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thephdivabooks's review against another edition
5.0
Cute emergency!!!
In Dog We Trust is adorable, uplifting, and magnetic—I care so much for Jocelyn and those sweet labs that I wish I could have another book so I don’t have to leave them behind on those pages! When I read In Dog We Trust by Beth Kendrick, I wasn’t sure what to think. A dog romance book? But no—this is a book about a woman finding herself, learning about love and heart ache, and saving some pretty adorable pups along the way. This is a must-read for anyone who wants a feel-good romance with some laugh-out-loud moments!
My full review can be found on PhDiva.blog!
Reflection
Since this is part of a series, I worried that I’d be spoiled on other books, or lost, but I didn’t need to worry! The series is actually focused on the town of Black Dog Bay—a town renowned for healing broken hearts. Each book in the series focuses on a different resident of the town. I took a peak and there are a few characters from previous books that pop up as side characters here, but it didn’t spoil ANY of their stories, so I’m already looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
Jocelyn is so fantastic—I loved her! She is vulnerable, a bit naive at times, but when it comes to her values she won’t compromise an inch. She is all heart, and because of that, she believes the best in everyone—even those who might not deserve it.
The dogs! I loved the contrast between the rigid training of show dogs, and the loving care that Jocelyn provides. As curmudgeon-y as her boss seems, he is the one who hired her. He knows what she offers to those dogs and he wants that for them. I found it incredibly sweet!
And then there is the whole heartbreak to contend with. I won’t say much, but you’ll be infuriated like I was, I’m sure! But I thought it was wonderful how Kendrick didn’t let the story turn depressing. Jocelyn has other passions in life, and the dogs need her. Jocelyn is a strong woman and I really enjoyed reading about her so much!
Many thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book. I can’t wait to hear what others think! I read it as a book club read with the book besties, and we all found it adorable and charming and uplifting.
In Dog We Trust is adorable, uplifting, and magnetic—I care so much for Jocelyn and those sweet labs that I wish I could have another book so I don’t have to leave them behind on those pages! When I read In Dog We Trust by Beth Kendrick, I wasn’t sure what to think. A dog romance book? But no—this is a book about a woman finding herself, learning about love and heart ache, and saving some pretty adorable pups along the way. This is a must-read for anyone who wants a feel-good romance with some laugh-out-loud moments!
My full review can be found on PhDiva.blog!
Reflection
Since this is part of a series, I worried that I’d be spoiled on other books, or lost, but I didn’t need to worry! The series is actually focused on the town of Black Dog Bay—a town renowned for healing broken hearts. Each book in the series focuses on a different resident of the town. I took a peak and there are a few characters from previous books that pop up as side characters here, but it didn’t spoil ANY of their stories, so I’m already looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
Jocelyn is so fantastic—I loved her! She is vulnerable, a bit naive at times, but when it comes to her values she won’t compromise an inch. She is all heart, and because of that, she believes the best in everyone—even those who might not deserve it.
The dogs! I loved the contrast between the rigid training of show dogs, and the loving care that Jocelyn provides. As curmudgeon-y as her boss seems, he is the one who hired her. He knows what she offers to those dogs and he wants that for them. I found it incredibly sweet!
And then there is the whole heartbreak to contend with. I won’t say much, but you’ll be infuriated like I was, I’m sure! But I thought it was wonderful how Kendrick didn’t let the story turn depressing. Jocelyn has other passions in life, and the dogs need her. Jocelyn is a strong woman and I really enjoyed reading about her so much!
Many thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book. I can’t wait to hear what others think! I read it as a book club read with the book besties, and we all found it adorable and charming and uplifting.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
This is the third book I have read in this series. Sadly, it is my least favorite. While, it had the humor I have started to come to really enjoy from reading these books; I struggled to find that instantly and close relationship with the "human" people. Both Jocelyn and Liam were cool. Although, I will admit that I did warm up to Jocelyn faster then I did Liam. Yet, under the circumstances, we did not have a great first impression. By the end of the book, I would call Liam a friend.
