Unfortunately this just didn't hit quite right for me. I just don't think I am the intended audience here, most of these stories seem geared towards a much younger audience. I think it will work better for teens and middle graders. These stories are sweet & quirky, but as an adult who loves dogs, it just didn't appeal to me.

I'd bet money our Short Story book club will want to read this. It feels empathetic, and it's written well. I stopped at 10%, as it wasn't gripping me personally.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

I loved this author's previous book "The Travelling Cat Chronicles", so even though I don't gravitate toward short stories I gave this one a try. Sadly, I didn't much care for this offering. Out of this collection of seven cat stories I only connected strongly with one of them. In some cases I found the writing more geared towards a child or young adult. I bypassed one long story entirely that I couldn't get into. Even though there were return appearances from some of the beloved characters from "The Travelling Cat Chronicles", that heartwarming touch wasn't enough to redeem the book for me.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

This collection of short stories by the author of “The Travelling Cat Chronicles” is simultaneously sweet, charming, beautiful, and heart-wrenching. Set in contemporary Japan, each of the seven tales follows the life of a kitten and the family that takes it in. Three reflect the cat’s point of view; the others explore family relationships that are revealed or resolved by the cat’s presence. If you love cats and search for novels that will make you cry, this is definitely a collection for you. In no more than ten or twenty pages (the entire book runs to 150), Arikawa takes you from the perspective of an abandoned kitten to that cat’s final moments. Even I—and I don’t usually seek out novels that make me sob—am tearing up as I write this review.

To avoid spoilers, I’ll give the briefest summary of the individual stories. The first, which shares its name with the book, centers around Kota, a cat found in an alley before his eyes even open but determined to live long enough to transform into a nekomata, a spirit who can remain with his human forever. “Bringing Up Baby” traces a manga artist’s attempts to become a better father to his newborn by learning to care for a kitten. The next two stories also explore variations on fatherhood—a man who pretends not to care and a young boy trying to form a bond with his new stepmother while visiting an island populated by feral cats. “The Night Visitor” is pure comedy, a situation familiar to any cat owner. The last two are linked by the character Satoru, who loses one cat in “Finding Hachi” and is trying to re-locate another when we encounter him again in “Life Is Not Always Kind.” These last two, like the first, are related by the cat in ways that a reader can readily imagine as reflecting a cat’s perspective. They are both lovely and sad.

Last but not least, a shout-out to the translator, Philip Gabriel. The contribution of good translators is often under-appreciated, but the ability to find the exactly right words and concepts to convey another author’s meaning in a different language is a genuine skill and deserves acclaim. When well done, the result is seamless—as this is. Bravo!

I plan to include this book in a summary of cat-related fiction on my blog (link below) in August or September 2023.

I thought a book about cats set in Japan would be more fun. I didn't realize these were short stories. The first one was so long that I didn't realize there were others. A lot of the shorter ones ended abruptly. The cats were cute, though, so don't mind me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

TW: animal death

Verdict: I really enjoyed this book. Loved the perspective from the cat characters.

I requested this book because I really enjoyed the author's The Traveling Cat Chronicles. The book had a spunky cat narrator along with the main human character as narrator. That book was both funny and quite sad. There was ugly crying. But I so enjoyed the cat character that I wanted to read more. I was approved to review this several hours before my own cat passed (what timing!), and I put off reading this ARC for a bit. When I finally delved into, I was so glad I got to read it. While several of the stories do feature the death of beloved family cats, in all the stories, the cats have such a beneficial impact on the humans around them. The stories made me smile and I shed not one single tear. For readers of The Traveling Cat Chronicles, you will read a story about Satoru's childhood and his first cat, as well as an additional adventure that he takes with Nana. These are find stand alone stories, but also tie in with the other novel.

I will definitely be talking this book up and co-recommending his earlier novel.

The Goodbye Cat is a compilation of short stories that will definitely appeal to cat lovers. The book explores the relationships between humans and cats. Some of the stories are better than others, my favorite was the first story that followed the cat throughout its life and told from the cat's point of view, the story was just heartwarming! There was a bit of disconnect overall as the book was translated from Japanese and there were cultural differences noted in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
3.5 stars

I love this author! The stories were great and the last one was especially special. I loved that we revisited Nana and were able to learn about Satoru's first cat. Didn't sob like the last book, but still had all the feels!

I have come up with my own alternative title for this book.
The Most Beautiful Book Ever Written of Human Experience Through the Eyes of Cats.

