From the blurb I expected an extremely laugh out loud funny novel, but sadly I only managed an occasional mild smile. To me it is quite a sad book about relationships and how they shape our lives. Although I'm an animal lover I really couldn't /didn't relate to Mia and her borderline obsession with Pigeon. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read Cat Lady, just sorry it wasn't the book for me - 2.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book.

This was the first book, written by Dawn O’Porter, that I have read and I’m so glad that I did.

The main character is incredibly endearing, relatable and weird but in a good way. I found the writing witty, honest and authentic.

The author has an unusual style of writing which engaged me early on.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

'Cat Lady' is another hilarious, life-affirming and serious from O'Porter. This was fun from start to finish but also tackles some hard-hitting subjects and O'Porter makes very valid points about modern day life. I enjoyed this read and I liked that I was challenged into thinking about my views on subjects.
I loved Mia as a character, getting to know her was a joy and I enjoyed seeing everything she gets up to and following her through the good and not so good times.
'Cat Lady' is a highly enjoyable read that will get you thinking as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy.

I was intrigued by the premise but in the end I felt like this book just wasn’t for me. However, I do think that it’s going to do really well upon release based on the quality of writing and so many wonderful reviews.

There's something about Dawn O'Porter's writing and even her as a person, that just feels incredibly comforting and safe. Every book I've read by her has just been a dream and this was no exception. It doesn't feel like a typical book, there isn't a great deal going on outside of just reading Mia grow and learn who she is. It's warm, has some of the funniest one liners and overall was just so down to earth to read. I adored it

@currentlyreading__
Book 69 of 2022

Thank you to @NetGalley, the author @hotpatooties and @harpercollinsuk for the advance reader copy of Dawn O'Porter's latest book 'Cat Lady'. It will be published at the end of the month and if you have enjoyed all of Dawn's other books, most recently 'Cows' and 'So Lucky', feel sure that you will enjoy this too. However, there was a biiiiiiit of a departure as, even though 'Cows' and 'So Lucky' had a certain shock factor, 'Cat Lady' was, in parts, shocking in a thoroughly weird way. To use the adage that there are "zero f**** given" and that Dawn was being her unapologetic self in delving deep into the character of our main character Mia seemed to ring true. This lack of apology for Mia's, in parts, strange behaviour, DID NOT take away my enjoyment and I gobbled it up like a cat with a mouse.

Mia is a seemingly organised woman in her 40s, smart, keeping a professional job at a jewellery brand, married to Tristan and caring for her step-son Oliver 50% of the time. The fact that Tristan's ex-wife Belinda waltzes in and out of Mia's home for online couple's therapy with her ex does not concern Mia. She simply retreats to her room with her beloved farm Pigeon. But under the glossy façade, Mia is broken from her childhood and it's her Tuesday night support group which is certainly bringing her some peace although it’s a group for people whose pets have died. As Mia feels so close to her cat, she can understand the trauma these new acquaintances are suffering.

‘Cat Lady’ is a darkly comic book with mental health at the crux of it. It deals with abuse, trauma, marital breakdown, death and a whole plethora of other gritty topics. You don’t have to be a cat person to appreciate the warmth in this book and how love can be found in the most unlikely of places with the most unlikely of people. I look forward to seeing how this is received as I know parts of it will be quite taboo and shocking.

***I wouldn’t put this part online but there were many errors in the book, from spelling, grammatical and even the fact that Mothers’ Day is on a weekday in the book. As much as they grated at first, I learned to gloss over them as I was enjoying the story too much.***

Mia is married to Tristan and is a loving step mother. She also has an ex wife to contend with!
She loves her old cat probably more than her husband!

She is then faced with a decision and how she copes may change her life for ever but will she be happy?.

Simply put, this book is awesome. It has me laughing out loud and sobbing, which is pretty incredible.

Mia is a successful woman in her 40s. She has a satisfactory marriage to Tristan with a step-son who loves her, and she’s the MD of a small jewellery business. But the love of her life is Pigeon, her 16 year old cat.

As her life starts to unravel, her past trauma returns to haunt her, and she finds support and love in the most unusual places.

Honestly I couldn’t praise this book more. The highs are high, and the lows are low. The sex scenes are graphic and hilarious, and at the end I felt wholesome and satisfied.

Read. This. Book. It’s awesome (and I’m not even a cat lady 🤣🤣).

