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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Jessica Redland is my must buy no looking just jump in head 1st everytime
Cried n laughed being on the next one xx
Cried n laughed being on the next one xx
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another fantastic Jessica Redland book, I am a huge fan of this author after discovering her by accident around a year or so a go. I saw one of her books in an audible fresh listens email which gives us a copy of the new books that come out each week. I liked the sound of her so took a plunge and got everything I could get my hands on. I’ve read every single one and enjoyed all of them. This one was no exception.
I loved Tabbies story and the way she grew throughout the book, Accepting her health issues and being willing to learn to come to terms with her condition. I know a bit about the condition as I have a good friend who I often go to park run with who has it. This was a wonderful audio book and I can’t wait for more of this authors books in the future. I love the fact we’ve returned to witsbra bay. I hope we’ll be seeing more characters in this town again as well as the continuation of the lake district series.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Cats and Christmas are two of my favourite things so I was excited to read this book. I have also been to Cat Café before and really enjoyed it.
I really liked Tabby and I felt for her being left to deal with everything by her ex and struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis of her health issues.
Tom was adorable I loved how he stepped up to help Tabby out when things were clearly getting too much for her. Let’s not forget about all the cats, they all seemed like such characters. I loved the descriptions at the beginning with their names and a bit about each cat/kitten!
This was my first read by this author and I’d definitely read another. I hope there will be a sequel to this one too. I’d love to know more about Tabby and what happened next.
Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and the publisher for having me on the tour and for my gifted ebook.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
slow-paced
3 Stars
One Liner: Nice, but that’s it
Tabby is an ailurophile (cat lover). She has always wanted to own a cat café to combine her love for cats and baking. The inheritance from her Nanna makes her dream come true. However, days before the opening, Tabby’s boyfriend Leon decides he’s not up for it and breaks off. Tabby is heartbroken but knows she can’t let him shatter her dreams.
However, with her medical condition (still a secret from her family) and business hurdles, it will take a Christmas miracle to save her business from loss even before it has opened. Also, someone out there could be sabotaging her café.
The story comes in Tabby’s first-person POV.
What I Like:
The setting is beautiful, be it the small town with friendly business owners or the interiors of the cat café with murals. It’s easy to visualize most of it.
The book has fifteen cats! Each has a name and is described (color, breed, etc.). I didn’t note it all, but I’m sure it would have been a fun exercise. They have distinct personalities, too. I have a friend with around 18+ cats (adopted strays), so I thought of her immediately.
Tabby’s family is wonderful (even if her brother annoyed me at one point). They are supportive, caring, and ready to step in and help whenever necessary. Tom is a sweetheart, of course. I wouldn’t have minded if he had more depth. It would have helped his arc more.
Tabby has fibromyalgia, a chronic medical condition that causes varying degrees of body pains, fatigue, and brain fog. I love how this aspect is seamlessly incorporated into the plot. While it may seem a little excessive, it is not. This condition is life-altering and can affect a person (and their family) any day. So, every day they wake up pain-free is a win. It makes sense to include this (especially since the book is in the first person). I learned a lot about fibromyalgia and how to handle it positively, which is a definite plus.
The traffic lights and spoon theory used to measure her pain/ fatigue levels is a great addition. I really liked this concept.
There’s HEA and an epilogue, so another yay!
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
With Christmas in the title, I expected it to have a bigger role in the book. However, the story starts in November. We get to the first week of December in the last quarter. Not much of Christmas in this one, except for the Spirit part, which, TBH, can be used any time of the year. People helping others isn’t seasonal.
The cover makes the book appear to be a warm and cozy romance. However, romance is secondary and not so well done. While it does have warm moments, the love/ romance angle doesn’t hit the mark.
Despite the first-person narration, I couldn’t see Tabby in love with the guy. But I could see his love for her almost from the beginning. It works to an extent as the FMC is in another relationship at the beginning, gets dumped, and has to recover. Even then, when the shift happens, it doesn’t seem convincing from her side but is spot on from his side. Go figure!
The narration is long-winded and slow. It drones on in some places, and there’s quite a bit of repetition. Moreover, I’m not that into dubbing for cats (or animals) and having a two-way conversation with myself. I do talk to animals and non-living objects, but I don’t put words into their mouth and make them talk back to me in different voices. This is a little weird.
I could spot the culprit for sabotage right away. Not an issue since this is not a mystery. It was supposed to be obvious. However, that track didn’t have to be so long. No need to give so much importance to a fourth-party character, even if there’s a sort of lesson in there.
Reading the author’s note was enlightening and informative. I didn’t like a certain plot development and wondered about the reason behind it. The note throws light on it.
To summarize, Christmas at the Cat Café is nice enough but didn’t charm me as I hoped it would. It’s a one-time read and might be better suited for the series/ author’s fans.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #ChristmasattheCatCafé
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Animal death
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We return to Whitsborough Bay for another beautiful festive read. I've made no secret of being a Jessica Redland fan and it was so lovely to catch up with characters from previous books.
The Cat cafe is warm and welcoming and a definite place for cat lovers to visit. Tabby is passionate about her cats and wants to let customers have that cuddly experience too.
I enjoy my visit back to Whitsborough Bay and the addition of Tabby and Tom and their adventures. Another wonderful read from Jessica.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Cat cafe is warm and welcoming and a definite place for cat lovers to visit. Tabby is passionate about her cats and wants to let customers have that cuddly experience too.
I enjoy my visit back to Whitsborough Bay and the addition of Tabby and Tom and their adventures. Another wonderful read from Jessica.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated