This book was quite sweet and had so much cat cuteness!

There was:
*a cat-hating hero...or was he??
*so much competency goodness for both the heroine (veterinarian) and hero (marketing)
*dislike to friends to oh so much more

Ben and Kara's first meeting made me grin and set the tone for an overall good time. I really enjoyed watching them go from mostly dislike to oh we could be friends to now we want more. I also loved seeing Ben become a cat person - it was honestly so cute. Speaking of cats, the cat descriptions at the beginning of each chapter were really fun and I thought added an extra little something. I could picture just how it would be on social media and thought it was so appropriate given the theme of this book.

I will say that Ben's family drama felt a little too drawn out but I was happy when he finally realized he could move on. As for Kara's situation, I couldn't get a handle on it. On the one hand I thought her reaction was appropriate. But then when she got so upset with both Ben and Charity I found myself feeling frustrated with her. As a character it seemed she had made some growth in that regard but that seemed to set her back.

In the end I think this book is a great holiday romance and is especially fun for animal lovers.

4/5 Stars

CW/TW : Cheating (Past/Emotional), Manipulation, Hurt Animals, Ableism

I received a Free E-Arc in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley. Thank you to Forever and Netgalley.

Kara is a Veterinarian and has to perform a procedure on an animal that is in pain, this isn’t described super in depth, it is present. When Ben and Kara are discussing reading Kara makes a "joke" that audiobooks are real reading towards Ben after he says he only really reads audiobooks, this "joke" is massively ableist towards those who can only handle audiobooks and just is incorrect.

I saw this book on Netgalley and had to pick it up as what more could I want from a holiday book than the opposite attraction romance and a cat cafe. This book was adorable and was so much more than just a cute book about a cat cafe struggling to stay open during the holidays.

Kara opened the Meow and Furever Cat Café with her best friend, Charity, after her life was ruined by her ex-fiance. Kara has been struggling to keep the Café open and get all the cats adopted when a local marketing company starts working with small businesses in the area to promote and with this she mets Ben. Ben moved out to this small town in California to start new after his brother betrayed him, when he walks past the first company that his marketing firm was helping he runs into Kara who gives him hell after not being prepared for the amount of business that her Café would be getting that day. The two eventually work together to try and save the Café and adopt out all the cats, and eventually they might become a little more than friends.

Watching both Kara and Ben work through their past trauma felt real and added a lot to what could have just been a cute hallmark story about saving a Cat Café during Christmas time. Their relationship progression did feel a little bit all over the place but it also didn’t feel particularly rushed which I always enjoy.

All of the cats had massive personalities and were always fun to read about, especially one small tabby kitten that reminded me of my own kitten that is sometimes a tiny terror.

This book was a constant joy to read even with some of the more real world elements, that I feel made this book so much more than it could have been. The only part I didn’t love was the last bit that felt a little rushed in the relationship aspect.

I recommend this to people who are looking for a book that is set during the holidays with cats, romance, and a fun time.

This was such a cute book and perfect for anyone who is a true cat lover and has dreamed of having a cat cafe in their town!

Cat loving Kara meets animal averse Ben while doing business together. Ultimately, Ben ends up fostering a kitten he found in his home and agreeing to help Kara keep her cat cafe from going under. In the process, they fall for one another and Ben becomes a cat lover!

At first, I didn't really enjoy the backstory of Kara and Worthy. I know that Worthy is a douchebag, but it seemed like Kara was really letting this situation control her life when she just needed to get over it. However, as time went on, I really began to empathize with Kara and the pain that she felt during that relationship. Ben however, needed to forgive his brother, LOL. I think that both of their heartaches allowed them to become closer partners in the end.

One thing that I am left wondering about is Charity and Schwartz. Even though they certainly aren't the main part of the story, I would have appreciated an epilogue that touched on their time in Cancun. (Or maybe we'll get a second novel that's all about them!)

This was certainly a wonderful feel-good novel that will be perfect for the holiday cat lovers. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Are you an animal-lover looking for a romance to cuddle up with this holiday season? Than look no further than Cody Gary’s A Cat Cafe Christmas!

In this “Opposites Attract” romance, veterinarian and non-profit organizer, Dr. Kara Ingalls, must do everything she can to save her feline friendly cafe while keeping her controversy laced past hidden from her small town. When she bumps in Ben, a self proclaimed “animal-hater”, she never expects the two of them to work together to save Meow and Furever and quite possibly each other just in time for Christmas.

