As a token “crazy cat lady” this title sucked me in. My husband and I have a running joke that we basically run The Home For Wayward Kitties because I seem to collect cats that are in danger of landing in a high kill shelter. This really had me feeling connections with our MC Kara, a veterinarian and co-owner of the Cat Cafe in question in this book.

The concept of a cat cafe is everything. I absolutely love it and to throw in an adorable romance along with a bunch of cats?! Yes. Please. My absolute favorite part though is the start of every chapter. It starts with a “bio” for cats in the cafe. Obviously they’re fictional but they are adorable and perfect. It really made this feel more real - like maybe these babies are there and looking for their furever homes. It makes my heart happy.

While I was much more excited about the abundance of cats over the romantic story, I gotta say that story was great too. I feel like several tropes came into play here but the plot was solid and flowed so well that even the lack of communication that normally ticks me off didn’t bother me! That says something about the story since even when the communication was struggling I didn’t roll my eyes. Not once. It’s a miracle!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this adorable romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

If you’re looking for a cute romance to get you in the Christmas spirit this is the book for you! Whether you’re a cat lover or not, this adorable romance will make you want to curl up under a blanket and consider adopting an animal. I would definitely consider myself a dog person, but this book made me want to go to my local animal shelter and adopt a cat. Each chapter starts with a blurb describing one of the cats at the cafe which is such a cute touch!

Now moving on to the romance, I thought they were super cute together. Both Kara and Ben had issues they needed to work through from their past relationships but it just added more depth to their characters. They’re also a great team and have some fun, flirty banter. I always love reading books about small business and this one featured the vet and animal loving side from Kara and the marketing side of Ben which I adored. There was some miscommunication which I didn’t enjoy but overall this book is so cozy and sweet and the perfect book for cat lovers or anyone who adores Christmas.

Both Kara and Ben have been through the ringer, but can a tense encounter and love of cats open them up to new love and experiences?

This was a cute and light hearted romance just in time for the holiday season! This story was filled with fun holiday shenanigans and plenty of cats. Watching these characters grow from their personal trials was so enjoyable. This qualifies as a clean romance in my book with fade to black scenes and lots of sweet moments.

This is a quick read and everything takes place over a matter of weeks. This isn't really insta-love, but everything is on an accelerated time line which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea.

What an UNEXPECTED, DELIGHTFUL, WHOLESOME, JOY this book was! If you would've told me a few months ago that I would read a rom-com about a cat cafe, and would absolutely LOVE it, I probably would have laughed in your face. But here I am saying everyone needs to have this fluffy and adorable book on their radar for the holiday season this year!

- Brief Synopsis -
Kara is a bubbly veterinarian who owns a Cat Cafe called Meow and Furrever just outside of Sacremento with her best friend, Charity. She adores animals, and it is her dream to open a low-cost animal hospital attached to her cat cafe. Due to not creating enough funds, her dream was cut short and so she settles for finding forever homes for lovable cats. However, with more cats than customers, Kara will need a Christmas miracle to keep the doors open on Meow and Furrever.

Ben is a marketing guru who moves to the west coast from the east coast after an unfortunate falling out with his brother. During renovations of his new house, Ben discovers a stowaway kitten in need of some care and a home. Not being a pet guy himself, Ben crosses paths with Kara at her Cat Cafe. She helps him with his kitten situation and he hatches a plan to get the cafe back in the "green" by Christmas,

- My Thoughts -

I know the synopsis might not sound like much, but let me tell you...this book was funny. It was adorable. It had characters with depth. It had great friendships and dynamics between characters. It had a swoon-worthy romance. Like, Ben Reese is literally my dream guy. He is purrrfect. And this book also has the cutest chapter openers.

I loved Kara so much. She was incredibly relatable and I loved spending this book rooting for her. I loved the dynamic between her and Ben. They are polar opposites and, at first, that created a fun and snarky banter between them, but as the ice began to thaw, they really complemented each other so well.

Both Kara and Ben's backstories were so tough and heartbreaking. They both dealt with betrayal from people they loved and trusted. Even though they both struggled with shame from what happened in their past, I loved that neither person judged or pitied the other, but they helped each other find a way forward towards healing and closure.

