leasummer's review against another edition
5.0
What's not to love about a dog-trainer/rescuer/matchmaker? I appreciate a book about rescue dogs, with a bit of romance, and just a little bit of angst. The main focus of the story was Lara and her daily adventures with dogs, and it was fun to read.
bethany_with_a_book's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
2.75
msimp34's review against another edition
4.0
Such a cute read. Gave it to a fellow dog lover friend to read and have a few others on my list to give it to. So cute!
pupylov's review against another edition
4.0
A must for dog lovers. Very much a true to life with dogs these days. If you want mushy romance this isn't it. If you have or had a dog soul mate you will love this!
servemethesky's review against another edition
2.0
Well, this was certainly a light turn away from the intensity that was [b:The Cuckoo's Calling|16160797|The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)|Robert Galbraith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358716559s/16160797.jpg|22002305]. And I mean that in a fun, suck-your-brain-away kind of way.
I am a dog lover, and picked this book up at a library sale because I thought it looked cute and funny. And it was cute and funny, just not quite in the way I expected. It was funny mostly because it was so bad, and not because of any wit or humor in the story itself. I nearly died laughing when Lara literally FLUSHES THE ENGAGEMENT RING DOWN THE TOILET.
I did like the dogs, though, and their tricks and little storylines. However, even if Kendrick is a dog lover herself, she's clearly making shit up at some points- ex) Mullet the shih tzu SPITTING at a potential adopter, then kicking dirt in their face. I have NEVER seen a dog do that. Utter BS.
By the end, though, the book was growing on me a little bit. It was fun and silly, and I was cheering for Lara on her date (that she STUPIDLY blew! What a waste of plot!) and through her doggy 'business' endeavors and in her relationship with her mom. But then she had to go and SLEEP WITH EVAN AGAIN and FALL IN LOVE WITH HIS NEW DOG. WTF? TOO much, TOO cheesy, TOO easy, and too cliche. Yeesh.
I am a dog lover, and picked this book up at a library sale because I thought it looked cute and funny. And it was cute and funny, just not quite in the way I expected. It was funny mostly because it was so bad, and not because of any wit or humor in the story itself. I nearly died laughing when Lara literally FLUSHES THE ENGAGEMENT RING DOWN THE TOILET.
I did like the dogs, though, and their tricks and little storylines. However, even if Kendrick is a dog lover herself, she's clearly making shit up at some points- ex) Mullet the shih tzu SPITTING at a potential adopter, then kicking dirt in their face. I have NEVER seen a dog do that. Utter BS.
By the end, though, the book was growing on me a little bit. It was fun and silly, and I was cheering for Lara on her date (that she STUPIDLY blew! What a waste of plot!) and through her doggy 'business' endeavors and in her relationship with her mom. But then she had to go and SLEEP WITH EVAN AGAIN and FALL IN LOVE WITH HIS NEW DOG. WTF? TOO much, TOO cheesy, TOO easy, and too cliche. Yeesh.
vampar's review against another edition
3.0
Cute and a quick read with a dash of humor! Needed maybe another 100 pages to wrap up in a way I think would satisfy most readers. The romance is tertiary, character doesn't really work through any major developments beyond her relationship with her absentee father, and storyline doesn't really wrap up.
tmatlin's review against another edition
2.0
Fun, easy read. Good only for dog lovers with a tolerance for sappy chick lit (so, good for me!).
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
This was a cute book, I read it cover to cover in one sitting. I knew from the cover it would probably be interesting, and I was right. I had a real problem with some of the characters though, and that's what kind of ruined the book for me in some regards, making it a 3.5 star kind of book.
Lara is very good with dogs. So good in fact that she is known as a matchmaker of sorts for people and their dogs. She can find a stray the perfect home. Too bad she's not as good at matchmaking in other regards though, especially with her own love life. When she and her boyfriend have a fight over her rescued dogs, Lara finds herself homeless, and back living with her mom, who's not the most maternal of people. But she also gets new opportunities in the form of dog training clients from this move too, so thinks are starting to look up.
Lara is an ok character. She's strong willed in some ways and flaky in others, but for some reason it just doesn't mesh together and make her seem like a real person. I think she gets walked on too much, and that it is excused too easily during the book. Her boyfriend I didn't like at all either, and I'm not sure what she saw in him really. The same with her parents, I can understand a child being attached to someone because they are a parent, but she would have been better to just walk away from the both of them. The only really redeeming character in this would be her friend Kerry, and even she had problems of her own.
The plot was cute though. And that's what saved this book. I liked the concept of a dog matchmaker and all the hard work that was put into finding good homes for dogs. That kind of thing just gives me the warm fuzzies. And when it was talking about the dogs the descriptions were better and the ideas were better too. Kendrick took the time to make you want the best for these dogs, more so than for the human characters. I did think the ending moved a little fast and things were resolved a little too quickly as well, but for the most part the book maintained a decent pace.
Cute, and while it could have used better characters it was still worth the read. I would probably read more by this author.
The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service
Copyright 2012
320 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Lara is very good with dogs. So good in fact that she is known as a matchmaker of sorts for people and their dogs. She can find a stray the perfect home. Too bad she's not as good at matchmaking in other regards though, especially with her own love life. When she and her boyfriend have a fight over her rescued dogs, Lara finds herself homeless, and back living with her mom, who's not the most maternal of people. But she also gets new opportunities in the form of dog training clients from this move too, so thinks are starting to look up.
Lara is an ok character. She's strong willed in some ways and flaky in others, but for some reason it just doesn't mesh together and make her seem like a real person. I think she gets walked on too much, and that it is excused too easily during the book. Her boyfriend I didn't like at all either, and I'm not sure what she saw in him really. The same with her parents, I can understand a child being attached to someone because they are a parent, but she would have been better to just walk away from the both of them. The only really redeeming character in this would be her friend Kerry, and even she had problems of her own.
The plot was cute though. And that's what saved this book. I liked the concept of a dog matchmaker and all the hard work that was put into finding good homes for dogs. That kind of thing just gives me the warm fuzzies. And when it was talking about the dogs the descriptions were better and the ideas were better too. Kendrick took the time to make you want the best for these dogs, more so than for the human characters. I did think the ending moved a little fast and things were resolved a little too quickly as well, but for the most part the book maintained a decent pace.
Cute, and while it could have used better characters it was still worth the read. I would probably read more by this author.
The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service
Copyright 2012
320 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
asalters's review against another edition
4.0
Totally cute book! This was a first time read for me by Beth Kendrick and I have to say I enjoyed it. I actually found myself trying to guess which dog she would pair up with which person!! I laughed at times and got teary eye'd at others and I think all of those things combined make for a great book. The story was well developed and I enjoyed the characters. If you are looking for a cute easy read then this book is for you... only if you like dogs though;)
nicki_j's review against another edition
3.0
Kind of dumb but entertaining and I loved all the knowledge dropped in re: dogs :)