Review - - Finding Mr. Purrfect

Finding Mr. Purrfect

by Codi Gary

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: January 16, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

Frenemies + Fake Dating = Falling for the wrong person…for all the right reasons
 
Charity Simmons may have great taste in friends, felines, and fruit tarts, but if there’s one thing the baker and co-owner of Meow and Furever Cat Café knows, it’s that she has horrible taste in men. Case in point: Will Schwartz. He may be the best friend of her best friend’s boyfriend, but after their one night together, Charity is positive Will’s nothing but a womanizing charmer—despite his nice-guy persona and adorable, crooked smile. So why then did she pick him to pretend date to get her parents off her back about being single?

Will Schwartz may give relationships a hard pass, but he’s not about to say no to fake dating Charity. She’s brilliant, hilarious, and best of all, she’ll put an end to his mother’s interrogations about his love life. And maybe, after all this time giving him the cold shoulder, Charity will finally warm up to him.  But it’s not long before Will and Charity realize they got much more than they bargained for--and they’re freaking out. What if what they have isn't make believe but the real, forever kind of love?

PJ's Thoughts:

I have mixed feeling about this one. I liked the Cat Café. Any story that spotlights rescue animals is a plus with me. The marketing menu blurbs at the start of each chapter were fun and more than a few had me drooling. I want recipes! 

The first few chapters of this book were light and fun, setting up what I thought was going to be the vibe for the rest of the book. But then the story took a hard left and, whoa, dysfunction city. Suddenly we're knee deep into toxic family relationships (Charity), work stress, looming financial crises, misunderstandings, childhood emotional trauma (carried into adulthood), health crises, family secrets (Will), a fake relationship with physical attraction but a decided lack of understanding and compromise (from both main characters), and more. For me, all the side issues kept getting in the way of connecting with the two main characters as a couple. Others may not have that issue but I wanted more development of their relationship without all the extraneous issues. It's not that I didn't like the book - it has a lot of positives going for it - it's just that I wanted a deeper connection with the characters and less noise steering me away from their romantic journey. 

If you enjoy a frenemies-to-lovers romcom with flawed characters, a fair number of romantic obstacles, family you'd just as soon toss off a cliff, but also solid friends and rescue cats, this book might be a good fit for you.