This book is a bit weird. The art was nice. The dialogue was non existent. A strange little book. I was expecting so much more

As a big Makoto Shinkai fan, this book called to me like the rain called Takao and Yukino in "The Garden of Words". Odd and enthralling, perfect for any Makoto Shinkai like myself and for all cat lovers out there that feel their lonely moments a bit warmer with their felines by their side

A story set in Japan, about a woman and her male cat, sadly there is a lack of depth in both the story and the characters. The male cat is constantly saying how beautiful, his carer, the woman who took him in from the rain, is, he also gets to leave the flat to have adventures. Whilst she goes to work and then spends her evenings, sighing about how she doesn't have a man. When the cat began to complain about the attention of a female kitten, I abandoned the book. Extremely disappointing given the excellent fiction that has come out of Japan.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this one was really sweet, and I liked how it explored the different relationships between people, whether it be neighbours, friends or partners, and how that affects their cats. I was worried a lot of the time that something bad would happen to one of the cats, and having my own, I really don't like reading that sort of thing. Thankfully, it's mostly okay.

The mix of light and heavy themes along with the constantly changing perspectives was a bit much, and sometimes it wasn't clear who was speaking/thinking. This might be down to the formatting of the kindle file - it may be done through style in the printed copy, which would help.

A few bits made me a little uncomfortable, but I think it would depend on your own experiences, and overall I did enjoy it as an easy read.

Just like The Travelling Cat Chronicles, this book explores the bond between cats and their owners.
Here we get 4 different interlinking stories, each told in the voice of woman and cat - switching as often as every paragraph. In fact, a few times you wonder who’s speaking, until a telltale feline/humane action gives it away.
This frequent change in point of view helps us paint a rounded picture of the scene quickly, and adds a nice pace to the book which in itself is a short read.
Each story, or chapter, has an accompanying illustration beautifully done by

As the book goes on you realise that all the women and cats are linked, by blood relationships, friendships, or just neighbours, and some of the same supporting characters - both human and animal - pop up in each of the stories.

The book explores various themes such as loneliness, relationship breakdown, mental health, struggles with life, heartbreak etc. we really see how the cats become a comfort during these struggles.
While a Japanese book the ideas are fairly universal and I didn’t actually get that much sense of the location through this book, as most of the stories were quite introspective, the points of view fairly self-focused, and emphasis was placed more on characters than on actions.

I liked it, especially the way all the stories/characters linked. But I also felt like something was missing. Maybe there wasn’t enough depth.

Each story was a bit too short before moving on, and I get that we were supposed to focus on the cat/owner relationship but sometimes I felt I needed more detail about the rest of the owner’s life. In fact my favourite story was the first one where we got a bit more about the woman’s life outside the house too.

Even so it is clear that Japanese people love their cats.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this title in exchange for my feedback.

Not quite what I was expecting, I'm a big fan of translated fiction and have read similar books to She and Her Cat in the past, so perhaps that has swayed my opinion, but I feel it was missing some of the charm that I've come to expect and want from fiction.

I did not finish this book. I didn't like the writing and felt like there was no depth to the main character or a real plot. It's a shame as I was really excited to read this!

This book was absolutely incredible. It’s heartwarming and emotional, it really hooked me. Its 5e perfect book for any cat lovers or owners out there. I actually read this with my cat shadow on my lap which made it 10x special. I am recommending this to everyone i know who owns a cat and bought myself a copy in the waterstones sale.

This is a really good Japanese short story that looks at the lives of several women through the eyes of cats. It is one of those books that on the surface it appears an easy read but it actually covers some complex issues and that gets you thinking. The narrative alternates between the cat’s owner and the cat, each chapter focusing on different characters but cleverly weaving their stories together.

I would love to say I fell in love with this book but… I didn’t. I wasn’t even able to finish it and had to dnf it at 60%.

I found it quite boring and sometimes uncomfortable due to the way SHE was written. I understand that that’s maybe how single women are viewed by society in Japan but I’m just tired of reading about women literally just doing their every day things while complaining about not being married and how awful that is and how weird they are because they’re single. Honestly, what I mean is: The male gaze is strong with this one.

Also, cat falling in love with their owner was a bad idea and it managed to kill all the cuteness of the story.

Overall, I’m thankful to NetGalley for this arc but unfortunately, I cannot recommend it to anyone.

A story about the connections between cats (also dogs) and humans, no matter how different they are in body…this book shows that in mind we may have a more similar existence than we think!

Everything about this drew me in, not to mention cats are involved! This was a cute story revolving around one neighbourhood and their cats and how they linked through their beloved pets. I always find with translated Japanese fiction the connections created are always so clever and well-structured, along with being realistic which in my opinion MAKES the whole story more engaging.

In some books it’s so hard to differentiate between the multiple characters when there’s more than two narrators, however that wasn’t the case here I’m happy to report! Each individual ‘voice’ had a personality that shone through the writing and leaped off the pages, especially the cats, it certainly got me thinking about my own cat’s feisty personality!

What I loved most about this is that harder topics were discussed in such a lovely way, which didn’t take away the cosy feel to this book and that it really made you think about life and your connections to others.

Recommend to anyone who enjoys Japanese translated fiction and anything cat related!

“On the outskirts of Tokyo, in a neighbourhood crossed by a commuter railway, local cats weave their way through the lives and homes of their owners as they navigate difficult times.”

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld/Doubleday for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘She and Her Cat’ by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa.

This was a bestseller in Japan and has been translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori. I subsequently purchased its hardback edition.

This is a gem of a book set against the backdrop of urban Tokyo. It weaves tales of four local cats and their interactions with the humans whose lives they enter. The narrative moves between the perspectives of the cats and their humans.