This also book reminded me of my love for cats. Cats are the best. Suck it, dog people! And I loved that Ben's little kitten clawed its way into Ben's anti-pets heart.

My one issue with the book is that I did not always love or agree with the way conflict was handled, particularly the situation with Ben's brother and family. Even though I think it was dealt with in a commonly human way, it often felt manipulative and it was not pointed out that it was manipulative. I felt like Ben's family was forcing him to heal and move on and forgive his brother, but with the situation at hand, I think that is purely Ben's choice, on his timeline, and cannot be coerced or forced. It's hard when there is a falling out in a family and, ultimately, you want to see reconciliation happen. But you can't manipulate that because the tension makes you uncomfortable.

Aside from that, there is so much goodness in this book. Part of this book is about restoring your hope in humanity when people have hurt you or taken advantage of you, and I love that. I think that is the perfect sort of story to read at Christmastime and I might even reread this book when the holidays roll around this year.

Highly recommend!

This was cute - a quick read for the holiday season that was lively and sweet. The cat descriptions at the top of each chapter was a nice touch. Overall, it didn't rock my world, but it was entertaining enough.

A Cat Cafe Christmas is a sweet and charming holiday read for cat lovers - and if you’re not a cat lover you may be by the end of this book!

This book is a sweet delight. It’s funny, charming and has the perfect villain you’ll love to hate. It also features cats. Lots of cats. We here at Romance by the Book love cats, so we’re happy to see them have a starring role. One note: there is a lot of info dumping of characters' backgrounds in the beginning of the book. It jarred me a bit from the story, but I persevered and I’m so glad I did! This is a perfect book to curl up with during the first snowfall of the season with, make yourself a cup of tea, find your own fur friend to snuggle with, and just enjoy the story. A Cat Cafe Christmas features a feline-motivated meet-cute, two main characters whose hearts have been broken in past relationships, and a cast of friends and family who will keep you smiling.

Ben and Kara are our two main characters. Both are little grumps who have lost the joy of Christmas and don’t trust easily thanks to past relationships. Ben also doesn’t like cats at the beginning of the story. What!?! Kara’s ex is a true villain who I just loved to hate. While this is a sweet and charming love story about two people not looking for love or friendship, it’s also a great story about personal development and the work we also have to do to heal from past traumas.

The crazy cats and their antics really keep the story moving. At the beginning of each chapter there’s a little summary about the cats looking for adoptions which I found utterly charming. I got excited everytime I read one and then saw that cat get adopted and go to its furr-ever home later in the story. Even though I am firmly a one and done cat mama, I was really tempted to contact my local cat cafe to enquire about new furballs after this book.

A cat cafe christmas will put you in a festive mood and may have you swinging by an animal shelter to add a new friend to your family.

This was so cute! I love all the kitties, the cute/quirky real size woman who isn't model perfect or sexy, but wants to be accepted for who she is. I LOVED that this took place in Roseville because I spent every summer in that town as a kid, visiting my cousins and grandparents.

It was relatable, empathetic, and a lot of kitty love to go around. Both MCs have been hurt & are anti-social media but while they didn't get off on the right foot, they can't seem to help being drawn to each other. Its wonderful to see a tentative friendship grow into more in this book.

It is a sweet, cozy romantic comedy that gave me all the warm and fuzzies. It is a cute read that I really enjoyed and can't wait to read more from this author.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book gives all the cheesy hallmark vibes! If you're an animal lover, and a grumpy+sunshine fan, then I would recommend this book.

What’s better than a book about cats & Christmas!? NOTHING. The title of this book had me sold right away.

When Kara’s cat café, Meow and Furever, was featured in a trendy magazine, she almost couldn’t handle the buzz. She avoided being in the public’s eye at all costs and despised anything social media after having trouble with the law previously with ex-bf, Worthy.

Then, along came Ben, the man responsible for the magazine ad and the man who single handedly helped bring Kara’s cat café back to life.

When Ben met Kara, he immediately realized her café needed help beyond what Kara was capable of doing on her own. So what did he do? He created an entire website spread, pro bono. He created a fun Catmas business plan for the holiday and wrote an amazing PR piece explaining how Kara overcame the odds to help the community and raise money and that she isn’t a scheming thief like her ex. Keeping in mind, Kara still didn’t want to be in the public’s eye and could care less about social media.

