Cat Girl’s Day Off by Kimberly Pauley

Natalie Ng comes from a super Talented family. Both her parents and her older and younger sisters all have useful, practical Talents. But Natalie? Yeah, all she can do is talk to cats. It’s not something she’s particularly proud of, and it’s definitely not something she likes to share. In fact, outside of her family, the only two people who know of her skill are her two quirky best friends, Oscar and Melly. And Natalie would like more than anything to keep it that way. But when she stumbles upon a video of a celebrity blogger being attacked by her own cat—and understands the Tiddlywinks’s vicious accusations—she knows she has to do something. So, Natalie begins to investigate a potential celebrity kidnapping that will take her through movie sets, all around Chicago, and nearly to the extent of her sanity. In the end, with two starry-eyed friends, some dubious backup, and an army of clever cats, will Natalie be able to save face and save the day?

Cat Girl’s Day Off is one hilarious story that covers with everything from celebrity gossip and movie stars to quasi-superhero powers and, oh yeah, talking cats. There really isn’t anything not to love about this book. The characters are easy to sympathize with and understand, especially Natalie and her feelings of inadequacy when compared to her Talented family. The plot is completely entertaining with a good balance of everyday awkwardness and more dramatic scenes. And the humor is superb; readers are sure to be immensely amused with Natalie’s dealings with her own cat Meep, the pompous pink cat Tiddlywinks, and her crush Ian’s cat Purr Daddy (or PD for short). I definitely found myself laughing aloud many times while reading Cat Girl’s Day Off, and I’m sure that many other readers will be as entertained, excited, and amused by this fantastic story as I was.

Cat Girl’s Day Off will be enjoyed by fans of Sucks to Be Me, also by Kimberly Pauley, Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez, and Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from Lee & Low Books