Funny, quirky & heart warming yet thoughtful story. written in Dawn’s unique & fun style. Highly recommend.

A great study of how cat ladies are perceived in this day and age. Some lovely touches with a weekly support group and finding old friends and making new ones.
Mia is a cat lady, and whilst the rest of her life is really quite depressing, the love of her cat is pure.
Sadly Mia is quite misunderstood both at home and at work, which was frustrating and annoying at times. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, and although I read to the end, where there is some divine karma, it’s not a book that gives any hope or positivity.
I was hoping for more wit and insights and sadly left wanting.
Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

This book was amazing. I loved how the story builds and as the pace increased. As a cat lover, I love this element of the story. I loved the main character.

A really funny novel which comments on womanhood and looks at feminism from a fresh and exciting angle. I didn’t think the writing was going to be great but I found it easy to read and kept me wanting to read more. The story is unique and I thought the plot was structured really well.

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
The blurb promised a book about a woman finding herself through her relationships with others. Clearly her most meaningful relationship was with her cat, and whilst I have a high regard for pets it was evident that people have a minor role in her life. I disliked Mia intensely, she barely tolerates her colleagues and I don't understand why her husband hasn't ended their non-marriage. The language was not to my taste, some scenes were extremely unpleasant, the book is set in England but was full of American spellings and Mothers Day (or Mothering Sunday, to give it it's proper name) is never on a school / work day. This book completely failed to capture my interest and I gave up at 35%.

Absolutely loved this and wish I had read it as soon as I received it. I've read Dawn's other books and she really does write well.
Highly recommended.

I wanted to read this book as most of my book friends are cat lovers and I am the sole dog lover. This was entertaining but more thoughtful than I was expecting - that is not a bad thing.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Haha I loved this, not my usual so took a chance and glad I did. Made me laugh out loud and loved the main character,

I’d read other books by Dawn and was drawn to her funny yet warm style of writing and this one was just as good as her previous books

Having read Dawn O'Porter's other books, I was eager to get started on this one. If I am behind completely honest, I found this one a bit slow to get started and wasn't prepared for how sad I would find the story in places. About a third of the way in, this one really drew me in and I really enjoyed it overall. 3.5/5.

Cat Lady by Dawn O’ Porter, a NetGalley review. Mia seemed to have the perfect life, but she’s not being the woman she really wants to be. This is a new author for me and one that I will be reading again. The more I read this the more I loved it and the more I loved the character of Mia, probably one of the most lovable characters I read about this year. To begin with this book isn’t what it seems, a book about a lady that likes cats and if you judge this book by it’s cover you will truly be mistaken it thinking it’s a light and fluffy read because it’s so so much more than that. It’s a little bit saucy in places, it’s raw, it’s honest, it’s not scared to face tough subjects face on, yet it’s also incredibly funny and a loveable read. At the beginning Mia comes across as a little bit strange especially her whole marriage situation but as you read on you realise this couldn’t be further from the truth, she’s actually a woman struggling, who’s trying to conform to what she thinks society things she should be. I also got the feeling that she also thought she somehow wasn’t worthy of peoples friendship or love and even though she’s married, Mia is obviously lonely. Mia it’s very clear has mental health issues and this very clearly goes back to her childhood. It’s very clear that in the beginning Mia’s safe space where she is truly herself is at home in her bedroom with her cat, every other part of her life it’s like she’s wearing a mask of who she thinks she should be. However when her life starts to spiral and when it could really effect her mental health, she finds strength, she finds friends and she finds family. Mia’s character has so much depth that she feels like its someone you could know and the sad truth is, is that it could quite possibly be. I started off feeling sorry and sad for Mia yet by the end I admired her for her strength. This book will give you the feels, you will laugh and in parts you will be close to tears, but this book has the biggest heart and I will be recommending it to everyone. Everyone page is proof of the authors talent and I can’t wait to read the other books from @hotpatooties some of which I already have on my shelf. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I adored this book. It was such a light read but was a rollercoaster of emotions. There were moments where I laughed out loud, but at other times I found myself welling up.

I highly recommend.

Really enjoyed this story of Mia and the cat who saved her from her unhappy childhood. Despite some thoroughly unlikeable characters and cringeworthy sex scenes, it was truly moving and very funny.

Wow what a read! This was my first Dawn O'Porter book and it definitely won't be my last! It's beautifully written and just one of those books that manages to make you cry, laugh and feel good all at the same time. Feel like I know Mia personally and thats when you know you have completely connected with it.

