A definitive cat person, Lauren owns the little cat café on Whitman Street and when a new vet takes residence next door, the fit should be complete – right? Well, not really. And the potential and premise of this story was incredibly intriguing....

But I ultimately found myself frustrated – with characters who were more invested in sniping at each other and carrying grudges for petty arguments than working together to find common ground. While the animals were primary, and the spots around Brooklyn were well described and defined, the continued situations tossed into the mix, both good and bad, tested the veracity and reality of the characters and the plausibility of the story to the max.

I loved the animals and the intention to rescue – I didn’t love the way that Caleb, the vet, was stubbornly offering advice and pushing his ‘better ways’ on Lauren. His attitude and personality made him difficult at best, frustrating at worst, and unbelievable as a ‘romantic interest’. The whole add-in of a developer and a small community fight to hold onto their block the way it was just felt staged, with a resolution that was too quick, too easy and didn’t hold any interest except to add drama where it wasn’t needed.

Caleb and Lauren were both half-built, and while they had some chemistry – it was hard to see where it came from – or where it could go. There weren’t great moments of AHA for me as a reader, there were even fewer moments of laughter – even the animals, as cute as some were – didn't quite revive this one for me enough to be curious for the next installment.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href’= “ https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aUd /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

A slow-burning, hate-to-love romance. Cats and Dogs is adorable. I was most intrigued by the plot between a sexy vet and the manager of a cute cat cafe. As a am a said cat person. I loved it. The two central characters are very frustrating, especially our handsome vet. He took a long time to commit. There was nothing funny about it. I really enjoyed the premise. The cover captivated me. I love the friends with benefits aspect. Their love for one another was too quick to develop. There was a lot of sexual activity involved, and it was very hot and steamy.

Thank you Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.

I'm sorry, but this one just wasn't for me. As an animal lover I was really looking forward to it. I LOVE the idea of a cat cafe and a vet working together. I LOVE the small town Hallmark-ey vibes. But I had some issues that just ruined it for me.

1. The romance. I didn't buy it. They went from despising one another to jumping each other way too quickly. Little dialogue led up to that and it felt so out of the blue.
2. While I'm a fan of a steamy romance book, this felt like it was written too immaturely and I rolled my eyes more than swooned.

I'd read another book by this author, as I think there's a lot of promise there. This just was a miss for me.

This book was cute. I definitely loved the side characters and want them to have their own books. At times the main characters got on my nerves, but overall their relationship was sweet and fun.

I'm sure alot of people will probably like this story. For one the cover is great and like many, it's the reason why I couldn't wait to read it. However, I just didn't feel hooked like I usually do, I had to force myself to finish this book. Lauren and Caleb made no sense to me as a couple. I don't know if this was supposed to be strangers to lovers or enemies to lovers but I wasn't sold. Their arguments were so dumb 90% and it would be over the dumbest little things. Like it was a fight for fighting's sake. Just overall I was bored and didn't really like the two leads. The side characters were all great and wonderful.

In this enemies-to-lovers romcom I really liked that Lauren was not a damsel in distress, she’s a strong and determined woman with a big heart and focus.
While Caleb surely had some baggage (don’t we all?) he was likable, handsome and a dog lover.

I loved the animals in this story and all the side characters as well as the setting in a Brooklyn neighborhood!

The ending was a bit predictable and I would’ve liked the real estate developers plot to take a bigger part of the story but overall it was an enjoyable read.

I’d recommend this book to animal lovers and romcom readers!

A quick and very cute romance novel! This book definitely has some plot points I would have enjoyed if they had been expanded or left out but still had a readable story within it. I enjoyed Caleb and Lauren although their storyline wasn't super realistic. Also there was a lot of cats and not nearly enough dogs in this book. I look forward to reading more by Kate McMurray in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

It's very cute and lighthearted from the start. I loved the cats a lot. However, since chapter 3, I'm nothing but annoyed at how the main characters act. I hated the character of the heroine because she's so arrogant and thinks that she's always right. It's so disappointing because it actually started great and adorable, but the main characters are so unreasonable and petty and annoying to read and follow in this book. If not for the cats and the setup of the book, I would definitely rate this one star.

Probably one of the best cartoonishly cover thati’ve seen and actually liked, but the story left me so disappointed.
I love a good enemies to lovers but somehow I couldn’t get to like any of the characters and their interactions just didn’t appeal to me at all.