There is Chobi, an abandoned cat adopted by Miyu, a lonely young woman who works as an administrator at a college. Chobi is in love with Miyu and calls her his girlfriend. I certainly have had a few cats in my life who behave this way.

Then there is Mimi, a young feral cat adopted by Reina, a gifted artist. Mimi has kittens and the smallest, Cookie, comes to live with Aio, who has withdrawn from the world following a friend’s sudden death.

Finally there is Kuro, a feral who is the local boss cat. He has a friendship with Jon, a dog, and over time becomes close to Shino, the elderly woman who is Jon’s human. Each cat makes an impact upon the humans whose lives they share as well as with each other.

These were elegantly entwined stories infused with the Japanese concept of Mono no aware that so often informs its literature.

Its four chapters: Sea of Words, First Blossoming, Slumber and Sky and The Temperature of the World are each headed by a stunning illustration by British artist Rohan Eason depicting the cats and their human guardians.

I adored ‘She and Her Cat’ finding it inspiring, charming and uplifting. I am certain that this beautifully written short novel will be cherished by many cat lovers.

It is undoubted that a piece of Japanese fiction about cats will sell well within the bookshop space, and ‘She and Her Cat’ holds itself well to that reputation. It’s a lighter story (despite its attempts to explore deep emotions and mental health) heavy themes balanced by the often naive cats inner monologues. It’s not outstandingly profound but does the trick if you’re in need of a short armchair read.

This was a great short story. This is a simple but beautiful story about a cat that was rescued. I loved the way this book was wrote from both the owner and the cats point of view. This book I'd brilliant for anyone who is being a reading challenge and needs a book from the animals point of view. It is well wrote and flows really well. I definitely loved the cats as it talks to other animals including a dog and learns just how to be a cat. I actually found it funny when he met a female cat who wanted to be his girlfriend. It is marketed for adults but I think it would be good for 16 plus tand adults too.

This is a perfect short story for all fans of Japanese stories, quick reads fans and cat lovers. This book also held some great culture. 

So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for creating this wonderful book.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/she-and-her-cat-by-makato-shinkal-naruki-nagakawa-random-house-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

Wonderful, charming interconnected narratives. I particularly enjoyed the way the point of view changed from owner to cat. The novel explores many themes - friendship, loss, familial relationships to name but a few. Highly recommend.

She and Her Cat

On the outskirts of Tokyo, in a neighbourhood crossed by a commuter railway, local cats weave their way through the lives and homes of their owners as they navigate difficult times.

A cat named Chobi sends silent messages of courage to a young woman, willing her to end a faltering relationship; a gifted artist fatally misunderstands her boss's enthusiasm for her paintings; a manga fan shuts herself away after the death of her friend, while her cat Cookie hatches a plan to persuade her outside; a woman who has dedicated her life to a distant husband learns a lesson in independence from her cat.

From the writer and filmmaker of Your Name, Makoto Shinkai, this is a delightful tale (tail?) as told by the cats and the humans who they encounter.
The story cleverly interweaves the cats in the local neighbourhood and the people that need them and become part of their lives.
Perfect for cat lovers and fans of Japanese fiction. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you to @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for my ecopy.

Rather than following one woman and her cat, this actually contains four stories of women and the cats that adopt them, or vice versa. They're all loosely connected in that the people and cats seem to know each other, but you don't need to read them in any specific order because there is no larger story being told here.

I think I just missed a deeper connection with the characters because of this format and how short the book is, which is why it didn't quite work for me. I do think having the cats narrate part of it is a fun choice, although I will say having one cat refer to his owner as his girlfriend (and thus refusing to cheat on her with other cats) felt over the top. It ended up being one of those things that kept bugging me, but if that doesn't bother you, you might enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc!

As a cat person, I knew I would enjoy this book. This is a quick read that follows the bond between a woman and a cat she finds abandoned.

I would recommend this to fans of the guest cat and if cats disappeared from the world.

This a short, but very lovely book. It's is several stories that are interlinked by the cats relationships to each other.
We first meet Chobi, who was found after being abandoned. He in turn meets Mimi, who is a stray, who meets Kink tail and this union produces Cookie. Mimi also meet Kuro. Kuro introduces them all to Jon the dog, who is the elder statesman of the area and knows everything.
One by one they meet a human who looks feeds them and they establish relationships with them.
It's a cute read.

2.5 rounded up. I assumed that "She and Her Cat" was going to be THE book for me. Even more so when I saw the tagline "for fans of Travelling Cat Chronicles and Convenience Store Woman" Well. I'm sorry to report that it's nothing like the 2 books above. Was it cute? Yes, mostly. Was it original? Not really. Was it well-written? Hmm. I felt like I was reading a kids' book at times. But does it cover important issues? I mean, loneliness, grief and depression are in there, but not explored satisfactorily, in my humble opinion. I didn't cry as I didn't have time to care enough before moving on to the next character and cat(s). The constant switching POVs were also confusing at times.

I liked many Japanese books about cats, but this wasn't really one of them. Not much happens. That said, it is a quick read, and some of the passages were endearing. I liked the couple of drawings too. Perhaps this one is better in the original Japanese…?
My very subjective star rating: ⭐️⭐️💫 (but I've seen many rave reviews already so don't let mine put you off!)

Blurb extract: "A cat named Chobi sends silent messages of courage to a young woman, willing her to end a faltering relationship; a gifted artist fatally misunderstands her boss's enthusiasm for her paintings; a manga fan shuts herself away after the death of her friend, while her cat Cookie hatches a plan to persuade her outside; a woman who has dedicated her life to a distant husband learns a lesson in independence from her cat. Against the urban backdrop of humming trains and private woes, SHE AND HER CAT explores the gentle magic of the everyday."

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. She and Her Cat is out on the 6th in the UK.