The Nine Lives of Summer

This is the happiest, saddest, tearjerker of a book. As a cat person I love stories about cats especially when a happy ending is included.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Summer and Sami are so happy together until the war in Syria splits them apart. Summer makes a pledge that she will find Sami again and throughout all of her nine lives, no matter what form, no matter whether it is long or short, happy or tragic, her quest is to find the little girl she loved so well in her first life.

Each time Summer dies, when she is reborn, she remembers who she was in the beginning. Helping her with her quest is the ghost of a family member who died in the bombing during the war. Each journey takes Summer to some place new around the globe. She meets good people and bad people and often runs into a friend she made in that first life, Honey.

It is not until her ninth and final life that she is reunited with Sami. But will Sami recognize the cat who is so different to the kitty she once was. Will love find a way? In a heart wrenching tale of trials and tribulations, the reader knows that somehow Summer will make Sami understand. It is a moving reunion as are many of the stories throughout Summer’s nine lives. Be prepared to care a lot about this little cat. Be prepared to be touched deeply.

Five purrs and two paws up.

This was an interesting read. The cat is different in each life. The author must have a cat. The things they do are true and he's a pretty kitty.
Two Fat Cats Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book. It has been published and you can get a copy now.

It's fun to read about his colors changing and how he's female most of the time.

Life is an adventure for a cat. You never know what he is going to do or who he is going to meet.

I enjoyed reading this but I'm a cat lover....

Thank you to Net Galley for this wonderful copy of The Nine Lives of Summer by Jen Vanston in exchange for a honest review.This heart- warming feel good book tells the story of Summer and her human mistress Sami who has to leave her behind when her family flees Syria after her brother Shaheen is killed in a bombing attack..Throughout time and nine lives Summer vows to find Sami again while having many adventures along the way.A great book for cat lovers of late elementary school(5-6th grade) age and above..Definitely a tear jerker.

Summer is a beautiful calico cat living with her owner 10-year-old Sami and her family in Syria. Things are going at a well-established pace until the war breaks out in Syria. The family must flee leaving Summer behind. Sami and Summer are determined to meet up again at some point.
Summer goes through nine cat lives as she is in different countries in her multiple lives. The author does a wonderful job of adding the correct cultural foods, languages, and descriptions of each area. From the frozen tundra to the hottest jungle, the fish wharf and more. Summer's life is a struggle for survival in this emotional story. As a lover of cat stories, I enjoyed this one very much especially reading about the many lives the cat lived. It reeled me in, and I read it in an afternoon. Prepare yourself to be emotionally invested in the adventures and survival of Summer and her friends. Recommended!

Pub Date 01 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I cried bucket reading this heart wreniching story that talks about a war, a cat and the path to find her human again.
There's a lot of tears but there's also hope. A perfect book for cat lovers.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I pretty much ugly cried through the entire book. There's a lot to unpack here as Summer searches for Sami and I don't think I really went into this expecting just how deep this was going to go. I really liked "A Street Cat Named Bob", so this was right up my alley from start to finish. The Nine Lives of Summer would fit in very well in our classroom.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Pretty fun overall. This has it's sad moments, but that is part of what made it a good read. Wasn't sure what to expect here, but I enjoy it.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

The Nine Lives of Summer follows a cat as they transition through their nine lives, trying to find their way back to their first human. The lives take place all over the world in different countries, and explore what life may be like for a cat living there.

As a cat lover and someone who enjoys animal memoirs, I adored this book. Though I was always sad when another of Summer's lives ended, I looked forward to reading about where the next life would take place. Throughout this book I laughed and cried, and shared in the joy of each of Summer's humans. This would be a great book to read for any age.

Thank you to NetGalley and Two Fat Cats Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love animals, especially cats. I've been fortunate to share much of my life with these furry, funny, fabulous creatures so I was excited to read The Nine Lives of Summer by Jem Vanston, but my heart was not ready to face the heartache contained within these pages, and yet I'm happy I read the book for it's wondrous tale of a love that transcends lifetimes.

Vanston's depictions of war-torn Syria are gut-wrenching, as are the trials faced by Summer (the cat) and her family. The emotional parting between Summer and her beloved Sami struck a deep chord within me because I've had to make the hard decision to leave a beloved furbaby behind in order to move to a new place. (Granted, I wasn't in a war-torn area and was eventually reunited with my furry companion because I was able to leave him with family, but it still dredged up some painful memories.) However, Sami leaving Summer behind is only the beginning of the emotional rollercoaster ride Vanston has created.

Through years and multiple lives, Summer is always looking to be reunited with Sami. Some of the lives are long and comfortable. Some are short and filled with struggle. All of these combine to create an incredible journey that is both life-affirming and guaranteed to hit you right in the feels...hard. At times poignant, humorous, sad, and harrowing, the end result is a tale that makes me hug my own kitties a little tighter in appreciation for their companionship and endless love.

Overall, The Nine Lives of Summer is perfect for anyone who likes animal stories, but be warned--this book will make you ugly-cry. Also, it may not be suitable for young kids as it does contain a couple of graphic scenes as told from a cat's point of view.

This is the kind of book that breaks your heart to pieces, then puts it back together only to smash it apart once again, in the most beautiful way.
The Nine Lives of Summer is the perfect book for all cat-lovers. The story follows the life of Summer, a sweet little cat who belongs to a sweet little girl named Sami, who is living in Syria at the beginning of a war.
Summer and Sami are separated and Summer works through her nine lives to try to reunite with her once again.
Not only is this book from a lovely cat's point of view, but it also brings to life the reality that domesticated animals face around the globe, and the place they hold in society and in our lives.
As one cat lover to another, I recommend you read this book and also enjoy the headbonks from your furry little companions.

If you like cats, this one is for you. I have a dog, so I may not be the best audience, but this is a fun and emotional story for cat lovers and others.