heart and password unprotected computer to her fraud fiancée who embezzled the charity funds, ruining her reputation!
After acquitting from acquisition against her, she starts working at veterinary 24/7! Then her best friend Charity who has amazing cooking skills comes with a plan: they will team up to create a dreamy concept: Meow and Fur Cafe where you can taste best bakeries of town and adopt a lovely cat at the same time!
Unfortunately their investment vacuumed their entire savings and now they are financially struggling, needing a Christmas miracle to save them!
Maybe that miracle can be a brooding, heartbroken man who has amazing marketing skills. Yes: Ben Reese who recently moved from Boston can be solution to their problems with his brilliant promotion ideas even though he can’t stand with any kind of animal. Nobody is perfect!
When Ben and Kara start working together, their chemistry is palpable. But Ben is still emotionally unavailable after his own brother took his fiancée from his hands. It seems like both Ben and Kara have to confront with their emotional baggages. Could they believe in second chances in love and Christmas miracles?
Read and find out!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever ( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this lovely digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
December 20, 2023
*4.5 stars💫
February 3, 2024
This is a Christmas Romance. This book is so cute with wonderful characters with a ton of cats. I loved all the cats. I loved the back story of the two main characters, and their backstories kept enough drama in the book. I love the cat cafe setting in this book. The romance was so cute. I loved all the Christmas stuff in this book. This is a great cute read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Forever) or author (Codi Gary) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
October 14, 2022
I love Christmas romances and cats, so yeah, of course I was going to read this one. It has a cute premise and because some of the story takes place during Thanksgiving in addition to December, it also works well as a Fall read. Although let's face it, you don't need to save a holiday romance for only certain parts of the year as they are good for cheering up anytime.
Veterinarian Kara Ingalls has recently opened the Meow and Furrever Cat Cafe with her best friend. They are struggling to make ends meet and will need a big boom in business if they want to stay open next year. Ben Reese works for a marketing firm and has a ton of ideas that will bring in revenue for the cafe. He didn't exactly make a good first impression on Kara and he's struggling to take care of a foster kitten for a few days. While those things don't really endear him to Kara, she knows she could use his help. Purrhaps, they will work well together as a team. (No, I'm not apologizing for sneaking in that last sentence!)
Kara and Ben both have interesting backstories regarding their previous relationships. Due to their pasts, each one had a moment or two when they were quick to overreact, in my opinion. But you could argue that it makes them human and to be honest I'd take that over cookie cutter type characters which are pretty much standard for this genre.
The two leads had decent chemistry but it wasn't off the charts and that did play a role in my overall enjoyment of the book. It's a nice read but I can't say it wowed me. I would be on board though if the author turned this into a series with the next book featuring Kara's best friend, Charity.
Thank you to Forever for providing me with a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
Veterinarian Kara Ingalls has recently opened the Meow and Furrever Cat Cafe with her best friend. They are struggling to make ends meet and will need a big boom in business if they want to stay open next year. Ben Reese works for a marketing firm and has a ton of ideas that will bring in revenue for the cafe. He didn't exactly make a good first impression on Kara and he's struggling to take care of a foster kitten for a few days. While those things don't really endear him to Kara, she knows she could use his help. Purrhaps, they will work well together as a team. (No, I'm not apologizing for sneaking in that last sentence!)
Kara and Ben both have interesting backstories regarding their previous relationships. Due to their pasts, each one had a moment or two when they were quick to overreact, in my opinion. But you could argue that it makes them human and to be honest I'd take that over cookie cutter type characters which are pretty much standard for this genre.
The two leads had decent chemistry but it wasn't off the charts and that did play a role in my overall enjoyment of the book. It's a nice read but I can't say it wowed me. I would be on board though if the author turned this into a series with the next book featuring Kara's best friend, Charity.
Thank you to Forever for providing me with a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
October 2, 2022
DNF at 15%
I thought a Christmas romance centered around a cat cafe would be a safe fluffy holiday romance, but I already absolutely loathe the FMC. I haven't seen enough of the MMC at this point to judge him as much, though he was not off to a strong start either with some suspiciously misogynistic thoughts for a little there.
