⭐️ -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!

For someone who loves Christmas and cats, Christmas at the Cat Cafe by Jessica Redland was right up my street, I loved it. Devoured it in one sitting, I was hooked. I must admit not sure I could live with 16 cats but still I loved the book. It was interesting that it was woven into the main character having a chronic illness and the support she required from her family and friends alongside her love of cats. Can’t wait for Jessica’s next book.

This is all I wanted in a holiday read! I loved the premise of this book the first time I read it and I was not let down. I know want to read more from this author and I have told all of my friends to read this one. It is such a pick-me-up and the perfect read for when it is cold outside. Loved!

Christmas at the Cat Cafe is a punny, feel good holiday romcom that hits the spot for kitten cuddles, a great book, and hot cocoa in front of a fire this winter!

Wow! What a brilliant story. Being a cat lover myself, I've visited a few cat cafes, so this was a great insight into how it all works. I also have a friend with Fibromyalgia, so it gave me more of an insight into what her daily struggles can be.
Alongside all of that is a heartwarming and lovely story of Tabby who loves cats and gets her dream of a cat cafe, her supportive family and friends who help her, and a cast of adorable cats.
The story made me both smile and shed a few tears, I loved it from start to finish.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Cats, Christmas, and books are three of my favourite things, so this seemed like a no-brained for me to read. It was an enjoyable book and I was engaged with Tabby and her story, even though elements didn't sit well with me. Redland wrote well and the Castle Street setting was lovely.

A feel-good romantic and festive read. Cats and Christmas is a winning combination although living with 16 cats would not be for me. How did Tabby not recognise that Tom had feelings for her when he willingly cleaned out litter trays for her....litter trays for 16 cats!! 😂

There is a lot of information in the story about fibromyalgia (maybe a tad too much?) as Tabby has frequent flare-ups which seriously impact her quality of life. The author also explains the concept of spoons in relation to how much energy Tabby has in her reserves for everyday tasks and socialising. It was interesting to read about a main character with a chronic illness. It showed how important it is to have an understanding support network and ask for help when it's needed.

Tom and Tabby are childhood friends and completely at ease in each other's company making it easy to transition from friends to something more. The build-up was sweet, funny and completely believable.

The mystery of who was responsible for the vandalism at the cat cafe added more drama but the revelation really took me by surprise. I was not expecting that little twist. The people on Castle Street are a close-knit and friendly bunch who don't hesitate to chip in and help each other out when times are bad. I really liked that small town community feel which will no doubt lead me to reading more in the series.

Having discovered Jessica Redland last Christmas and enjoyed her books since, I was keen to jump into this book about Tabby setting up a Cat Cafe, which seems a novel concept. Unfortunately just before opening her partner deserts her and if that isn’t enough she also is suffering from the debilitating condition of fibromyalgia. There also seem to be people around her that want to stop the cafe opening.

I loved this book as much as her previous books and do enjoy the writing style of her books, and the romance style of them. I do feel it’s good that people write about people suffering with medical conditions, and I learned a lot about fibromyalgia in this book which will make me understand it better, but I can see how this might put some people off who read books for escapism. However I have to say I felt this was written very well into the book, and only added to the reading experience and the story for me.

I felt the story was very well written, and in particular the slow burn of the developing relationship in Tabby’s life, and found myself rooting for them. I loved the main characters and was very glad to spend some of the Christmas season with them. I’m not particularly a cat person, but despite that I did love the story and the unique cat part of it, although I’m sure I wouldn’t spend the extra money to go to a cat cafe. Just a word of warning if anyone is a cat lover there is one part of the story that could be upsetting. However, even that I feel was very well written in the story.

Overall if you enjoy these romance style of books I would definitely recommend this book, and gave it five stars. There isn’t one book by Jessica Redland that I haven’t enjoyed very much, and look forward to reading more books by her.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Tabby has loved cats since childhood and thanks to her grandmother's inheritance cheque, she can now finally realise her dream of opening a cat cafe with her boyfriend Leon. However, just before opening day, Leon takes off and Tabby can't possibly run the cafe alone due to her debilitating fibromyalgia. To make matters worse, some people are opposed to cat cafes and are making things difficult. Thankfully. Tabby has her friends and family to help make sure the cafe is up and running for Christmas.

I adore cats and cosy romance novels, so this should have been my favourite festive read ever. However, I was hugely uncomfortable with the romance. Although there's no biological connection, Tabby and Tom were raised as almost siblings and they started off having that very real sibling-esque dynamic. Therefore, I cannot feasibly believe that they'd reach their mid 30s and suddenly fall in love. Even if this did actually happen, it's really icky and definitely not something I could ever support.

