This book saved my life. I don't know why and how I chose this particular moment to read it, but somehow it was something I truly needed. I am currently in a phase of being overwhelmed by everything, feeling as if I'm drowning.

Many parts of the story felt like a reminder to find myself again, a reminder to slow down and look inwards, to regain a sense of balance. A lot of the messages in the book gave me a gentle spiritual boost; it felt like a soft guiding light telling me that I'm not alone, that my struggles were not uncommon but also that they will not last forever. I felt a sense of lightness when I reached the final page, as if a burden has been lifted.

If you have read "The Cat Who Saved Books", here you will find a similar adventurous story of a cat and it's ally, going around saving books. I found this book softer than the first one, and connected to it more deeply. The MC is portrayed to be wiser beyond their years yet had a certain refreshing naivete and childlike perspective on life; something a lot of people lose as they get more exposed to the real world. It's such a good story that it makes you stop and rediscover that inner child locked somewhere deep in your heart.

I am truly indebted. Thank you to the author and translator for making this book exist.

A book about cats and books - what’s not to like! A great sequel with a wonderful storyline. Easy to read.

Its cats, Its book what more could you want.
A book among many, but one of the best I have read.
Sometimes small books can be very powerful.
Thank you for the ARC

I really enjoyed this! I loved the little overlaps and references to The Cat Who Saved Books, but appreciated the differences too.

In some ways it is eerily similar to what is happening in real life, which makes the message extra relevant. Fight for what you believe in and hold strong to your morals.

For me this was the perfect mix of cosy literature about cats and books, mixed with a more serious message. My ideal kind of book.

Thankyou to Netgalley for this eARC (and oh gosh waterstones did such a pretty edition of this!)

The books are disappearing and we need to get them back! This follows Nanami, a girl who spends 99.99% of her time in the library while her dad is busy working - she realises that books arent simply being checked out though... they are going missing completely! We don't need to stress though as Tiger is back to save the day, with some old faces appearing as well. Nanami was a brilliant MC who's bravery helps to save the day.

This was really wholesome and was similar too the first book. It had me in my feels at times and it was so cosy with a little stressfulness mixed in.

I understand why this book is so popular among book lovers. Books and cats are truly a cute combination. 

After Rintaro Natsuki and Tiger saved the books, did that peace last? Apparently not... Years later, the enemies of books rise again. This time, their champions are even tougher, and they’re determined to burn and destroy classic books, starting with the library. 

This time, a young girl named Nanami—frail due to her asthma—sets out to investigate the sudden disappearance of books from the library. Of course, the snarky Tiger also shows up to help. And for those who miss Rintaro (now an adult), he makes a cameo appearance. Will this case also bring a change to Nanami’s real life? 

I ended up getting recommendations for classic books and some insights into publishing issues from this story. 
However, despite its good intentions, the narrative still feels a bit "forceful," labeling readers who don’t fit ideal criteria. In my opinion, this isn’t fair because the world of books is always evolving. We shouldn’t just focus on classics but also actively appreciate and curate potential new classics for the future. 

Though the characters feel very two-dimensional, I still found myself caring about Nanami’s fate and curious about how she’d overcome her new challenges. 
It’s a shame that Tiger the cat remains a side character in a book that features him in the title and cover. He’s not friendly, doesn’t actively help—he’s more like a key or a gateway into the magic realism world. I have mixed feelings about this one. 

Thank you Netgalley and Picador from Pan Macmillan Publishing for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting release date: 10 April 2025

4 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

such a cozy read. this was very reminiscent of a studio ghibli film while still having the deeper meaning similar to that of fahrenheit 451.

The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa is a heartwarming and quietly magical tale that blends whimsy with a deep reverence for literature.

I was drawn in within tje first chapters by the story’s tender portrayal of Rintaro, a shy book loving teen coping with loss. When he meets a talking tabby cat named Tiger, the narrative shifts into a fable like journey through “labyrinths” of misguided reading. Each adventure challenges our understanding of books’ purpose not as trophies or data, but as living connections between people.

The book is both a tribute to the transformative power of stories and a gentle call to defend the soul of reading. The prose is simple yet poetic, and though the plot can be predictable, it’s the emotion and message that resonate. For any lover of books, this novel is a quiet affirmation of why we read and why we must protect the magic of libraries.
Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing this book 📖

Oh what a magical little sequel!! I absolutely adored The Cat Who Saved Books so was really hoping this would be a fantastic addition to the original story and it definitely was! I loved how we jumped forward in time through meeting new characters but also revisited old familiar friends. Such a cosy and heartwarming read about the power of books and the freedom to learn and grow. ✨ Thank you so much to Sosuke Natsukawa, Pan Macmillan and Picador for access to this eARC ✨

A truly delightful easy to read book. It flows beautifully. The story of a young girl overcoming her difficulties who encounters a cat who in turn travels her journey with her.. a magical read.

