Thank you so much to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Y'all.

This book murdered me. (In a good way.) It also is so incredibly different from any YA I've read in a while.

For one, it is super steamy. I rarely read YA romance that is steamy (which is fine, because they're like teens, lmao). But this one was spicy! I think it is healthy for teens to read characters their age having sexytimes, but I was just very surprised at how sensual this book is. Just a warning, if you're not about that.

It also has lush, elegant prose. Much of the YA I read, I like its prose for its accessibility, efficiency, and pace. This is a bit slower (again in a good way) and more similar to adult literary prose styles. I really liked it.

The story is heartbreaking, involving a cat who makes a deal with a goddess to come back to life as a human to stay with their owner. That part is where I think it falls apart just a little. I don't think Ophelia, (Austin's previous owner when he was a cat) ever talks about missing her cat! It felt like that was a unique frame but the REAL story was all about the dynamics between Ophelia, Austin, and Cooper, and that is where it shined. This book (and all of its characters) are messy af, and it doesn't tie itself up neatly, which I enjoyed. This is one of those books that feels more New Adult than Young Adult though, and I can't see a 13-year-old reader (who is technically in the YA demographic) understanding or grappling with the mature themes in this novel. But that's not the book's fault.

My thoughts aren't very coherent but basically: this is a unique, queer exploration of love and friendship and though I think it could have been tightened up here and there, it's a heartrending, intense ride.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

This is a very Queer book, and frankly, I'm into that. There are parts of it that aren't going to work for a lot of people, but I think those parts (the moral ambiguity, the messy relationships, the way Austin never really finds a satisfactory vocabulary for himself or his relationships, the weird premise itself) were what I actually liked the most. It's a strange story, but was an engrossing one.

I do also think the teenage characters did not act like teenagers and this would have been better were they in college. Austin I can forgive, I guess he's actually 100 years old, but Ryan, Ophelia, and Cooper were not believable as teenagers to me.

This was a weird and complicated story that took some time for me to get into. I loved the idea that upon dying, a cat makes a wish to come back and stay with his owner. That part is sweet and awesome, that family saved him, and he wants to stay with them- cool. But, it is more complicated as he comes back as a human teen that knows his owner. That whole part is where it gets complex. He has to learn how to deal with human emotions and needs. The story got very complicated from that point on, and I wished that it wasn't so sad- even though that's what life is. Overall, I'd recommend this title, but maybe not right now when the real world is such a downer already. YMMV

Spoilers forthcoming.

I wanted to like this book. It seemed like a really cute concept: a pet loves his human so much he wants to be reincarnated to be a part of her life again, and has to navigate awkward humanity stuff in the process.
Unfortunately the execution just fell a little flat to me.
I’ll start with what a Did like: there’s some lovely prose, the descriptions are at times absolutely gorgeous, and often very good an evoking imagery. I also really liked Missy, the talking dog. She was adorable and hands down my favorite character.
That is about it though. Ultimately I think I got a little iffy when I realized Austin, the main character (which I almost, fittingly, typoed as cat actor) is navigating some kind of romantic feeling for Ophelia, his owner in his past life. I guess I was vaguely aware of the author’s tweets about this book being filled with messy love, so I suppose it’s on me for thinking that it would be more about Austin learning to love as a human, and the different kinds of love there are. Not, necessarily, wanting to kiss the girl who cleaned his litter box for a decade. Because, when put like that, that’s really weird, right? So, even trying to ignore that, I found the quote-unquote happy ending where he ends up her boyfriend to be really weird, and this may have just been because of my own personal expectations, but...oof.
Secondly, I had some issues with the handling of race in the book. Going by the cover, I’m assuming Ophelia is black. My issue? That’s never mentioned on page, at least not in the ARC I received. She’s mentioned as having dark skin at times, her father as having “dark hands” and that she has curly hair, which, alright, I guess I can take from context clues that all together she’s supposed to be a black girl, but I’m not sure I would’ve reached that conclusion were it not for the black girl on the cover, and that didn’t quite sit right with me. Maybe we’re supposed to understand that he’s a cat who has no concept of race and, even though it’s not a first person book, wouldn’t think to describe her that way, but that feels like a cop out. Now I freely admit this may be a personal issue, especially when juxtaposed with a passing line in which Austin thinks of his past life as a circus lion as “slavery.” This is probably a nitpick, and that word choice may not even be in the final version of the book, but it made me a little uncomfortable with the ambiguous probably black main character. I freely admit that this whole point may be smoothed out by the final version of the book, but as it stands as I read it, it didn’t sit right.
Lastly, the book kind of dragged. Low stakes stories can be entertaining when you’re so immersed in the world and the characters that you’re happy to just spend a day with them, and sadly this wasn’t it. I remember being on chapter thirteen, my iPad saying I was only about 30% through the book, and feeling like all that’d happened so far was watching Austin figure out thumbs (Which was cute for a page, but repeated mentions of how mystifying he finds google maps? Okay...) we’re over halfway through the story before we get any sort of stakes and even then it feels like the narrative is meandering it’s way along, this time with just a little more purpose.
Ultimately I think it doesn’t help that Austin is, sadly, one of the least interesting characters in the book. You’ve got Ophelia, an aspiring ballerina (an industry already tough for black women to break into) who lost her mom when she was younger, desperately trying to live up to her memory only to feel like she’s falling short, and Cooper, Austin’s roommate, who’s trying his best even if his best is a hot mess a lot of the time and is hopelessly in love with someone he has no idea no longer exists. They both seem to have motivations, things that drive them, whereas Austin’s motivation just comes off as “Ophelia.” Followed by “But maybe kiss my roommate?” He felt underwhelming to me.