I also had an issue with the heavy-handedness of the fibromyalgia message. I am fully aware of how hard it can be to live with a chronic pain condition but it didn't need to be mentioned as often as it did. A couple of conversations between Tabby and her cousin about the realities of it would have been fine. It didn't have to be constantly used to explain why Tabby couldn't do things.

The final straw came when one of the kittens died. I was not expecting any kind of darkness in a book like this, let alone something as dark as a DEAD BABY CAT. There didn't seem to be any need for it either. Why couldn't she just have found them all?!

Overall, it was a disappointing read full of missed opportunities, cringeworthy dialogue and unnecessary gloom.

What a book! My absolute favourite festive read of 2023!

I couldn't stop reading as I just loved the characters and felt totally connected to the story due to my teen also being a massive cat lover who is so similar to Tabby.

I really hope we'll get to revisit the lovely Tabby as she is a character that has really stayed with me and I have loved recommending this book to read over Christmas 🎄

This was such a cute story. Tabby is getting ready to open her cat cafe when her boyfriend who was supposed to help her dumps her and abandons all their plans. She is left to figure out how to move forward with her 16 cats and new business while also dealing with intense pain from fibromyalgia. The writing was pretty cheesy at times and a bit more in depth with descriptions than I wanted (this cat sat here, that cat sat there, etc) but overall I was fully engaged and I learned a lot about fibromyalgia and how tough of a disease it is to live with! I also thought the romance in this book was super sweet and clean which I appreciate! Plus… I love cats so there’s that.

Video review coming to my YouTube Channel soon.

I want to start by saying Jessica Redland is an amazing author. I left a star review only on Goodreads, but wanted to explain why I couldn’t finish this book. I did not know that illness would be such a heavy presence in the book. Although I love the representation, I was not in a place to read that content in this season of life. Having read Jessica Redland before, I know this book is spectacular and will be such a joy for others.

This is a perfect, feel-good, cosy up with the fire and Christmas tree lit behind you kind of book. Perfect Christmas read, simple and easy! 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.

3 Meowy Christmas stars!

Tabby is finally about to open the cat café of her dreams with her boyfriend. Then said boyfriend ghosts her and the fur flies. Now, left to open on her own, Tabby must admit to her health issues to her family and ask for help. She still might need a Christmas miracle to pull this off.

This was adorable! Loved all the cats (pretty sure there were over a dozen). There were some fun side characters and shenanigans and tons of Christmas cheer. I feel that Tabby’s health issues were treated respectfully and explained very well. Especially if someone had no experience with it prior to reading this.

The main issues I had were length (could have cut out at least 25%) and sometimes the writing style came off as repetitive, but that’s a personal opinion. The romance aspect could have fleshed a bit more.

Overall this was really cozy and cute and perfect for the Holiday season!

Check it out Now!

A big thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a general rule, I'm always a big fan of more representation. And that brings me right to the thing I appreciated most about this book. It shows the nitty and gritty, the long road it so often takes to really accept what might make you different - and especially: the small and (often unexpected ways) in which you might be confronted with that.
So, while I didn't find myself to be particularly invested in the romance in Christmas at the Cat Café, it was altogether a pleasant read. And one that genuinely opened my eyes to a whole different perspective.

I love how this main character has Fibromyalgia. It was refreshing to see a character with the illness. The slow burn romance was also sweet. I really enjoyed this book.

Favorite Quotes:

I thought I knew him so well, but so much of what he’d done this year bewildered me. Perhaps I shouldn’t be mourning my loss. Perhaps I should be celebrating a lucky escape.

This is my big dream but, right now, it feels more like a nightmare.

I was planning to do the classic stereotypical man thing of shopping on Christmas Eve and panic-buying rubbish gifts.

My Review:

Christmas, cats, frequent mentions of baked goods, and Jessica Redland’s writing, I knew I’d like this one since I’m a kitten rescuer myself. The characters were gentle people and their storylines focused on real-life issues and were chaste enough for my elderly mother’s book club and easy to follow, although ever so slowly paced. I found myself growing impatient with the repetition of her health concerns, although understandably, dealing with a chronic illness can be all-consuming. There were a few surprise turns, a slow-burn romance, and a bit of a mystery to solve before ending with a much anticipated and appreciated HEA.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this arc.
Christmas at the Cat Cafe was a cute and cozy read. You can read this over the weekend.