This is the sequel to The Cat Who Saved Books and Tiger the Cat is back and saving more books. This time our human is 13-year-old Nanami who has asthma and spends more time with books than she does with other children. Here's a quote: "Nanami had a peculiar habit of reading multiple books at once, yet still feeling the need to reach for new ones. There were always so many books she wanted to read, far more than she could keep up with."

I mean I think we know that this is basically me. I have such a huge pile of books to read and so many on the go at once and yet I still find myself standing in front of the to-read bookshelf trying to find something I want to read next. Anyway. Nanami notices that books are disappearing from the library where she spends a lot of her free time and finds herself helping a talking cat to save the books from forces of darkness. I enjoyed this as much as I did the first one - and was delighted to see some of the characters from that first book reappear here. And of course there are plenty of parallels with what is going on in the book and with books being banned in real life.

This charming novel is both a fantasy adventure and a quiet meditation on the power of books. It follows Rintaro Natsuki, a reclusive teenager who inherits his grandfather’s bookshop. When a talking tabby cat named Tiger appears and enlists his help to save books from misuse, Rintaro embarks on surreal journeys that challenge how we read, share, and value literature.

The book explores themes like the commodification of books, superficial reading, and the soul of literature.

The magical realism adds a dreamy quality without losing emotional depth.

It’s a story by and for book lovers. You’ll feel seen if you’ve ever found comfort in books.

The Cat Who Saved Books is a tender, poetic tale with a quiet strength. It encourages readers to reflect on why we read and how books shape who we are.

I love this genre of translated Japanese, gentle books. This one has books and cats in, so how could I not love it? It's a sequel to The Cat Who Saved the Books and I did borrow this book from the library to read first.
This story follows Nanami, a 13 year old high school student, who spends as much time as possible in the library. Nanami doesn't have many friends as she's asthmatic and can't join in with everything, so books are her friends and comfort. Because she's at the library all the time, she notices that books are vanishing and not being returned. Then she spots a man dressed in grey taking some books, whereupon Tiger the orange tabby cat appears.
Nanami and Tiger follow the grey man to rescue the books. Will Nanami have the physical strength for this important mission? Rintaro from Natsuki Books in the first book also helps out. It's several years later, so we catch up on how he's doing.
As in the first book, we also get to read about the joy of stories, books and how they help our wellbeing.

I really enjoyed this story and the message it gives.
I loved reading more into our mischievous orange tabby cat Tiger.

I would love to read another in this series as I feel like Tigers story isn't finished there.

This is definitely one I'll recommend to friends who need a good heart warming story about a girl who faces struggles on a day to day basis, and doesn't allow that to stop her.

I do like Japanese literature and this didn’t disappoint. I love books and I love cats ,so it’s a winner for me. Books start to go missing from the library and Nanami starts to investigate a suspicious looking man who seems to be taking the books. What then happens is an adventure involving Tiger the talking cat , and together they find a way of getting the books back . It has great literature references and thrives on the love of reading and what would happen if we couldn’t read what we wanted to. I loved the relationship Nanami has with the librarians and how she will risk anything to get to the truth. It’s an adventure story , it’s a story about relationships and a talking cat who is just wonderful.

Thank you too Picador, Sosuke Natsukawa and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cat Who Saved The Library follows Nanami (a thirteen year old child) and Tiger (a talking tabby cat.)

For clarification, I will be referring to Tiger as 'the cat' or 'Tiger' throughout this review - Tiger doesn't have a specificed gender in the book, only referred to as 'it'.

Our protagonist Nanami goes to the library a lot, basically everyday. Over time she starts to notice some books go missing—she tells the librarian, although he doesn't entirely believe her claims.

One day Nanami is greeted by Tiger, our talking cat. Tiger tells Nanami about this place where the stolen books are taken, although they have to work together to help change the mindsets of the stealer.

One thing I loved about this book compared to the first one ("The Cat Who Saved Books") is that there is no romance in this; it focuses on the impacts books have on people and our minds. It's a powerful lesson never to underestimate the value of great literature. To think for ourselves instead of blindly following the leaders of this world.

Nanami is so young, but she uses her knowledge from books to power through the adventures she's brought into.