The stars of the book of course are the dogs. I am a dog lover. They had so much personalities to help keep this book entertaining and funny. The romance between Jocelyn and Liam was there. However, I would call it more "sweet" than "spicy". There were times when I hit some speed bumps along my reading way but this was I stated had to do with the character connection. Overall, I would still read this book and if you have not checked out this series, do so now.
The stars of the book of course are the dogs. I am a dog lover. They had so much personalities to help keep this book entertaining and funny. The romance between Jocelyn and Liam was there. However, I would call it more "sweet" than "spicy". There were times when I hit some speed bumps along my reading way but this was I stated had to do with the character connection. Overall, I would still read this book and if you have not checked out this series, do so now.
bookswritingandmore's review against another edition
5.0
Jocelyn's world is turned upside down when she is named the guardian of three pedigree Labrador Retrievers. Mr. Allardyce dies suddenly and decides she is the best woman for the job. His will skips over many others that feel Jocelyn is NOT the woman for the job. After all, she's the woman in town that does the towels for the tourists, how can she keep up with three pedigreed dogs? Soon Jocelyn will learn the ways of the rich and wonder if it is all worth it.
This story quickly grabbed my attention. The witty banter between Jocelyn and her mom was. the best, Her mom was hilarious. Also her best friend Bree really brought a lot to the story with her antics as well. I also adored the chemistry between Jocelyn and Liam from the very beginning. Those two hated each other and showed it everytime they spoke. Fun, romantic and light read, In Dog, We Trust will quickly win your heart.
This book is guaranteed to make you feel good all over. It's such an adorable story that you can help to love while you curl up under a blanket.
This story quickly grabbed my attention. The witty banter between Jocelyn and her mom was. the best, Her mom was hilarious. Also her best friend Bree really brought a lot to the story with her antics as well. I also adored the chemistry between Jocelyn and Liam from the very beginning. Those two hated each other and showed it everytime they spoke. Fun, romantic and light read, In Dog, We Trust will quickly win your heart.
This book is guaranteed to make you feel good all over. It's such an adorable story that you can help to love while you curl up under a blanket.
blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Rom coms aren't really my thing, but this one was entertaining enough. Far-fetched and silly, yes. Also engaging enough to keep me reading. I didn't end up loving it and I probably won't bother picking up any more books in this series (although it turns out I have read Book #2 -- who knew?). The book is funny, upbeat, and an easy, diverting read, though. I give it somewhere between a C+ and B-.
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
The fifth book in a series and this is one of those series where you can read them out of order because each book focuses on a different character in the town, but I always advise to start at the beginning and enjoy them from start to finish.
This one centers around Jocelyn who lives in town and has a business with her mother. The leading man is Liam who comes to town due to the death of his father and he wants some of what Jocelyn has. They start on a completely bad foot and the reader has to wonder if they could ever see eye to eye and end up together.
The fifth book in a series and this is one of those series where you can read them out of order because each book focuses on a different character in the town, but I always advise to start at the beginning and enjoy them from start to finish.
This one centers around Jocelyn who lives in town and has a business with her mother. The leading man is Liam who comes to town due to the death of his father and he wants some of what Jocelyn has. They start on a completely bad foot and the reader has to wonder if they could ever see eye to eye and end up together.
girlinthepages's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*A HUGE thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review!!*
So in typical fashion, I found out that the Black Dog Bay series which I love dearly had a new installment thanks to Lauren @ Bookmark Lit who is probably responsible for a solid 25% of the books on my TBR shelf at any given moment. I hit that NetGalley request button SO FAST you don't even know. So over Thanksgiving break I was spending yet another summer in my beloved East Coast seaside town of Black Dog Bay on another truly puppy filled adventure.