I was not ready for this book. I don’t think anyone is ready for this book.
It is beautiful. It is the most beautiful thing I have read this year.
I loved/hated how it made me feel. Yes, I know, I am all about chasing emotions in books. I know. But this was too much. Way too much. Even for my standards and I am used to chasing all sorts of emotions, I live for it.
This book made me cry. It made me cry so, so, so much and it was too much.
Once per book would have been enough. But no, there was more.
And those were not two lone tears that you brush away and move on, nooo. Those were those gut-wrenching sobs that you can’t hide from anyone who is in the same room as you. And how do you explain that a book did this to you and yes, you actually very much want to keep reading this book?

Ok, back to the book.
Cats. Yes, the book is about cats. And about humans. And yes, some cats die. Life happens. Sounds easy, right? Yet it is written in such a way that it tears your heart out, and it is beautiful at the same time. Does it even make sense what I’m saying here? I’m not sure, honestly.
The book’s publication date is set for October, it is quite some time away from today, yet I have already started to pester people about how they should bookmark or even preorder this book. I feel like I am this great book matchmaker, all of a sudden, I know so many people who will absolutely love this book and who need this book in their life once it’s out there and available for everyone.
Also, this is one of those books that make me feel extra grateful for being able to read books way ahead of most people. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been grateful for all the books I get to read, but this one is extra special. I now want to tell *everyone* about this book.

p.s.
I have this question about cats. I have had it forever. At least it feels like I have had it forever. It is not about cats, really. It is about all sorts of pets. But today, it is about cats.
When a cat dies, does the cat hope to meet its humans in the afterlife?
What if there are other cats of the same human waiting for them?
How do you choose what to do and how to proceed with so many (dead) cats in the afterlife?
How do all the cats feel that there are so many other cats now?
Ok, does it even make sense at all? I mean, this question I have here?

Oh my goodness I loved this so much! I'm usually not a fan of short stories but this was so well done and had me unable to put it down for very long if at all. This was beautiful, emotional, heartrending and heartwarming.
While of course I'd recommend this to cat lovers, I think people who don't love cats should read it too. I loved every cat in this book and it touched my heart to see how they loved their people and how their people loved them. I immediately added the previous book by this author, The Traveling Cat Chronicles, to my cart. Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for my gifted ARC!

I know I am gonna cry over this book since I requested for an ARC but I don't mind, it worth what I was about to read!

This book, as its title indicates, is a compilation of short stories about losing cherished cats. This book opened my eyes to many new viewpoints, such as how cats view people. How do they feel knowing that there are people out there who do not like them? I started crying with the first story and had to take a few days break to read the other parts of the book since I get emotional when pet stories are told. Some of the stories here also mention how her family does not like cats, although she does. This part resonates to me! BTW, if you guys have read The Travelling Cat Chronicles, through this book, you will meet Nana AGAINN!

Having read her first two works, The Traveling Cat Chronicles and Freeter Buying a House, Hiro Arikawa's writing did not let me down. As a cat lover and admirer of Arikawa sensei's writing, I would recommend that you secure off on purchasing this book till it is published! because it is worth the wait!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me an advance reader copy in exchange for a honest review!

"Again the master-servant relationship had the cat on top. But that was okay. Nothing to worry about."

To no ones surprise I bawled. A lot. I also finished this book in one sitting. The Goodbye Cat is a collection of short stories with varying degrees of heart-retching situations involving cats, their owners, and varying levels of grief. The last two stories tied into the authors previous work The Travelling Cat Chronicles (which I also adored) but I don't think it's necessary to have read it prior to this one, although I highly recommend it. The stories where sad but also cathartic. I didn't feel like the authors goal was to simply torture my emotions with my love of cats but to gently talk about loss and the love people have for cats.

I will say as a kind of disclaimer to be mindful of cultural differences while reading The Goodbye Cat. The one that took me a moment to adjust involved new parents and gendered expectations but gender roles definitely make an appearance throughout these stories. Overall, I wept and fell in love with the authors writing all over again. Also, If you haven't read The Travelling Cat Chronicles I highly recommend that you do.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me an advance readers copy in exchange for a honest review. All quotes come from an arc and may change.

This book is beautifully written, but I was only able to read the first story. It made me cry so much that I was afraid to read any more. This is completely personal to me; my cat was recently diagnosed with a heart murmur and so I’m sensitive to the issue of cats coming to the end of their lives. I have no doubt that this is a wonderful book that many people who are a bit more removed will love. I will definitely come back to it at a later date when I’m in a better headspace. Thank you for letting me check it out!