Cover Image: One Cup at a Time

One Cup at a Time

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Member Reviews

This was the cutest comic about a cat's cafe, The graphic's are so adorably cute feels like your being hugged by all of the animals from the book.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

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This is a cute collection of comics showing how animals deal with the anxiety of the effects of the pandemic . I enjoyed seeing how the characters are very relatable to showing how we all deal in different ways to life in this crazy world.

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Adorable animals ♥️
Touching on various mental health issues 💖

What a lovely graphic novel that tackles various mental health as well as self-love issues.

Great for all ages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I liked this one better than the first one, but maybe that's just because I know the characters better now. I hope Matt keeps up with this series. I think he has enough characters that it won't get boring. All the Covid comics were a bummer though.

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I want to live here! Everyone is kind to each other and helpful. A very sweet collection of stories with the artwork matching the tone of the book by being cute as well. Deeply relate to the COFFEE!!!

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Matt Tarpley’s One Cup at a Time: A Cat’s Café Collection is a wonderful, positive, and super cute collection of comic strips. The cute and colourful illustrations are absolutely darling. I love the supportive and sweet way that the book handles timeless and relevant issues.

This uplifting book welcomes readers into the world of cheerful cafe owner Cat and his friends like Penguin, Kiwi, Snake, and Rabbit. We follow along as these likable and relatable characters navigate mental health, friendships, the pandemic, self-esteem and anxiety, as well as simply enjoying the holidays and the seasons. The situations in the book aren’t huge or dramatic events but, instead, there is focus on the quiet but still important moments.

This book is so cheerful, uplifting, and positive! Every page just fills me with comfort and joy and brings a smile to my face! The book is very easy to read. I have never read anything from this author before but I had no problem understanding and enjoying the characters.

The artwork is adorable, colourful, and so well-done! I particularly love the pretty outdoor scenes which happily capture the peace and beauty of nature. I love the cute animals with their distinctive and expressive faces! There are so many different characters from Otter to Fly to Gerbil and yet all of them are so cute and memorably drawn. Every time I see Lubshark with his toothy grin and Cat’s cheerful smile, I break out with my own smile! However, my favourite is loyal and mischievous Kiwi with his knife!

I love that the characters experience realistic and everyday situations that are so relatable and which can really strike a chord with anyone who is struggling or just needs some reassurance and comfort. I love that Cat is always there for his friends as well as us readers. I adore how Kiwi uses his ever-ready knife to destroy Penguin’s bad thoughts while Rabbit battles his shadow thoughts and Lubshark spreads love and cheer throughout the ocean. I love that the animals always band together to help and support their friends. I like that the book explores mental health struggles realistically and hopefully. The characters celebrate their little victories, persevere through their problems and try their best to manage their issues. I also definitely appreciate the book’s promotion of self-care as well as supportive and caring friendships.

I definitely recommend this sweet and uplifting book! It is perfect for a quick dose of happiness and positivity. I can’t wait to see more of Cat and his friends!



🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 out of 5 Kiwi knives!

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Super adorable and charming. My 5-year-old was entranced.

For Libraries: While classified as adult, there is nothing unsuitable for youth.

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This comic collection is adorable and sweet and light-hearted and full of positive sentiments and advice, all in the form of cartoon animals hanging out at a coffee shop. I wasn't familiar with the author or characters before I read this, and I really enjoyed the illustrations and style of the comics.

The content itself was a little much for me in terms of the overwhelming positive sweetness, although overall I do like the message the author is trying to send. Apparently these comic strips were originally released weekly online, which I think is a much more manageable way to consume them. Reading one after another just made them all feel a bit meaningless and trite.

This would be good to pick up in short bursts when you're in the mood for something cute and uplifting, but overall it wasn't very memorable for me.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

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I remember loving the first Cat's Cafe ( 5 stars) when I read it in 2020 and was delighted to see a second installment. Unfortunately, Once Cup At A Time just didn't do it for me.

This comics collection is just as cute and vibrantly illustrated, with an equally adorable cast. However, the content fell flat. It wasn't particularly funny or comforting or relatable despite the overall positivity. I am writing this review immediately after turning the last page but have already forgotten most of what I read... it just wasn't a memorable book.

Good for when you are in the mood for a light, fluffy, sweet and feel-good read, but I feel like there's not much substance to it.

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In a world where even spiders are tres adorbs, cute, cuddly creatures comfort one another whilst downing copious cups o' joe.

This is a comic strip played for the warm, fuzzy, AWWWW factor, more than laughs, and if that's what you're looking for, you'll be squealing with gooey delight.

I actually subscribe to this one on GoComics, where the sweetness is doled out at the rate of one strip a week. That's about all the sugary-goodness this crusty old broad can handle. Reading a year's worth of strips in one sitting resulted in a cuteness overload.

Your results may vary depending on your tolerance for pumpkin spice and rainbow sprinkles.

I need something saucy and smudgy - STAT!

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One Cup at a Time by Matt Tarpley was fantastic! The emotions are so real and relatable. Although not every feeling is resolved, the messages are so uplifting! I highly recommend this book!

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Where has this book been in my life?? It is so feel-good and always brightens my mood. We need animal companions to boost us when we feel down. I am going to be rereading this one a lot.

