The Nine Lives of Summer

This is the happiest, saddest, tearjerker of a book. As a cat person I love stories about cats especially when a happy ending is included.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Summer and Sami are so happy together until the war in Syria splits them apart. Summer makes a pledge that she will find Sami again and throughout all of her nine lives, no matter what form, no matter whether it is long or short, happy or tragic, her quest is to find the little girl she loved so well in her first life.

Each time Summer dies, when she is reborn, she remembers who she was in the beginning. Helping her with her quest is the ghost of a family member who died in the bombing during the war. Each journey takes Summer to some place new around the globe. She meets good people and bad people and often runs into a friend she made in that first life, Honey.

It is not until her ninth and final life that she is reunited with Sami. But will Sami recognize the cat who is so different to the kitty she once was. Will love find a way? In a heart wrenching tale of trials and tribulations, the reader knows that somehow Summer will make Sami understand. It is a moving reunion as are many of the stories throughout Summer’s nine lives. Be prepared to care a lot about this little cat. Be prepared to be touched deeply.

Five purrs and two paws up.

This was an interesting read. The cat is different in each life. The author must have a cat. The things they do are true and he's a pretty kitty.
Two Fat Cats Publishing and Net Galley let me read this book. It has been published and you can get a copy now.

It's fun to read about his colors changing and how he's female most of the time.

Life is an adventure for a cat. You never know what he is going to do or who he is going to meet.

I enjoyed reading this but I'm a cat lover....

Thank you to Net Galley for this wonderful copy of The Nine Lives of Summer by Jen Vanston in exchange for a honest review.This heart- warming feel good book tells the story of Summer and her human mistress Sami who has to leave her behind when her family flees Syria after her brother Shaheen is killed in a bombing attack..Throughout time and nine lives Summer vows to find Sami again while having many adventures along the way.A great book for cat lovers of late elementary school(5-6th grade) age and above..Definitely a tear jerker.

Summer is a beautiful calico cat living with her owner 10-year-old Sami and her family in Syria. Things are going at a well-established pace until the war breaks out in Syria. The family must flee leaving Summer behind. Sami and Summer are determined to meet up again at some point.
Summer goes through nine cat lives as she is in different countries in her multiple lives. The author does a wonderful job of adding the correct cultural foods, languages, and descriptions of each area. From the frozen tundra to the hottest jungle, the fish wharf and more. Summer's life is a struggle for survival in this emotional story. As a lover of cat stories, I enjoyed this one very much especially reading about the many lives the cat lived. It reeled me in, and I read it in an afternoon. Prepare yourself to be emotionally invested in the adventures and survival of Summer and her friends. Recommended!

Pub Date 01 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I cried bucket reading this heart wreniching story that talks about a war, a cat and the path to find her human again.
There's a lot of tears but there's also hope. A perfect book for cat lovers.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I pretty much ugly cried through the entire book. There's a lot to unpack here as Summer searches for Sami and I don't think I really went into this expecting just how deep this was going to go. I really liked "A Street Cat Named Bob", so this was right up my alley from start to finish. The Nine Lives of Summer would fit in very well in our classroom.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Pretty fun overall. This has it's sad moments, but that is part of what made it a good read. Wasn't sure what to expect here, but I enjoy it.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!