Reviews with content warning for Death - Dog Days

Had some good moments, the way the characters developed over the course of the book was nice to see although they could be infuriating at times and somewhat unlovable. The chapters are shared out between 3 characters and I thought they’d cross over more which might have made it more interesting for me but just felt a little unnecessary have the story be from three perspectives, it didn’t really add much overall. Felt the ending was a little rushed with the way each characters stories wrapped up. I don’t really know what I was expecting going in to this book but I can’t help feeling a little underwhelmed/ disappointed coming out of it.

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pghtaylorsversion's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is too beautiful to summarize in a review. ❤️‍🩹

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sh_m22's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

This book was emotionally devastating!!! I have never cried so many times when reading a book before. This novel perfectly captures the reality of humans, all their ugly parts. With a focus on trying to cope with loss and mental illness and how the companionship of a dog and the responsibility of owning a pet heals you and forces you to get better and keep on going. I cannot reccomend this book enough and is definitely my book of the year so far! Please read content warnings before deciding to pursue this book as it deals with a lot of heavy and potentially triggering themes. And have tissues handy!

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laurenw22's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

1.0

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epellicci's review

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Dog Days is a book that will stay with me for a long time. The story rotates through three main characters lives, exploring love, loss, and moving on with soulful class and gentle wit. It is light, easy reading and I loved it from the first chapter. Waller deals with intense topics in a way that is emotionally intelligent. She doesn't sugar coat, minimise, or stigmatise her characters challenges or their behaviour. The book doesn't feel like it is trying to fix anyone, and because of this it is relatable and heartfelt. Guided by the unconditional love of animals, Dog Days is a journey through complex feelings, mistakes, and life. It balances tentative joy tastefully against heartbreak to form the perfect 'learning to love' tale.

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books_coffee_oxfordcommas's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dog Days ended up being so much more than I expected it to be. I expected it to be a story about our dogs meaning so much to us, which it was, but not in the way I expected. And spoiler alert: no dogs die!
The author weaves together 3 stories: George, who recently lost his wife and did not want to take care of the dog she left him; Dan, a therapist who finds himself attracted to a patient; and Lizzy, who is living with a women's shelter with her son and doesn't tell us a lot about what brought her there.
I thought this book was a good slice of life, showing how we deal with struggles and grow from them, always with our dogs by our side. However, I don't think this book focuses on the dog as much as the title would have you think.
In the beginning, I almost wrote this book off as being a knockoff of A Man Called Ove, but it was not. However, I do think it is parallel and people who like Bachman will probably like this book as well.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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alexiswiththefreckles's review

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

3.0

I went into this expecting a light-hearted story where dogs create a warm and fuzzy feeling. That is not the case. Instead, they are more akin to background cast in a play. The real focus here is on the humans and all of their flaws. There were lines scattered throughout the book that I think Waller really hit the nail on the head in describing what it means to be human, and I love finding those like buried treasure. However, I do like an unlikeable character every now and then.. but George was too much and I found his chapters hard to read. Character growth did feel a little too concentrated to the last 10% of the book, but that's just me being picky.

Overall, a story that tackles loss with brutal honesty and reminds us that our canine friends are always there to remind us to be human.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

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