Overall if you like dreamy prose and low stakes shenanigans that somehow manage to be both intimately slice of life with a hint of cosmic, you might like this book! I do hope it finds its target audience, I just don’t think that’s me.

First things first, the concept behind this book is WILD.

The story begins with Caesar, a house cat nearing the end of his eighth life. When his time comes, he is granted his wish to be able to live his ninth life with his owner, Ophelia, only this time he is not reborn as a cat, but as the human Austin Price. He quickly learns that being a human comes with a lot more baggage than he bargained for.

In the end, it's a story about love and identity and most importantly friendship.

Barton's writing is absolutely beautiful and I was enthralled with every word. I was immediately invested in every character. Not only did I want to learn more about what would happen with Austin, Cooper and Ophelia, but I wanted to know more about Austin's past. All the characters are messy and ridiculous but they're real, and that's what made them so easy to love.

Going in, I expected this to be a pretty light and fun read. The concept is a little ridiculous, so I wasn't expecting it to be too heavy. But heavy is what I got. It's so much darker than expected and never really let up on that. I was really surprised by that.

This story explores love and the different kinds of love, but I'll admit, I wasn't a big fan of how that was done.

SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING & RELATIONSHIP ENDGAMES
First of all, I was put off the entire book by Austin being in love with Ophelia. It felt a little icky seeing as he used to be her cat and she had no idea when she fell in love with him. That doesn't feel fair to her. I also felt like the whole time Cooper was getting the short end of the stick. Austin repeated multiple times that he loved him like he loved Ophelia, but it was always Ophelia Ophelia Ophelia to the point where Austin's love for Ophelia started to feel forced.
In the end, everyone seems to accept that Austin loves both Ophelia and Cooper, but I was unsure if that meant he loved them the same way (romantically) or if we were supposed to believe that he now had a platonic love for Cooper and was really only in love with Ophelia romantically since he ends up choosing her in the end.
To sum it up, I felt like the way the love triangle was wrapped up didn't make a whole lot of sense. I felt it would have made more sense if Austin had fallen in love with Cooper and realized his feelings for Ophelia were platonic/familial.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, I was unsure about this book before I started reading it. The synopsis was so strange I wasn't sure if I was reading it because I was truly interested or because I wanted to laugh my way through at the cringe. But, that didn't happen. This is the story of a cat named Caesar who comes back to life as a boy named Austin through some cosmic shenanigans. He then seeks out the love of his former owner, Ophelia. But it gets complicated because the person he is now, the newly deceased Austin, already has entanglements of his own. I actually really enjoyed this book because while the conceit seemed silly at first, it somehow worked in the context of the story because it was so artfully handled. And that is the strength of this book: it is beautifully written and offers a really intoxicating universe that makes you forget some of the logical plot flaws and the fact that there is basically zero characterization. Overall, it was an interesting book that made me think about life and humanity, but if you scratch a little deeper then you will start to see some flaws.

