This book was a super easy read, if my Kindle is to be trusted it's only a 3 hour read. A great pallet cleanser that is merry and bright. I read this book during a heatwave in the south of France which only made me long for a snowy Christmas even more. It was a bit predictable but that's what we love with books like these isn't it? I'll be rereading it this Christmas with a hot cup of cocoa and my cat in my lap.
Blurb;
When Emmie's aunt offers her a job at Catpurrcino, it is the fresh start she needs after a rough year. Now, in the lead-up to Christmas, Emmie can't imagine anything more purr-fect than pouring hot chocolate for customers and taking care of the café's many feline residents.

I really enjoyed this gentle heartwarming book.

Emmie has started work in her aunt’s cat cafe after leaving her alcoholic abusive brother. She is enjoying her fresh start and is trying to start up her art work again. Jared is taken on as a part time driver - he has his demons and is struggling after the recent death of his much loved cat, Poppy.

Snowed in together at Christmas with a surprise tenant - his ex girlfriend - they have to survive power cuts, deal with a sick cat and dig themselves out!
An accident on the return journey from the out of hours vet shows them both what they mean to each other.

A lovely cute enjoyable festive story.

A pleasant enough read that seemed rather contrived. A lot was said about not going to drive on the dangerous road pass, then next thing there they are on it!

A grieving Jared takes a job as the delivery driver for the Catpurrchino cat café. Artistic Emmie is escaping a toxic family living situation by working in her Aunts cat café. Could romance be in the festive air? or will a snow storm and unexpected arrival from an ex stop it in it's tracks?

This was a lovely heart warming romance perfect for the build up to the festive season. The characters are well crafted, both human and feline and the plot moves well without feeling too rushed. I adored the black cat Salem, but mostly as i have my own little Salem who curls with me as a reading buddy.

If you love romance, and love cats, then i would definitely recommend this lovely, easy, festive read.

The novel's lighthearted tone and lovable characters, both human and feline, make it an easy, feel-good read. Rowland beautifully captures the spirit of the season, emphasizing kindness, friendship, and the joy of second chances. Perfect for cat lovers and fans of sweet holiday romances, Snowed In at the Cat Café offers a delightful escape with plenty of warmth and charm. This book creates a gentle magic of the holiday season, Snowed In at the Cat Café is a feel-good book that will leave you with a smile on your face. This book shows also that grief can be felt for more than just humans and the loss of a cat is more than just the loss of a pet, but loss of family.

This was such a cute and cosy read! I ended up reading it in one day. Okay, it might not be extremely original, but I believe that, once in a while, it’s good to just let go of our everyday worries and enjoy a delightful, easy read like this. The setting of the book is Catpurrcino, a cat cafe where Jared finds work, thanks to his brother. Jared has had money issues for a while and, even though he really wouldn’t like to be surrounded by cats, now that his beloved cat has died, he finds himself in the position of having to accept the job offer. He will soon meet Emmie, the niece of the shop’s owner, and sparks ignite between them. When, close to Christmas, the two get snowed-in in the shop, surrounded by cats, the atmosphere between them changes significantly.
I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I really recommend this enjoyable, festive read. Might still be a bit early in the year, but nothing can beat a romantic Christmas novel, in my opinion.

*thanks to #netgalley for the #arc given in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Rachel Rowlands for giving me a Netgalley digital arc of Snowed In At The Cat Cafe in exchange for a fair and honest review. As a lover of snuggly romances, cats and the winter season, this book sounded like a simple, cosy read; I didn't expect all the big emotions and tugs on my heartstrings I got.

Snowed In At The Cat Café is a snuggly winter romance full of heartwarming vibes and a journey of healing from grief, hurt and loss. It is a contemporary romance set in the Lake District around a freak snow event that traps Cat Café workers with secrets that will come to light in the flickering flames of the warming firelight. Rachel Rowland's storytelling is easy to read, flowing and weaves a heartwarming romance between two lost souls struggling with grief and betrayal. It's a little predictable and cheesy, but sometimes it's all you want during the festive season.
She captures the spirit of the small, close-knit communities of the Lake District with charm and insight into the daily life in these gorgeous locations of the Lake District. Her writing style is very descriptive and lovingly depicts the rolling hills and wintery wonderland of December. Don't read this book hungry; the cakes sound divine, and the hot chocolates/coffee leave your mouth watering – desperate for a hot beverage fix topped off with lots of whipped cream, fluffy marshmallows and sprints of rich chocolate.

The characters are well-developed and have big emotions that will touch your heart, drawing you into their emotional journeys and resonating with their heartaches, joys, and struggles. The grief of losing a beloved furbaby can be life-altering – Jared's anger, pain, and struggles resonated deeply with me from my own experiences of losing my little ones in the past. People might say they are only animals, but to some, they are best friends and family and are like children. Losing them can be utterly devastating and feel like the world drops out from under you, leaving you lost in a raging sea of emotions you need time to heal with and accept, which I think was very realistically portrayed in the storytelling for Jared's character journey. Emma's journey is more about forgiveness and finding her strength to do the tricky thing of walking away, as sometimes you can't do anything to help those you love on their self-destructive path. The romance between Jared and Emma is swift and sweet. The very definition of the insta-love trope, but I found that they were on the same mental and emotional wavelengths as each other, allowing them to form from their shared experiences of pain and trauma of loss and grief.

