2.75 stars

I really wanted to love this book. From the adorable cover, the cute title, and the fact that this book focussed on cats, it seemed like it would be perfect for me. I was sadly disappointed with the book.

The dialogue between characters felt forced and underdeveloped. The interactions between characters felt choppy and I had trouble with the overall flow of the book.

Based on the title and description, I was expecting a very adorable story focusing on saving a cat café at Christmas, however this seemed more like a side plot. The main conflict surrounded Kara's ex-fiancé and Ben's drama with his brother/family. I felt like both of these things overcomplicated the story and took away from what should have been a very heartfelt and cozy read. I also felt like Kara and Ben lacked chemistry, and I wish we could have more of their relationship and its development.

The thing I did enjoy about the book was the cats. There were also some adorable little cartoons and short adoption profiles included at the start of each chapter that were so cute and tied into the story very well.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cat, Cafe, Christmas . . . Whoever decided to bring these things together really knows how to write something that'll turn a profit! A fun, easy, nice read.

3.75 out of 5 stars!

The heroine started a business with her best friend featuring a cat cafe and a veterinary clinic combined together. Though at the start of the book it is mostly a cat cafe due to the financial strain the business is experiencing. The hero is a marketing professional that wanted to help the heroine's business. They didn't have a good first meeting, but when the hero unexpectedly ends up with a stray kitten, they began to warm up to each other. Both have been hurt by past relationships and are reluctant to start a new relationship, but the holiday season has other ideas for them.

This is my first Codi Gary book, and I enjoyed it. I liked the cat cafe setting, especially the felines that are introduced in the book. I adored the cat doodles at the beginning of the chapters and the paragraph separations. Also, the feline profiles were entertaining, and I can definitely see them in social media. I liked the main characters, even though both characters have baggage that they must overcome during this book. I enjoyed reading the entertaining secondary characters, especially the best friends that supported the main couple. This is a well-written book, even though I still would have liked some more details in certain areas of the story. It should be noted that the vibe at the beginning of the story didn't click with me, hence why even though I enjoyed reading the book, I didn't click with it as much. However, I still enjoyed this holiday romance book and look forward to reading more Codi Gary books in the future.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

Kara Ingalls is doing her best to make miracles happen by opening up her very own cat cafe and adoption offices - unfortunately it'll take a miracle for her to get her budget out of the red and keep the doors open through the holiday season. Enter Ben, a marketing mogul with a soft spot for furry things and a certain redhead, who might just be the miracle Kara's been looking for.

The concept and cover drew me into A Cat Cafe Christmas. With an adorable premise of running a cat cafe and the promise of some light Christmas hijinks, I was sold! I really loved the little cat introductions in each chapter and how it brought the fuzzier felines in the book out of their place as minor characters and kept it interesting.

I had a very hard time connecting with the characters in this book. I wanted to enjoy them because it had all the elements I love: cats, cafes, southern ladies, cute moments - but it just feel flat for me. I really disliked Ben from the first page with his casual misogyny and, unfortunately Kara wasn't much better. I was born and raised in the southern United States and have never heard someone say "this just buttercreams my cake." The dialogue in this book needed to be polished far more than it was to make both characters speak less in internet slang and movie references and more like humans having actual adult conversations.

I wish this book had delivered as much as the cute cover sold it to me. As it stands, I couldn't get through the entire novel even though I picked it up multiple times. I just didn't feel any kind of connection with Ben or Kara and found myself disinterested in their story and overall success. I feel like this would have been the perfect lighthearted romance for December had I enjoyed the writing more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

This is a cute, breezy holiday read. If you're looking for a clear they will, but just when, pick this up, especially if you love animals. It's a little cheesy, but sometimes you really need to read a book with cute marketing gimmicks to get cats adopted. There seems to be a frenzy of cat-related romances out there, but this one is worth a read.

I adored this book so much.

The cats, the banter, the friendships, just everything was so sweet and precious.