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Along with a lot of sweetness, adorableness, and tenderness, this book has a strong emphasis on mental health and life affirmations. Every character in this novel is dealing with something and developing coping mechanisms. I adore how eager everyone is to assist one another. The characters are all such good friends and great supporters of one another. Anything would be done for the other. They support and uplift one another constantly, always being there for one another. All of their friendships were so sincere and endearing, and I truly enjoyed it.

This book is highly recommended! I was in awe of it.

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This was the cutest book of comics ever. The art is precious, the messages are great, and it was a read that makes you feel happy.

The comics mainly touch on friendship and mental health. Just showing that people are there for you when you need them, even if its just as simple as needing your morning coffee.

My favorite characters were Kiwi (and his knife) and Opossum. Kiwi was definitely the comic relief when needed. Poor little Opossum. He was going through it. I just wanted to give him a hug.

There is also another collection of Cat's Cafe that came out before this one. I will be reading that soon and hope there will be more in the future!

Thank you to Matt Tarpley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A collection of comics featuring the animals that visit Cat’s Café. The comics focus on being a good friend, giving others the kindness you want, and taking good care of yourself mentally and physically.

Another adorable collection of feel good comics from the Cat’s Café critters. This is a hug in book form, a boost of mental health advice, and a reminder that helping others brings a special kind of joy. A couple of these are about being in quarantine during covid, but most of them are timeless. And all are superbly cute. Highly recommended.

Notes on contents [based on the ARC]: No language issues. No sexual content. Some characters struggle to get out of bed or with negative thoughts, but they all find very supportive friends eventually. Kiwi and Goose look scary, (Kiwi carries a knife everywhere) but they are both actually very nice, only thought bubbles are harmed.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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5 adorable, all-of-the-feels stars~

This collection of cute, heartfelt comics is such a treasure - I loved reading through and seeing all of the characters from Cat's Cafe within. Some are funny, some are sad, and some have lessons to teach. There were also many comics that brought in aspects of living through the pandemic as well, which I really liked - a hard time for so many, it's nice to see the light in the darkness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this adorable ARC!

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Cat’s Cafe is a safe place, a comic about friends being there for each other in difficult times. And in One Cup at a Time, the newest collection of comics, Cat’s Cafe is open for business, inviting friends and strangers in and offering comfort, coziness, and coffees to anyone needing help or warmth.

These gentle comics show us a glimpse of the lives of several different animals, from Lub Shark who loves to give hugs to Kiwi who carries a knife (a small knife, which he uses to protect his friends from dark thoughts). Many of these sweet woodland creatures find themselves suffering from some anxiety, shadow thoughts, insomnia, social anxiety, or feelings of inadequacy. Some are wired differently and prefer to stay up all night or just have trouble expressing themselves. One is hard of hearing and clearly feels like he is a burden at times, but Cat is able to find ways to communicate that helps Fox feel like he fits in too.

These comics are imbued with sweet and encouraging reminders that we all need, like taking time to care for ourselves, asking for help when we need it, snuggling up with cozy blankets and beloved plushies, or retreating from the world when it’s overwhelming. There is no judgment at Cat’s Cafe, just genuine friendship and support from others who understand.

There are some story lines that go on for a few pages, like when Penguin is feeling like a genuine gumshoe detective trying to solve a mystery, or when Rat finds a drawing of a place that looks like it could be home and goes on an adventure to find it. There are interactive pages, with a maze to help Hyena find his favorite Duckie or to find the Star Bunnies in the illustration. And there are comics that make you stop and ask yourself things like how could I help more, or what are my Care Instructions, or what are my reasons for getting up every day.

I have been a big fan of Cat’s Cafe for a while now. I watch for new comics as they appear on social media feeds and I love the books. As someone who deals with anxiety, reading these stories about others who also struggle helps me feel like I’m not alone. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and the characters are adorable and charming. And there is always a positive twist, no matter how dark the characters may be feeling.

One Cup at a Time does deal directly with some of the difficult feelings we all had during the quarantines, the loneliness and the creative ways we found to connect in spite of our circumstances. I was surprised at how emotional some of those comics made me, but it’s healing to look back on the dark times with some distance and feel the warmth of Cat and friends like a soothing hug.

I think One Cup at a Time is self-care. Reading these gentle, sweet comics is a balm to my soul. And if you know someone who struggles with dark thoughts, with anxiety, or with feeling like they don’t belong, then this would be an ideal gift to give them (or to give yourself, if that person is you). Grab your warmest blanket, your softest plushie, and snuggle in with all the characters in Cat’s Cafe to warm your soul, thaw the cold thoughts, and add some sunshine to your day. It’s what I do, and it helps.

Egalleys for One Cup at a Time were provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.

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Honestly this book was just what I needed. It's cute, inspirational, and such a great book. I loved the characters and the different scenarios they were in were very relatable. I definitely would buy the physical book!

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I can't even describe how much I treasure this book. The striking illustrations, the gorgeous cover and all the relatable and encouraging stuff, I seriously can't get enough of them.

Every page I read gave me a reason to start my day with positive energy along with humour. I took my time to complete this book and didn't rush because you'll need a daily dose of these remarkable characters.

Thank you @andrewsmcmeel @catscafecomics and @netgalley for this energizing book. I didn't even know how much I need to read these words and meet these characters before I got this. They are so adorable. I highly recommend this book to each and everyone out there. And especially read this to your children.

@catscafecomics thank you for an effort to make this world a better place through your illustrations.

My Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🤌

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