I started following this author on social media because of this book. She is so open and honest about her feelings and struggles. It's really more about her than the cats she's cared for, and one of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming parts for me was her recollection of being a young girl having surgery and begging her mother to stay with her, to the point her mother couldn't successfully take a bath for days.
The story of how she came to care for cats is inspiring. She didn't even know how in the beginning and learned as she went; there were dozens of hungry cats around her new home so she started by simply feeding them, eventually ending up helping a lot more cats with food, toys, and a catch and release program. And while she was helping the cats, it helped her succeed in life, and even helped her buy her first house. Amazing!

Poets Square is a powerful memoir. It made me feel so many different emotions but all of them deeply in my soul; and because I felt them so deeply, it took me a while to read through this book.

Courtney is so open about her inner feelings and struggles and I feel like I was right along with her. Some of her stories made me angry, some of them made me sob, and some of them boosted my faith in humanity.

I am so grateful for the experience of feeling so seen in a few of Courtney’s stories; sometimes they were hard to read and sometimes I had an ugly feeling of jealousy, but overall, this is a book I’ll treasure. I’m so glad there’s a human out there living the dream life and helping cats who desperately need it. I’m grateful to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for my review copy, as well.

My cat memoir bookclub, Tails and Tales, read this book as our June pick and we all enjoyed the book and discussing it.

Hands down one of my all time favorite books. I have been following Poet Square Cats on social media for quite a while. I was pulled in by Sadboy and Lola and I never left. I love the work that Courtney does for so, so many different cats. I love that she was able to stay in her home and take care of hew crew. Although Sadboy is gone, his legacy lives on. I love each and every story that is in this book, and I would recommend it to all animal lovers and rescuers. 5 paws!

I was not familiar with the cats of Poets Square before reading this book, and later looking up pictures of all of the cats mentioned nearly brought me to tears!
I was not aware of all of the struggles associated with cat rescue and protecting street cats before reading, and I found this to be such an emotional and educational read! I truly commend Gustafson for all that she has done for these cats and for spreading awareness of what can go wrong in a compassionate way as well as solutions to the growing problems faced by feral cats.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves cats and especially those who are interested in entering the rescue and care sphere

A memoir about cats? Sign me up!

Along with the cat antics and lovely writing, one of the most enjoyable elements of this memoir is the author's earnest self-reflection. She asks herself some tough questions: How can she invest so much in something else when she is struggling herself? How much obligation does she have to the suffering animals (and humans) she encounters? What are her motivations?

Though much of the book is emotional and introspective, Poet's Square is also simply a delight to read. I love how the author describes the cats and their idiosyncrasies. Gustafson is a keen observer, and that attention shines through in her writing.
A tender story of resilience and the importance of care, this is a book perfect for animal lovers and memoir enjoyers alike.

Thank you to Crown and Net Galley for the eArc!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love cats. This lady LOVES cats. I’ve truly never read about a more selfless and loving person. Not only the subject matter but the writing was superb, well-paced and well-written.

Top 10 favorite memoirs.

I love this book, not just because I also love cats, but I thought the ways in which the author described the cats helping her through various stages in her life was so indicative of the importance of animals. I also had no idea the extent to which “cat colonies” existed and though I had heard of TNR, I hadn’t ever really given much thought to who facilitates that process or how difficult it is to carry it out. I hadn’t heard of the Poets Square cats before reading this book, but I love that Gustafson has been able to do so much good for the cats in and around her community.

I'm amazed by the description of a memoir by a woman who moves into an old house in Poets Square in Tucson, Arizona and befriends a large group of feral cats.The street cats become her family as they "reshaped her ... empathy, resilience, and the healing power of wholly showing up for something outside yourself."

The stories she tells about the personalities of the 30 cats, on TikTok and Instagram, also helped her save her home. She feeds them in alleyways and wherever they show up. A heartfelt story about a woman's love for animals, in this case, street cats, and how they benefit her in more ways than one.

I received an arc and didn't know this book was a memoir. It wasn't until I was about halfway through and read something where I thought, "This doesn't seem like fiction." Once I realized this was actually somebody's story, I started digesting it with more depth. And all I kept thinking was, "Arizona is hot! Those cats! So many cats! My God, she's a savior! The living conditions! The cats! So many cats!"

Had I discovered her (the actual author, her) during COVID, I too would have followed and donated and invested interest. I still can't believe this story. The path she followed. The work she's done.

There's obviously much to love about and learn from this story. But if you like cats or are an "animal person," you will absolutely love this story. And, if you're like me, you'll want to quit everything and start saving all the cats!

I absolutely loved this book!!! I had not followed Courtney on social media before reading this book (I do now!), nor had I heard of her. I usually exclusively read fiction, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a memoir about cats. I ended up loving how the book was structured, how it taught me so much about animal rescue, and how much of it ended up being about how hard life is yet we keep on persisting. It taught me to be ready for the unexpected. I really really loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC!

"Poets Square" is a delightful, heartwarming story. I love all the different cat personalities. How the author learns to see how she's cared for by caring for the cats is really beautiful.