Thanks to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

I really wanted to love this book, but, unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Lauren was always stirring up conflict out of nowhere and making random accusations. Caleb was no saint by any means, but I had less problems with his characterization. Perhaps because we got more backstory from him. Lauren’s backstory was very minimal and hinged on being upset that an ex got married? It felt a little childish for someone who was supposed to be late twenties. We were never really given a time frame between Lauren’s breakup and her ex’s wedding but I got the impression that it had been quite a bit. I feel like the subplot was more interesting but it never got the development it needed. The characters tried to provide commentary on gentrification in the neighborhood, but it felt like they didn’t truly interact with the concept or understand how it would affect people. That’s just my personal feeling on it. I did really love one character, Diane. She’s the owner of the building that houses the cat café and the vet clinic (and Lauren’s apartment). She’s eccentric and fun and I wish we’d seen more of her. Even though this wasn’t my personal cup of tea, I do think it was a fast read where I could shut my mind off for a bit and be entertained. I think if someone just wants an entertaining read, they would probably like this. I think 2.5 stars is fair (I will round up to a 3 because I really did really like Diane and the animals).

I liked the short chapters and I'm a sucker for romance - especially one involving animals. But I learned I don't like the enemies-to-lovers trope. I felt Lauren was immature and was holding grudges for no reason or for silly reasons. Thanks to NetGalley, Kate McMurray, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This laugh-out-loud funny book will have you believing that opposites can attract. The characters are well-developed, including the cats. Highly recommended.

I’m definitely a sucker for romances with animal sidekicks, so couldn’t resist picking up this one set in a cat cafe. Our heroine Lauren is the cat cafe’s manager, and when a hunky new vet Caleb joins the practice next door, sparks fly straight away between the two.

Enemies to Lovers is always an interesting trope, and Friends With Benefits Who Catch Feelings can work too, but this one tried to mash them up in a sort of Enemies With Benefits, One of Whom Catches Feelings But The Other One Is An Idiot kind of way, and I have to say it didn’t work all that well for me. I get that you can be physically attracted to someone you don’t like. You might even act on it a time or two. But catching feelings for someone who remains dismissive of you and your life choices does not sound like a recipe for a good relationship.

To Caleb’s credit, he’s well aware that he is not good relationship material. He’s only months out from a messy divorce which derailed his life plan completely. And he’s open about his baggage with Lauren upfront; which doesn’t stop her from accusing him of hiding behind it.

I struggled to like both of them at times. Caleb was uptight and snobby about Lauren’s life choices, openly thinking of her as a ‘flake’ despite the fact that she has a decent job and is making a success out of the business she’s running. And Lauren, despite claiming to accept Caleb wasn’t in the right headspace for a serious relationship, was continuously pressuring him to actually commit to one. I never got the feeling that there was any real trust between them.

There aren’t really enough fun and light-hearted moments for this to qualify as a rom-com; it’s too introspective as both Lauren and Caleb overthink their personal issues and deal with each other’s baggage. And I’m not sure I bought it as a romance because Caleb never really did develop any true respect for Lauren and that’s a deal-breaker for me. I don’t think this is badly written, but as a romance it missed the mark by a lot. Two stars.

**thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for a review***

This story takes place in New York where a cat cafe owner and a new veterinarian meet and chaos ensures. This enemies-to-lovers story has the romance, a tad of drama and furry friends along with human friends and enemies alike, you’ll have your laughable moments and want to scream at the characters moments as well. I definitely enjoyed the chemistry as when opposites do attract despite broken relationships in the past and if you’re into the enemies to lovers trope, then you’ll love this one and hey, it includes cats and dogs as well. Also i do hope one day to experience going to a cat cafe as well.

Hmm, I don't know what to say. Like Cats and Dogs seem like a good romance book from their stinkin' cute book cover and book summary. But the more I read, the more I just could not. I personally could not connect the characters. And I don't understand them as a couple either. There is no chemistry, I don't feel. It feels a bit forced to my taste.

As an animal lover and a romance reader I wanted to love this one so badly, it just did not work for me. Enemies to lovers is usually one of my favorite tropes, but it fell flat here. They meet, are instantly attracted to each other, then they hate each other, then they’re hooking up, then they hate each other again, then they become “enemies-with-benefits”. It all went a little too quickly for me and that made it hard for me to get into. This is a light read, and I powered through it pretty quickly, but just didn’t work for me right now.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review

A romance that takes place in a cat cafe?! Count me in!

