sweetdream's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
hanniegracie95's review against another edition
3.0
*This has a tiny, tiny spoiler in it.
Well... Three stars, I guess.
I really didn't like the main character. I get she was written to be "relatable" but she came across as rude and obnoxious, and kind of unhygienic. She didn't seem to have any chemistry with any of the other characters. Instead of taking two seconds to explain a very small problem to the love interest, she chooses to lie just because she doesn't feel like explaining, and cause a whole other issue. It was just really annoying to read through all of her complaining when it was her own fault for lying in the first place. I don't think I've been this annoyed with a protagonist since I read the Selection Trilogy (I love those books, but America Singer is YIKES).
The dog is great though, and the love interest is really, really cute.
I'm not really one for contemporary and despite my issues with the main character, I really did feel intrigued about where the story was going, and always found myself reading another chapter or two before I put the book down. The dog wasn't as big of a part in the story as I would have liked, but a book with a dog in a small role is better than a book with no dog at all.
Well... Three stars, I guess.
I really didn't like the main character. I get she was written to be "relatable" but she came across as rude and obnoxious, and kind of unhygienic. She didn't seem to have any chemistry with any of the other characters. Instead of taking two seconds to explain a very small problem to the love interest, she chooses to lie just because she doesn't feel like explaining, and cause a whole other issue. It was just really annoying to read through all of her complaining when it was her own fault for lying in the first place. I don't think I've been this annoyed with a protagonist since I read the Selection Trilogy (I love those books, but America Singer is YIKES).
The dog is great though, and the love interest is really, really cute.
I'm not really one for contemporary and despite my issues with the main character, I really did feel intrigued about where the story was going, and always found myself reading another chapter or two before I put the book down. The dog wasn't as big of a part in the story as I would have liked, but a book with a dog in a small role is better than a book with no dog at all.
lynnedf's review against another edition
4.0
Such a charming story! You go into it thinking it's going to be about a girl, Van, who is in love with her best friend's boyfriend; however the story is more about Van getting to know herself, falling in love with a dog named Joe (how she ends up getting him is hilarious, as are their first few days together), and learning to deal with the loss of her mother. It's about so much more than a love story; it cute and quirky, it's light and exactly what I needed to read. If you are a dog lover/owner you are going to appreciate Van's relationship with Joe. You'll laugh at his antics and you'll just totally get it. Adorable story that left a smile on my face long after I put it down.
solshines68's review against another edition
4.0
This is a cute, light, enjoyable book that makes you smile. It's not just about a dog but also about loss and relationships.
aotora's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
One of the challenges this year is to read more positive books and more sappy, romantic books - and knock a bit more of my TBR down. This one has been on my TBR for a while and it has a dog on the cover so it should obviously be great right?
Well the story is ok, the characters are ok but it's nothing special.
Van is a young woman that has been in love with her crush Peter for years. But he doesn't return her feelings and instead marries her richer best friend. She sulks around and drinks and during one of those drunken evenings she orders a dog from Slovakia leading to a new found love between her and the veterinarian taking care of her dog. There are some ups and downs, a missunderstanding that almost has to happen in these books and everything is wrapped up all nice and tight at the end with a beautiful bow. She is happy with the new love of her life, Alex, makes up with the meddling mother of her best friend that initially paid her money to leave her childhood crush alone and stop talking to her, she reconnects with her best friend and her ex crush and they are all friends by the end.
The story is predictable, everything just happens to sort out for the main character, even when she has to leave her current home because the HOA doesn't allow big dogs she just happens to get the money from her best friend's mom and a ridiculously cheap house so she has no trouble there. The characters were mediocre and I couldn't find myself rooting for any of them and the dog on the cover is barely important aside from being the reason she finds Alex. it's just all right and I am just happy that it was a nice fast read I could push through in a couple of hours.
Well the story is ok, the characters are ok but it's nothing special.
Van is a young woman that has been in love with her crush Peter for years. But he doesn't return her feelings and instead marries her richer best friend. She sulks around and drinks and during one of those drunken evenings she orders a dog from Slovakia leading to a new found love between her and the veterinarian taking care of her dog. There are some ups and downs, a missunderstanding that almost has to happen in these books and everything is wrapped up all nice and tight at the end with a beautiful bow. She is happy with the new love of her life, Alex, makes up with the meddling mother of her best friend that initially paid her money to leave her childhood crush alone and stop talking to her, she reconnects with her best friend and her ex crush and they are all friends by the end.
The story is predictable, everything just happens to sort out for the main character, even when she has to leave her current home because the HOA doesn't allow big dogs she just happens to get the money from her best friend's mom and a ridiculously cheap house so she has no trouble there. The characters were mediocre and I couldn't find myself rooting for any of them and the dog on the cover is barely important aside from being the reason she finds Alex. it's just all right and I am just happy that it was a nice fast read I could push through in a couple of hours.
shelbyboatman's review against another edition
4.0
So far this is a super cute and funny (especially if you have dogs!) book :)
mehrangezmr's review against another edition
2.0
So, overall, a nice read and I will pick up Allie Larkin's other book, but this wasn't the excellent read I was promised.