For the record: I would give this book 6 stars if I could. This quickly became one of my favorite nonfictions! I've been following the Poets Square social media pages for years and when I heard that the woman behind the accounts was coming out with a nonfiction book about the cats, it immediately became one of my most anticipated books. And I'm happy to say, it did not disappoint! While I didn't cry as much as I thought I would, there were so many stories that tugged at my heartstrings. I think Gustafson did an incredible job mixing stories about the cats she's helped with stories about her personal life. The cat stories and the personal stories always felt relevant in the context of the other and it never felt like a forced connection. It was super interesting to learn more about Gustafson outside of the cat things and I enjoyed the mix of self-reflection and social commentary. Gustafson is an incredibly talented writer and I'm excited to see where this book takes her!

I mean how do you not love a book about cats? Especially about a book where cats are being fallen in love with and saved from the streets? I think it also brings to light how sad a feral cat’s life really is. I loved that this showed compassion for these animals that didn’t ask for this life. And just how hard rescue work can truly be. There is a lot behind the scenes that people don’t always think about Courtney Gustafson brings to the surface.

This book was heartwarming and heart wrenching all at the same time!

Wow. I expected to enjoy this memoir, but I was surprised at just how powerful Gustafson’s story is. I love how she combined the story of rescuing the feral cats in her neighborhood with her own healing and personal growth. Her memoir includes painful stories of poverty, mental health challenges, toxic relationships, and the power of community, as well as some devastating stories about cats she tried to rescue but couldn’t always save. Despite these difficult topics, her story conveys a strong message of hope and compassion.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys memoirs, stories of animal rescue, or stories of community building.

I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley; I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats is a deeply heart-wrenching memoir about finding an unexpected community and the ways that community care can transform lives when the systems fail us. Part backstory on the inception of the @poetssquarecats social media account, part personal memoir, part exploration of community care through the lens of TNR work, Gustafson weaves all these threads together to paint a complicated portrait of human—and feline—experience.

This is certainly not a lighthearted read. One need only glance at the chapter titled “In This One the Cats Don’t Survive” to catch on to this fact. However, through the pain and death and struggle, Gustafson manages to find hope: through community and through the cats that were the unexpected, beloved start of that journey towards hope.

This book is so tender. The author, who runs a popular social media account documenting the feral cats that live in her yard, waxes poetic on how her life has been shaped by being an accidental cat rescuers.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC.

#netgalley #memoir #poetsquarecats #newrelease2025 #newinMay #catrescue

3.75/4 stars!

I always enjoy a memoir with a twist, and this exceeded that goal. At first, I wasn't sure if this would be the best book for me because I am not a cat person (stop booing!), but I found the author's story very compelling. I enjoyed the way the adventures with the 30 cats were interwoven with the rest of her life story. This memoir hooked me once she explained her success on social media, which I was unaware of. I enjoyed the stories of the flocks of cats she was rescuing and getting spayed/neutered. I am happy for her and all of the cats!!!!

I took a very long time to read it so it actually isn't an ARC anymore because it was released over a week ago. I will recommend it to my cat-loving friends! Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TL;DR: this was a beautiful musing on cats and people and life and mental illness and relationships. It was close to perfect.

I did expect to cry picking this up - I knew it was about cats and damnit if animal stuff doesn't get me tearing up every time. Even thinking about animal movie scenes has me choked up sometimes.
And this did indeed get me a few times. One story in particular I think is going to live rent free in my head.

But this is more than a book about cats - in fact, it is just as much (if not more) about humans. The narrative isn't linear and it doesn't always follow up on things, which is my only real complaint in terms of the book, but it does hit on a lot of different facets of cats and humans in a lovely way. I think I'll be thinking about myself and my role in the world for a long time.

I also learned some important things about cats and the people who love them, and that was really great. This is a great book for cat lovers, sure, but I think anyone looking for a memoir on cats and humans and the relationship between them would enjoy it - even if you're not a self proclaimed cat lady. It is beautifully written and the stories in the memoir are remarkable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I won't lie: I requested this book entirely based off the cover. It's cute, it's about saving feral cats, surely it'll be a nice little book, I thought. I wasn't prepared for the emotional whiplash this would give me. (I mean this in the best way.) Courtney writes in such a poignant, poetic way, perfectly blending the stories of all these cats with the stories of people she's met and her own. Each chapter left me with something to think about regarding our larger culture, the systems we have to help each other and how they don't always work, the loneliness of being in your 20s and directionless. Wondering if you're a good person, do you deserve what you have. How wonderful it is to love something so innocent as a cat, and to be loved in turn. At some point in nearly every chapter I had to stop and put it down because it was stirring up so many intense emotions. Never has a memoir impacted me so deeply and I'm going to be thinking about it for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley & Crown Publishing for the ARC!

Wow. I'm not sure what I was expecting, as I went into this almost entirely blind, but Courtney's story blew me away. I felt like I was CONSUMING this book, in the most literal sense of the word, taking in as much as I physically could in one sitting, until I was so full that I was forced to stop. There was not a single chapter that did not make me absolutely sob, and then get off of my couch and suffocate my cats with kisses. Courtney manages to tell her story in the most visceral, raw way, while also bringing a sense of whimsy. We get the cold and harsh truth of what taking care of feral cats is, but not letting us forget that after all is said and done, these cats are silly guys when they're given the right amount of love. Sprinting to the bookstore to get my own physical copy after reading this ARC and telling everyone I know to read this book!!!