A witty and wonderfully exact description of what goes through a lot of women's heads about life - with a love of cats thrown in. I really appreciate Dawn's insight into the oddities that make up our day, the half truths, the eye rolls, and the pretence that we all do just to get through the next 24 hours.

Loved every second of this book. Slighlty dark to begin, but emotional, poignant and funny, Dawn OPoter has written another gem!

Cat lady? More like independent woman! I’m not sure what I expected with this read, perhaps that the whole cat lady concept would used as a comedic device for the story. But what I read was a story full of heart, that really explored the depth of what being a ‘cat lady’ really means, comedic moments and deeply serious, saddening moments too. It was great to read a book that fully realised the grief people experience losing pets and to give such an engaging and sympathetic view of those who have suffered the loss of an animal. It was also marvellous that I had no idea what the ‘cat lady’ would do next, as the protagonist bounces from obstacle to obstacle on her mission for contentment and love. I’d 100% recommend it to cat lovers and non cat lovers alike, any cat lover will relate and any non cat lover will get a powerful insight into how a cat can impact, even save, a life. Huge thanks to the author, Dawn O’Porter and publisher, HarperCollins for this advance review copy. Views my own.

I enjoyed this book, like I have with all of Dawn O'Porter's previous books. It is a gritty book which doesn't sugarcoat anything so I wouldn't recommend it for people who are easily offended, as it may not be the light fun read you were expecting.
I found the main character Mia an interesting and complex character but I feel that is sort of the point of the book that not every one is likable and there are always reasons why people are the way they are.
The style of writing is fast paced and the book made me both laugh and well up.

Dawn O'Porter could write a shopping list and I would want to read it. I loved every page of this book. The characters were so life-like and it has the author's signature no holding back writing which I love. Please hurry u and write another book, I can't wait!

First thing's first, if you dont like books that swear alot then this book isnt for you as the f-word is used alot! I didnt actually mind it because in certain situations in the book, I can understand why the word was used.

Cat Lady explores female stereotypes and ask the question "why should we conform to these stereotypes when we can form our own identity?" It also discusses grief when dealing with the loss of a pet. It approaches this subject in such a way that (if you've ever had a pet die) you can really relate to.

Over all I really enjoyed this book, its a perfect book to escape into when life gets too much. It's humorous in places, relatable in places, sad in places and just generally really good.

The main character Mia is unusual, and in theory, not very sympathetic but I was in from the beginning! As you turn the pages (and believe me, you want to do that), she becomes captivating, and you start to realise maybe she’s not the odd one, it’s the people around her that are. I wanted to keep reading, I brought my kindle downstairs, which is always the sign that I’m in to a good book, and now I’ve finished, I feel a bit lost! I thoroughly enjoyed it, a bit different and very compelling, ai shall be recommending it far and wide!

I have enjoyed most of Dawn o’Porter’s other books so was keen to read this one after receiving an ARC. Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for this.

This book centres around Mia, a married woman in her 40s with a good job and a cat. At first, her life seems quite normal, but we soon discover that her marriage is quite dysfunctional and she has a very unhealthy dependency and obsession with her cat. Of course, her marriage breaks down and other areas in her life fall apart.

Mia bizarrely attends a pet bereavement group, even though her cat is still alive.

I’m no prude but there were quite a lot of sexual scenes in the book. I’m not sure if they were meant to be funny but I thought they missed the mark. They felt like they were written for effect and to make the book a bit more “edgy”.

In the other books I’ve read by this author, I’ve usually been able to relate to or like at least one of the characters. This didn’t happen for me in this book as it’s so Mia centred and I didn’t really like her that much. There are other characters but you don’t get as much of an insight into them.

I’m aware I read an advance copy but parts of the book felt lazy and rushed. Mother’s Day is referred to more than once and is on a weekday, which isn’t the case. There were also numerous spelling errors and parts that didn’t quite make sense, but I’m sure this will be resolved before publication.

Overall, the story was OK, but nothing that special. I didn’t find myself keen to pick up and read the book.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is the book I needed to read! The title won me over. I've always said I'll be the lass living alone with her cats. This doesn't mean I'm isolated or alone by the way.

I've come to learn cats are like marmite you either love em or you tolerate em. For me it's cats all the way and I remember a time not so long ago that I felt exactly like Mia did when Pigeon passed away. Our pets are our family.

This book was the perfect tonic.. hilarious, sad, heart breaking, very honest and open.. like do people still really get crabs?? Lol!!!
This was everything I needed!!!