The FMC is insufferable. Her insistence that he is the most evil person ever for not really being a cat person (he's never had pets iirc?) was super annoying. And then when he rescues a kitten and brings it to her shelter to be taken care of, she acts like he's intending to drown the kitten because he wanted to surrender it to her shelter. Why would you force a kitten on someone who doesn't want it and has no experience caring for animals?? What a terrible vet. There were so many other ways to get him to keep a kitten than her being the most judgmental and irrational person ever. "do you want a medal for rescuing the cat?? if you dont want to keep the kitten it means you just want to throw it in the ocean" no he wants you to take the cat you idiot there is no logical connection there stfu this is why no one wants to come to your vet practice
Here's the scene that made me DNF:
Context - the MMC found a lost kitten in his house, which he is currently renovating extensively, and brought it to the only open cat shelter he knows of in town (the FMCs). He also has never had a cat, and doesn't particularly want one at this point in time
uh no, he's trying to surrender the surprise kitten he rescued!! thats what shelters are for!!! what the fuck lady
what the actual fuck, he literally just saved a kitten from starving inside an air duct, he is being responsible by bring the kitten to a shelter for care and rehoming no cats should be surrendered into your "care"
he's living in a construction zone!! this is not pet friendly!! it is also not pet friendly to force people who don't want pets to have pets!!!! he never asked for congrats or attention, he literally just wanted the kitten to be at a shelter omg shut the hell up i am so mad she is the absolute worst pet owner ever
In summary, I will absolutely not read about this terrible person (terrible people?), and I wish freedom for the cats.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
I thought a Christmas romance centered around a cat cafe would be a safe fluffy holiday romance, but I already absolutely loathe the FMC. I haven't seen enough of the MMC at this point to judge him as much, though he was not off to a strong start either with some suspiciously misogynistic thoughts for a little there.
The FMC is insufferable. Her insistence that he is the most evil person ever for not really being a cat person (he's never had pets iirc?) was super annoying. And then when he rescues a kitten and brings it to her shelter to be taken care of, she acts like he's intending to drown the kitten because he wanted to surrender it to her shelter. Why would you force a kitten on someone who doesn't want it and has no experience caring for animals?? What a terrible vet. There were so many other ways to get him to keep a kitten than her being the most judgmental and irrational person ever. "do you want a medal for rescuing the cat?? if you dont want to keep the kitten it means you just want to throw it in the ocean" no he wants you to take the cat you idiot there is no logical connection there stfu this is why no one wants to come to your vet practice
Here's the scene that made me DNF:
Context - the MMC found a lost kitten in his house, which he is currently renovating extensively, and brought it to the only open cat shelter he knows of in town (the FMCs). He also has never had a cat, and doesn't particularly want one at this point in time
“I see.” She set the bowl in the sink and turned on the warm water to fill it up, maintaining eye contact with Ben. “You’re not looking for help. You want to surrender him because you can’t be bothered.”
uh no, he's trying to surrender the surprise kitten he rescued!! thats what shelters are for!!! what the fuck lady
She shut off the water with a snap, her temper boiling over. “You found him in your home, but you take no responsibility for him? I’m surprised you didn’t just shove him outside and wash your hands of him.”
what the actual fuck, he literally just saved a kitten from starving inside an air duct, he is being responsible by bring the kitten to a shelter for care and rehoming no cats should be surrendered into your "care"
“Instead, you want to make excuses on why this tiny creature is too much of an inconvenience for you while feeling like a good person because you…what? Brought him here? You want a medal for not being a jerk?”
he's living in a construction zone!! this is not pet friendly!! it is also not pet friendly to force people who don't want pets to have pets!!!! he never asked for congrats or attention, he literally just wanted the kitten to be at a shelter omg shut the hell up i am so mad she is the absolute worst pet owner ever
In summary, I will absolutely not read about this terrible person (terrible people?), and I wish freedom for the cats.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/
December 17, 2022
i loved so many things about this book! i loved the drawings and descriptions of the adoptable cats at the beginning of each chapter. i loved the strong friendship between kara and charity. i loved kara’s passion for helping cats in need. i loved seeing ben slowly start to become a cat person as a little kitten named chaos stole his heart. i loved reading about everyday life at the cat café. and i loved how kara and ben brought out the best in each other. this was such a heartwarming read for the holiday season. 🥲🫶🏼🐈🎄💫
December 14, 2025
this book had everything i should’ve loved. christmas. lots of cats. drama and coffee.
but sadly… i did not vibe with the main characters. i could not connect with them at all and the mmc annoyed me more than he charmed me.
that said, the story itself? actually really good. the plot was fun, cozy and kept me interested the whole time. i just wish i loved the people living in it as much as the concept.
cute idea, solid execution, wrong characters for me. three stars and a head tilt 🤷🏻♀️🎄🐱
but sadly… i did not vibe with the main characters. i could not connect with them at all and the mmc annoyed me more than he charmed me.
that said, the story itself? actually really good. the plot was fun, cozy and kept me interested the whole time. i just wish i loved the people living in it as much as the concept.
cute idea, solid execution, wrong characters for me. three stars and a head tilt 🤷🏻♀️🎄🐱
December 16, 2022
The first half of this was so cute. The hero works in marketing and the heroine is a vet who works for a non profit cat cafe. The heroine was betrayed by an ex and the hero was as well, so they both don't want to trust people. I really loved how many cats were in this book and how the heroine was so passionate about them and turned the hero into a cat person. He keeps popping around and wants to help her get the donations she needs for her cafe. But once the halfway point came, the conflict was drawn out and the heroine constantly pushed the hero away when nothing was his fault. The book went on at least 50 pages too long and, at that point, I was over the story. So while it was a super cute holiday romance, the last half lost me.
