The Dog Sitter
My Rating: 3.75
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: February 11, 2020
Author: Zara Stoneley
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The Dog Sitter Book Blurb
One dog. Two strangers. An unfurgettable romance.
Wanted: someone nice, normal and trustworthy to housesit a beautiful cottage in the Lake District while the owner is away on a business trip. Must like dogs.
Wanting to escape from crap bosses and useless boyfriends, Becky jumps at the chance of being a dog sitter and the perfect escape – rest, relaxation and a very cute pooch called Bella.
But looking after Bella comes with a catch, namely gorgeous, brooding, Chris Hemsworth-worthy Ash James, who claims Bella is his dog and will stop at nothing to get her back!
Becky’s not about to hand over lovely Bella to any Tom, Dick or Ash. She’s determined to watch every move Ash James makes…even if it gets her very hot under the collar.
The Dog Sitter
Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts about The Dog Sitter
As you can tell by the cover and my latest bookstagram post, The Dog Sitter is a romcom novel with an adorable four legged character. It’s exactly what a romcom should be: cute, often humorous, with love ever present on the brain.
What sets The Dog Sitter apart from the many books of the genre is Bella. The canine character not only brought me into the story, but completely stole the show. I was in love from the first bark. Bella’s “perfect” instagram life versus who quirky real personality was such a wonderful metaphor for basically all of us.
As Becky would say, I need to be more dog.
My only issue with the book, the reason I really liked it but wasn’t over the moon about it, was the beginning 25%. I was definitely connected to the characters and wanted a happily ever after for Becky, but the first meeting of our romantic couple didn’t make me root for them.
Eventually, I let go of this and got on board, so the rest of the book was a breeze to read and enjoy. It wasn’t exactly ground breaking fiction, but not everything is intended to be soul searching, life changing reading.
The Dog Sitter was highly entertaining and exactly what I needed this Valentine’s Day. Now, please excuse me while I roll around on the floor with my doggo.
~About the Author~
Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Date.
Born in a small village in the UK, she wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true.
She writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say ‘ahhh’.
Zara now lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.
Zara’s bestselling novels include ‘The Wedding Date’, ‘The Holiday Swap’, ‘Summer with the Country Village Vet’, ‘Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage’ and the popular Tippermere series – ‘Stable Mates’, ‘Country Affairs’ and ‘Country Rivals’.
*Special thanks to Beth Moran, Boldwood Books, and Rachel’s Random Resources providing a copy of Take a Chance on Me in exchange for an honest review.
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