The Ninth Life was a cute book that consisted of a neat idea for me. I love the thought of being able to look at my pets and wonder what other lives they had lived? But I felt the execution was a little lacking and I didn’t love the love triangle.

This was a very interesting book about love and loss. I loved the dynamic between Missy and Caesar and the story was just so good. This book will be one that you don't forget after you read it. It was hard in parts to get through it because of animal death. However, the author does a great job with dealing with anxiety, grief, and more.

The Quick Cut: A feline makes a deal with a god to stay with the girl he loves for his final life. It gets complicated when emotions get entangled with another person.   

A Real Review:Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.   
 Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live as an animal? Or even what it would be like to have multiple lifetimes? How different would you be the next time around? Would you remember anything that happened? This is the concept that the story centered around Caesar/Austin is all about. 
 A feline named Caesar is at the end of his eighth life, with an owner named Ophelia that is he in love with. He only has one more life left and he doesn't want to spend it without her. He gets the opportunity to speak with a god named Zosma and make a deal to stay with her for his final lifetime. Except his ninth life isn't what he expected it to be. Caesar wakes up in the body of a seventeen year old boy named Austin, who lives with a roommate named Cooper. Will Caesar/Austin find that his life is still Ophelia? Or will he find that being a human changes everything? 
 I really loved the concept behind this story with the multiple lives, each one lived in a different way. Unfortunately, I felt like the concept was sort of ruined on this book and the way that the author chose to approach it. The multiple lives and how they chose to not utilize it really sort of infuriated me because it has almost no role in the actually story that occurs here. Why use a fascinating concept and then not maximize on it?!?! I also failed to see the point of the story when I finally got to the end. For someone who begged to spend his time with Ophelia, he certainly has a strange way of showing it. 
 The other part that I struggled with is all the unanswered questions around Caesar/Austin. Why does he remember his past lives when others don't remember them? How do others even know they've had past lives if they can't recall them? What makes Caesar/Austin so special compared to others? These are all questions (and many more unwritten) that bothered me from the first chapter and continued to divert my attention from the story unfolding on the pages. 
 A story with many opportunities, that end up feeling wasted instead.  
My rating: 2 out of 5

What is it that I didn’t like about this book? It was hard to put a finger on. Ophelia’s manic pixie dream girl character? Her implied eating disorder because she’s a dancer? The strange s&m/romantically abusive thing Cooper and Austin have going on? The implied violent nature pre-accident for Austin? I’m not sure. I appreciate that the book explored a number of different types of relationships and the ways in which young people can interact with those around them in healthy ways, but I’m not sure this was done in the best way. Also, just a personal thing, I didn’t like the way that Austin didn’t go to the dr. I think there is already so much unwarranted distrust in the medical world, particularly right now. I think teens should be urged and encouraged to be open and communicative with medical professionals!

I have spent the entire day binging this book and I have to say it left me very confused. I was extremely excited for this book – I mean a queer reincarnated cat who has angsty love with their roommate plus a love triangle and a talking dog – but I have to admit it went in a completely different direction than what I expected. One thing is sure; it was definitely a very strange book.

I do feel a little bit let down by this book. I was very excited about the queer cats but it just really didn't turn out to be what I thought. First of all, it was a lot darker than I thought it would be. Sometimes, that was a good thing. This story is a beautiful one, but it's also sad, happy, confusing, angering... I could keep going. In a way, there were definitely too many things happening there.

But on the other hand, the main part of the story was more or less unnecessary and barely mentioned – Austin's past lives. Apart from the talking to dogs thing and some mentions of other countries where he lived as a tiger or something, it really didn't even play a big part in the story. Another thing I waited for in the entire book was a mention, any mention, of Caesar (Austin's name as a cat). Like the other things, it never happened. Seriously, Ophelia's cat just died and she doesn't mention it once? Austin never talks about his past cat life? Past Ophelia's cat life? I honestly expected a moment of "I was your cat lol" (moment that never came). Really, this story could have been one about a guy who had a heart attack and woke up amnesiac and I don't even think it would have made that much of a difference.

