A Love Catastrophe

Avid bookworm that I am, I’m always extra excited about a novel that speaks to one of my particular interests. In the case of Helena Hunting’s A Love Catastrophe, the big draw for me was its focus on cats. What happens when a cat-sitter is hired to watch a dog-lover’s mom’s cat? Pet-related hijinks and an opposites-attract romance, of course! 

Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

Kitty is a professional cat-sitter who has just taken on a new client. Miles’s mother is in the hospital, and he’s not equipped to care for her cat Prince Francis, so the Kitty Whisperer seems like the best solution. When Kitty and Miles meet, they assume that they are complete opposites. And yet there is a spark, and as they get to know each other over the weeks, they learn that they actually have a lot in common… and may be able to help one another heal. 

Review

As a lifelong cat person, I was excited to read A Love Catastrophe. A romance featuring a cat-sitter and heaps of adorable pets? Sign me up! Fittingly, I read this whole book with my own cat either in my lap or right by my side; she’s an excellent reading buddy. 

Early on, A Love Catastrophe feels like a fun and silly book. Kitty and Miles are both so awkward (occasionally cringey), especially around each other, and they butt heads right away due to Miles being not only a dog lover, but a (shudder) cat hater. He doesn’t hide his disdain for felines either, which understandably rubs Kitty the wrong way. But as it so happens, he’s not so bad… and he may eventually come around to realizing how sweet and awesome cats are. 

However, don’t be fooled by the cutesy premise! A Love Catastrophe goes into some surprisingly emotional directions. Miles’s mother has dementia, and a major plot point is dealing with her cognitive decline and need to be placed in a new home. Both Miles and Kitty have experienced painful losses: His younger brother died in childhood, and her father died when she was a teenager. There are a lot of heart-to-heart conversations surrounding grief, guilt, and a family’s difficulty in moving forward after tragedy. It’s heavy, so have your tissues ready. Personally, I identified with many of these themes. I’ve also lost my father and have seen a grandmother suffer through dementia, so these aspects cut close for me. 

Another major theme here is Kitty’s professional journey. Later in the book, we get to see her work through growing pains as her business expands. I love seeing a woman entrepreneur experience career success, and although Kitty faces some tough circumstances, it’s overall an empowering side story. 

A Love Catastrophe weaves in a lot: Family relationships and grief, career growth, and a steamy romance that goes from awkward to sweet to truly wholesome. It’s a tad cringey in parts, but the overall substance and joy makes up for those parts.

Final Thoughts

A Love Catastrophe is paws-itively delightful, both during the laugh-out-loud scenes and during the tear-jerkers. It’s a love story not just between a new couple, but also between family members and for the cats and dogs in our lives. If you love pets or family dynamics, this is a romance worth reading. 

Get the Book

You can buy A Love Catastrophe here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

A Love Catastrophe by Helena Hunting
Audience	Adult
Genre	Romance
Setting	Toronto
Number of Pages	384
Format I Read	ebook (NetGalley)
Original Publication Date	June 13, 2023

Official Summary

The fur is about to fly between a cheerful cat sitter and a grumpy hockey nerd in this hilarious and charming rom-com by the New York Times bestselling author of Meet Cute.

Kitty Hart has become internet famous as the Kitty Whisperer for her expertise on all things feline, and as a result, her cat-sitting business is booming. But lately, she has a terrible feeling that maybe her life isn’t quite going where it’s supposed to—especially after falling face-first into her newest client. Not exactly the best first impression.

Fortunately, Miles Thorn is just as bad at first impressions. Strike one: he doesn’t like cats, especially Prince Francis, the haughty and mischievous Sphynx his mom left in his care. Strike two: tackling Kitty to the floor in a misguided attempt to save the pet he continually calls “the gremlin.”

As awkwardness slides into attraction and things start to turn purr-sonal, will these two complete opposites ever be able to find their furry-tail ending?