Highly recommended and well deserves the 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley.

A rollercoaster of a read. Beautiful, complicated, unusual characters, hard hitting, emotional, hilarious writing and a novel storyline combine into a must read.

Loved this book. I loved relating to my own cats. My emotions went from laughing out loud to sadness, however I wouldn’t change a thing. Definitely worth reading

This is a fantastic book to make you cry. Whether it’s from laughter or sadness, Cat Lady will do it. Mia is a completely relatable character, especially with her truly happy state being at home with her cat. The writing is honest and heartfelt, and will guarantee to win you over.

As a cat lady myself I absolutely loved this book. It's so beautiful and I've shed quite a few tears reading it. It is also classic Dawn O'Porter in that it is very quirky and funny. My husband came to check on me whilst I was reading it as at one point I was laughing so hard.

Thank you Dawn for understanding the importance of pets in our lives and for writing this wonderful book.

TW// mention of suicidal thoughts and attempts, mention of cancer, racism and pet death

May contain spoilers

Mia, managing director at Isabella May Jewellery, regularly attends a pet grief therapy session, despite the fact her sixteen year old cat, Pigeon is still very much alive. At a party full of Mia's husband, Tristan's friends and ex-wife, Mia finds herself being consistently berated and the brunt of many a joke, for her adoration of cats and persistence at keeping Pigeon as an indoor cat. These comments of course lead to chaos, drama and hilarity, when Pigeon vomits all over Tristan's ex-wife's pavlova in sheer, unadulterated malice. Thus begins our journey as we see Mia navigating the world, through loss, heartache, laughter and happiness, all with her trusty Pigeon along for the ride.

This story highlights some very poignant and powerful topics including sustainability, and racism. The erasure of black culture was shown in this story towards Fliss, one of staff members at Isabella May Jewellery, despite her being an integral part of keeping the brand alive, her boss Isabella is too invested in becoming the top dog, over making statements and showing off Fliss's incredible creativity, which was really degrading towards her, and absolutely enraging to read, but a thought-provoking and important reminder, that this world is still not doing enough to embrace everyone and everyone's creativity.

Mia is career driven, but often comes across as very controlling and pernickety, but is easily upset and disgruntled by small aspects of the other members of staff. She's incredibly forthright with her life, which at times was very hilarious to witness. At some points she's quite childish and annoying, it seems at times like she's more invested in shooting people down than lifting them up, and being supportive. Definitely more of a pessimist than an optimist. However, she does seem to find some semblance of companionship and acceptance within the pet grief group. It's clear that she feels like she has to put on a mask everyday to be the diligent wife to her husband, and feels quite isolated, losing pieces of herself along the way. This anguish of feeling like she had to suffocate her true self to fit a mould was really palpable, especially after she had such a difficult childhood witnessing her mum doing something similar to appease her aggressive and volatile husband. It's clear how dependent Tristan has become upon Mia for the smallest of things, which was infuriating and would demean anyone, but especially someone who feels separated from their true selves.

Fliss and Liz were by far my absolute favourites though, they both emanate such warmth and love for others it was just so wholesome and heart-warming. I enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Mia and her sister Liz play out, and how differently their childhood trauma manifested, as with everyone, trauma is unique and individual to each of us, with Liz and Mia it led to them being complete polar opposites in personalities. Liz is very loving, caring and extra compassionate with others, maybe often to a fault of naivety, but she's an incredible support for Mia, helping her come to terms with who she is and embracing it, their relationship was just so wholesome and sweet to read.

I loved seeing Mia grow into her confidence, and allow herself to be who she truly is beneath all the facades she shows everyone. Finally allowing space for those she loves to get close to her, and coming to terms with her past, whilst not letting it define her or suffocate her anymore. It was a truly empowering story, she has a lot of strength and bravery in her, and it was beautiful to see her finally flourishing.

The pet grief group really emanated and highlighted the companionship, love and happiness pets can bring to your life, how important and vital they can be, particularly in times of heartache and distress of bringing some peace, relief and brightness to the hardest of days, when all seems lost. I also loved the emphasis on how valid every grief is, it doesn't matter whether it's grief of a dog, hamster, rabbit, cat etc. it's all completely valid and important, and not to diminish these feelings just because other's have an opinion. It's such a beautiful and meaningful reminder to take with you.


Overall, it was a heart-felt and thought provoking read, that has some truly beautiful and profound messages of accepting who you are, and not letting your past define you, your feelings and thoughts are valid, and so are you.