January 10, 2023
A Cat Café Christmas was a delightful read featuring a romance between a woman trying to save her cat rescue and the man helping her.
Veterinarian Kara Ingalls will need a miracle if she's going to keep the Meow and Furrever Cat Café open past the holidays. Helping cats find loving homes is a dream come true for Kara but now she may lose it all. Ben Reese isn't a cat person so after he finds an abandoned kitten, he brings it to the Meow and Furrever Cat Café. After meeting Kara, Ben offers to help come up with some marketing strategies to save the café. Kara knows she'd be a fool to turn down Ben's help, even if he isn't a cat person. But as Kara and Ben work together to save the café, their tentative friendship becomes so much more.
The premise of A Cat Café Christmas immediately caught my attention and I was excited to read a romance set at Christmas that's full of cats. The book fully delivers on the promise of adorable cats at Christmastime and I loved that. I was so happy as each cat found it's new home and I have to say Matilda's journey was my favorite out of all of the cats. As a bonus, at the start of each chapter there's a little cat illustration with a description of one of the rescue cats. I loved the addition of those and I looked forward to each new chapter to see another one.
The romance between Kara and Ben develops slowly as the two didn't get off on the right foot when they first met. After that a series of misunderstandings slowed things down even more before they eventually worked things out. At that time the two strike up a friendship which I thoroughly enjoyed that was full of great banter and cute moments. Because they both have trust issues after past relationships gone wrong, they're hesitant to get involved with each other which was understandable. I was happy with the progression of their romance and I liked how they worked out the issues that cropped up between them. The romance in this is not on the steamy side with the scenes instead playing out using vague descriptions. Personally I prefer my romances to be more on the explicit side but readers that prefer less steam should enjoy this one.
Overall A Cat Café Christmas was a fantastic book and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a cute, holiday romance.
Veterinarian Kara Ingalls will need a miracle if she's going to keep the Meow and Furrever Cat Café open past the holidays. Helping cats find loving homes is a dream come true for Kara but now she may lose it all. Ben Reese isn't a cat person so after he finds an abandoned kitten, he brings it to the Meow and Furrever Cat Café. After meeting Kara, Ben offers to help come up with some marketing strategies to save the café. Kara knows she'd be a fool to turn down Ben's help, even if he isn't a cat person. But as Kara and Ben work together to save the café, their tentative friendship becomes so much more.
The premise of A Cat Café Christmas immediately caught my attention and I was excited to read a romance set at Christmas that's full of cats. The book fully delivers on the promise of adorable cats at Christmastime and I loved that. I was so happy as each cat found it's new home and I have to say Matilda's journey was my favorite out of all of the cats. As a bonus, at the start of each chapter there's a little cat illustration with a description of one of the rescue cats. I loved the addition of those and I looked forward to each new chapter to see another one.
The romance between Kara and Ben develops slowly as the two didn't get off on the right foot when they first met. After that a series of misunderstandings slowed things down even more before they eventually worked things out. At that time the two strike up a friendship which I thoroughly enjoyed that was full of great banter and cute moments. Because they both have trust issues after past relationships gone wrong, they're hesitant to get involved with each other which was understandable. I was happy with the progression of their romance and I liked how they worked out the issues that cropped up between them. The romance in this is not on the steamy side with the scenes instead playing out using vague descriptions. Personally I prefer my romances to be more on the explicit side but readers that prefer less steam should enjoy this one.
Overall A Cat Café Christmas was a fantastic book and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a cute, holiday romance.
December 2, 2024
DNF. Came for the cats, left because the main characters and audiobook narration were awful 😩
dnf
September 26, 2022DNF at 20%
It’s not enemies to lovers when the hero is a misogynistic dudebro that was left by a woman so he hates the female population and considers a woman he just met crazy for showing an emotion in a stressful situation. I’m also so tired of animal people being judgmental when someone says they’d rather not have a pet… it’s not that deep not everyone wants to be responsible of an animal and that’s okay
I know the characters are going to make me dislike this book so I’d rather stop before it gets worse!
ARC provided by Forever and Netgalley. Opinions are my own!
It’s not enemies to lovers when the hero is a misogynistic dudebro that was left by a woman so he hates the female population and considers a woman he just met crazy for showing an emotion in a stressful situation. I’m also so tired of animal people being judgmental when someone says they’d rather not have a pet… it’s not that deep not everyone wants to be responsible of an animal and that’s okay
I know the characters are going to make me dislike this book so I’d rather stop before it gets worse!
ARC provided by Forever and Netgalley. Opinions are my own!