This book contains many of the qualities I look for in contemporary romance such as a diverse cast of side characters, a unique and lovable setting, and a budding romance. The cats for each chapter definitely add a extra bit of excitement to progressing through the story.

However, it did fall flat for me in some areas as well. This story line began to feel very drawn out by the end and this was exasperated by the lack of depth in our main characters. I found some of the writing, particularly the dialogue, lacked flow and sometimes felt unedited. For example, a main character making a very ableist remark about audiobooks that was never addressed felt incredibly inconsiderate to the audience.

I would recommend this book to anyone that would enjoy a lighthearted RomCom with a mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a cat curled up by their feet.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an arc for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I will be posting this review to my GoodReads immediately and to Amazon upon the release on 10/4/22.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Vibrant imagery, opposites attract, laugh until your stomach hurts.

mmm, a perfect holiday romance! This was absolute sweetness. I loved it. Ben was an absolute dream, I loved their relationship from the minute they met. I loved the whole cat cafe and each of their back stories. The writing was perfection and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you to netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is holiday magic perfection. It features two grumpy leads and tons of adorable cats, need I say more?

While the cats were the stars of the show, the healing journey both Kara and Ben go through over the duration of the book was beautiful to see. Kara and Ben have experienced recent heartbreaks prior to meeting each other and we witness their romance grow along with their own personal healing.

This is the perfect holiday rom com to read curled up under a blanket with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Codi does it again! Codi Gary has quickly became my go to author for romance and all things steamy. With just the mix of cute and steamy this one is no different. Don’t waste time debating, get this asap!

As a huge cat lover & a local to the Sacramento & Roseville area, I was so excited to see this book. As a huge fan of rom-coms, this book did not disappoint.

Kara co-owns and runs a combination cafe and vet & rescue clinic. Or at least, the vet part is a dream that she’s desperately trying to achieve while also trying to keep the business open.
Ben is a marketing guru, who even after having a bad “meet cute” with Kara, decides to help her put together a plan to save the Cat Cafe.
Sunshine/Grump & Friends to Lovers trope enthusiasts will enjoy this adorable story, while those that also love cats will get a snicker out of the Cat Introduction snippets that start each chapter.

Overall, this was a cute story that happily earned 4 stars. I would recommend as a fun book for those that love rom-com and want an enjoyable & quick read. There were little scenes that I felt were unrealistic, but in the end, we all want a happily ever after & a saved Cat Cafe.

I was really hoping this would be a cute, light, fun read, but it was a bit of a letdown. There was so much dialogue and it felt very stilted. I can't imagine friends talking to each other in that way (e.g. avoiding cursing for example). I also thought it was very strange for a character in a book to be dismissive and ableist about audiobooks, when a reader might literally be listening to the book! The character's thoughts on audiobooks were never called out or critiqued as ableist by the other main character.

One thing I did like about this book were the descriptions of cats at the beginning of each chapter! I wish the cats had played a bigger role in the book.

Kara has been burned by men and social media, badly. She is struggling to keep the cat cafe, she co-owns with her best friend, open. Her plan to make a low cost veterinary hospital look bleak. Ben is a marketing specialist and all around nice guy. They clash at first and then become friends and more. Unfortunately, they both have issues with trust for good reasons but it threatens their relationship. I enjoyed this holiday read and was left feeling hopeful!

Loved the characters, it's the perfect Christmas rom com. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I'm a cat person, I am. And I'll admit, if this had dogs in place of cats, it probably would've only gotten 4 stars. But because it was cats, it gets an extra star.

If you've ever looked for a Hallmark movie in book form, this is for you. It's a dose of pure sugar. It's a shot of pure happiness. It's one of the cutest books I've ever read, and that's saying a lot.

Although he wasn't exactly a main character, Chaos deserves a shoutout. That kitten was so adorable. He was a ball of chaos, and it was amazing. His antics never failed to have me laughing. Again, he was shot of pure happiness.

As for all the rest of the characters and cats, i loved them. I was so invested in the Cafe and the clinic, by the end, I would accept no outcome but happiness. I do wish the epilogue would've showed the future of the shelter, but it was still an amazing epilogue.

Now though, I do have one bone to pick with the author. How dare she create a cat cafe in Sacramento. Logically, I know there isn't one there, but emotionally, I wanted one. I'm so disappointed now, I want to visit Meow and Furrever Cat Cafe, and I'm so disappointed it doesn't exist.