A sweet, cosy romance that explores some big emotions and how Christmas can be a difficult time of year when you struggle with heartache, loss and pain in the festival season. The cats stole the show for me as they individually captured with their distinctive personalities and delightful quirks – pets can have bigger personalities than some of the dullest human beings. If you love writers Laurie Gilmore, B. K. Borison or Sue Moorcroft, Snowed In At The Cat Café will have all the snuggly, cosy vibes you want and those big fuzzy feels you want to make your heart swell and smile teary-eyed at the warm cuteness and all the gorgeous fluffy feline company. Coming out in the UK on 12 September 2024.

Perfect cozy cat romance perfect for cat lovers! Loved the character of Emmaline and thought the romance between the two characters was very sweet! Hope to read more from this author

I absolutely loved my visit to the cat cafe. It's the perfect festive read for anyone that loves cats, coffee and romance.


Thank you Rachel Rowlands, Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this ARC

Cats and Christmas, what more could I possibly want?!

If I read this in December, I would have been sat all cosy by my Christmas tree, drinking hot chocolate and eating festive snacks. This is such a feel-good romance. Is it slightly clichéd, predictable and cheesey in places? Yes, but that is what I expect and want out of this type of story. It's that magical time of the year where I want a real heartwarming story where everything turns out OK. Full of likeable wholesome characters and cats, too. A sense of family and community support. I loved Emmie's character she is full of life and positivity.

It's a cute and enjoyable festive story!

Set in Catpurrcino cafe, Emmie finds herself snowed in with the new delivery driver, Jared, and all the cats, after a terrible blizzard hits. Will some light come out of the storm for the both of them?

Thank you, Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton, for my ARC.
My opinions are my own

4.5 stars ⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and Hodders & Stoughton for my ARC copy.

I adored this book, it had everything I love from Christmas, Cats, Crafting and Messy relationships. It was such a sweet little festive read with such loveable characters, even the characters I expected to hate I ended up really liking. I will 100% be recommending this to my friends and family over the holiday season.

I love a Christmas themed romance and this one didn’t disappoint. If you love cats you with thoroughly enjoy it. Located in a beautiful setting with great characters.
Beautifully written and you can feel the love for cats that this author has.
Thank you Natgalley, Rachel Rowlands and publisher for the opportunity to read.

Snowed in at the Cat Cafe by Rachel Rowlands

When Emmie's aunt offers her a job at Catpurrcino, it is the fresh start she needs after a rough year. Now, in the lead-up to Christmas, Emmie can't imagine anything more purr-fect than pouring hot chocolate for customers and taking care of the café's many feline residents.

Cats - tick , great setting - tick , fab characters - tick , tick , tick . Loved it
Although a great lover of cats , I've always avoided books like this as I thought I would find them over the top. Not this one , a great story.

First off, I love the cover of this book. It's gorgeous. Being a huge cat lover and a fan of books set around Christmas, Snowed in at the Cat Café was the perfect book for me, I really enjoyed it. As somebody who has lost quite a few pets in my lifetime (including a cat called Poppy), Jared's heartache over losing his beloved pet resonated with me. It just made me think of how important animals are to people, they're a lifeline, they're family and its heartbreaking to say goodbye to them. Overall a lovely book, perfect for the festive season. I loved getting to know Jared and Emmie and I hope there will be more from Catpurrcino in the near future.

Emmie needing some resbite from her current living situation, goes to stay with her Aunt, who owns a Cat cafe in the Lake District. When her Aunt travels to her grandparents house in Manchester, to pick them up for Christmas, a storm descends and Sylvie is stuck miles leaving Emmie to manage the cafe in her absence. However, the weather has also hit the Lakes and Emma is snowed in at the cafe with Jared their delivery driver and unbeknown to her, his ex girlfriend.

This is a cute romance set inside the cat cafe. I enjoyed the location and setting of the book as I live in the North West of England and often travel to both the Lake District and Manchester, so it was lovely to hear familiar places mentioned.

The characters are likeable and I actually finished the book in one sitting. The writing style an flow was enjoyable to. However, for me personally the insta love happened just a little bit too quickly, and there wasn't really a build up. It was all a little bit too cheesy and predictable. I did enjoy the books and learning about all the different cats, especially Salem. I am a cat owner myself so could relate and appreciated all their little quirks.

If you are a fan or romance and cats then I am sure you will really enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lovely Christmas feels I really enjoyed this
I love cats so was excited to read this I really need to visit a cat cafe soon !!
Lovely sweet adorable and set around Christmas my favourite type of book
Amazing characters a sweet hallmark story and all the emotions

A cute little read that would be great in the middle of winter with a hot chocolate. It’s a bit predictable, and I’m not really a fan of stories where people fall in love after knowing each other three days, but if you are looking for easy escapism, and you like cats, you will probably enjoy this book.

So when I saw the title I was thinking of Jessica Redland's cat book last Christmas but this is totally different. It hits on subjects not normally covered like alcholism and animal beavement. I'll be certainly looking out for more books from Rachel. Perfect Christmas read for sure but as I person who doesn't like cats, I really had to push through this one.

A lovely story. You have cats, devoted family, old and new love . Lots of snow and it covers the delicate subject of alcoholism . It is a good read . Curled up on the sofa on a wet Saturday afternoon . If you have loved a pet and lost it you get Jared ‘s story Read it. .

Fantastic read. Enjoyed this book so much it was read in one sitting couldn’t put it down.
Em is forced to leave her flat in Manchester and move into the flat over the cat cafe owned by her aunt. She’s regaining her confidence as well back drawing and sketching after an incident that caused her to waiver.
Jared can’t believe it when he lands a job he desperately needs driving for a cat cafe his worst nightmare since losing his own cat recently and breaking up with his girlfriend.
Events fold and the two find themselves snowed in st the cafe with a guest renting the holiday flat next to Ems but is there more to the visitor than meets the eye.
Great feel good book