July 19, 2022
This book is holiday magic perfection. It features two grumpy leads and tons of adorable cats, need I say more?
While the cats were the stars of the show, the healing journey both Kara and Ben go through over the duration of the book was beautiful to see. Kara and Ben have experienced recent heartbreaks prior to meeting each other and we witness their romance grow along with their own personal healing.
This is the perfect holiday rom com to read curled up under a blanket with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While the cats were the stars of the show, the healing journey both Kara and Ben go through over the duration of the book was beautiful to see. Kara and Ben have experienced recent heartbreaks prior to meeting each other and we witness their romance grow along with their own personal healing.
This is the perfect holiday rom com to read curled up under a blanket with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2022
Centered around the survival of an adorable cat café, this was one of my most anticipated holiday romances of the year. Seeing each chapter beginning with a brief bio of a Meow and Furrever resident, I opened my book with the biggest smile. It was an adorable addition!
Veterinarian Kara Ingalls has dreams of expanding her café to accommodate an animal hospital. But if the business doesn't attract more customers, it may not make it past the holiday season. Ben Reese, employee of Kilburn Marketing, to the rescue!
Thanks to an adorably naughty kitten, the awkward meet-cute between Kara and Ben begins to flourish into more. A bit socially awkward, I really liked Kara. Although I didn't quite feel the romantic tension between them, the banter between her and Ben had some funny moments!
But my main issue was the conflict involving the ex-boyfriend. With drama looming throughout the story, I was really surprised to see the resolution completely fizzle towards the end. I was left with a feeling of "that's it?". It's definitely a lighthearted read, but overall I was underwhelmed.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Veterinarian Kara Ingalls has dreams of expanding her café to accommodate an animal hospital. But if the business doesn't attract more customers, it may not make it past the holiday season. Ben Reese, employee of Kilburn Marketing, to the rescue!
Thanks to an adorably naughty kitten, the awkward meet-cute between Kara and Ben begins to flourish into more. A bit socially awkward, I really liked Kara. Although I didn't quite feel the romantic tension between them, the banter between her and Ben had some funny moments!
But my main issue was the conflict involving the ex-boyfriend. With drama looming throughout the story, I was really surprised to see the resolution completely fizzle towards the end. I was left with a feeling of "that's it?". It's definitely a lighthearted read, but overall I was underwhelmed.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
October 12, 2022
Review coming soon.
January 28, 2024
This is a super cute, closed door romance with kittens!
So this had me with the cover. I mean it has cutie cartoon cats, why wouldn't I read this?
Then I won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway and here we are.
This story is heartwarming with some sad bits in the past parts.
I enjoyed this a lot!
So this had me with the cover. I mean it has cutie cartoon cats, why wouldn't I read this?
Then I won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway and here we are.
This story is heartwarming with some sad bits in the past parts.
I enjoyed this a lot!
July 14, 2022
THIS IS EVERYTHING IVE EVER WANTED IN A CHRISTMAS ROM COM. MY SOUL IS HAPPY.
GIVE ME THE MOVIE ADAPTATION IMMEDIATELY! I can promise this would be on replay constantly giving me all of the ✨good chemicals✨
A cat cafe called Meow and Furever is run by Kara and Charity and recently a marketing firm that Ben works for has been hired to do publicity for when he runs into Kara and they begin to hit it off but due to her anxiety related to some past trauma with the media when she finds out Ben is responsible for the large crowd she turns sour on him.
Ben then finds a little orange kitten in his home and knowing nothing about cats and nothing else being open he returns to Meow and Furever but due to space issues he ends up fostering the little guy for a while.
This is such a great story of love, new beginnings, friendship, kindness, compassion, forgiveness and the love of our feline friends.
Much like Kara I also have ADHD, anxiety and a deep love for animals, especially cats and like Ben I’m a converted cat lover, much like Ben and Chaos my two girls now have me wrapped around their paws.
I gave some side eye to Kara calling audiobooks not reading in a conversation with Ben (who prefers them). I firmly believe calling audiobooks not reading is ableist, I often use audiobooks or the speech to text accessibility feature due to my ADHD and it is still reading (and Kara also has ADHD, so though this way of consuming books may not work for her it is still valid and I would expect her to be more understanding). In the conversation she did explain why she doesn’t like them and that reason was absolutely reasonable but I wish she would’ve stated that it is reading. I do love Ben for standing firmly with audiobooks and confirming they are reading. This whole debate is something I feel very, very strongly about.
Something I really loved was at the beginning of each chapter there was a sketch of a cat from the café and a brief description of them and it was so lovely when later they would pop up in the story! Such an excellent and clever idea!
