Matt Tarpley

This book just made me happy. The comics are so cute, heartfelt, relatable and yet uplifting. Also the art style is bright, adorable, and cozy feeling. This is a collection of comic panels and I have read that this is typically a webtoon so I am super interested in looking into that! There were so many panels that made me laugh out loud or go “awww” and then there were also some were I was just like “yeah, that’s me.” I also love the little map of the neighborhood in the front where all these animal characters live… (mehr)

Comics AND cats. It's like this book was made for me! There isn't much more that gets me this excited and feeling like a child again!

This adorable comic collection by Matt Tarpley is lovely! It's the type of book you sit down with a cup of tea and a blanket and just feel good with. The illustrations are simplistic, but it only adds to the fun and nostalgia of this book. It gave me childhood cartoon vibes (but easily enjoyable by an adult audience)! The stories are sweet, short and highly amusing, leaving me giggling along the way. Honestly, it's the kind of positivity the world needs right now: funny cats.

Overall, this book is so lovely! It's silly, goofy, cute and fantastic. It's easy and quick to read, and will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike!

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McNeels Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (mehr)

I don't really have a lot to say about this collection, other than that I enjoyed it. As usual, the characters and their interactions are enjoyable, and readers will probably be able to relate to several of the characters and situations depicted. There's lots of mental health-related rep in this comic: dealing with stress, depression, over-stimulation, not knowing what to do when friends are going through a rough time, etc. This particular volume also touches on the pandemic a bit.

If I had to pick, I'd probably say that I liked the first volume more, if only because of the COVID-19 strips. They weren't very frequent and were most noticeable to me for what they didn't cover as what they did. I was surprised that feelings of isolation didn't come up more - then again, this series is so focused on the value of community and supporting others that I suppose there were things it couldn't really do without becoming...not itself.

Overall, this is a largely comforting and enjoyable series.

Extras:

Some pages at the end for readers to write down their thoughts and feelings (nice idea, but if I'm going to do that, it will be in a notebook I've devoted to that purpose), as well as two pages of stickers featuring Cat's Cafe characters and designs.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (mehr)