The newest series installment follows Jocelyn, a local Black Dog Bay resident, who runs a cleaning and laundering service for all of the beach rentals in the town, which is quite a lot as Black Dog Bay is has a reputation of being one the tourist hot spot for the brokenhearted. Right away, a huge theme of the story is established- us vs. them, locals vs. seasonal tourists, working class vs. rich. I found this to be interesting because it never played a massive part in the other books, where many of the protagonists have either been outsiders or locals who left for a long while, and there were definitely rich local townsfolk (like Hattie from the first book in her ridiculous purple house). Jocelyn gets roped into a dog-sitting gig on the side for a mean, rich seasonal resident who dies and in a truly bizarre twist of fate leaves all of his assets to his dogs, and to Jocelyn as well as he names her their guardian.
Now I'm not too sure how realistic the legal premise for the plot of the book is, but it was fun getting to glimpse into the absolutely insane world of show dogs (which I didn't even know labs were a part of). From their fancy filtered water, upscale food, crazy training schedules- it was a crazy yet fun way to read about the lifestyle of the rich in a different perspective than usual. The dogs were hilarious and truly felt like their own characters, and I am not a dog person but I would have loved to snap up one of the puppies that's born for myself (George Clooney the silver lab, LOL).
Of course with a ridiculous will that leaves all assets to three lovable but honestly not that smart labrador retrievers, legal drama is bound to happen, which is also intrinsically tied in to the romance of the novel. Jocelyn is being sued by Liam, Jocelyn's benefactor's son, for what he believes is his rightful inheritance. Now of course the circumstances are far from cut and dry and as the story progresses you learn that he's really not ~that bad of a guy~ but I just felt like I couldn't connect to the romance. Perhaps I personally could not get over the extreme aversion I would have to dating someone who was trying to sue me (no matter how well intentioned they were). In fact I think Jocelyn and Liam would have made better friends than romantic love interests and the whole story could have still felt the same with the same resolution. In fact, I found myself much more attracted to Liam's badass, debutante mother who can rock a french manicure and wrangle cattle at the same time while still having time to weed your garden and make fresh squeezed orange juice. It was really fun to see a character in the story who had such a strong presence who did not have ties to Black Dog Bay and I could honestly use a whole book about her backstory!
In terms of protagonists, Jocelyn was OK but not a standout compared to some of the other Black Dog Bay leading ladies in previous books. I also didn't get as many cameos as I wanted (there were a few with Lila and one with Cammie but I would have loved to see more!). However, the real stand out character in this story for me was Bree, Jocelyn's outspoken, palm-reading, aspiring lawyer best friend. Bree was hilarious in a way that you could probably imagine your real life BFF being, from very unsubtle "stake out" missions to helping you figure out how the heck to navigate a lawsuit when you barely feel like an adult yourself. I was super invested in her side storyline and I'm crossing my fingers that she'll get her own Black Dog Bay book in the future!
Overall: I always love returning to Black Dog Bay and In Dog We Trust was no exception. While I wasn't a fan of the romance I enjoyed the overall story line and found several new favorite characters who I hope to see return in future installments!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
So in typical fashion, I found out that the Black Dog Bay series which I love dearly had a new installment thanks to Lauren @ Bookmark Lit who is probably responsible for a solid 25% of the books on my TBR shelf at any given moment. I hit that NetGalley request button SO FAST you don't even know. So over Thanksgiving break I was spending yet another summer in my beloved East Coast seaside town of Black Dog Bay on another truly puppy filled adventure.
The newest series installment follows Jocelyn, a local Black Dog Bay resident, who runs a cleaning and laundering service for all of the beach rentals in the town, which is quite a lot as Black Dog Bay is has a reputation of being one the tourist hot spot for the brokenhearted. Right away, a huge theme of the story is established- us vs. them, locals vs. seasonal tourists, working class vs. rich. I found this to be interesting because it never played a massive part in the other books, where many of the protagonists have either been outsiders or locals who left for a long while, and there were definitely rich local townsfolk (like Hattie from the first book in her ridiculous purple house). Jocelyn gets roped into a dog-sitting gig on the side for a mean, rich seasonal resident who dies and in a truly bizarre twist of fate leaves all of his assets to his dogs, and to Jocelyn as well as he names her their guardian.