While reading other books by Cody (Hall) Gary, I was expecting this to be a little spicy but it was actually very sweet and fade to black which really worked for this book. I do not feel like I was missing anything at all.

I love all the teamwork, working on healthy relationships, and honest conversations that all the characters worked on having throughout the book. I also had to snuggle up extra close to my kitties while reading it! I was so happy to see Kara's journey and the love she had for these animals and other people.

I would definitely recommend this to all cat lovers, sweet romance readers, and anyone who loves a good hallmark movie!

I liked the concept of grumpy/grumpy as both of the main characters had trauma from past relationships. I absolutely adored all of the depictions of cats. As a cat lover myself, the little synopses of each cat at the cafe at the beginning of each chapter was adorable. The sprinkle of Christmas and the holiday season made this book such a cozy and enjoyable read.

A Cat Cafe Christmas is about Kara who runs a cat cafe and Ben who works in marketing and is begrudgingly made into a cat foster by Kara. The book itself was really cute and reminded me of my time fostering. I loved how realistic that part of the book was. I also really enjoyed Kara's best friend Charity and Ben's best friend Schwartz. For me, I felt like the conflict in the book was resolved a little too quickly, both Kara's issues with her ex-fiance and Ben's issues with his brother. I also felt like Kara and Ben needed a liiiiittle more chemistry. Overall it was really cute and great for fans of a small-town romance. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 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!

Thanks to Forever for my ARC.

I couldn’t get through this. It felt kind of childlike, so much so that even at one point they said “to heck with him” rather than just saying “to hell with him” as the phrase normally is. It felt kind of like a wattpad story and I really couldn’t get past the use of “heck” especially in places where it just made more sense to use hell.

This book is delightful and adorable. Kara and Ben are such good characters and I really enjoyed watching their progress, both together and apart.

Kara's backstory is very unique and not something I've seen before. I enjoyed learning about how she overcame her childhood and that really added a layer of heaviness to how much Worthy had really messed with her mind. Seeing her struggle with being ok telling her truth and with allowing Ben and Charity to help felt realistic and made for so much enjoyment of the end.

Ben was really interesting too. I feel like we're still just really starting to see male main characters who can process and vocalize their feelings and Ben did so well with it. I really enjoyed watching him stand his ground and advocate for his feelings with his family. The best part of him starting to forgive his brother us that he did it in his own time and on his own terms. It was also incredibly enjoyable to watch him be oblivious to how Choas really only behaved for him and to watch him fall for the cat.

The side characters I'm this are really great. They're supportive and interesting but don't take over. A cat cafe setting is super interesting and unique and I adored the little cat bios at the start of each chapter.

I really enjoyed this one and will be recommending it to everyone.

A cute story made cuter by many cats. I liked the surrounding characters and the cats perhaps more than the wishy washy leads. Christmas was included in this, but not overpowering to the larger story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @readforeverpub and @netgalley for this arc!

“All I'm saying is that pineapple on pizza is a sign of deep emotional trauma." 🙊

What a sweet, holiday themed romance book. Being that I have 3 cats myself (yes, I know what you're thinking 🫣), I was captivated by the idea of a cat cafe in the description. Even though all romance books have that HEA, the way the storyline was written out was different than what I've read before.

This is an all around feel-good book with second chance and loveable characters. I would've loved to see more regarding the situation with Kara's ex and how that situation ended up getting handled

A Cat Cafe Christmas will transport you into the holiday spirit with cats. It’s a sweet story about a cat cafe owner who finds love in a marketing guru.

Loved how every chapter opened up with a dating profile style of each cat that’s available for adoption.

Holiday romances always have a predictable outcome which is what I want, but I love how this story involves happy endings for many cats needing to be adopted. Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ Kara is a veterinarian who runs a non-profit cat cafe. Right off the bat we know she’s a good person with a good heart who clearly loves cats. But we also learn she has a tarnished past. Will her past ruin the success of her cat cafe? She hopes not.

+ Kara and Ben have a slow and sweet relationship. It’s not rushed, they take things slow and they really become friends first. They were matched pretty good I think but they did have their own trust issues because of their past relationship.

