Cat Lady: The Sunday Times bestseller and the latest funny, brilliant and bold fiction novel for 2023 from the author of So Lucky

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Plot Mia has it all: a husband, a stepson, an important job and a cat. However, she increasingly feels as if she is simply holding it all together to present herself the way society wants. If only she could be more like her cat. This is the fifth novel by presenter Dawn O’Porter. Plot A story told over four generations of Welsh women – an unstoppable pensioner, her estranged daughter, her abandoned daughter, and then her daughter – written by the actor and Gavin and Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones. Can these women heal the complex wounds that drove them apart? It was in LA that I met my now husband, Chris. Lilu puked on his side of the bed the night after he stayed over for the first time. She could be terrible and full of vitriol when she thought my attention might be taken from her. It was a sketchy start to their relationship, but they worked it out. I’d go as far to say they loved each other deeply. 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.

Cat Lady – HarperCollins Publishers UK

Next came a dog, then two children. Despite being a difficult old bag, she welcomed them all with love. Labouring with me as I prepared to leave for hospital with my first, then sitting quietly on the floor as I delivered our second at home on our bed. The midwife said she’d never known an animal to be so well behaved during a birth. I was as proud of her as I was my beautiful baby boy. When he was out and things were quiet, she jumped up and sat on my legs, where she remained almost constantly as I breastfed and watched terrible TV for the next few months. Main character The story is told from the perspective of all four characters, although the main one is Grace, a woman approaching her 90th birthday with the same energy that most approach their 30th. We meet her on a beach, snapping at a patronising do-gooder, and things progress from there. I ended up moving to Los Angeles for work, where I still live 15 years later. After an initial six-month test whereby Lilu stayed with friends in London, she came over, too. We were very happy in our little West Hollywood apartment. I enjoyed this one, if you're already a fan of the author's writing, you'll love it. If you like quirky characters and some bizarre, laugh out loud scenarios, then you'll also love it. Fresh, funny and for anyone who’s ever felt astray, CAT LADY will help you belong – because a woman always lands on her feet.

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. Although my husband was sad, there was no one who felt the same way as me, and therefore I dealt with her death in the way that felt right for me and no one else. I had her freeze-dried, a process where she was dehydrated using extremely cold temperatures over the course of 10 months, preserving her perfectly to look just as she did on the day she died, and now she sits happily, but 100% dead, on a chair in my dining room. See, I told you I was a Cat Lady. Plot Gary, a down-at-heel London solicitor, goes for a drink with a friend. The next day, the friend goes missing. Meanwhile, Gary meets and falls for a mysterious woman. Could the two be connected? And why does Gary keep having conversations with a slightly belligerent squirrel? The debut novel by comedian Bob Mortimer has the answers. Animals bring people together. Cats make people who might otherwise be alone, not alone. There is nothing crazy about a woman just because she lives alone with cats. Well, that’s not what I see anyway. I see someone who has a lot of love in their heart who chooses to take care of a cat who needs her as much as she needs it. For me, it’s a sign of a person with a huge heart, not a cold one. Unless she’s got a dead one in her dining room, of course. Then she’s probably as batty as they come.

Cat Lady (Audio Download): Dawn O’Porter, Daisy Haggard Cat Lady (Audio Download): Dawn O’Porter, Daisy Haggard

Plot Sally Parker is the bored wife of an elaborately rich hedge fund manager. She has a full-time nanny, a chef and someone to groom her dogs. But when her husband suddenly goes bankrupt, all this is whipped away from her and she can start to find herself again. This debut novel comes from the comedian and former Bake Off co-host Mel Giedroyc, one half of Mel and Sue. Main character Sally, a woman who gleefully rediscovers her can-do attitude when all the unnecessary peripherals start to fall away. An ode to finding your people and a celebration of the small things that bring us together’ Emma Gannon Previous works Two other Thursday Murder Club books, Richard Osman’s House of Games, A Pointless History of the World, The World Cup of Everything: Bringing the Fun Home. Here I am, four years old and getting my photo taken at primary school. I look quite miserable, probably because I wanted attention all the time, but got quite shy when someone actually gave it to me.Really gets the reader to think about what matters in life Unputdownable and completely wonderful!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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. I am not a “Crazy Cat Lady”, though. Oh no. According to society’s imagination, that is a spinster in her later years who lives alone with one or more cats. She is, by all accounts, quite odd and a bit sad. It’s all wrapped up in society’s inability to accept that a woman can be satisfied without a man. It’s meant as an insult and used in a derogatory way to suggest someone is unlovable or maybe even selfish for choosing cats over children. If, of course, that was a choice she even got to make. What nonsense.

Cat Lady | Dawn O’Porter | 9780008385415 | NetGalley Cat Lady | Dawn O’Porter | 9780008385415 | NetGalley

Life was dreamy for her until the rare occasion that I had to return home to the UK. So I left her with a friend who rented the flat while I was away for a few months. What felt like a good plan where she got reduced rent, but had to look after the cat, was a total disaster. They didn’t get on. My friend couldn’t cope with Lilu’s Siamese dramas and the way she’d wail through the night because she’d been abandoned by her mother. It was made quite clear that the deal was off, and so Lilu was put on a plane to London, where we ran into each other’s arms like long-distance lovers finally reunited in a terrible romcom. It was then that I made a pact with her: if I go, you come, too. I kept my word. Mia has made all the right choices. She’s married, she has the nice house, the good career. But life isn’t about fitting into a box. And there’s another woman inside her who’s just clawing to get out . . .I was always a funny little girl who was theatrical, but after my mum died I became even more so. I didn’t want anyone to mention the elephant in the room. I became the kid who spent more time trying to make people laugh than learning, and failed at everything as a result. The joking around was annoying, but I just couldn’t stop doing it. I got pulled up on it when I went to drama school years later. A teacher said to me: “You hide your pain by trying to make people laugh.” Like it was some really negative thing! I thought: “At least I’m not being miserable, and if that’s the reflex reaction to what I’ve been through, I’m not going to be ashamed of it. I’m going to embrace it.” Main character Gary, a man with a job that Mortimer used to have, in the same location where Mortimer used to work. He also has the exact same cadence, vocabulary and thought processes as Mortimer, as seen in his long digressions about pies. That said, Gary is described as having a slightly larger nose than Mortimer, so they are definitely different people. Who should buy this book? Fans of The Great British Bake Off, especially fans who have just started to notice how wobbly the show has got without her. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman Previous works An autobiography (And Away…) and a Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing tie-in gift book.