Pros:
I like fucked-up main characters. And Van is very fucked up indeed, drowning her sorrows in booze, drunk-buying a puppy, pining after her best friend's husband. She's messy, foul-mouthed, and can be pretty mean sometimes. I enjoyed all of that.
I liked the wide supporting cast of characters, and the interesting and unusual dynamic between Van, her best friend, her best friend's mother, and her own late mother. It was arguably more emotional than the main "romance" plot, and I appreciated that. For many women, their relationships with other women are incredibly important and more enduring than romantic relationships and it's nice to see a commercial fiction book where that is recognised. I think this gave the book a bit more depth than your archetypal chick-lit novel (and I'm not trying to be sexist or dismissive of the genre, I read a lot of it.)
Cons:
I thought this book had a rather unrealistic view of what it means to randomly end up with a large, high-energy breed like a German Shepherd when you're not prepared for it and you don't know anything about the breed. Van and Joe the dog bond instantly, and apart from a single turd on her floor, Joe doesn't really misbehave. He's beautifully brought up, incredibly intelligent, and the only people he doesn't get on with are the people who turn out to be baddies or semi-baddies anyway. He's the Mary Sue of dogs. I was hoping for all sorts of hi-jinks, but Joe caused very little to happen apart from introducing Van to her boyfriend. Speaking of whom, Van's fairytale courtship with Alex and their lame and tenuous last-act Big Misunderstanding were both highly unsatisfactory.
I think Allie Larkin is a good writer and this book is a pleasant read but I hope that future books by her have something more substantial in the way of plot.
Pros:
I like fucked-up main characters. And Van is very fucked up indeed, drowning her sorrows in booze, drunk-buying a puppy, pining after her best friend's husband. She's messy, foul-mouthed, and can be pretty mean sometimes. I enjoyed all of that.
I liked the wide supporting cast of characters, and the interesting and unusual dynamic between Van, her best friend, her best friend's mother, and her own late mother. It was arguably more emotional than the main "romance" plot, and I appreciated that. For many women, their relationships with other women are incredibly important and more enduring than romantic relationships and it's nice to see a commercial fiction book where that is recognised. I think this gave the book a bit more depth than your archetypal chick-lit novel (and I'm not trying to be sexist or dismissive of the genre, I read a lot of it.)
Cons:
I thought this book had a rather unrealistic view of what it means to randomly end up with a large, high-energy breed like a German Shepherd when you're not prepared for it and you don't know anything about the breed. Van and Joe the dog bond instantly, and apart from a single turd on her floor, Joe doesn't really misbehave. He's beautifully brought up, incredibly intelligent, and the only people he doesn't get on with are the people who turn out to be baddies or semi-baddies anyway. He's the Mary Sue of dogs. I was hoping for all sorts of hi-jinks, but Joe caused very little to happen apart from introducing Van to her boyfriend. Speaking of whom, Van's fairytale courtship with Alex and their lame and tenuous last-act Big Misunderstanding were both highly unsatisfactory.
I think Allie Larkin is a good writer and this book is a pleasant read but I hope that future books by her have something more substantial in the way of plot.
kerrynicole72's review against another edition
3.0
This is a cute story and quick read (basically finished in 4 hours) - I'd give it 3.5 stars. I believe this was her debut effort, so while this was a bit on the "chic lit" side, I think the author has a promising career ahead of her.
melssb's review against another edition
5.0
This book was adorable. I loved it so so much and it made me cry at one point. I love how all her relationships changed throughout the book. Honestly it was realistic in most ways which I liked, it wasn't a sugar coated fairytale. I pick up this book at a warehouse sale and I'm so happy I grabbed it last minute because I loved this book.
setaian's review against another edition
4.0
After Peter, the guy she has loved for years, marries her best friend, Van goes on a bender drinking a lot of vodka and watching re-runs of Rin Tin Tin. Alone and lonely she impulsively buys a dog online. When the dog arrives at the airport from Slovakia she finds a whole lot more than she was expecting. Joe turns out to be a fully trained law enforcement German Shepherd that only obeys commands spoken in Slovakian.
Joe soon brings Alex, a vet specialising in large dogs into her life and in him she finds a chance to move forward and get over her lost love. But with Van's own past refusing to let her move on she might lose the first man who she could love since Peter.
I have so much love for this book. It's sweet contemporary romance...perhaps even chick lit about a woman who has sacrificed everything for the happiness of others finding her own happiness. If I have a criticism it's only a small one. I'm not a fan of flash-backs as a plot device...more often than not they interrupt a story rather than moving it forward and I think that's the case here. But I still loved this book and I'm going to call it a favorite.
Joe soon brings Alex, a vet specialising in large dogs into her life and in him she finds a chance to move forward and get over her lost love. But with Van's own past refusing to let her move on she might lose the first man who she could love since Peter.
I have so much love for this book. It's sweet contemporary romance...perhaps even chick lit about a woman who has sacrificed everything for the happiness of others finding her own happiness. If I have a criticism it's only a small one. I'm not a fan of flash-backs as a plot device...more often than not they interrupt a story rather than moving it forward and I think that's the case here. But I still loved this book and I'm going to call it a favorite.