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danileah07's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Child death
thislibrarylife's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was so cute. The opposites attract trope is super literal, but I don't hate it. There's not a huge third act breakup in this book, so if that's something you hate in a romance, then this would be a good fit for you. There is an emotional twist, but it fits well. Recommend for readers who enjoy the old standbys - Tessa Baily, Penny Reid, etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Dementia
doseofromance's review
I normally don't DNF books if I'm more than halfway through, but when a guy says "are you boning her, you're tapping that, I bet she's feisty in bed" in one conversation and he only cuts it out because the guy that's dating the discussed woman tells him he's serious about her... That does make me make an exception. All throughout the book both the male lead and his best friend bring up how the FMC's job title of Kitty whisperer sounds dirty and how she must know how it would come across. While I generally dislike when MMCs make a lot of (unfunny) sexual jokes or sexualize the FMC or an aspect of the FMC, I also don't even see the point here. It's very very obvious that the title is referring to actual cats. Pussy whisperer would be different, but Kitty?? That is such a reach and just says so much more about these two guys. The way all of the guys in general in this book talk about Kitty (we don't meet other women besides her direct relatives and one friend) is so incredibly uncalled for and sexualizing. And the male lead rarely says anything and if he does, it's clear he's only doing it because he's dating her and likes her, not because the content itself bothers him. Everything is also either played off with excuses like oh he's just a young guy, he doesn't know better yet or he's just like that. I don't understand why a female author would write men like this.
Another problem with the MMC is his absolutely pointless hatred and disdain for cats. Like what the hell is your problem? It's completely fine to like dogs more or even dislike cats, but he's going out of his way to shit on them. Also why would you openly insult cats to a person that has made a career out of caring for cats? At least read the room. Similarly though, Kitty (can't believe that's her full name) is wrong for saying dog people only like dogs because they are obedient and are so needy that you feel good about yourself. Idiotic and shame-y.
Kitty is further annoying for swapping curses with cat words. She uses meow in several instances as a synonym for similarly sounding words. Why? She also says things like "thank catness (goodness)". Please stop. Kitty also gets offended about people questioning the validity of her career as a catsitter and calls it a double standard because dog sitter is a perfectly acceptable career. First of all, neither is a career. A job, yes. A career, no. Like what are your advancement options? What training did you go through? How hard is it to watch a ca? She repeatedly victimizes herself as a cat person and catsitter that is being hated on and not taken seriously by a dog centered world. Please really sit on this thought. Is that really the biggest issue we face? It must also be said that we don't actually see Kitty do that much work. And she's not very good at the little she does do. For example, if I hire you to actively watch and play with my cats while I work and then you text me that my cat knocked over my Lego Hogwarts set and one piece broke, I would simply not pay you. Your specific purpose is to WATCH the cats, so they are kept business and don't destroy my house. Why are they destroying stuff then? Kitty also only has two moves to train cats. Treats and a water gun. Now, I might be wrong, but is it not very bad to spray cats with water? First, it's mean, second, I'm very sure you're not supposed to do that with any animal to punish them. It's not abuse per se, but definitely more than questionable, especially for a payed professional.
All in all, the casual sexism, sexualizing of women, open and unconscious misogyny, and lack of diversity (the MMC's neighbors are a gay couple, but on page we see no lgbtq+ person or person with a disability or poc) were the real issue and problem with this book. Everything else I listed was annoying and made me want to give the books 3 stars at best, if the story wasn't also only meh, but I would have stuck it out. Authors, please please please do better. If I wanted men like the ones in this book, I could simply go outside.
TW: discussions of death, caring for a parent with dementia, off page: death of a parent and a child/brother
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.
Another problem with the MMC is his absolutely pointless hatred and disdain for cats. Like what the hell is your problem? It's completely fine to like dogs more or even dislike cats, but he's going out of his way to shit on them. Also why would you openly insult cats to a person that has made a career out of caring for cats? At least read the room. Similarly though, Kitty (can't believe that's her full name) is wrong for saying dog people only like dogs because they are obedient and are so needy that you feel good about yourself. Idiotic and shame-y.
Kitty is further annoying for swapping curses with cat words. She uses meow in several instances as a synonym for similarly sounding words. Why? She also says things like "thank catness (goodness)". Please stop. Kitty also gets offended about people questioning the validity of her career as a catsitter and calls it a double standard because dog sitter is a perfectly acceptable career. First of all, neither is a career. A job, yes. A career, no. Like what are your advancement options? What training did you go through? How hard is it to watch a ca? She repeatedly victimizes herself as a cat person and catsitter that is being hated on and not taken seriously by a dog centered world. Please really sit on this thought. Is that really the biggest issue we face? It must also be said that we don't actually see Kitty do that much work. And she's not very good at the little she does do. For example, if I hire you to actively watch and play with my cats while I work and then you text me that my cat knocked over my Lego Hogwarts set and one piece broke, I would simply not pay you. Your specific purpose is to WATCH the cats, so they are kept business and don't destroy my house. Why are they destroying stuff then? Kitty also only has two moves to train cats. Treats and a water gun. Now, I might be wrong, but is it not very bad to spray cats with water? First, it's mean, second, I'm very sure you're not supposed to do that with any animal to punish them. It's not abuse per se, but definitely more than questionable, especially for a payed professional.
