*** Thank you to Charlie Lyndhurst, Hera Books and Netgalley for the ARC ***
Release Date: June 08, 2023

This is the story of how five strangers come together for the sake of cats. Sasha, who runs the cat sanctuary is a closed off person who will do anything to protect the cats in her care – despite the looming knowledge of the building being sold. Luke is having a quarter-mid life crisis and is desperate to find his biological parents. Paul is dealing with a heart break and feeling unloved. Anna is dealing with grief of her parents and struggles to move past it. Mim, perhaps the most outwardly happy person, harbors much sadness inside. Together, these five deal with their issues in their own ways, some are healthier than others.
I am a cat person, I felt I related to Sasha. I am a closed off person, trying to handle too much of my own problems on my own. I would do anything for my pets, no matter the consequences. Luke and Anna I felt were the two characters that annoyed me the most – I understand why Luke did what he did, but at the same time, I felt like he was causing more unnecessary emotional turmoil than good. Anna just made stupid mistakes and kept digging a whole. I felt that I knew what would happen in the end, but reading it while it happened really started to irk me.
3.5 stars, I definitely felt myself in the book while reading.

This was a heartfelt book that centers the importance of community. It really made me think about how having similar interests can bring people together but connections help you get through tough times and everyone was struggling.

Still trying to figure out how I felt about this one. I liked the story and the characters for the most part, but something just didn't quite come together for me. I thought the dialogue between characters was odd at times, like the conversational flow was weird or something. Maybe it seemed off because I'm American and, to a Brit, the way the characters spoke to each other would seem totally normal. Sasha seems almost aggressively prickly at times, and it just seemed weird that everyone kind of went along with it and no one really gave her any attitude back. I mean, she got pregnant on vacation with she was 16 and gave the baby away and that was a big, traumatic life event, but I feel like that wasn't enough of a "traumatic past" to explain why she turned into such an old-before-her-time grumpy loaner. I did like all the other characters, though. But I will say, Anna's chapters super stressed me out!

A big recommendation I have would be to change the chapter sub-heading to tell us the period of time that each chapter is covering (i.e., August -- December) rather than the location within Essex. Those location details did not seem to add anything to the plot, but I did feel like I was missing some chronological context sometimes and that would have been easily fixed with more timeline details. Anna's story, in particular, seemed to be much farther ahead in time when the characters were talking about her in Mim's or Sasha's chapters, but then we'd go back to an Anna chapter and she'd be describing a "present" situation that we'd already learned had happened months ago, according to earlier chapters. But it wasn't ever spelled out, and the apparent shifts back and forth in time didn't have any meaning for the plot, so it was pretty confusing.

Something else that seemed odd, but -- again -- could have been weird to me just because I'm American, was Anna's money situation. [Spoilers ahead]....
She sold her "small" house, sure, but how would that have made her such a money bags, given her lack of a job, her significant debts, and her shopping habits? Selling her "small house" gave her enough to pay off all her debts AND buy a giant property? What was this house, "Falling Water?" I know she's getting some rent money, but wouldn't she now just be living off that rent money, alone? Like, she definitely wouldn't have anything left from the house sale, and she doesn't have a job, so she's doing okay, financially, with just that rent money as her only source of income? How much is rent in Essex? Because if it's that high I need to invest in property there ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley and LHera Books for letting me read an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Despite wanting to love this book, I simply couldn't bring myself to appreciate it. I think I was most let down by the style of writing. We are 'told' more than 'shown' much of the plot, character arcs, and so on. It reads more like a summary of events than a story unfolding before the reader's eyes. There were several good set-ups and excellent potential for the characters and relationships, which seem to not have much payoff. Moreover, there seems to be a lot of buildup for certain plot points (e.g. Sasha's history) which fizzle out in the end. Similarly, Mim's relationship with her husband also hints at something more negative in the beginning, but that turns out to be all good as well. As for Anna, her struggles are written in quite a real way, which is amazing. However, the way she is 'fixed' in the end by going for some therapy sessions and getting a diagnosis (which is again told in a few short sentences) seems ill thought out.

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

This book has a very interesting premise, I think it's really important to talk about animal adoption and what it's like to volunteer at an animal shelter, that's really amazing. Also, I love cats, so it's always good to follow stories involving these beautiful and fluffy pets!