I truly do not know how to give this book the justice it deserves. It. Was. Remarkable.
O'Porter has hit me hard with this. What a powerful way of breaking stereotypes society so often inflict upon women. What a powerful way of delving into the way society treat mental health issues. What a way to show the power of pets, a true unconditional love that is sent to heal. What a powerful way to help society learn how to do better- be less judgmental. Be kind. If you read this and don't contemplate how you impact those around you, in whatever capacity, there must be something wrong. I truly was not expecting this blend of humour and such seriousness, but there it was and I loved it.

A meh start, but then everything turned so bonkers it kept me entertained. I mean laughing out loud and even shedding a tear or two.
What I really like about O'Porter's heroines is that they are complex, layered characters. So real as well, it almost feels like she knows this persons in real life. In many ways they are all survivors, and no matter where they started, there's so much growth and so much character development that by the end of the story they are well equipped to make the most of their situation, their life. I love that message!

And Cat Lady is no exception. Mia is an odd ball. With a routine that's hard to escape. A need to control every tiny detail of her life as a way to escape trauma! She is on the edge of a crisis and the death of her beloved cat tips her into full blown midlife crisis. It take a village to get over trauma that deep and it take courage to confront your shadow. Luckily she has quite a few "villages" to help her out and support her at her lowest, in the process learning the value of vulnerability, of friends and family, of love!

Dawn O’Porter is an absolute force of nature. ‘Cat Lady’ is the most readable novel I’ve encountered for ages; it’s funny, sexy, heart-rending, thought provoking and deeply satisfying - all pretty much at the same time. Honestly, there’s not a boring page in the whole book - I devoured it in the space of 24 hours.

Don’t be put off if you aren’t exactly a ‘cat person’ (I’m certainly not), Cat Lady will tenderly draw you in and entertain you regardless.

I’m so glad I got to read and review this terrific book - many thanks to everyone concerned.

Mia attends a group for people who are grieving their dead pets… but Mia’s cat is very much alive. These people who are devastated about the loss of their animals seem to be the only people in the world who understand what it’s like to love your cat more than your husband… so she goes every week without fail.

Cat Lady is a strange book but I loved it. It’s a lot darker than I initially expected and deals with grief and loss in a very head on way that may be triggering if it’s something you’re going through currently.

I lost my dog a few years ago and I can’t quite remember explain the pain I went through, a pet is a member of the family and it shouldn’t be deemed as ‘crazy’ to feel that way. Mia’s cat is her best friend in the world and that’s totally ok.

Mia is an extremely frustrating character at times and you won’t always be able to understand some of her unhinged decisions, but you’ll still root for her, and her cat to have their happy ending.

Cat Lady is the latest work of fiction from Dawn O’ Porter.

I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time now but have enjoyed some of her books more than others, so I was very happy to receive an ARC of Cat Lady, with thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk.

Mia has a good life; a job she’s proficient at, a nice home she shares with her husband and stepson, and most importantly, her beloved cat, Pigeon.

Even though she technically “has it all” on paper, she finds herself drawn to a pet bereavement support group, despite the fact that Pigeon is very much alive. Her husband’s ex wife is around a lot more than she’d like, and her boss is very difficult to manage. The support group become her friends, something she’s really lacking, but as her life starts to fall apart catastrophically (see what I did there), not even they can help.

I’m not sure this book knows what it wants to be, it’s extremely whacky in places with bizarre tangents of storylines (there’s a couple of sex related scenes that were uncomfortable to read, and a thoroughly detailed description of a gp visit for an STI check that I could probably have done without).
There’s also moments of levity and then discussions of grief, abusive childhoods, suicidal ideations etc., that I’m not sure really fit in with the tone of the rest of the book.

That said, I grew to care about the main character and I cried at the end. I found this book very emotionally confusing, is what I’m saying 😅😅😅

I think if you’re a fan of the author’s other books, you’ll enjoy this too. I think maybe it was just the wrong book for me at the time.

Out on the 27th of October.

An enjoyable read with laugh out loud moments along with extreme sadness. A very thought provoking read which I am sure will be very well received.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Dawn O’Porter’s audience, based on the popularity of her previous novels, is the modern working girl in her 30s-40s. As a mid- 50s male librarian I was interested to read this book to see the appeal and discover more about her writing.
It’s a story of a woman in control of her life within a stepmother relationship and job in a senior role at a jewellery designer company. When everything begins to fall apart in both home and work, she has her cat to fall back on for comfort and companionship.
The story was a traditional tale of being brought low in life and the upturn linked to the power of friendships.
The characters are three-dimensional with everyone having their good and bad traits. The sex and it’s consequences in the novel are dealt with in a frank and humorous way which I imagine some may find challenging.
A modern and fresh take on the stereotype of a “cat lady”.

. Cat Lady is a great read about the profound connections between humans and their animals (and with each other), and ultimately an affirmation of living the life you're made for rather than the one you think you should be living.