5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I want every holiday romance to give me the happy feelings this one did!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
GIVE ME THE MOVIE ADAPTATION IMMEDIATELY! I can promise this would be on replay constantly giving me all of the ✨good chemicals✨
A cat cafe called Meow and Furever is run by Kara and Charity and recently a marketing firm that Ben works for has been hired to do publicity for when he runs into Kara and they begin to hit it off but due to her anxiety related to some past trauma with the media when she finds out Ben is responsible for the large crowd she turns sour on him.
Ben then finds a little orange kitten in his home and knowing nothing about cats and nothing else being open he returns to Meow and Furever but due to space issues he ends up fostering the little guy for a while.
This is such a great story of love, new beginnings, friendship, kindness, compassion, forgiveness and the love of our feline friends.
Much like Kara I also have ADHD, anxiety and a deep love for animals, especially cats and like Ben I’m a converted cat lover, much like Ben and Chaos my two girls now have me wrapped around their paws.
I gave some side eye to Kara calling audiobooks not reading in a conversation with Ben (who prefers them). I firmly believe calling audiobooks not reading is ableist, I often use audiobooks or the speech to text accessibility feature due to my ADHD and it is still reading (and Kara also has ADHD, so though this way of consuming books may not work for her it is still valid and I would expect her to be more understanding). In the conversation she did explain why she doesn’t like them and that reason was absolutely reasonable but I wish she would’ve stated that it is reading. I do love Ben for standing firmly with audiobooks and confirming they are reading. This whole debate is something I feel very, very strongly about.
Something I really loved was at the beginning of each chapter there was a sketch of a cat from the café and a brief description of them and it was so lovely when later they would pop up in the story! Such an excellent and clever idea!
5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I want every holiday romance to give me the happy feelings this one did!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2022
Since I love cats, and because I was drawn to this book by its cat-themed title and cover, the excerpts about adoptable animals at the beginning of each chapter are actually its best feature lmao.
The plot is around the survival of a cute cat café. The uneasy attraction between Kara and Ben starts to develop into something more, all thanks to a cute but mischievous kitten. Kara was a bit of a social misfit, but I liked her. Although I didn't exactly sense their love chemistry, I did find some of their banter to be amusing!
The wording and storytelling flow naturally and are simple to follow. Although I wasn't particularly impressed, I still thought this was a good book to read, and it fits the genre and tone of the book wonderfully. It was such a classic film disguised as a book.
Overall, this is such a wonderful tale of love, fresh starts, friendship, goodness, compassion, and forgiveness not to mention the love we have for our kitty friends. A wonderful way to begin your Christmas season!
The plot is around the survival of a cute cat café. The uneasy attraction between Kara and Ben starts to develop into something more, all thanks to a cute but mischievous kitten. Kara was a bit of a social misfit, but I liked her. Although I didn't exactly sense their love chemistry, I did find some of their banter to be amusing!
The wording and storytelling flow naturally and are simple to follow. Although I wasn't particularly impressed, I still thought this was a good book to read, and it fits the genre and tone of the book wonderfully. It was such a classic film disguised as a book.
Overall, this is such a wonderful tale of love, fresh starts, friendship, goodness, compassion, and forgiveness not to mention the love we have for our kitty friends. A wonderful way to begin your Christmas season!
December 31, 2022
4
Review to come!
Review to come!
February 20, 2023
Absolutely adorable! It may be February instead of December, but that wasn't going to stop me from thoroughly enjoying A Cat Café Christmas by Codi Gary. Each chapter started with a short bio of a cat up for adoption, and maybe it was my mood, but even those made me tear up at times! I love cats and will gladly label myself a crazy cat lady, so there is probably no better book out there for me than this one. I loved the romance as well and the fact that it was sweet and closed door which is my preference made my heart even happier. This does seem to be a bit of a departure from Gary's normal work based on what I see in the list of her titles on Goodreads, and I am definitely here for it if she writes more books such as this one.
Felicity Munroe is the narrator for the audiobook and although I think it would have been nice to have a narrator for both Kara and Ben, Munroe was still an amazing person to voice this book. Her accents (especially for Ben) were consistent and entertaining to listen to, and I thought her narration was smooth as silk. I loved getting to know the characters in this book as well as the cats, and there is definitely a dash of drama in this one as well. And don't let the title fool you, A Cat Café Christmas starts around Thanksgiving, so this would make for a nice fall read too, not just Christmas. I honestly wished it would go on forever and when I got to the end, I was ready to listen to it all over again! I will not be waiting long to pick it up again, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes light romances and loves cats.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Felicity Munroe is the narrator for the audiobook and although I think it would have been nice to have a narrator for both Kara and Ben, Munroe was still an amazing person to voice this book. Her accents (especially for Ben) were consistent and entertaining to listen to, and I thought her narration was smooth as silk. I loved getting to know the characters in this book as well as the cats, and there is definitely a dash of drama in this one as well. And don't let the title fool you, A Cat Café Christmas starts around Thanksgiving, so this would make for a nice fall read too, not just Christmas. I honestly wished it would go on forever and when I got to the end, I was ready to listen to it all over again! I will not be waiting long to pick it up again, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes light romances and loves cats.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
October 14, 2022
📚 Hello Book Friends! I kicked off my holiday reading with A CAT CAFÉ CHRISTMAS by Codi Gary. This enemy to lover story was cute and had its dramatic moments. I enjoyed the concept of a café paired with a cat clinic. I did not get a true Christmas vibe from this book but enjoyed the fell-good story.
