Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Art of Racing in the Rain

The book being told from the pov of a dog was interesting, although sometimes it was just really awkward and too forced. It was also obviously much more about the humans and their DRAMATIC ass story than it was dog, and that's a bummer really.

There was also one part concerning sexual assault that I just could not handle, and the victim blaming after the fact really made my skin crawl.

Content Warnings

alyxbeau's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This book would have gotten a higher star rating from me, I think, had it not centered around two things, both of which are spoilers. Mostof the review wil be in spoiler tags.

The two things? Cancer followed by a custody battle. This hits incredibly close to home for me right now - my best friend has suffered from cancer well before her custody battle began, but her situation just kept replaying in my mind over and over and over. What will happen if she dies from the cancer? Where will her kids go? Back to the abusive ex husband? Back to her abusive parents (childrens grandparents) My heart ached for the characters in this book because I know what it is to live like Enzo. Passively aware of the situation and unable to do anything. Not with the cancer, and not with the custody battle. It was incredibly difficult for me to separate my own friend from the contents of this book, and since I prefer books to be an escape, this was not an ideal choice for me at this time of my life.

What I can say as a non spoiler is how much I adore the message of the book, based on a quote found very near the start- "That which you manifest is before you" - specifically Enzo's interpretation of this lesson resonated with me as it is similar to the lesson in the movie "About Time." The lesson here I took to mean that you need to live every day as if it is what you needed in that moment to set your life on the right course, for your best eventuality. Good or bad news. This pairs really well with About Time as a life mantra - live each day as if you have lived it twice, noticing all the beautiful and good things of the day you may not have noticed burdened by heavy and dark emotions.
Combining the two lessons, I think, will give a recipie for a happy day to day life no matter your circumstance. And I think Enzo and Denny really tried to do that.

Content Warnings

jo__reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

Content Warnings

maggiegage's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

Overall I liked the book but I got tired of reading about racecars. Every time the racecar chapters came up I got SO bored and almost fell asleep. I’d imagine this book would be great for someone who races but I probably wouldn’t suggest it to someone who doesn’t love racing.

Content Warnings

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

while i liked the story being told from the perspective of the dog, some parts of this just made me uncomfortable. there were some really gross comments made about a young teen girl in this which just grossed me out.

Content Warnings

readingstation's review against another edition

Go to review page

sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

maggievanningen's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

machademia's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really liked the concept behind this book, writing it from the perspective of a dog and with funny quips here and there, even with some hallucinations but the story was so wild and frustrating. For one, I don’t agree with

people not visiting the doctor or letting their spouse not visit and get medical help when they need it no matter how much he justifies it I think it’s wrong and a bad message to send.

Secondly, the fact that the baddies didn’t really get any consequences for their actions pissed me off and the ending was just such a deus ex machina to make sure everyone has a happy ending. Overall it pissed me off more than anything else.

Content Warnings

More...