libbyrupp's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gina_readsbooks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
“I’ve been doing some reading about how to be a good support for you, Morgan. I want to be there for you. If you’ll let me.”
This was a book club pick, and it’s not what I normally read when it comes to romances. I was a bit worried, but I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting.
Morgan is such a great protagonist. You can feel how much she cares for animals, and it’s so much that she’s been running herself into the ground. When she takes up the offer to babysit a dog in Nantucket for two months, she finds it’s the break she needs. She doesn’t tell anyone she’s a vet, and when she explains it, it makes perfect sense.
Her relationship with Nathan is sweet and develops in a way that feels realistic and genuine. When we get to the twist, I truly didn’t see it coming. But I really loved the way everything is resolved. Morgan reestablishes her relationship with her brother while navigating her feelings for Nathan. And I love a grand gesture, and here it just felt so perfect.
There was a small plot point that I thought was unnecessary, but I do see that it was there to cast some doubt on Nathan. It felt a bit petty and was something that had happened long ago, so I didn’t let that cloud my judgment of him. However, this is a perfect summer read and I would definitely recommend for romance and animal lovers!
stephsbooktalk's review
4.5
Mini Book Review: 4.5 - My first exposure was recently when I got to see Victoria speak at a local book fest and I saw all the beautiful covers features some happy dogs. Her book <i>Dog Friendly</i> was chosen as June's Romance book pick which was the perfect time for me to read my first one by her!
Content Warnings from my memory:
Quick Recap: Burned out veterinarian Morgan Pearce takes some time off to be incognito as a dog sitter for a client in Nantucket. While there she forms relationships with the local townspeople including soda pop entrepreneur Nathan.
I loved it!!! There was such a blend of romance, mental health and learning all about dogs! I did not find the "veterinarian" talk to be too much but enough to give context and actually I never considered some of the conflicts that were discussed in the book. You can definitely tell that Victoria used her own experience with dogs.
One note that I had is when the conflict came in the 4th quarter, it felt really believable and thinking back the seed had kind of been planted earlier in the book.
I paired this with the audio courtesy of PRH Audio and I thought the narrator Patti Murin was fantastic!
This book would be perfect for the spring/summer season & can't wait to check out her other books especially while lounging by the water. And made me want to visit Nantucket and experience that small town life.
I am looking forward to the book club meeting & the discussion with Victoria herself!
Content Warnings from my memory:
Spoiler
Mental Health, Suicide (off page), Bullying (off page)Quick Recap: Burned out veterinarian Morgan Pearce takes some time off to be incognito as a dog sitter for a client in Nantucket. While there she forms relationships with the local townspeople including soda pop entrepreneur Nathan.
I loved it!!! There was such a blend of romance, mental health and learning all about dogs! I did not find the "veterinarian" talk to be too much but enough to give context and actually I never considered some of the conflicts that were discussed in the book. You can definitely tell that Victoria used her own experience with dogs.
One note that I had is when the conflict came in the 4th quarter, it felt really believable and thinking back the seed had kind of been planted earlier in the book.
I paired this with the audio courtesy of PRH Audio and I thought the narrator Patti Murin was fantastic!
This book would be perfect for the spring/summer season & can't wait to check out her other books especially while lounging by the water. And made me want to visit Nantucket and experience that small town life.
I am looking forward to the book club meeting & the discussion with Victoria herself!
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Medical content, and Bullying
purpleviolin91's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Adorable book that hit on some real issues facing veterinarians
allyzins's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thebashfulbookworm's review
4.0
Dog Friendly by Victoria Schade is a serious look a the life of a burned-out veterinarian. It tackles some tough subjects but in a compassionate way. Set in Nantucket this romance is both emotional and romantic.
Morgan Pearce works in a corporate veterinarian office and is overworked and burned out. When two of her clients ask her to dogsit at their vacation home in Nantucket for their dog, Bernadette, she knows that some rest and relaxation could be the cure she is seeking.
Her time in Nantucket is just what she needed, sunshine, rest, and time at the beach. Plus an interesting entrepreneur, Nathan, makes a nice distraction as well. Morgan decides to foster a dog named Hudson who reminds her why she loves being a veterinarian. She’s starting to heal when she learns that Nathan isn’t what she thought he was, his deception stuns her, and she starts to reevaluate her life’s choices.
With the cover and the blurb, I was expecting a much lighter beach read than what I got. As I said before, Dog Friendly tackles some tough topics and was much deeper than I expected. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just good to know ahead of time. I never knew that being a veterinarian could be such an emotionally draining job. I think in most romances I read, the life of a veterinarian seems so rewarding and gentle. However, in Dog Friendly, we see the darker side of the profession.