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dnf
November 27, 2022DNF at 41% I was so excited for this that I even preordered a copy, but I can’t find it in me to care about either of the main characters. The cats are adorable, but they’re not enough to carry the entire book.
December 19, 2022
DNF at like 60%! Giving it 2 stars because the cats were great
December 18, 2022
Absolutely puurfect!
December 23, 2022
After writing this, I realized I got into some soft spoilers in this review, not about the ending and how everything is resolved, but I mention some points of the plot that happen at around 40-50%. Just so you know, before you continue reading this.
This book has a lot of things I love: romance, holidays and lots of cats. And yet, it was one of the worst books I read this year. It just wasn’t for me. I loathed the female MC and a lot of the other characters most of the time and I had to take breaks from reading because I just couldn’t go on.
The writing was okay, I don’t have anything to complain about in this regard. The characters however were so unlikeable and I was getting angrier the more I read.
I don’t even know where to begin with my complaints about Kara. When she first meets Ben, they talk about animals and pets and he shares that he doesn’t have any and Kara can’t get over it, that he doesn’t want that sort of companionship and for that, he has to be distrusted and then she basically bullies him into fostering a kitten, which he just saved and which he never had done before, without any real advice what a young kitten needs and how it behaves. Another low point was when Ben told her that he loves audiobooks for various reasons and she tells him she doesn’t consider audiobooks as reading.
I basically didn’t like most of the other characters, except maybe Ben. Most of these characters don’t seem to know the word boundaries. Especially Kara's best friend and Ben's family. I forgot her name but the best friend was so annoying, always meddling with Kara's life, knowing everything better and being overprotective of Kara.
But the one point that I hated the most was Ben’s family and the whole drama with Ben and Boone. Boone, Ben's brother by the way with whom he was inseparable until recently, got together with Ben’s Ex-Fiance and not after a long period of time after they broke up, immediately after they broke up. When the fiance brought back the ring, she was already dating (and I think they were already engaged) his brother. And this didn’t happen years ago, no, it happened all in the same year that this story is set. And everyone is bullying Ben into trying to forgive Boone, how Boone and his wife (yep, they already married after only a few weeks of dating) aren’t to blame for falling in love and how this is better for Ben anyway. Give that poor man a break, he moved to a different state to get over it and his brother has the audacity to want to move to the same city and even shows up in Ben’s house. No, not at his house, in. Even though he KNOWS he’s not welcome there, he follows Kara (who at that point doesn’t know anything about this situation, so that’s one small thing I don’t blame her for) into his brother's house and is surprised that he doesn’t want to talk to him. It doesn’t end there but I don’t want to get into more spoilers. I’m still angry about this whole situation and how toxic everyone was and how little sympathy there was for Ben in all this.
There is of course a lot other stuff going on with Kara, Karas past that seems to be haunting and coming back to her, the café and of course the romance, but honestly, most of the time I couldn’t even be bothered to read more, I wasn’t interested in the slightest.
This book has a lot of things I love: romance, holidays and lots of cats. And yet, it was one of the worst books I read this year. It just wasn’t for me. I loathed the female MC and a lot of the other characters most of the time and I had to take breaks from reading because I just couldn’t go on.
The writing was okay, I don’t have anything to complain about in this regard. The characters however were so unlikeable and I was getting angrier the more I read.
I don’t even know where to begin with my complaints about Kara. When she first meets Ben, they talk about animals and pets and he shares that he doesn’t have any and Kara can’t get over it, that he doesn’t want that sort of companionship and for that, he has to be distrusted and then she basically bullies him into fostering a kitten, which he just saved and which he never had done before, without any real advice what a young kitten needs and how it behaves. Another low point was when Ben told her that he loves audiobooks for various reasons and she tells him she doesn’t consider audiobooks as reading.
I basically didn’t like most of the other characters, except maybe Ben. Most of these characters don’t seem to know the word boundaries. Especially Kara's best friend and Ben's family. I forgot her name but the best friend was so annoying, always meddling with Kara's life, knowing everything better and being overprotective of Kara.
