New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe

By Julie Haworth

Published 18 July 2024 Simon & Schuster

I dare you to walk past a book with a title like that! There I was, wandering through the Sainsburys ready meal aisle, into the books and this one mewed to me from the shelf.

Tori's dream trip around Asia with boyfriend Ryan ends with a single ticket back home to Blossom Heath, and lost luggage. Everyone loves Ryan, and Tori can't bring herself to tell people he broke up with her in Thailand and decided to stay out there. In fact, there is a good chance he'll come to his senses and come back to her so there's no point really in announcing a split if it's more of a... blip. So instead, Tori puts a brave face on things and keeps herself busy helping her mum behind the counter at their cafe.

It's not just tea and scones that help keep Tori's mind from wandering to white sandy beaches. Her mum Joyce was struggling to manage the cafe while her daughter was away and her health was deteriorating. Tori is only too happy to take on more responsibility and introduces a few things to the menu she experienced on her travels. When her cat Ernie gets himself stuck up a tree, an encounter with animal-loving firefighter Leo sparks an idea - why not turn their business into a Cat Cafe like the ones Tori visited on her travels?

Things of course do not go according to plan and there is some local opposition to the idea of cats in a cafe but eventually, with the help of her mum, old friends and new, the Cosy Cat Cafe opens with a lovely litter of purrrrfect feline friends all available for adoption. However, those initial 'teething troubles' don't seem to be going away. It soon becomes clear someone is trying to sabotage Tori's venture. Does she have the resilience to keep fighting, especially when a certain someone shows his face at the door?

I really enjoyed how the book showed visiting the cafe met so much to so many different people. The cats I'm afraid stole every scene with their antics and personalities (huge love for Mr Wiggles) but the human characters were also well rounded and relatable. The romance between Leo and Tori is a winner, just the right amount of sweetness. The scenes with Izzy at the cat rescue were interesting and important showing the cats were well cared for, and that animal welfare was top priority.

I'm a cat lover but cannot have one of my own. Reading this has moved a trip to a Cat Cafe at the top of my bucket list!

Comments

Floored

Floored By Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood Published 12 July 2018 MyKindaBook (Macmillan) I'm sure if you read YA, you will have heard of (if not already read) Floored. Seven successful authors collaborate on a novel - each writing a 'voice'. Sounds super complicated, I don't know how they did it... but they smashed it! The premis? Seven poeple get into a lift at a television studios, only six come out alive. No, this is not a horror story with zombies and mild to moderate peril, or a murder mystery thriller. It's about being human, being flawed and although life can floor you, you keep living. The teen voices are very real. Shit happens, they move on, move forward. I loved the characters - all of them - which is rare. What I mean is, I loved and disliked them in equal measure but that makes the story whole. Laura Callaghan illustrated the cover and chapter pages and I love the way she added ...

The Happiest Ever After

The Happiest Ever After By Milly Johnson Published 15 February 2024 Simon & Schuster Thank you Simon & Schuster for the proof copy, here is my honest review. Polly Potter escapes her humdrum life with her writing. Gone is the unappreciative, unsupporting boyfriend who constantly takes her for granted. Gone are the work woes where her ideas and hard work are claimed by others and her boss is incapable of making himelf a cup of coffee. When she picks up her pen, Polly becomes no-nonsense Sabrina who lives life on her own terms, knows her own value and is forging fearlessly head onto a new life path. The day finally comes when Polly realises Sabrina is who she wants to be. Who's life she should be living and so she sets her own life changes into motion including speaking up for herself at work and leaving dreary Chris - which will happen as sooon as she can escape from the beige monstrosity she's wearing as bridesmaid to his bloody sister Camay's wedding vow renewal. ...

A Country Escape

A Country Escape by Katie Fforde Published by Arrow, 22 February 2018 Fran leaves the bright lights and hot kitchens of London for a rustic farm in the Cotswolds after receiving a letter from the solicitor of a long-lost relative. If Fran can make a go of the farm within six months, the owner Amy Flowers will leave it to her in her will. Amy is now in a nursing home but has a capable stockman to care for the farm's dairy herd. It takes a while for Fran to find her feet but with the help from her bestie Issi she soon manages to sort the curds from the whey and hits on a couple of ideas to make the farm pay. Dark clouds gather over the rolling green hills however in the shape of Australian Roy - another distant relation who hadn't originally answered Amy's letters. Just as Fran begins to feel at hope could it all go down under? This was a light, entertaining read. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the farming life. Amy is a great waspish character (I pictured Dame Maggie S...

Bookfest at Tiffany's

Search This Blog