Now I'm not too sure how realistic the legal premise for the plot of the book is, but it was fun getting to glimpse into the absolutely insane world of show dogs (which I didn't even know labs were a part of). From their fancy filtered water, upscale food, crazy training schedules- it was a crazy yet fun way to read about the lifestyle of the rich in a different perspective than usual. The dogs were hilarious and truly felt like their own characters, and I am not a dog person but I would have loved to snap up one of the puppies that's born for myself (George Clooney the silver lab, LOL).
Of course with a ridiculous will that leaves all assets to three lovable but honestly not that smart labrador retrievers, legal drama is bound to happen, which is also intrinsically tied in to the romance of the novel. Jocelyn is being sued by Liam, Jocelyn's benefactor's son, for what he believes is his rightful inheritance. Now of course the circumstances are far from cut and dry and as the story progresses you learn that he's really not ~that bad of a guy~ but I just felt like I couldn't connect to the romance. Perhaps I personally could not get over the extreme aversion I would have to dating someone who was trying to sue me (no matter how well intentioned they were). In fact I think Jocelyn and Liam would have made better friends than romantic love interests and the whole story could have still felt the same with the same resolution. In fact, I found myself much more attracted to Liam's badass, debutante mother who can rock a french manicure and wrangle cattle at the same time while still having time to weed your garden and make fresh squeezed orange juice. It was really fun to see a character in the story who had such a strong presence who did not have ties to Black Dog Bay and I could honestly use a whole book about her backstory!
In terms of protagonists, Jocelyn was OK but not a standout compared to some of the other Black Dog Bay leading ladies in previous books. I also didn't get as many cameos as I wanted (there were a few with Lila and one with Cammie but I would have loved to see more!). However, the real stand out character in this story for me was Bree, Jocelyn's outspoken, palm-reading, aspiring lawyer best friend. Bree was hilarious in a way that you could probably imagine your real life BFF being, from very unsubtle "stake out" missions to helping you figure out how the heck to navigate a lawsuit when you barely feel like an adult yourself. I was super invested in her side storyline and I'm crossing my fingers that she'll get her own Black Dog Bay book in the future!
Overall: I always love returning to Black Dog Bay and In Dog We Trust was no exception. While I wasn't a fan of the romance I enjoyed the overall story line and found several new favorite characters who I hope to see return in future installments!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
cadyfez's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed the story, just as much as I have all of the others in the Black Dog Bay series! Plus DOGS ❤️ If you want to read this as a stand-alone because DOGS, you definitely can! I’d classify this as a romantic comedy vs romance but there definitely is a romantic element and an HEA. The Labradors in the story most certainly steal the show at times and I’m all for that.
.
There is exactly one instance of unnecessary diet culture inclusion regarding a mention of working off food by exercising - it’s on page one and 100% could have been eliminated. But it’s only once and doesn’t continue throughout the book.
.
There is exactly one instance of unnecessary diet culture inclusion regarding a mention of working off food by exercising - it’s on page one and 100% could have been eliminated. But it’s only once and doesn’t continue throughout the book.
michellesantiago's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on Undeniably Book Nerdy book blog.
As soon as I saw the most adorable cover, I just had to read In Dog We Trust. It was my first read by Beth Kendrick, but it certainly won't be my last!
In Dog We Trust was set in a small, touristy seaside town in Delaware. Our heroine, townie Jocelyn Hilliard works with her mom running their small laundry business, when on a fateful morning run she rescues a black Labrador retriever from getting nearly run over. The owner of the Lab, rich but crotchety Mr. Allardyce, hires her on the spot to help take care of his dogs--three prized show dogs. When Mr. Allardyce unexpectedly dies, he leaves his fortune to his dogs making Jocelyn their guardian and turning her life upside down...