We also see some characters from the first book 👀

I truly adored reading this. It was cosy, but it was also hard-hitting and it really shows the power of incredible books. I had a great time reading this, would definitely recommend it if you like cosy books.

When I saw that The Cat Who Saved Books was getting a sequel, I was quite excited. However, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations as much as I’d hoped. The storyline was a bit hard to get into/stick with, and it felt like the characters needed further development. Ultimately, it was a charming read, with a reasonably satisfying ending, but I found I had to push myself somewhat to keep going at points.

We follow Nanami, a young teenager who’s quite lonely due to having asthma and having to spend much of her time indoors, away from others her age. She finds solace in books and spends much of her time in her local library; because of this, she notices when more books than usual are missing from its shelves. Upon investigating further, she’s drawn into a mysterious world that exists in parallel to ours, when she’s visited by Tiger the tabby cat - an aloof character that fights against dark forces that wish to distort our world and turn them against books entirely.

I found Nanami to be a likeable and enthusiastic protagonist - she’s quite young, but the only real indication of this was the author telling us that she didn’t understand certain topics. This assertion didn’t feel genuine to me, as she was able to stand up to the dark forces and proudly proclaim her love of books without many issues. Her character was a little shallow, and I’d have liked to have seen more development of her throughout the book, as well as some more detail around her mother and her friend (whose name I forget). The inclusion of the main character from the first book was a nice touch; however, it felt more like an afterthought - someone for Nanami to talk her thoughts through with - instead of providing much substance to the story.

The ending (without giving anything away) is heartwarming and encouraging; I wish this theme had been perpetuated throughout the entire book, not just in the last chapter. Much of the story felt like it lack depth and I think repetition of this theme would’ve given more of a reason for the character’s determination, and something for us as readers to buy into.

Definitely check out the first book, if you haven’t already, and see what you think of it. I’d probably only recommend this one if you’d read the previous edition.

I was provided an ARC of this book via NetGalley, but my review is of my own opinion.

One Hundred Flowers is a brilliantly translated book about the ever looming presence of loss and how to look for joy of every moment as well as the cathartic healing that sometimes can only be achieved by letting go. With this said it is still a beautiful novel. The themes may have a darker undertone of loss but running within is the presence of love. How love can be beautiful but also cause pain when loosing those we care for. I am not ashamed to say this was a rather emotional read.

I do think this may have more of an impact on those who have lost a family member, particularly to something like dementia but at the same time I found myself reminiscing about my nan-nan as I read and enjoying the memories despite the sadness of knowing she was no longer here.

Beautifully translated and beautifully written this is a must read, although it may be difficult a times.

As always thank you to Bonnier Books for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

This is I suppose the sequel to The Cat Who Saved Books but you don’t need to have read this one. Nanami is a young girl who is cosseted because she’s asthmatic. Her father - when he isn’t working all the hours he can - is very protective. Unable to join her peers in the usual activities young people get up to after school, Nanami goes everyday to the library. She adores books and reading. But one day she finds that books are going missing. The elderly librarian just says ‘it’s a library - people borrow books all the time’ but Nanami knows this is something different. There are too many gaps on the shelves and she keeps seeing a shadowy figure wandering along between the book stacks. Then she comes across Tiger, the talking ginger cat and together they embark on a journey, following the blue light that appears at the end of the book stacks. And so we are taken on a magical journey to a dystopian world where books are being destroyed because of the influence they have. This grey man that Nanami has seen in the library wants to burn all books. Reading allows a person to have imagination, it allows feelings and understanding of others. And when he wants to fill the world instead with meaningless empty volumes - well, isn’t that almost like our world today - a world where there is so much misinformation and we are not encouraged to think for ourselves. This world behind the library is frightening because it is forever changing and Nanami and Tiger find themselves in peril at times. There is a lot within this little book which on the surface is just about a girl and a cat saving a library. It’s about the power of the written word, how it gives us hope, how it gives us ideas and strength. And it also reminds me, in the character of Nanami’s father, that sadly, once adult life takes over and our time is taken up with work, the time that we have for reading is lost. Without our books, it is almost as if a light goes out and our hearts and minds are plunged into darkness.
A super book that makes you think - and that reminds us to keep always thinking for ourselves - and it was nice to meet Tiger again and even Rintaro from the first book.

This was such a wonderful follow up to The Cat Who Saved Books. I enjoyed the change in main character and their journey. Often times I find sequels in series like this a little too repetitive, ideas from the first book being reused slightly too closely. But I felt the plot here varied enough for it to feel fresh and allowed for growth with some existing characters. I loved the discussion around books and the importance of libraries and access to reading. More books about books!