At the start of the story, we meet Kitty Hart, also known as The Cat Whisperer and Miles who is a dog lover and a sports statistician for an NHL hockey team. She is in the business of cat sitting and he suddenly finds he needs her services to tend to Prince Francis, his mother’s cat. Everything is awkward between them from the moment they first meet. However, between allergic reactions and an ill-behaved cat, they start to feel attracted to each other and connect through their grief (she lost her dad and he lost his brother).

This is a very cutesy, adorable and quirky over the top cat story. There wasn't much of a conflict and the love interests go from annoyance to love very quickly. It was cute but not what I've come to expect from Helena Hunting books so I was a bit disappointed. I feel like she normally does smut very well and these were pretty closed door and awkward.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.

2.5⭐️

While I'm not a cat lover the way Kitty is, I still thought I would enjoy this book for the romance but the constant use of cat puns and everything and anything related to cats was just too much. I'm not a huge animal lover but I generally still enjoy pets and animals in books and I thought all of the cat stuff would die down after the first few chapters since I thought it was played up to hook you in, but I was unfortunately wrong. Even beyond that, I felt the story was just very awkward and cringey (I wish I could use a different word but that feels most accurate). So many times when I was reading I wanted to shake Kitty by the shoulders and tell her to just use normal words and to speak normally because it was grating on my so much. I didn't feel the chemistry was that strong. I think this would have been funnier if I had lower expectations, but once I was annoyed with the characters, I couldn't get out of the mindset. I did appreciate the lack of a 3rd act breakup and I did think all the more emotional parts of the story were handled with a lot of care!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the early copy!

This book was such a fun surprise.

I am not a cat person but I felt myself slowly changing my mind. Between all the adorable cat content and the wonderful grumpy sunshine, this book has become one of the most refreshing and fun romcoms I’ve read this year.

My sister is a big cat lover so I plan to give her a copy for her bday!

Thanks for the early copy, forever!

📖 A LOVE CATASTROPHE | Helena Hunting

🗓 Pub Date: June 13, 2023

THIS BOOK WAS A-MEOW-ZING!!! 😁

I loved absolutely everything about this book! It's got:

💗 Cats! And more cats!
💗 Dogs
💗 A fun and almost enemies to lovers meet-cute. IYKYK 😆
💗 Lovable and smart business-minded leading lady
💗 Insufferable romantic jerk who's really just a hot awkward geek
💗 Wonderful family dynamics that also shines light on loss, grief and the struggles of dementia.
💗 Fun and supportive friends and man-boys who will make you chuckle with their antics.
💗 oh and did I say cats? 🐈

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I freaking loved all the animal content in this book. As a crazy cat lady and animal lover, I could read about animals all day. And this book does not skimp on it!

However, on top of that, we get this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G love story! Kitty (Yes her name is kitty and it freaking works, okay!) and Miles, that are these two stuck individuals. They are living in redundant routines, not even aware that they are stuck. Each of their families have been dealt a blow, that has them both struggling to move on. By no means we're they hermits or not living their life, but the author wrote their stories to be just so real. Where you go through your days, following routines, because that's what you've come to know and become accustomed to. Kinda like if it ain't broke then don't fix it.

But as Kitty and Miles work through their dislike for each other, we get this new developing story of accepting change. And it's breathtaking. I'm just blown away by how real these characters felt to me.

This book! These characters! I wanted their story to keep going and NEVER END!!! Having them together, was such a joy! Urrrgg and their fur babies! 😍

So I'm telling you, if you are an animal lover (or not even!) and you love romance, you gotta read this book. Yes, I purposely say this to be very vague because I think most people will love this story! But especially if your an animal lover 🥹

PS: Hands down my favorite book of 2023!

| RATING |
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was not for me. The synopsis sounded cute and charming, but it was just too much going on. Kitty’s cat puns were a bit over the top, and I couldn’t really tell whose story this was and what the main focus was supposed to be. The romance didn’t quite work for me, either. Disappointed, but I’m sure others (especially cat lovers!) will enjoy it!

Light of plot yet full of grief, this one never came together for me. I cringed a lot during my reading of this.

Too little chemistry between the mc’s, but too much awkward cringe, too many triggers, too many cat-esque phrases/words, and cringey body part names “bingo button” to boot!

This one really really wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGally for the ARC.

The story of Kitty and Miles is an enemies to friends to lovers. Helena Hunting writes a beautiful story of not only love but lose. You are truly heartbroken for both the Thorne and Hart family but the adversity that Miles and Kitty overcome is remarkable.

The story really pulled me in and not because my parents own “gas station Olympicware from the 80s/90s”.
I really hope we get a series out of this as the epilogue has pointed too.

Must love cats! This was a quirky read, and I think you definitely need to enjoy cats to embrace this book. It also felt a little too heavy to be considered a rom com with the topics that it covered.

Helena Hunting has written several books that I’ve loved, so when I got a chance to read this newest book she wrote, I jumped. Now that I’ve finished the book, I find myself wondering what on earth I just read. In some capacities, it struggled with an identity crisis. Is this about a relationship between Miles and Kitty? About Kitty & her mom & her dad’s death? About Miles’ mom & her dementia & his brother who died? About Kitty’s rise to IG fame because of her cat-sitting business? Kitty overcoming her social anxieties? I just didn’t even know. On the other hand, it’s very clearly a cat book. Look, I love cats as much as the next person, but this was a bit too much cat content (and cat puns) for me.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. Fortunately, Hunting’s writing has typically been reliable and engaging, so it won’t keep me from picking up future books of hers. I just don’t think I’ll be rushing to do so.

I hate writing negative reviews, especially with early copies of books. I am hopeful there is an audience out there that will love this. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book is slated to be released in June 2023.