Reading Mias’s life breakdown around her and watch her realise what was important made me her biggest cheerleader. Once the worst she was afraid of happened she just became whatever she wanted to be and I I loved her for it , as the blurb says a woman always lands on her feet. It takes a lot of strength to live your life how you want to and not how society expects you to.

I have to say a lot of the characters in this book including Mia are unlikeable. However I love flawed characters as it makes them real.

Dawn O'Porter just writes these wonderful empowering, badass novels with amazing female characters. Covering Every day life struggles. Well balanced with humour.

A great read for a crazy cat lady like me

Cat Lady by Dawn O’ Porter
I give this book 4 stars

CAT LADY [n]
Single, independent, crazy, aloof, on-the-shelf, lives alone . . .

It’s safer for Mia to play the part that people expect. She’s a good wife to her husband Tristan, a doting stepmother, she slips on her suit for work each morning like a new skin.
But beneath the surface, there’s another woman just clawing to get out . . .
When a shocking event shatters the conventional life she’s been so careful to build, Mia is faced with a choice. Does she live for a society that’s all too quick to judge, or does she live for herself?
And if that’s as an independent woman with a cat, then the world better get ready

Welcome to the world of Mia…..someone struggling in all aspects of her life to conform to the norm! Her only mainstay her beloved cat Pigeon (the absolute star of this book) It’s quirky,it’s cringy,it’s sad,it’s amusing,it’s over the top situations..Best enjoyed when taken with a pinch of salt,a smile.and a tissue.But deep down it’s core is connecting with your pet and other like minded animal lovers,,finding yourself and not caring about what others think or do as long as you are happy. I am a cat lady, I’ve experienced the joy and grief of owning a pet and l love this authors very unique writing style.
With thanks to Netgalley,Dawn O’Porter and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for my chance to read and review this book.

Cat Lady follows the story of Mia who has a very odd marriage with separate rooms, scheduled days for love making and an annoying ex wife, who is still very much in her husband's life " for the same of" Oliver their son. Mia's love is her cat Pigeon, who is a house cat. He follows her everywhere, sleeps in her bed, showers with her and generally takes the place of Tristan in Mia's affections!!. Mia has no friends, works in a thankless job and attends a pet bereavement class every week, even though Pigeon is very much alive!!! The book plods along throughout most of the plot until finally things start getting more interesting.
I can't say as this book grabbed me, but it was readable.
Netgalley very kindly sent me this free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #HarperCollins, #hotpatooties.

Having recently read So Lucky by Dawn O’ Porter I was delighted to be accepted for an ARC copy of Cat Lady.

Whilst this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting I still enjoyed it all the same.

In this story we meet Mia, she is married, has a stepson, a great job and most importantly her cat Pigeon who is the biggest and most important part of her life.

Mia doesn’t have any real friends and attends a weekly support group for people who have lost their family pets. Mia hasn’t told the group that her Cat is still very much alive and well,, she’s keeping that to herself, what she does enjoy is being with other like minded people in the group and who truly loved their pets. Mia feels like she finally has a place to belong.

Mia, is married to her husband but he won’t let her cat sleep on the bed or even in the same room with them, so Mia chooses to sleep separately in her own room with Pigeon as her companion. Every part of Mia’s life is controlled even to the amount of times a week and on what days she has sex with her husband, to her vegan diet and what she wears to work. Mia also shares her husband with his ex-wife Belinda who is constantly in the house visiting her Son and having online counselling session with her ex husband. Mia is oblivious to what’s really going on, but it soon starts to unravel for her.

This book will have you laughing out loud in parts, cringing at some of the scenes, and will also give you a feeling of great sadness as you delve more into Mia’s life and childhood. For me this story tuned into quite a deep read at times and `I really began to feel for Mia as her world slowly gets turned upside down.

I loved all of the characters in this story and I found it very easy to read. If you are a fan of Dawn’s books already then I would highly recommend this book. If you are a Cat Lady then this one is defo for you.

I would like to thank Harper Collins and NetGalley for the free copy of this book in return for an open and honest review.

Cat Lady

I loved #CatLady an interesting story filled with so many relatable metaphors.

Such a fantastic analogy with so many ‘Cry Out Loud’ moments balanced out with just as many ‘Laugh Out Loud’ junctures .

Cat lady really gets the reader to think about their own lives and what is important in them.

So witty and emotional all at the same time.

Perfect for anyone who enjoyed Gail Honeyman “Elenor Oliphant Is Completely Fine”
An easy five stars from me.
Thank you NetGalley for my e-arc copy in exchange for my honest review.