But the one point that I hated the most was Ben’s family and the whole drama with Ben and Boone. Boone, Ben's brother by the way with whom he was inseparable until recently, got together with Ben’s Ex-Fiance and not after a long period of time after they broke up, immediately after they broke up. When the fiance brought back the ring, she was already dating (and I think they were already engaged) his brother. And this didn’t happen years ago, no, it happened all in the same year that this story is set. And everyone is bullying Ben into trying to forgive Boone, how Boone and his wife (yep, they already married after only a few weeks of dating) aren’t to blame for falling in love and how this is better for Ben anyway. Give that poor man a break, he moved to a different state to get over it and his brother has the audacity to want to move to the same city and even shows up in Ben’s house. No, not at his house, in. Even though he KNOWS he’s not welcome there, he follows Kara (who at that point doesn’t know anything about this situation, so that’s one small thing I don’t blame her for) into his brother's house and is surprised that he doesn’t want to talk to him. It doesn’t end there but I don’t want to get into more spoilers. I’m still angry about this whole situation and how toxic everyone was and how little sympathy there was for Ben in all this.
There is of course a lot other stuff going on with Kara, Karas past that seems to be haunting and coming back to her, the café and of course the romance, but honestly, most of the time I couldn’t even be bothered to read more, I wasn’t interested in the slightest.
September 22, 2022
A Cat Cafe Christmas has the perfect setup: cats, Christmas, and a cute cover. Each chapter begins with a description of one of the shelter cats!! I could not be more IN!
Sadly, this really did not work for me, although my qualms were unrelated to all these cool elements. There are so many cool elements! Beyond the cat content (did I mention the cats!), we have a heroine living with ADHD and anxiety, people learning to cope with trauma/the past, and a fresh start in a new town.
In spite of all of this, I just could not mesh with the writing. The first page tipped me off that this was in need of an editor, and I felt that way even more as time went by. I'm no editor myself but the redundant information, repeated phases, and unvarying sentence structure just never stopped.
Overall, if you are in need of a cozy cat-ty Christmas romance and can forgive some sub-par writing, this might be just what you need.
Thank you to Cody Gary, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
CW: Cheating, mention of injured animals.
Sadly, this really did not work for me, although my qualms were unrelated to all these cool elements. There are so many cool elements! Beyond the cat content (did I mention the cats!), we have a heroine living with ADHD and anxiety, people learning to cope with trauma/the past, and a fresh start in a new town.
In spite of all of this, I just could not mesh with the writing. The first page tipped me off that this was in need of an editor, and I felt that way even more as time went by. I'm no editor myself but the redundant information, repeated phases, and unvarying sentence structure just never stopped.
Overall, if you are in need of a cozy cat-ty Christmas romance and can forgive some sub-par writing, this might be just what you need.
Thank you to Cody Gary, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
CW: Cheating, mention of injured animals.
October 11, 2022
My cat Olivia and I were looking forward to this book as it was a romance during Christmas featuring cats!
However, unfortunately I felt the romance fell pretty flat as did the plot. I think this would have benefitted from more editing and care into formulating characters/names/descriptions/etc. The resolution of the book, as well, left me feeling underwhelmed.
We really enjoyed the cafe, the cats, and the fundraising ideas. Chaos was such a cool cat to learn about!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy- all opinions are my own.
Where to find us:
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph
However, unfortunately I felt the romance fell pretty flat as did the plot. I think this would have benefitted from more editing and care into formulating characters/names/descriptions/etc. The resolution of the book, as well, left me feeling underwhelmed.
We really enjoyed the cafe, the cats, and the fundraising ideas. Chaos was such a cool cat to learn about!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy- all opinions are my own.
Where to find us:
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph
December 14, 2022
What a cute warm hug of a Christmas book. A Cat Cafe Christmas is the perfect read for your cold winter's night while sipping hot chocolate with your cat(s) snuggled in your lap.
This rom com features Ben and Kara. Kara is a veterinarian and co-owner of Meow and Furrever Cat Café. They need a Christmas miracle and plenty of donations to stay open and run the veterinarian's office as a low cost one for the disadvantaged like she wants to. There are such cute blurbs at the beginning of each chapter talking about the cats for adoption.
With more cats than customers it looks like they may be in trouble.
Ben is a marketing guru who decides to help put together a marketing plan to help the cats, it has nothing to do with how pretty Kara is of course. He just may turn from grumpy to sunshine the more time he spends with Kara though. Kara and Ben both have a lot of healing to do though from previous relationships and are in this for the cats.
Ben admits he is not at all a cat guy but when he takes a kitten into his apartment to watch for a bit with it's crazy and mischievous antics it seems as though this little one has him now wrapped around its paw.
It's heartwarming to see the healing process this couple is going through, and my favorite part is seeing the cats adopted into their forever homes.
Warm, cozy, Christmas, romance and full of adorable and adoptable cats. What more could you want in a holiday read?