That was my thought when I read the synopsis for this book and I was so excited to read it, however I was pretty disappointed as this whole romance fell a little flat for me.

I enjoyed the first 35-ish percent of the book, after that it became really repetitive and boring and I honestly had zero motivation to finish it.

I did however power through it.

This story was an enemies to lovers trope that was told from Dual POV.

When it comes to the Enemies to Lovers trope, good banter is very important. However there wasn’t much banter, it was like straight up fighting and it got so irritating.

Every single conversation Lauren and Caleb had was exactly the same and every conversation she had with one of her 3 friends was always the same as well. I felt like I was on a hamster wheel going around and around and waiting for it to end.

We are introduced to quite a few side characters in the first few chapters but the author did not fully elaborate on who some of them were right away and we didn’t even get a physical description of some of them so I was mildly confused every time a new character was introduced.

I had a really hard time connecting with both of the main characters, some of the decisions they made were really irritating. I also felt they didn’t really have much chemistry or a connection outside of being sexually attracted to each other.

The word foxy was used to describe the hero SIX times. That’s 6 times too many. I never knew how much I hated that word until now. Every time someone said “Caleb is so foxy” I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from second hand embarrassment.

The grand gesture and all the conversations that followed where they made up were really awkward and unconvincing.

I was received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review.

Like Cats and Dogs Publishes tomorrow, May 4th.

The premise of this book was so sweet and after I read the blurb I knew I had to pick it up! Like Cats and Dogs is an enemies to lovers romance about a vet and a cat cafe shop owner who work right next door to each other. This book has an amazing premise and hits on some of my favorite things (enemies to lovers and adorable pets) but it fell a bit flat for me. I found myself not super invested in Lauren and Caleb’s relationship. They both seemed a little hard to root for and kept making obvious mistakes in their relationship. However, I did find this book to be funny and the side characters really enhance the plot. If you are looking for a quick and entertaining read this book might be it for you!

Between the adorable cover and the promise of a romance set at a cat café, there was no way I could resist picking up Like Cats and Dogs. Kate McMurray delivered on her premise of an enemies-to-lovers romance with adorable furry friends as sidekicks, but the overall result was a bit of a mixed bag.

Lauren and Caleb rub each other the wrong way except when…well, I’m sure you can guess. I’m not the biggest fan of enemies-to-lovers but it can work when done well. Only at the beginning the sexual tension that came from Lauren and Caleb’s bickering really fell flat. Caleb is recovering from a divorce and he’s cold and extremely wary of getting hurt again. Lauren is a bit off her stride from her ex getting married and she and Caleb get off on the wrong foot. They’re hot and cold with each other and it goes on for so long that it made the love story a bit hard to believe. There’s potential there, but I grew frustrated with both of them at various points in the story. Caleb and Lauren are flawed characters and there’s a core of truth to their flaws that kept me reading. I wanted a bit more from the romance to make the ending believable but overall it was OK.

My favorite parts of Like Cats and Dogs involved the non-human characters. As someone with a rescue cat of her own it was a guarantee that the Whitman Street Cat Café cats would steal my heart. They’re adorable with their own unique personalities and I wanted to see each and every one of them adopted to a loving home. The characters’ love of animals gave Like Cats and Dogs its heart and definitely boosted my rating of this book when the romance and the side story of the evil real estate developers left me wanting more. Overall, I had mixed feelings about Caleb and Lauren’s romance but the series setting ensures I will definitely be back for more Whitman Street Cat Café books.

Lauren runs a successful cat cafe in Brooklyn. I've never been to a cat cafe but they sound fun with their own set of unique issues. She meets Caleb when he comes in for coffee and they have some chemistry but it quickly goes south. She brings in her cat to the veterinary clinic next door and realizes he's the new vet. He's quite surly with her which is why they get off on the wrong foot. We all like to self diagnose, even our animals, no need for the professionals to get offended lol. Google is an embarrassment of riches and death sentences. 

But then they were forced into close proximity and things got physical. Have you ever had a relationship with someone where things were hotter when you bickered? Like the opposites attracted and the intense arguing caused you to back them into a broom closet? ( Hmm note to self: ideas for husband)

This was definitely a cute read as Caleb was getting over a divorce and was scared to get into a new relationship but Lauren wanted more after a while.  Putting your heart back out there can be hard when it got broken and you didn't see it coming. 

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟💫

Thank you Net Galley and sourcebookscasa for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.