Other than that, unfortunately I didn't find many good things in this story, I didn't identify with the characters and I found the unfolding of everything reading and kind of boring, without much emotion and expectation.

It's not bad, it just didn't live up to my expectations.

"The Cosy Cat Society" by Charlie Lyndhurst is a heartwarming read for any cat lover. The story follows a group of human friends who help each other when in need and working through their own issues in life. Lyndhurst's writing style is easy to follow, making it a great choice for readers of all ages and the characters are likeable. Overall, this book is an ode to the bond between humans with a sprinkling of air time for our feline friends.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for a copy of the eARC

Just from the title and the cute, colourful cover design, this book caught my attention.

This was a delightful book - it warmed my heart, and I kept smiling as I was reading. I warmed to all of the characters and liked them, and I enjoyed seeing the ways in which the characters bonded with each other.

Cats played an important part in this story, and as a cat lover, that was something that I appreciated. This is definitely the type of book that I would choose on a day when I need cheering up. I would also be interested in reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

This book wasn’t for me and unfortunately I Dna’d it 30 percent of the way through. It didn’t draw me in or maintain my attention and none of the main characters stood out. This was a shame as I love cats.

I was soooo excited to read a book about cats but I am sadly DNFing this one. I needed more cats, and also better writing!! The story was a bit hard to follow and the writing wasn’t engaging. Thanks anyway for the ARC!

A feel good ‘tail’

A gentle story revolving around Luke’s search for his true identity by finding his birth mother. This leads him to find Sacha, her cat sanctuary and her merry band of volunteers who all have their own stories to tell. Sacha fights to save the sanctuary while dealing with the shock of Luke arriving back in her life, Paul wrestles with the demons of a past relationship and the hope of new love and Anna battles with grief and her mental wellbeing.

Without giving anything away, the interweaving threads are all resolved by the end. I enjoyed the story of these human and feline characters and I think there are more tales, or is that tails, the author could tell about these human and feline characters.

A good gentle and feel good read.

I was given this book from the author via netgalley only for the pleasure of reading and leaving an honest review should I choose to.

I'm what you call a real cat lover, and I have a weak spot for stories that include these feline friends in any way. I can also never resist a story with an older main character and the whole 'unlikely friendship' angle, so I fully expected to have a great time with The Cosy Cat Society. I was in the mood for a proper feel-good story, and this book seems to be promising exactly that... But unfortunately, I don't think it delivered as promised.

I honestly don't have much to say about this book, so I'm going to keep this review short, but I'll try to explain why I made the difficult decision to DNF The Cosy Cat Society. Like I said, I loved the sound of the premise and I thought this was going to be a perfect fit for me. Unfortunately, I can't see what is exactly so 'uplifting' about this book, because the part I did read was pretty damn depressing. I can deal with heavier topics when I'm in the mood for it, but I was promised a feel-good story and whatever this is, uplifting isn't it.

I also struggled considerably with the characters. They were bland, unmemorable and lacked fleshing out for me. Certain parts of their personalities and issues were repeated over and over again, and it started to sound like a stuck record. To make things worse, there were constant POV switches, which ment the story didn't even give you the time to try and warm up to any of the characters... There was also something about the writing style that just didn't work for me, although I can't put my finger exactly on the why.

Last but not least, I was very surprised to find a lack of focus on the cats and the cat sanctuary itself. Part of the reason I wanted to read The Cosy Cat Society was because of the cats, and there was hardly any focus on them at all... Instead it was a repeat of the issues the different characters have that mostly don't even relate to the sanctuary. I know this might have improved later on in the story, but the first third was seriously lacking on the feline front.

All in all, I have to be honest and say that I simply couldn't find the motivation to keep suffering through this book. I didn't want to spend one more minute with what is basically a miserable bunch of characters, the POV switches were highly frustrating and I didn't even get a dose of cats to ease the suffering... In the end I couldn't see any other option but to throw in the towel and DNF instead.

I really wanted to have liked this book, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I felt that the story was very all over the place, the characters were not catchy, and the chapters were boring.

I think I went in with too high expectations for this book and unfortunately it didn't meet what I wanted. The best story for me was Sasha and Luke and Luke and Paul. Otherwise, it had 0 interest for me. I wanted to have seen more interaction with the cats at the cat sanctuary and it wasn't until towards the end of the book that we get a sense of his way of working.