I loved the dogs, and I also learned some things about dog behavior and that was super interesting. I can tell the author knows her dogs! I also loved the location. I enjoy books set on Nantucket and the author does an excellent job of describing the island and the town.
I recommend Dog Friendly to anyone who enjoys Women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Morgan Pearce works in a corporate veterinarian office and is overworked and burned out. When two of her clients ask her to dogsit at their vacation home in Nantucket for their dog, Bernadette, she knows that some rest and relaxation could be the cure she is seeking.
Her time in Nantucket is just what she needed, sunshine, rest, and time at the beach. Plus an interesting entrepreneur, Nathan, makes a nice distraction as well. Morgan decides to foster a dog named Hudson who reminds her why she loves being a veterinarian. She’s starting to heal when she learns that Nathan isn’t what she thought he was, his deception stuns her, and she starts to reevaluate her life’s choices.
With the cover and the blurb, I was expecting a much lighter beach read than what I got. As I said before, Dog Friendly tackles some tough topics and was much deeper than I expected. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just good to know ahead of time. I never knew that being a veterinarian could be such an emotionally draining job. I think in most romances I read, the life of a veterinarian seems so rewarding and gentle. However, in Dog Friendly, we see the darker side of the profession.
I loved the dogs, and I also learned some things about dog behavior and that was super interesting. I can tell the author knows her dogs! I also loved the location. I enjoy books set on Nantucket and the author does an excellent job of describing the island and the town.
I recommend Dog Friendly to anyone who enjoys Women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
eebeck's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kaitbailer's review
4.0
This was so cute! I loved the small town summery feel, and of course all the dogs! And I loved that the romance and the wholesomeness of this book was mixed really well with extremely real and serious issues. V
bookswithnopictures's review
4.0
3.5 Stars
Thanks to @berkleyromance for my free book! #berkleypartner #berkleyIG
Life as a veterinarian is not all Morgan expected it to be. There's more stress and helping animals while balancing business makes for walking a fine line. Morgan jumps at the chance to head to Nantucket to reset and take can of a clients beloved pet where she meets Nathan, her exact opposite in all of the ways.
I expected a bit more levity amidst all of the angst. I wanted more depth to the romance; however, I did appreciate the way that Victoria addresses Morgan's self-care and character throughout. The setting and furry supporting cast were a much needed backdrop to this summery read.
All thoughts in this review are my own.
Thanks to @berkleyromance for my free book! #berkleypartner #berkleyIG
Life as a veterinarian is not all Morgan expected it to be. There's more stress and helping animals while balancing business makes for walking a fine line. Morgan jumps at the chance to head to Nantucket to reset and take can of a clients beloved pet where she meets Nathan, her exact opposite in all of the ways.
I expected a bit more levity amidst all of the angst. I wanted more depth to the romance; however, I did appreciate the way that Victoria addresses Morgan's self-care and character throughout. The setting and furry supporting cast were a much needed backdrop to this summery read.
All thoughts in this review are my own.
transportedlfl's review
4.0
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.
Morgan is a veterinarian who is struggling with compassion fatigue. She takes a leave from work to spend the summer on Nantucket dog sitting for one of her clients. And while there, she meets Nathan, a surfer who is starting a juice company.
Don't be fooled by the cover, setting, or genre. This is not an escapist romance on an island. It starts from a dark place with major burnout. And we follow a mental health journey toward recovery with continuing conflict.
Similarly, the cute puppy in the story is a leash reactive dog. I so appreciated that the author is skilled with dogs. She explained reactivity so well and makes it clear how important it is to learn about dogs' body language as to whether they are comfortable in a situation. And there's a great celebration of rescue pups.
There was a lot going on in the story, and a whole subplot that I found unnecessary. As a result, the ending felt rushed. With so many issues introduced, it felt too neatly tied up.
3.5 stars rounded up
Morgan is a veterinarian who is struggling with compassion fatigue. She takes a leave from work to spend the summer on Nantucket dog sitting for one of her clients. And while there, she meets Nathan, a surfer who is starting a juice company.
Don't be fooled by the cover, setting, or genre. This is not an escapist romance on an island. It starts from a dark place with major burnout. And we follow a mental health journey toward recovery with continuing conflict.
Similarly, the cute puppy in the story is a leash reactive dog. I so appreciated that the author is skilled with dogs. She explained reactivity so well and makes it clear how important it is to learn about dogs' body language as to whether they are comfortable in a situation. And there's a great celebration of rescue pups.
There was a lot going on in the story, and a whole subplot that I found unnecessary. As a result, the ending felt rushed. With so many issues introduced, it felt too neatly tied up.
3.5 stars rounded up