Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC of this book.

TW: animal death, fibromyalgia

I struggled with this book at first, which surprised me. The cover alone made me want to read this book, but there were moments when the storyline would drag and I could put the book down and not pick it up for days/weeks.

Tabby has fibromyalgia and she mentions it frequently. This may bother some people, but I have several family members with invisible diseases and I know how this drains them. Tabby opens the cat café knowing that it will be hard on her, but she is determined to pursue her dream, even though her man left her.

I was frustrated with how long it took Tabby and Tom to get together. They are adults and just couldn't talk to each other about anything. I found this frustrating!!

Overall, I just wish it had more substance and a bit faster pace for me.

I feel slightly conflicted about this book. I overall enjoyed it, however I did feel like it was entirely too long. There was a lot of “filler” moments that didn’t add to the story at all.

*slight spoiler alert* I was also kind of surprise by the loss of one of the cats. I really wasn’t expecting that at all, especially in a holiday book.

Tabby’s decision at the end was also really unexpected. I kind of knew she would make that decision, but it still surprised me.

I did really like Tabby! Her love of cats and her sweet caring nature really drew me in. I also loved that this book focused a lot on her fibromyalgia. It really shed light on her experiences.

I overall did like the book, even though it had some things I didn’t care for.

Christmas at the Cat Cafe was a great brother's best friend romance. When Tabby's partner Leon dumps her to live as a cruise worker, she's left with the burden of running the cat café of her dreams. The issue is that when she planned her dreams, she hadn't yet exhibited the symptoms of fibromyalgia. As her family helps her out, so does her brother's best friend, who she grew up around. As they spend more time together, they start to see sparks fly, but only time will tell what will happen. Will Tabby withstand the pressure of running the cafe with her illness? Will she have a happily ever after? It's an interesting take on romance.

Jessica Redland is one of my favourite authors and with Christmas at the Cat Café she has once again written a surefire winner I thoroughly enjoyed.

Tabby’s dreams are finally set to come true. Thanks to her beloved grandmother, pastry chef Tabby can now open the cat café she has always dreamed of in Castle Street, Whitsborough Bay with her boyfriend Leon. Tabby cannot wait to open the doors to her coffee shop – until Leon leaves her in the lurch and she finds herself having to navigate running her own business solo on top of all her other pressing health issues. What is Tabby going to do now? Is her dream going to be over before it really got off the ground? Or might a Christmas miracle encourage her to stop worrying and to continue chasing her goals?

The locals certainly aren’t helping with their objections and Tabby will need her friends and her cats more than ever while facing this uphill battle. But she knows that she cannot crumble. If she wants her Cat Café to happen, the she must fight for her dream and refuse to take no for an answer. However, unbeknownst to Tabby, Castle Street is a magical place where everything is possible – but only if you believe in yourself.

Tabby is going to have a Christmas she will never forget – and a chance to have everything she had always wanted…

Jessica Redland manages to strike gold every time and Christmas at the Cat Café is certainly no exception. This lovely tale tugs at the heartstrings and tickles the funny bone and readers will be completely glued to its pages as they find themselves cheering for Tabby in her quest for happiness and fulfillment.

Gorgeous romantic escapism does not get any better than Jessica Redland’s Christmas at the Cat Café – don’t’ miss it!

This was definitely a heart warming romance especially for a cat lover. I loved the concept of a cat cafe. As cat lover myself I would love to have one near me that I could visit the kitties so the whole premise was cute. The story heavily revolves around the cat cafe and the owner Tabby and her fibromyalgia. Seeing how she had to live day to day with it was interesting and heartbreaking especially while trying to do something that she loved. The romance between Tabby and Tom was cute, took them a bit to cave into it but it was fun reading up to them finally getting together. I thought this was going to be a fluffy Christmas romance but it proved otherwise. While the story itself was great, I wish it was spent a little more time around Christmas. Other then that I really enjoyed the story and definitely recommend it.

This book was a different Christmas read to your normal romancey Christmas tales. It covered some difficult topics - mainly focusing on fibromyalgia, and the challenges it presents in everyday life for sufferers of the illness.

I enjoyed this non-traditional method of telling a Christmas story, as there was much to be learned about the condition, however, it did have the classic elements that we usually look for in a Christmas rom-com. There was humour and cute moments, and we got our boy meets girl love story - it was joyful to read, even with some of the sadder moments considered.

Oh I didn’t love this like I’ve loved other Jessica books. Maybe it’s the cats ( not a lover ) or because it’s not with characters I know and love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a great book and I'll be purchasing it for the library.

I had to DNF this one as it just wasn’t for me. But I also should have known that because Christmas romances never are! No fault of the book, and I need to work on not being tempted every year!

you know you are in for a fabulous read when you pick up a jessica redland book, and this one was special. I just loved it.

This wasn't the cosy feel-good romance I was expecting from the cover and I didn't enjoy it at all.

The romance, in my opinion, wasn't believable and I struggled to want the couple to get together.

It read as in issue led story - fibromyalgia is horrible, I'm sure, but when I want a light romance I don't want to be preached to about its horrors.

The dead kitten. Seriously? Who kills a kitten in a Christmas romance?

I usually love Jessica Redland's books, so can't pretend I'm not disappointed. I still have a lot of goodwill towards this writer from previous books, however, so I will buy the next one..