+ Not only did I love all the description of cats before each chapter but I think cat cafe’s are great (I’ve only been to one). And the secondary characters like Charity and Schwartz really stood out to me. Charity is Kara’s best friend and Schwartz is Ben’s coworker/friend. I like that the friends were there for Kara and Ben! Do we get a story about Charity or Schwartz? Because I’d love to read one about them and more about the cat cafe.

+ This is a great holiday romance which starts at Thanksgiving. But we get the Christmas vibes because of all the events surrounding the cat cafe fundraising plus, Kara and Ben sharing their likes and dislikes about the holiday. Ben reminisces about his family in Boston and Kara has her own family memories also. I also like how Schwartz is Jewish and mentions Hanukkah. But as a Christmas romance I think this one definitely check off all the boxes.

~ There wasn’t much conflict between Kara and Ben and when there was I think it resolved fairly easily. It also isn’t a huge enemies to lovers story because I felt like they put differences aside fairly quickly.

~ Could use more chemistry between since they didn’t like each other at first but I do have to say I did that they settled into a cozy, slow relationship instead of one that burned quick.

Tropes: holiday romance, enemies to lovers,

Why you should read it:
*it’s got cats – so if you are a cat lover, you will love seeing these adopted cats find new homes during the holidays
*it has the holiday theme, a need to save the cat cafe during Christmas and all the good vibes of a holiday romance
*the romance is cozy and not so dramatic, light-hearted

Why you might not want to read it:
*not much conflict
*would be nice to have a little more chemistry

My Thoughts:

A Cat Cafe Christmas is a light-hearted holiday romance that will give you lots of cozy feels especially if you love cats. I love all the cat descriptions from each chapter and how Kara had a good heart trying to find them homes. I thought the romance between Kara and Ben grew gradually into something warm and comforting for both parties, but would have loved some sizzle. There were good secondary characters and getting to know the cats was awesome as well It made me want to get a cat and I can’t say that I am a cat person, since I’ve only had dogs but this book made me want one. Overall, if you are looking for a sweet holiday romance, try this one!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

This was adorable! Since I love cats I really enjoyed the setting with the cat café but also all the cats that lived with the different characters.

Ben was a sweetheart and Kara has the biggest heart with being a veterinarian and caring for all the cats.

Read this is you want a very charming Christmas novel that warms your ❤️

Cats, love and the festive cheer? How could I have said no.

𝘈 𝘊𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 follows Dr. Kara Ingalls who's on a mission to get 'Meow and Furever', her co-owned cat cafe in the clear. With lots of help from the sulky, nerdy and cute Ben, their friends and kind strangers along the way they accomplish what can only be best described as a Christmas miracle.

- ~ -

One of the sweetest holiday romcoms I've read in a while!

Kitties and Kara are a good mix. She deeply loves all the cats in her cafe's shelter and provides for them the best way she can, just like she does her loved ones.

Ben is smitten with the grumpy cat lady, who's coerced him into owning a kitten and he's a nightmare but he'd do anything for her as long as it brings a smile to her face even if it means going behind her back for her own happiness... but more on that when you read the book.

Another note: I think my favourite bits were the way each chapter was prefaced with little kitty introductions! Kinda felt like a tinder bio for cat adoption lol.

- ~ -

3.84 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 (𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This was a cute read. I love the cat descriptions as chapter introductions. The story was well written, entertaining, and everything you expect from a great romance novel.

My cat Olivia and I were looking forward to this book as it was a romance during Christmas featuring cats! We enjoyed the cafe, and the fundraising ideas. Chaos was such a cool cat to learn about! 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.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book and the feelings that Kara had for the cats. I loved watching Kara and Ben dealing with the stuff life had thrown at them. Their first meeting was a hoot! This storyline was wonderful, and I felt like I was right there with them. Who doesn’t deserve great friends like Charity and Schwartz? Wonder if that is a story for another day. I hope so because I would love to hang out with my new friends again. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.