Pub Date 04 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
This rom com features Ben and Kara. Kara is a veterinarian and co-owner of Meow and Furrever Cat Café. They need a Christmas miracle and plenty of donations to stay open and run the veterinarian's office as a low cost one for the disadvantaged like she wants to. There are such cute blurbs at the beginning of each chapter talking about the cats for adoption.
With more cats than customers it looks like they may be in trouble.
Ben is a marketing guru who decides to help put together a marketing plan to help the cats, it has nothing to do with how pretty Kara is of course. He just may turn from grumpy to sunshine the more time he spends with Kara though. Kara and Ben both have a lot of healing to do though from previous relationships and are in this for the cats.
Ben admits he is not at all a cat guy but when he takes a kitten into his apartment to watch for a bit with it's crazy and mischievous antics it seems as though this little one has him now wrapped around its paw.
It's heartwarming to see the healing process this couple is going through, and my favorite part is seeing the cats adopted into their forever homes.
Warm, cozy, Christmas, romance and full of adorable and adoptable cats. What more could you want in a holiday read?
Pub Date 04 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
September 18, 2022
A Cat Café Christmas is a light and fun contemporary romance, and though I always thought of myself as more of a dog person, I think now I need to get myself a kitten. I loved the cat bios at the start of every chapter as well as the cute sketches.
The enemies to lovers, opposites attract romance between Kara and Ben is filled with fun banter and has a great slow-burn feel. Both characters have a bit of baggage and are hesitant to jump into a relationship, but they connect when helping to save Kara’s business and find a home for a special cat. They both have interesting backstories and are struggling with recent heartbreaks, so their hesitation makes a lot of sense. I like how they slowly begin to connect and develop feelings for each other despite their fears and past hurts.
I also enjoyed the friends in the story. They’re such a great support to Ben and Kara, and I would love to have a Friendsgiving like they do. Considering some of the toxic and abusive relationships Kara and Ben experienced, their respective friend groups are refreshing and exactly what both need to help them through the difficult times. They also add some fun, comedic moments to the story while helping Kara and Ben realize they have feelings for each other. They form a type of family, even though they aren’t related, which is one of my favorite tropes.
The story has a lot of small-town charm and an abundance of adorable cats, which adds to the charming setting. Messages of healing, friendship, and finding love again add to the optimistic and hopeful tone of the story. A heartwarming holiday romance set in a cat café, this is a fun and cute read. Cats, romance, Christmas, small-town charm, and great messages make me feel like this would be a perfect Hallmark movie.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
The enemies to lovers, opposites attract romance between Kara and Ben is filled with fun banter and has a great slow-burn feel. Both characters have a bit of baggage and are hesitant to jump into a relationship, but they connect when helping to save Kara’s business and find a home for a special cat. They both have interesting backstories and are struggling with recent heartbreaks, so their hesitation makes a lot of sense. I like how they slowly begin to connect and develop feelings for each other despite their fears and past hurts.
I also enjoyed the friends in the story. They’re such a great support to Ben and Kara, and I would love to have a Friendsgiving like they do. Considering some of the toxic and abusive relationships Kara and Ben experienced, their respective friend groups are refreshing and exactly what both need to help them through the difficult times. They also add some fun, comedic moments to the story while helping Kara and Ben realize they have feelings for each other. They form a type of family, even though they aren’t related, which is one of my favorite tropes.
The story has a lot of small-town charm and an abundance of adorable cats, which adds to the charming setting. Messages of healing, friendship, and finding love again add to the optimistic and hopeful tone of the story. A heartwarming holiday romance set in a cat café, this is a fun and cute read. Cats, romance, Christmas, small-town charm, and great messages make me feel like this would be a perfect Hallmark movie.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
July 28, 2023
Christmas in July
I decided to end this month with a little Christmas in July - and I have no regrets! This book is an adorable small town romance centered primarily around a cat cafe. From the very beginning meet-cute, I was invested in the backstories of our main duo, cheering them on as they learned to support each other. The cat cafe is the perfect holiday setting, and every animal lover will enjoy the side stories about families finding their fur-ever friends and cats getting up to mischief! This book is an easy lighthearted read and put me in the mood to read more holiday romances (hurry up December!)
Recommended for fans of Lizzie Shane’s The 12 Dogs of Christmas!
I decided to end this month with a little Christmas in July - and I have no regrets! This book is an adorable small town romance centered primarily around a cat cafe. From the very beginning meet-cute, I was invested in the backstories of our main duo, cheering them on as they learned to support each other. The cat cafe is the perfect holiday setting, and every animal lover will enjoy the side stories about families finding their fur-ever friends and cats getting up to mischief! This book is an easy lighthearted read and put me in the mood to read more holiday romances (hurry up December!)
Recommended for fans of Lizzie Shane’s The 12 Dogs of Christmas!
December 13, 2022
It caused me physical pain to listen to this audiobook
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