I'm normally a picky romance reader, but this was more than I ever could've dared to want. Enemies to lovers, Christmas, and cats. It couldn't have been better

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

I breezed through this book in one sitting and I absolutely adored all of the elements of the story!
This was a fun, romantic, incredibly cute Holiday read.
One I had so much fun diving into.
A Cat Cafe Christmas was absolutely amazing. I genuinely smiled the whole time I was reading this!
Codi Gary did an amazing job with this story!
The characters in this book are so fun and entertaining.
A charming sweet and swooning story with a well developed story line and characters.
I adored this funny, sweet opposites attract romance.
If you love Cats, Christmas and Coffee, you'll fall head over heels for this story!
A great story to get you in the Christmassy mood!.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Forever,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to netgalley and to Codi Gary for the opportunity to read this! The book had a cute concept and an interesting cast of characters! I loved the idea of a cat cafe and I liked how everything was executed. It was an easy read and had some cute and funny moments! Kara was an enjoyable character and it was interesting to see how things between her and Ben developed. Overall it was a 4 star book for me, and a book that’s great for anyone looking for a cute holiday romance!

Veterinarian Kara runs a cat café with her best friend and is just trying to keep her life simple and the cafe’s doors open after her relationship ended traumatically. Ben is a marketing exec from Boston who moved to California to escape after the end of his engagement. When non-cat person Ben’s firm does a promotion for the cat café, he becomes intrigued by café’s owner (despite them getting off on the wrong foot) and begins to help her with a plan to save the Café. Are Ben and Kara able to help each other heal while raising money for the café?

This story was absolutely adorable! The MCs were completely relatable and the amount of representation was unreal! Plus size representation, anxiety rep, adult ADHD rep, depression rep-Ben and Kara are real people with REAL problems! They were both healing from previous relationships and it was absolutely precious to watch them fight their mutual attraction, help each other heal, and eventually give into their feelings.

I am admittedly NOT a cat person, but you can tell this was written by one, and I ADORED the individual descriptions and personalities of each cat-it gave the story that much more and really enhanced it in my opinion. I felt like I was there!

This story served Hallmark (and honestly a little Law & Order) vibes and is a story of love, healing, growth and CATS! A perfect Christmas read (which I read in July) 😂.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley Forever (Grand Central Publishing). All opinions are my own.

🎄 Are you a fan of cats, Christmas, and Hallmark movies? If so, this book is for you! 🐱 "A Cat Cafe Christmas" by Codi Gary is a sweet enemies-to-lovers read that will put you in the holiday spirit. 3⭐

❄️ Kara & Ben have both been hurt in love and are navigating betrayal in their own way. Kara struggles with social anxiety and trust issues and Ben is starting to regret his recent move to Sacramento. Ben works in marketing and is trying to help Kara's cat cafe stay afloat. They create the idea of a "healbound" - a low-pressure rebound relationship to help them get over their exes. Things get messy when they start to develop deeper feelings.

✨ I like how Kara and Ben really see each other's flaws and are still willing to work through them together. There is good representation of neurodivergence (specifically anxiety & ADHD). I think there are a lot of "one step forward, two steps back" in this story, but that's real life - love isn't linear!

💕 This is a fairly prim book, which might make it more enjoyable for some audiences. There is no swearing (the worst word used is "crud") and the love scene is...underwhelming. Kara's character is a generally a bit bland. Overall, I think this would be a fun romance for a conservative reader.

Thank you for the eARC, @readforeverpub and @netgalley! Releases 10/4/22.

Shareability: must love cats, Friendsgiving, & Christmas ⛄

Spice: closed door, mild 🌶️🌶️

Pairs well with: lattes and pastries from the cafe! 🥧

This was an absolutely delightful read and I just loved all the cat names and descriptions at the start of every chapter! I always had a cat growing up and I could relate to some of the cat characters in the story! lol I wish we had a Meow and Furrever Cat Café in my area, I would be spending my days there for sure:)

Ben and Kara are so good together but of course the path to true love is never an easy one, especially if you are complete opposites! Between the characters and the cats, this was definitely a winner for me:)

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book was perfection.

Cozy? Check.
Romance? Check.
Humor? Double check.
Cats? Christmas? Relatable characters? CHECK!

I was not prepared to like a book this much, especially one that was supposed to be a Hallmark Christmas movie behind the cover. But here I sit, ready to reread this the first moment temps drop to revamp the holiday spirit and remind myself that the world isn't half bad, especially with cats, cuties, and cocoa.

LOVED. Such a cozy comfy Christmas read. Quick paced book with no dragging scenes and just loved this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.