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really sweet book, Tabitha "Tabby" is finally fulfilling her dream of working with cats by opening a Cat Café. As hard as Tabby works, she is struggling with Fibromyalgia and needs to learn to take care of herself, not just her beloved cats. A great cozy Christmas story for cat lovers.

This book is another narrative in the well-established world by the author. Several couples have found their happily-ever-afters since I started reading about the enterprises they all have set up.
I thought every possible type of setup had been explored, and the author came up with a new one. No prior knowledge of the others and their previous acquaintances and trials is necessary for this visit since recurring characters just contribute to the background narrative and are not essential to understanding the plot of the current one.
I liked the unique aspects of the plot, and the ending was especially realistic and different from the usual ones that readers may encounter in these books.
Tabby has always wanted to work with cats, and the idea she has struck up an idea with her boyfriend. Multiple months of planning and work have resulted in the eventual opening of her cat cafe. The first (almost) half of the book focuses on the interesting bits and pieces required to set up such an endeavour and the hurdles on the way. The second part focuses on what happens when the project opens up. The central character has a debilitating illness that can rear its head in inopportune moments, and the relationship she forms during the course of the narrative relies on understanding her situation.
Once again, I felt like I would have rated this book even higher if the romance was not part of the equation. The plotline was different, and as mentioned earlier, I liked the simplicity of the ending (not the suspense part, but the actual decisions taken). I would recommend the book to the people who enjoy the genre and for completionists of the author.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

this book is so easy to read and a good storyline with it and plenty of cats telling a story of tabby who fills all her dreams through ups and downs along the way and to live day to day with her illness trying to keep it under control and not affecting her way of life too much

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you're a person looking for tropes, here's a few: chronic illness, brother's best friend, friends to lovers, HEA, cozy Christmas setting.

4 stars for me. The writing was a little unpolished, but I loved the cats.

Tabby, a pastry chef with a passion for cats, dreams of opening a cat café. When she inherits money from her grandmother, she plans to make her dream a reality with her boyfriend, Leon. However, her world is turned upside down when she's diagnosed with severe Fibromyalgia and Leon leaves her. Tabby struggles to cope but finds solace in her friends and family. Despite the setbacks, she perseveres in pursuing her dream and finds unexpected romance with Tommy, who supports her through her illness. "Christmas at the Cat Café" is a touching tale that delves into themes of love, resilience, and the importance of finding happiness amidst life's challenges, making it a must-read for cat lovers and those seeking heartfelt stories.

Cute Christmas festive book for everyone to enjoy. Really enjoyed the writing style and the story. Made me feel very cosy

⭐️ -NetGalley ARC

This book would make a great drinking game. Take a shot every time she says “Fibromyalgia”…maybe not though, you might die of alcohol poisoning.
I’m literally a plethora of autoimmune diseases; Primary Sjögren’s with Secondary Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and yes…Fibromyalgia, which thanks to the author, I’m now in a full blown flare because this book stressed me out so much. Who kills a cat in what’s supposed to be a cute Christmas book?! Seriously. Who does that?! I could go on about what a pile of cat crap this is, but I need to go hug my cats.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the flare. Super appreciated.

I am not a fan of Christmas-themed books, but as there were cats involved I thought I would make an exception. Having said that, it’s not really a Christmas book either. Tabby has always dreamed of working with cats, so when a legacy gives her the opportunity to set up the Castle Street Cat Café, she jumps at the chance. The plan was for her to run the café jointly with her boyfriend Leon. It turns out that he was not quite so invested, and abandons her to work as a chef on a cruise ship. Recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Tabby is not sure how she will cope on her own. She has deliberately downplayed the seriousness of her illness, but now has to open up and ask her family and friends for help, or give up on her dream.
This is the only book I have read by this author, and one of the things I particularly liked was the sense of community among all the small businesses in Castle Street, something I believe she has written about before. I love cats, but even I could not envisage living with as many as Tabby does here. I gave up trying to remember all their names, though one or two did stand out. The main problem I had was the amount of information the book contained about living with fibromyalgia. I appreciate it is a seriously debilitating condition, and I have every sympathy for anyone who suffers from it, or any other chronic illness, but in places it read more like a medical guide than fiction.
The story is told entirely from Tabby’s perspective, so we don’t know what Tom is thinking and can only judge by his actions. It is obvious from the start that he has feelings for Tabby, but it is not clear what she thinks. As they have known each other since childhood, they already have a strong bond, so it is not much of a leap for them to become romantically involved. The characters all seemed a bit flat and lacking in depth. The vandalism strand did not add much to the story – in fact, it was highly unlikely, as cat cafes exist partly to foster and rehome stray and unwanted cats, so what is there to object to. I enjoyed Christmas at the Cat Café, but not as much as I was expecting to. Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC of Christmas at the Cat Cafe!

I was so excited to read this - having a cat cafe is one of my 'If I ever win the lottery' dreams so I was naturally drawn in from the title! This was a very cosy, christmassy read whilst also highlighting the struggles of living with fibromyalgia. It was nice to see our main character Tabby learn that she can rely on those around her especially when her health declines and offers the hopefulness that her condition won't stop her dreams!

I loved the descriptions of all the cats in this story and it made me so jealous I don't have my own cat cafe right now!