All in all, the casual sexism, sexualizing of women, open and unconscious misogyny, and lack of diversity (the MMC's neighbors are a gay couple, but on page we see no lgbtq+ person or person with a disability or poc) were the real issue and problem with this book. Everything else I listed was annoying and made me want to give the books 3 stars at best, if the story wasn't also only meh, but I would have stuck it out. Authors, please please please do better. If I wanted men like the ones in this book, I could simply go outside.
TW: discussions of death, caring for a parent with dementia, off page: death of a parent and a child/brother
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Death
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Death of parent, and Child death
It is very very heavy on the cat puns. The way men close to the MMC talk about women in general and the FMC is very sexualizing and uncomfortable.kyleethecatlady's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It was slow to start and get interested in, but I kept with it and it got much more interesting!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Dementia, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief
mrsjoylovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you @readforeverpub for the complimentary ebook. A Love Catastrophe is one of those books that reminds me why contemporary romance (romcom) is my favorite genre to read. It's lighthearted and funny, but also deals with some heavier topics, and yet has some steam and lots of relationship building. Kitty & Miles start off annoyed with each other but then they connect over shared grief and realize they have more in common than they thought.
This book is definitely a cat lover's book. I'll be honest, I'm more of a dog person and non-shedding dogs specifically. The couple times where the MC mentioned having to have lids on coffee cups to avoid drinking cat hair just proved to me that I am not the type of person who's willing to deal with car hair. Kitty does a great job of understanding that not everyone loves cats and she shows equal amounts of love to Miles' dog.
What I love about this book is that the 3rd act conflict isn't between Kitty and Miles. It's a major moment for Kitty and Miles gets involved, but there's no breakup right before the HEA ending. This was a fun read to start off July.
This book is definitely a cat lover's book. I'll be honest, I'm more of a dog person and non-shedding dogs specifically. The couple times where the MC mentioned having to have lids on coffee cups to avoid drinking cat hair just proved to me that I am not the type of person who's willing to deal with car hair. Kitty does a great job of understanding that not everyone loves cats and she shows equal amounts of love to Miles' dog.
What I love about this book is that the 3rd act conflict isn't between Kitty and Miles. It's a major moment for Kitty and Miles gets involved, but there's no breakup right before the HEA ending. This was a fun read to start off July.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia and Grief
peacelovereading's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
This is a quick romance read that also has some deeper topics- grief & loss of a parent, loss of a young sibling, parent with dementia. There's also light moments with all the cats, a dog, and steamy scenes. I feel like if you're a cat lover, you'll appreciate this one more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death of parent, and Dementia
ktdakotareads's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Dementia, Grief, and Death
Minor: Medical content
theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
4.0
As a lifelong cat lover, this was fun! However, as much as cats were a primary theme, the thing that stood out to me the most was the way this covered grief and how it can affect people in different ways. It even made me tear up a couple of times. It was cute and creative and heartfelt and I really liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Dementia, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual content
lmeierhoff's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
This is a very cute rom com that even a non-cat-lover like me can enjoy! I like that quite frankly, their relationship seems healthy. There’s no third act breakup, rather an outside event that they have to get through together. Given how much grief and loss they have both been through, that seems like a very compassionate way to write them 😊
However I can’t rate it higher because it’s got too much social media stuff (which I despise) and some passages where the writing really bothered me.
However I can’t rate it higher because it’s got too much social media stuff (which I despise) and some passages where the writing really bothered me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Dementia, and Death of parent
tamsterdam_reads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Sometimes you just need a lighthearted book and A Love Catastrophe was just that. There are cat puns, slapstick clumsy moments; starting with a funny meet-cute, and the budding feelings between Kitty the Cat Whisperer (cat trainer & cat-sitter) and Miles, a NHL data analyst (which is such a unique career!), it all added up to such an adorable story.
I will, however, say that there are some heavy topics that are involved. A parent with early on-set dementia and deaths of a parent and a sibling were the unlying history that connected Kitty and Miles. And so, these heavy topics did compete with the humour and romance of the book, but it didn't detract me from enjoying the story.
If the topics included in the content warnings don’t affect you, this is a fun romcom book that cat lovers especially, will really enjoy.
Thank you Forever for the arc. Thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content