Kara and Ben went quickly from enemies to friends to lovers. Their healbound relationship was amazing - they made a pact to essentially heal each others disastrous dating pasts. All went well until Kara found out about everything Ben did behind her back and essentially cut him out of her life which literally broke my heart. BUT THEN. *cue (MY FAVORITE THING EVER) the airport grand gesture*

This book was amazingly witty and so entertaining! It was so much more than a cat-lovers novel so if you’re not a crazy cat lady (like myself) don’t let the title steer you away. There was family drama, trouble with the law, small business entrepreneurship and so much more! This book truly just made my heart happy and I love a book that can do that.

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. Be on the lookout for it when it comes out TOMORROW 10/04!

This is such a good cozy, comfy and feel good read for the holiday season.

Synopsis: Veterinarian and animal lover Kara opens a Cat Café to find loving homes for cats which is a dream come true but things are not going according to plan. If Kara can’t figure out some way to get the café out of the red, it won’t last past the holidays. Ben - who works in marketing offers a plan to help...but they struggle to get along. Can they set aside their differences? Will feelings change? Only time will tell...

I think if you love animals...especially cats, you will enjoy this book. There were aspects/"drama" that I didn't love but was able to overlook that for the parts that brought me joy haha

Read if you love....
- Cats
- Opposites Attract
- Holiday/Hallmark Vibes

A very cute rom com with a lot of cats! Sweet characters and a fun story. Mostly uncomplicated too. As a cat parent some of the anecdotes rang too true. One gripe is Kara had people filling out applications to adopt and taking home cats the same day. Rescues do home checks and talk to prior vets before releasing animals into the care of strangers.

3.5 Had to down star it though because apparently this is supposed to be a romance novel and it shouldn’t be labeled as such. Could have been the premise of a Hallmark movie. This was a light, fun heartwarming holiday book. I really enjoyed the cats! They all had very distinct personalities, descriptions and were absolutely my favorite part! Chaos sounds like a kitten I need. The plot of saving a new cat cafe and its clever daily specials was unique and fun to read. Starting each chapter with what was probably their rescue Instagram post was an adorable idea.

Kara and Ben went from enemies to friends to lovers but I definitely wouldn’t call this a romance book. It was nice to see their transitions but could have used more of it. I was more invested in the cats and cafe than if they actually ended up together. Their banter was fun though. I really enjoyed their besties and business partners a lot. Charity is a gem and the perfect friend to Kara.

If you're a cat lover A Cat Cafe Christmas by Codi Gary is a purfect book for you. It comes out on Tuesday - October 4th. Thanks to Forever for an advanced copy.

This is an enemies to lovers set at a cat cafe over the holiday. Kara is trying to keep her dream alive of a cat cafe and also providing veterinary care for cats but things aren't going so well and when she bumps into marketing guru Ben they initially clash but Kara soon realizes his 25 Days of Catmas is brilliant.

I like that each chapter has a cute cat dating profile but overall I'm just feeling meh about this book. I don't really like Kara or Ben that much and they really don't seem to like each other so I'm not really feeling their romance...

It seems like most people are enjoying it more than I am so if you love cats and enemies to lovers you might like this one.

I had just started reading A Cat Cafe Christmas in bed the other night when FT, snoozing by my feet, started making very content noises and I had to snap a pic of his adorableness. So imagine sweet little mews of happiness coming from an old man cat...
Reading what I just wrote, it seems like I’m a huge cat fan. Fatty and I have been together since January 2009 when my partner at the time offered to save this guy from a friend of a friend of mine in Ohio. Somehow that ended with a crazy road trip with the cat, getting stuck in a snowstorm in western PA, and the cat coming to live with me in New Jersey. I was very hesitant, having grown up with dogs, and I didn’t know how it was going to go. Lucky for me, Fatty is a cat-dog and just wants to be cuddled… and fed.
In the book, Ben is also hesitant about cats (although he’s actually hesitant about ALL animals), but an adorable kitten changes his mind. Ben and Kara, a veterinarian who runs a cat cafe, go from enemies to friends to lovers in this cute book. Both MCs are anti-social and grumpy, so I can see where readers might have trouble connecting with them.
Each chapter has an adorable drawing and a short blurb introducing one of the cats that people can visit in the cat cafe to meet and/or adopt, so I wanted to make one for FT. DON’T WORRY - he’s not actually up for adoption!

Fat Tire: This affectionate tuxedo gives even more love than the average feline via some extra junk in the trunk AND some extra toes. Come meet (and feed) this pawsitively pleasant polydactyl today!

If you’re ready for holiday romances and like cats, this is a cute read that will be available Tuesday, 10/4! Thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kara Ingalls is a veterinarian who works at a nonprofit cat cafe called Meow & Furrever in Roseville, California. She owns it with her best friend Charity. Kara is basically in hiding after her ex-fiancee ruined her life. She's trying to save cats, live a good life, and keep the cat cafe in business.

Ben Reese recently moved from Boston to the Roseville area to work in Marketing. He ran away from his life in Boston after his brother married his ex-fiancee. While renovating his new house he finds a stray kitten and takes it to the cat cafe where he meets Kara again. Ben needs to keep the kitten because there are no more fosters. Ben helps the cat cafe come up with a new social media marketing plan to save the cafe.

Kara & Ben are both broken but drawn to each other. I really enjoyed this book and I loved all the cats.
This book made me laugh out loud and cry happy tears. It was a terrific fast read perfect for Christmas.

3.5 stars rounded up. The premise of this book sounded so fun - I mean, what’s not to love about a cat cafe?! There were definitely some sweet swoony moments as Kara and Ben worked through their own relationship insecurities and transitioned from enemies to friends to lovers. I really love how Ben went from an animal hater to a cat lover as his kitten Chaos wooed him over.

There were some parts of the book that didn’t work for me, though. There were times when both characters displayed immaturity. I’m also not a fan of when romance heroes try to “fix” or “help” the romance heroine when she explicitly asks for them not to. I get that it’s a plot device used to show how much they care, but it just really rubs me the wrong way.

However, if you’re looking for a Hallmark-y, sweet, clean Christmas romance with the cutest cat descriptions as chapter titles, then I would recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It may be the spooky season but it’s also not to soon to be thinking about Christmas. A Cat Cafe Christmas is a holiday romance with Hallmark vibes…which I love. Kara is a vet and co-owner of Meow and Furrever a cafe and cat rescue. Ben works at a marketing agency. Both have been burnt by love in the past.

I am a cat person and I loved the premise of the Cat Cafe.
Loved the chapter art and the descriptions of each adoptable cat.
Kara and Ben - opposites attract and they grow closer as they work to save the Cat Cafe.
And as they grow closer, they start to heal from past hurts.
Overall, an enjoyable, feel good holiday romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Pub for the advance readers copy. All thoughts are my own.

I am 100% a cat person. Most of my reading occurs with a cat snuggled on my lap...so marry that with my favorite genre of books, romance, and I'm in love. It's a purrfect match!
Ben is the grumpy, anti cat, marketer who stubbles upon a Cat Cafe that is in need of some marketing support in order to get their revenue back in the black and plan for their future. Kara is the cat loving veterinarian and co-owner of the Meow & Forever Cat Cafe who is struggling with asking for help, especially when it comes from social media. These two are a perfect grump / sunshine duo that have been both hurt in the past by prior relationships. Sprinkle in the perfect mischievous kitten and you have some very hilarious moments. I adored the push and pull between the relationship with Ben and Kara, things weren't always perfect. If you love sunshine/grumpy duos, cats, Christmas, close friendships, slight romance moments that go a little beyond kissing but not graphic, small-town support this is the perfect holiday read for you! As a bonus you get the perfect little cat dating profiles with each chapter to make you smile.

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

In summary, I will absolutely not read about this terrible person (terrible people?), and I wish freedom for the cats.

This is a great read. It's a sweet romance that is full of emotions plus it has lots of sweet cats. Grab this book, a cup of hot cocoa, your favorite throw and settle in for a great read. Loved it!
I received a complimentary copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.