Kitty Hart has a massive online following as the famous Kitty Whisperer. She has expertise in all things feline. Kitty and her best friend Kat are featured in this story, as both women entrepreneurs try and hold down the fort at their respective businesses.

Kitty takes a job cat-sitting for Miles, and things start off hilariously. What starts out as a grumpy/sunshine, or dog/cat romance, turns into so much more as the family dynamics of both Miles and Kitty are unveiled. (TW: grief, parent/child loss, sick parent)

I thought the cat puns were just fantastic and loved every minute. Helena Hunting never ceases to amaze me!

I thought that this was a cute book! I found the main characters to be likeable, the story to be compelling and the struggles that they were dealing with to be real. However, I do think the cat puns were a little over the top at times. As someone who has lost their dad to a heart attack, it was a little hard to read at times but I also felt like there were some compelling quotes that captured grief well. So glad that I was able to read this book! Thanks so much for my advanced copy, NetGalley!

This was a cute & easy read! I’m a cat lover so I definitely loved the cat references & I even learned some things! It was a little cheesy at times & maybe a few too many cat puns but this was a fun book.

“Why be beige when you can be a calico?”

A Love Catastrophe was a quirky, fun tale of opposites attract that is at times both charming and emotional. Miles is definitely a dog person while Kitty is a cat person and they clash from their first meeting. When the fur settles, will they find they have more in common than they think?

“Under her sunshine are some dark clouds, and it’s a reminder that we all have struggles.”

Both Miles and Kitty are dealing with a myriad of personal issues which result in the need for change and growth in their lives. They find themselves leaning on each other and becoming a source of strength for one another. I loved how supportive they were for each other and how they soon find that while they had their differences, they were both alike in a lot of ways.

“Do you ever feel like maybe we were meant to come into each other’s lives at exactly this time? Like destiny had a plan.”

Full of snappy banter, eccentric characters, adorable animals, humor and a lot of heart, A Love Catastrophe was a fast, adorable read that deals with some heavy issues in a lighthearted way. Miles and Kitty are both a bit awkward but are a perfect match for each other.

As much as I love a romcom that leans in and embraces it, this one just felt like too much of too many things. I loved some pieces but took me weeks and weeks to read cause nothing was engaging me to finish. Overall a light read but might not be for most readers

This is 100% a book written and made for cat lovers. If you love cats, maybe even a bit obsessively, you’ll relate to this book so much.

I think the message and premise of this story is good. The way both characters had their own trauma and struggles that they learned to deal with together, was very refreshing.

Although the book was a bit cheesy and unrealistic at times. I feel like there needed to be more build up to the romance, because I think I missed the attraction and connection. The romance felt a little unsubstantial and forced. I think all the relationships in this book could’ve been developed further, with the supporting characters fading into the background.

Overall, it was a light, easy read and I loved all the cat content. I’m all about animal rights so I loved the story behind this.

A Love Catastrophe is a fun romcom filled with sweet animals, their people and associated puns. The story of Kitty (“The Kitty Whisperer” and Miles (definitely a dog person) begins when Miles hires Kitty to care for his mother’s cat. Opposites attract as the sweet sunshine cat sitter and grumpy NHL analyst spend more time together. Their budding romance is sealed when Miles has a severe allergic reaction and Kitty does everything she can to take care of him. Both Miles and Kitty are navigating complicated family dynamics having to do with family member death and grieving and how traumatic events have shaped their families. When Kitty goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Miles steps up to support her and clear her reputation in a way no one else can.

I recommend The Love Catastrophe for romance readers who love: grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, animal lovers & puns, complicated family dynamics, frank discussions of family death/trauma, happily ever after without a third act breakup.

I am sucker for any book that Helena Hunting puts out. I have read it ALL. I was very excited to see that she was writing a story about cat lovers and that Forever was publishing it. I have enjoyed seeing her success!

Miles and Kitty both have pretty complex emotional backgrounds. They have both had immense loss in their lives, and while it looks different, it's quite similar. I love their initial dislike of one another and the slow burn of seeing them fall for each other.

Kitty is a hoot. Her ability to make light of many situations is quite enduring.

Miles is tough on himself because he isn't a hockey player in a hockey centered job.

His insecurities and her upbeat attitude is a combination of wonder. I enjoyed this immensely.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Forever team for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I did not love this one. Not a lot of character development- characters seemed superficial. I appreciated the slapstick-y rom com vibes at points, but it went over the top. Too many corny jokes for me… maybe it would be different if I was a cat lover? I always feel bad writing a bad review and honestly overall reading this was a pleasant time, though I rolled my eyes quite a bit.

Also, who is Herman??? I have to assume he was cut from the book somehow but I will be thinking about it all day.

This was cute and I especially loved all the cats. It was a bit cookie cutter for me and not sure I felt the chemistry between the leads, but I liked the characters and the emphasis on family (though I do feel Miles mom got forgotten by the last 15%…). I’m glad the climax was not Kitty getting upset Miles sprung the interview on her because it felt it would head that way. The relationship was handled in a healthy way, though it was unclear how time was passing since them moving in together seemed a bit quick to me. I like how Hunting adds sports to her books so this also having a cat focus was a nice combo.

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

Thank you to NetGalley and @ReadForeverPub for the free ARC for my opinion.

I absolutely loved this book. The foot in mouth conversations had me laughing out loud frequently.

What a sweet steamy romance with touches on past heart ache and family loss. Written in a way that it is not emotionally overwhelming but adds well to the characters and the story.

I really loved the conversations between Miles and Kitty. It is awkward, silly and heart melting cute. I was smiling most of the time I was reading. The journey through grief and growth left me with such a positive feeling.