Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this audiobook in exchange for an honest review... so here we go again.

I chose this book to listen to and review for one reason alone: I have a cat. I thought it may resonate with me and it did. I was engrossed from the start and it didn't disappoint. There were so many similarities to my own life (except for the bits about motherhood as I don't have or want children of my own) and it's prompted me to look at it in a completely different way from now on.

I will be purchasing a physical copy of it at some point but, for now, revisiting the audio version over and over again will do for me.

This book made me feel whole and warm and powerful, and I hope it makes you feel that way too.

Ease of Reading: 5✨
Writing: 5✨
Substantiality: 4✨
Impactfulness: 5✨
Accessibility: 5✨
Enjoyment: 5✨
Overall: 4.83✨

The vibe: memoir, feminist, cats, self-growth, London, city living, motherhood, millennial, witchy

I listened to the audio version of this book gifted via Netgalley, and I already want to reread a physical copy to highlight a million lines within it and feel the feels again.

I would call this a memoir maybe? And is read by the author herself. It follows Rhiannon through the purchase of a kitty in lockdown, and how she relates this experience to the decision of motherhood (which I feel privileged for me is also a decision).

Being in my late twenties with many friends of similar ages, the talk of motherhood is one which is always being discussed. The way The Year of the Cat approaches this topic is very respectful but also insightful and adds a different lens to the discussion.

The book interweaves lil cat facts throughout its pages and I love how it visits goddesses and witches amongst them.

I would say there are a spattering of trigger warnings to be wary of, main ones being PTSD, anxiety and violence. But overall this book is modern and magical, a perfect millennial memoir that I really recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. Just the story of a young woman living in London who doesn't know if she wants to be a mother - but a lil cat she definitely does want!

Rhiannon is a wonderful narrator and really does her book justice. I cannot do this book justice with a review - not a lot happens (Rhiannon gets a cat, there's a global pandemic...we learn about her life in her early 20s) but it is wonderful.

I would recommend to any "child free" women who don't really know if they want to be child free - but ahh time is running out. This made me want a cat even more (unfortunately I grew into a cat allergy in my 20s and my building doesn't allow pets).

Very easily a 5 star read!

This book totally engrossed me. It about so much more than just owning a cat. It's about motherhood, fertility, love and so much more.

The audiobook narration was lovely to listen to. This felt like a friend telling you all about there life. I feel everyone could relate to this book somehow.

Lovely book! I picked it up mainly because of the title, but in reality, ‘The Year of the Cat’ covers many relevant and important topics.

I listened to the audiobooks, which I would highly recommend. I would also say that this will definitely be a book that many will be able to relate to.

As a self-confessed 'cat lady', I was instantly drawn to this when I spotted it on Netgalley. Rhiannon I think well captures the inner turmoil many of us have or will face when considering having children, as well as the fear during lockdown and the embracing of a simpler life during that time until I think many if us had had enough.

She certainly made me feel less silly when I have cried over the health of my cats or driven off and left them when I have dropped them off at a cattery. Clearly I am not alone in my two boys being top of my thoughts most of the time.

A really interesting listen, particularly if you are of the age where the question of having children is on your mind, or you have been through that stage.

A lovely book. Covers many important topics from motherhood, feminism and trauma. Rhinnon discusses her personal journey with these topics and her memories of her cat, her life and lockdowns. Very relatable.

Despite the title, I didn’t think this book would be about cats quite as much as it was. Despite not liking cats, I found there were other parts of this book I could really relate to. There are so many women now who say it’s ok to not want kids, but this is the first time I’ve heard someone so torn about wanting them, which is exactly how I feel.

I had no idea what to expect going in to this and it turned out to be everything I didn’t know I needed.

The breadth of topics covered in this book are astounding and yet I couldn’t get enough. It truly had everything. Discussions on motherhood, fertility, lockdown, health anxiety, disability, violence at the hands of men, ptsd, Parisian living, care work, womanhood, societal pressures, feline friendship and even witchcraft! This book literally has it all and yet not once did it feel overwhelming, it just felt right. Like these thoughts were coming from inside my own head. I think so many people are going to relate to many aspects of this book and I think that’s so special.

Not to mention the writing is incredible. Everything flows so easily, and I could of listened to Rhiannon’s voice all day long.

I can’t wait to see what this writer does next!!

(Big thanks to Netgallery for giving me access to this audiobook 🙏🏼)

What a beautiful book. This is a book about motherhood, about trauma, feminism, and cats. Rhiannon opens the doors to her life for us with grace and vulnerability, admitting fears and traumas, but most of all her own personal journey with these elements.
There were moments when I was happy with her for her healing or sweet memories, her kitten, and her life with her husband and then at other moments I found myself angry with her, for those moments of trauma she had to live and that will follow her forever even if they don’t haunt her any more.
Definitely one that I will revisit when I’m a bit older, I think I’ll find myself relating to different sections depending on my stage in life.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC!

Interesting book about many things including cats, I'm not a cat person at all but understand the bond of living with a cat or should ii say a cat choosing you. The author was coming out of a period of unsettlement and coming of age, not unusual at all to the modern young women of these times. However a few complications make this journey more difficult for her and the anxious state lasts longer than is healthy. Sensitive writing about relationships and family and the author portrays her angst in trying to make sense of the scenarios and dilemma in her life so far. Looks forward to the next chapter. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

'The Year of the Cat' by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is not my usual type of read. 'The Year of...' is a biographical memoir told through chaotic memories about a woman who longs to be pregnant. A lot of this book resonated with me and my own expectations of life. Although Cosslett explains the chaotic timeframe it is sometimes jarring to hear the same phrases repeated at a later point in the book. There is also a lot of trauma in this book which may be quite triggering for some readers. I enjoyed this and found it funny in parts. Rhiannon writes beautifully about her life, her younger self, her desire to birth a daughter and, the extraordinary effect a small cat has on her life.

This is the kind of book you produce when you have nothing else worthwhile to write about, but you have to make a living somehow, so you just blab about your life. And this is coming from a fellow cat lover with mental health issues and cat shelter volunteer. Based on the 20% I’ve listened to so far, sadly the narrative is not about cats or even interactions with cats at all. I have no patience for the self deprecating yet self obsessed (not so) hot mess monologue. No amount of name dropping and quotes can cover up the utter tedium and hollowness of this book. Absolute waste of time. Good narrating wasted on a bad book.

This is an utterly gorgeous book/audiobook!

Admittedly, I just saw "Cat" in the title and thought "Yup, getting that." I didn't realise that the focus of the memoir is the author's dilemma as to whether to have a baby or not, against the backdrop of Covid lockdowns in London. As a childfree woman who feels no desire to have children, I found her writing incredibly moving (and comforting, in a way - I feel absolutely nothing of the longing she describes, which makes me more certain about my own feelings).

I was originally going to give the book 4 stars, because one thing that I struggled with (more at the beginning) was the abrupt switching that happens between different memories and moments in Cosslett's life. And there were so many family cats flying around I couldn't keep track! I got a little more used to it as time went on.

Without going into detail, there are some exceptionally dark moments in this book, which may be triggering for women who have suffered from male violence. Some readers may also be put off by the fact that the book is partly about lockdown, but I would urge them to give it a try - I have avoided lockdown books in the past but I never found this one tiresome or tough to read.

Cosslett writes about her life with great skill, and I wanted to give her a huge hug by the end. I was sad to finish!

(With thanks to Headline Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review)