Austin has to learn how to be a human, something that was also very strangely written. After one day of work, he already knows how everything works, and cannot figure out how to use google maps or FaceTime and yet he doesn't even struggle at using instagram and texting!? That doesn't really make any sense, if you ask me.

Also, the love triangle was just a bit too much for me. I'm always rather weary of love triangles because usually I don't really like them unless they're written super well. This time around, not only was I not convinced, the back and forth got really tiring. I thought Austin and Coop had so much more potential than Austin and Ophelia, but that's just me. Honestly, Austin and Ophelia had really amazing friend potential.

The writing in itself definitely wasn't bad. However, I do have to admit that part of what bothered me was that nothing really happens. If I had to describe the plot, I would really struggle (and more than usual because I always struggle) because there isn't much to say. A lot of this book was just talking and talking and talking and no doing, which isn't necessarily bad but in this case it overwhelmed the plot (which isn't ideal).

Plus, as a former ballet dancer, there were a few things that weren’t well done on that side. Probably will only ever bother me, but it was still rather annoying.

In the end, this book really wasn't all bad. It was just that the bad parts where more memorable than the good ones. But it made me laugh out loud, and it definitely was a gripping read I had no problem reading all day. If you were thinking about reading it, I totally recommend it and you should give it a try! The idea for it was super original and intriguing, and while the execution wasn't the best in my opinion it's still worth a try!!

I appreciate that this story does not glamorize love, but rather tells the opposite (and many times more realistic) story. That being said, I almost feel like the reason I was able to appreciate this was because I'm an adult reader, not a teen reader. Plot aside, I had some minor quibbles with the writing, particularly that several times early on, Caesar/Austin says that he's on his eighth life, and I kept wondering when the ninth life would start? The timeline and the changing points of view were confusing at times. I also really didn't like the ending with Missy - it was way too eye-roll inducing.

This book was so unlike anything I've ever read. A beautiful look into the messiness of relationships, love, and friendship. I will be the first to admit the book led me to tear up quite a few times.

This book is about a cat given a chance by a sentient star in the constellation Leo to return back for it's ninth life to the girl he loves, Ophelia. By the mechanization of Fate, the ninth life is in the body of a young man who himself has lived a hard, dubious life with his roommate/hook up, Cooper. And that's only a basic summarization I can give you. If it sounds like that's a lot going on in this book, it's because there is quite a bit going on. This book is about the messiness of being human, about handling relationships and friendships and lovers, about feeling so much that it both ends you and saves you.

I think Barton did a good job creating a story and atmosphere of a wild animal coming to terms with its newfound humanity. There was a lot of beautiful, figurative language from the perspective of Austin, which to me made sense that a cat-turned-boy would look at the world and all his newfound experiences poetic. Sometimes, the figurative language felt like a bit too much at the beginning when I really wanted more action and tension to carry me through - I do think my impatience with the poetic aspect of this novel was due to me being more in the mood for an action-based plot. This book is NOT that. It's a slow, very introspective type of story. And even while I would skim through some of the introspective stuff there were some sentences and poetic bits of thought that still caught my fancy and were a pleasure to read.

**POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD REGARDING RELATIONSHIP ENDGAME**
One thing that did disappoint me about this novel was that with all of the Austin-Loves-Ophelia-But-Also-Loves-Cooper-Will-They-Won't-They back and forth going on, I really thought this book would head in a more polyamorous endgame. Especially because characters discussed relationships and love being different for everyone and both Ophelia and Cooper seemed aware and begrudgingly(?) accepting that Austin had so much love that could be given to more than one person. But it ended with Austin and Ophelia declaring their love for each other which was cute, but I would have loved to have seen at least polyamory discussed. That's just me though.

Anyway, this book is one of the more original YA books I have read in a long time. I would be so excited if Taylor B. Barton wrote a companion novel that followed Cooper because I absolutely fell in love with that character and would like to see how ends up doing after the end of this book.

This is a story about the messiness of love and friendship and it's not always an easy story to read, but it is wonderful and beautiful and I definitely recommend it. There is so much in this story and it hits on so many important emotions and connections and I loved every moment of this emssy, beautiful book.