Reminiscent of Kristan Higgin's earlier books, In Dog We Trust was fun and filled with humor, cute dogs, characters to love, a dash of romance, and lots of heart. I loved Jocelyn from the start! She was hardworking and down-to-earth and I took to her right away. Besides Jocelyn, I also enjoyed all the other secondary characters like her best friend Bree (love the whole palm reading bit, especially that scene at the bachelorette party--basically, Bree needs her own book!), her mom, Liam (once he warmed up), and Nora. The small-town beach setting just warmed my heart--I wanted to stay in Black Dog Bay longer and I have my eye on the previous books in the series so I can explore it some more.
And of course THE DOGS!! Carmen, Hester, Curtis, and the puppies were the stars of the novel! They were adorable and every time they were part of a scene I melted from the cuteness. I also found the little glimpse we got of the dog show world--which I knew nothing about--very fascinating and I now am interested in watching an actual dog show on TV to see what it's all about.
I highly recommend In Dog We Trust to fans of rom-coms for prefer the steam level on the sweet side. Since this novel is my first visit to Black Dog Bay, it didn't register for me but longtime fans of the series will get a kick out of seeing some familiar characters. But, first time readers like myself can jump into In Dog We Trust without reading the previous books in the series--it's very much a standalone. In Dog We Trust is the perfect weekend or beach read and even for book clubs (the paperback edition comes with reading discussion questions). Check it out!
As soon as I saw the most adorable cover, I just had to read In Dog We Trust. It was my first read by Beth Kendrick, but it certainly won't be my last!
In Dog We Trust was set in a small, touristy seaside town in Delaware. Our heroine, townie Jocelyn Hilliard works with her mom running their small laundry business, when on a fateful morning run she rescues a black Labrador retriever from getting nearly run over. The owner of the Lab, rich but crotchety Mr. Allardyce, hires her on the spot to help take care of his dogs--three prized show dogs. When Mr. Allardyce unexpectedly dies, he leaves his fortune to his dogs making Jocelyn their guardian and turning her life upside down...
Reminiscent of Kristan Higgin's earlier books, In Dog We Trust was fun and filled with humor, cute dogs, characters to love, a dash of romance, and lots of heart. I loved Jocelyn from the start! She was hardworking and down-to-earth and I took to her right away. Besides Jocelyn, I also enjoyed all the other secondary characters like her best friend Bree (love the whole palm reading bit, especially that scene at the bachelorette party--basically, Bree needs her own book!), her mom, Liam (once he warmed up), and Nora. The small-town beach setting just warmed my heart--I wanted to stay in Black Dog Bay longer and I have my eye on the previous books in the series so I can explore it some more.
And of course THE DOGS!! Carmen, Hester, Curtis, and the puppies were the stars of the novel! They were adorable and every time they were part of a scene I melted from the cuteness. I also found the little glimpse we got of the dog show world--which I knew nothing about--very fascinating and I now am interested in watching an actual dog show on TV to see what it's all about.
I highly recommend In Dog We Trust to fans of rom-coms for prefer the steam level on the sweet side. Since this novel is my first visit to Black Dog Bay, it didn't register for me but longtime fans of the series will get a kick out of seeing some familiar characters. But, first time readers like myself can jump into In Dog We Trust without reading the previous books in the series--it's very much a standalone. In Dog We Trust is the perfect weekend or beach read and even for book clubs (the paperback edition comes with reading discussion questions). Check it out!
pnelson384's review against another edition
3.0
After the last book I read, I needed something light to read. This book fit the bill perfectly! It is a quick read with romance, small vacation town residents vs. vacationers, and of course dogs! It's a fun read that has you rooting for the main character as she navigates friendships, men, family, and jobs.