Absolutely amazing, Dawn O’Porter just never gets it wrong does she, an incredible author!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

I think you know a brilliant author when you find yourself steaming through a book at a fast pace and not even noticing. This has happened to me with every one of Dawn’s books, and this one has been no exception, I pretty much read it in a day. This book deals with pretty gritty but in a relatable way, and it made me laugh out loud in some places too. An added bonus is the theme of animals that runs throughout!

I read this book in 2 days. The first day because I enjoyed it and the second day because I needed to finish it because my cat may need to be put to sleep. I will trigger warning this book with death of a pet, death of family members, emotional abuse, suicide references and possibly more.

I enjoyed this book but I can’t yet decide if it was the right time to read it with what’s going on with my own cat. It certainly reinforced that pets are family. As Mia says her grief is tangled up in her Mothers death, I am writing this review with an unwell cat on my deceased Father’s 80th birthday. I like to think he wants the cat with him to celebrate.

I cried at times because of my situation and I think this book will stay with me a long time.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

I've read and enjoyed The Cows from Dawn O'Porter so I was looking forward to reading this. I thought it would be the perfect holiday easy read. I was wrong about this, reading about the obsessive behaviour with her cat, her dysfunctional marriage and unrealistic work colleagues initially had me wondering if I would finish it and I thought this book wasn't for me. I stuck it out though and ended staying awake till 2am to finish it and cried my eyes out at the end.

The book isn't without criticism, its pretty unrealistic and lags a bit in the middle but I genuinely enjoyed it and would recommend. There does seem to be so many books you think is about one thing and ends up being about people's mental health struggle. This book surprised me which is unusual.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my advanced reading copy

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read in advance. Already a huge fan of dawn and her books and this one didn’t disappoint. 5* read xx

I really enjoyed Cat Lady! Written in Dawn O' Porter's humourous style it is a fun read!

Mia is nicknamed "cat lady" by her family and colleagues as she adores her cat pigeon and treats her as another child. The problem is that her husband isnt so keen and after an unfortunate incident, where Pigeon licks a sensitive area of his in bed,  he bans the cat from the bedroom! Not wanting her beloved Pigeon to sleep alone  Mia starts sleeping in a seperate room and their relationship starts to go pearshaped...

Despite its light-hearted tone the novel does have some more serous underlying themes, including grief (of pets and family members), mental health, child neglect and suicide, which Dawn deals with really sensitively.

This is a light-hearted, funny story that i devoured in a couple of days!

A typical Dawn O'Porter book: quirky, funny at times and quite sad at others. You can always expect to fell the whole spectrum of emotions when reading this author and i am never disappointed. She has quite a distinctive voice which is refreshing and allows you to immerse yourself in a story as engrossing as original. Definitely recommend.

This book shows the love of a lady called Mia who loves her cat Pigeon, who one day gets run over. She has unhappy childhood, but when her mother was ill with cancer a neighbour look out for her and her sister. Her father was unkind to them both, and made them both leave home when they were only 16 years of age. Mia got married, and rather than sleeping with her husband, she spent most nights in her own bedroom with Pigeon. She had a good career,. Her sister advised her that she needed to get more friends., she joined a group where people who their cat's had passed away. Her cat was alive, she went for the company. Then, everything seems to go wrong which could do. She found out her husband had been unfaithful with his ex-wife, and then she loses her job. Pigeon gets run over. and dies, it was her mother's old friend who found Pigeon, they hadn't seen each other for years, but they only recognised each other after the second meeting.. Her sister has a serious accident in her home, but fortunately recovers from the operation. In the end Mia gets her job back, and one of her colleagues has a cat and kittens which need new homes. Initially Mia wasn't going to have one of the kittens, but that all changed when her mother's old friend said she is not well enough to have the kitten and the majority of the group get new kittens. She finds new love from the cat bereavement group. The majority of cat lovers will enjoy this book, as it shows the loyalty of animals to owners and vice versa.

Dawn is one of my favourite authors, The Cows and So Lucky are two of my favourite books so I was thrilled to see this land in my NetGalley inbox.
Cat Lady is full of fun and Mia is a likeable leading lady. Overall it's a great read which is easy to demolish in one sitting.

I really wanted to love this book, being a lover of cats and having two of my own. I just couldn't get into it.
The main character is unlikeable (for me). She's very judgemental and self-centered. I know it's comedy, but would a person really go as far as she does for a cat?
Also, attention to detail is a little lacking. Mothers Day is on a Sunday, not a weekday. I find it odd how that's not been noticed at this late stage in preparing for publication.
I see many have loved this book. I've enjoyed other books by the author. This one unfortunately wasn't for me.