Caesar is a cat coming to the end of his eighth life, but he doesn't want to leave the girl he's lived with in his life, so he wishes upon a star to come back to her and is granted a human life. As a result, he has to learn to navigate life as a human, which he quickly learns is very different from anything he's learned in his eight cat lives. He wants to love the girl he came back for, but he quickly learns that it's not that easy, as his roommate crashes into his new life and he finds himself falling for both of them, not sure how to balance romantic love and friendship.

There are four main characters in this story connected and bonded through love and friendship and family and I loved all four of them and their relationships with one another. There are threads between them all throughout the story and this is just such a great book about life and love <3

This book was truly unlike anything I've read before but in a really good way. The premise was so unique that it pulled me in from the first few pages, but it was the deep connections and relationships between characters that kept me there. Beautiful and bittersweet and a unique reading experience.

A wonderful unique premise with something missing from many YA books, the chance to be messy but still good. The idea of using reincarnation to introduce the idea of genderfluidity was marvelously done. Figuring out the idea of love whether it's forever, for the future, or just for the night was well done with a diverse range of characters.

This book is beautiful, sad and happy all at once.

I'm not sure I've read a book with so much emotion so strongly expressed through words. I loved how messy and complicated the characters were, and how strong their feelings were.

Of course, as complex and well written as the humans were, Missy is still my favorite.

The queer rep in this book was great, especially the part where O said she knew she wasn't straight, but wasn't sure what labels actually fit. That resonated with me so much, and is the type of rep I wished I could've read when I was younger.

I will be absolutely ordering this book immediately and recommending to everyone I know. Thank you for the review copy!

This book. I can say without any doubt that I have never read anything quite like it. When I wasn’t actively reading it, I was thinking about it and wondering what would be ahead for the characters.

“The Ninth Life” is all about the characters. They are the story, drive the story, and the entire focus of the book is upon them. This book is about Austin. Austin, and the eight lives he lived as feline before he becomes a seventeen-year-old human boy. At the end of his eighth life, as Caesar, he is reluctant to leave behind the home he found and the love he has for a girl named Ophelia. He wishes to be brought back to her.

And his wish is granted. But with consequences.

Waking up as Austin, he meets his roommate, Cooper, and discovers how messy it is to love and to be human.

At first, I wasn’t sure if this book was going to be for me, but it found its voice very quickly and even though I was still uncertain by the end of the first chapter, I was taken in by it and wanted to know what happens.

I cared about these characters so quickly. I cared about how they treated each other and was anxious for them, sad for them, angry for them. The way Taylor B. Barton writes about how it feels to have memories of other lives and those past lives impacting Austin’s current one was mesmerizing. Austin often relates things from his current life to his past ones and those were some of my favourite descriptions throughout the book.

As he learns to take hold of this life he was given, there are some things that were poorly executed – things he was and wasn’t able to do as a human that conflicted with each other a little, such as using a phone. At the very least, those things needed more touching upon to make more believable. But as time passes in the story, it’s pretty easy to forgive them and accept that Austin has begun to slowly figure things out more and more.

Reading this reminded me of the way I daydreamed about being in love and the words I would’ve used to describe it before I ever actually felt it, when I was a teenager. There were so many lines that I stopped at and read over and over again. Metaphors and similes that hit just right. Plus many callbacks, which are the way to my heart.

As an example of the wonderfully poetic writing and descriptions that fill this book, I’ll share my favourite:

Cooper was the broken spine of a book Austin didn’t remember reading, but knew he’d loved once. And would probably love again, but differently. Ophelia was new ink on old paper, a story written in a language Austin didn’t know, but wanted to learn.

The Ninth Life by Taylor B. Barton
The emotions throughout this book are so strong and intense. And messy. Human. It was painful. I ached, especially for Cooper. This book is 90% conversations between characters and the emotions attached to everything they do and don’t say.

Mild spoiler below!

I particularly appreciated that this book depicts teenagers having sex without hedging around it as many YA novels do. Those scenes are as raw and passionate as some mature-themed books I’ve read, all without being explicit, and sex is not treated as taboo at any point.

I cannot wait for “The Ninth Life” to be released later this year and to hold it in my hands and see it on my shelves. I was anticipating this read because of the queer representation and alluring plot and now I need others to anticipate it just as eagerly.

It also made me crave frozen yogurt So Much.