Regardless of my opinion, thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving this book for me!

Oh my gosh. This really cute book is absolutely adorable and all those adorable kitties too. 😍😍😍

The cosy cat sanctuary is a big part of the setting of this book and I absolutely love it. Because what a unique setting and the healing power of the furry four legged beauties is always amazing. Anyone who has a fur baby weather it be a cat, a dog, a rabbit ect knows the healing power of these fur babies and how they make everything better.

In this book we meet four strangers who are brought together by the cosy cat sanctuary. Sasha is trying to heal a broken heart, trying to make a new life for herself, and trying to come to terms with her difficult childhood and trying to carve out her place in the world. Paul has been in a controlling relationship for a really long time and has just managed to break free for it. He is now looking to settle down with a real love to call his own. Luke is trying to find his biological parents, he is desperate to discover answers to all of the questions that he has, he needs to work out who he is, his history and his life. To be able to fit into the world and know who he truly is. Anna is trying to find solace from her troubled him and knows that animal therapy is the perfect place to find some answers and find some peace. Lastly we have Mum who is a social butterfly on the outside but on the inside is hiding a secret pain that noone know about.

They are all brought together for their love of cats and they find answers, friendship and love where they least expected it.

The Cosy Cat Society is an uplifting story that follows the lives of five strangers who meet at a cat sanctuary, each facing their own difficulties in life. Sasha and her volunteers run the Fluffy Paws cat sanctuary, which is facing debt problems, and when the landlord wants to sell the property, it looks like the sanctuary will have to close. However, the volunteers band together to save it. The story shows how the cats at the sanctuary help the volunteers address their struggles and find solace. The book is a heartwarming and gentle read, with an engaging ensemble of characters, all of whom have their own reasons for volunteering at the sanctuary.

Overall, The Cosy Cat Society is a charming and heartwarming book about friendship and the power of cats to bring people together. I recommend it to those who enjoy a gentle and uplifting read, with relatable and well-developed characters.

Sasha and her band of volunteers run the Fluffy Paws cat sanctuary, although they don’t know about the sanctuary’s debts. When the landlord wants to sell up the house and grounds, it seems like it may be the end of the sanctuary. However, Sasha has underestimated her band of volunteers who will do whatever it takes to save it. Each of them has their own reason for volunteering at the sanctuary, but the sanctuary itself helps people to address their struggles. This is a lovely gentle story, with an engaging ensemble of characters that I cared about. However, to my mind it should have been Sasha, who ran the sanctuary who should have been the dominant character and who should have seen the most character development and resolution. However, in some ways, the ending - although lovely in its own way - sees her ending up where she started. Instead, the characters whose stories seemed to dominate were the gay characters, Luke and Paul, as their stories seemed more fleshed out and given more importance than that of Sasha’s. However, it was a lovely story with an original setting and I enjoyed it.

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this one. The idea was nice but something was missing in the execution. Sasha’s story still felt unfinished. It bugged me that the rescue was called Fluffy Paws but the book title is Cosy Cat Society, just a minor thing. The characters were fun but there was a lot going on with all of the separate stories, almost too much at times.

Nice to read about a cat rescue for once vs all the dog rescue romance novels.

A beautifully poetic book that drew me in and kept me hooked. I loved the characters and the plot development. A fab read.

Although the cover and storyline sounded good I was very disappointed. I found it to be very boring and the characters attitudes negative. I did not finish

An adorable cozy read full of kitties and a lovely happy ending. I thoroughly enjoyed the sweetness!

This was a “Cosy” read about a group of people who volunteer at a cat shelter. Each person has their own individual story through which they are trying to work and the cats serve as almost therapy cats for them. I enjoyed reading the story between Sasha and Luke although, I thought she was a bit harsh to him with such a sensitive subject of his birth parents. I do wish there had been more personification of the cats and their stories mixed with the stories of the volunteers. The only similarities were of these cats trying to get adopted and Luke’s search and discovery of his birth mother. This is just another sweet tale of how humans just don’t deserve animals. Animals are fantastic. All in all, I think this would be a nice rainy weekend read for people who are heavily fond of cats.