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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
This was a fab read, I really enjoyed it a lot and feel like it brought up a lot of important issues within the book.
This take on mental health was important, it also reminds us that it is important to check up on people we know.
Thank you for this ARC!
This take on mental health was important, it also reminds us that it is important to check up on people we know.
Thank you for this ARC!
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok at first I thought I'd give it a 3.5. Then I let it settle, and I'm back down to 3 stars. It really wasn't as light as I had expected, and the dogs (in the title) weren't really made to be characters. And though they were in the stories, they weren't given vibrant personalities as they sometimes are in books (and I like that). The material is much heavier than I'd anticipated, the characters are much more...unlikeable..than I'd hoped for. I do think it was a good read, it was well written, and I did like it enough, but it wasn't the lighter fare I was expecting and hoping for.
Such a wonderful and beautifully written book. A story of three people trying to cope with daily life and struggles. All with a fur companion, a dog. It was lovely to read how supportive the dogs were. It’s surprising how much dogs know when something is wrong.
The chapters alternated between George, Dan and Lizzie and I felt like I was getting to know them on a personal level. I just wanted to give them all a hug, although I don’t think George would let me do that, haha! The book was a mixture of happiness, laughter, sadness and dealing with some topics that are deep. Ericka did a wonderful job with the characters and how it was written.
I definitely recommend Dog Days
The chapters alternated between George, Dan and Lizzie and I felt like I was getting to know them on a personal level. I just wanted to give them all a hug, although I don’t think George would let me do that, haha! The book was a mixture of happiness, laughter, sadness and dealing with some topics that are deep. Ericka did a wonderful job with the characters and how it was written.
I definitely recommend Dog Days
***Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
While I enjoyed this book, it felt as if the characters weren't fully developed and the dogs, promised as one of the main points of the story, become side characters and more props than anything else.
I really enjoyed Waller's exploration of grief and the use of three different experiences to define and explain it. The experiences of grief of someone and the grief of your own experiences becomes very telling and a very interesting manner of expression. However, each character's storyline turned out to be very unique, making the whole storyline seem choppy and thrown together, although the cameos within each story helped bring them together. Each dog also felt thrown into the story at one point or another instead of being uplifting or motivating the owner's actions.
While I enjoyed this book, it felt as if the characters weren't fully developed and the dogs, promised as one of the main points of the story, become side characters and more props than anything else.
I really enjoyed Waller's exploration of grief and the use of three different experiences to define and explain it. The experiences of grief of someone and the grief of your own experiences becomes very telling and a very interesting manner of expression. However, each character's storyline turned out to be very unique, making the whole storyline seem choppy and thrown together, although the cameos within each story helped bring them together. Each dog also felt thrown into the story at one point or another instead of being uplifting or motivating the owner's actions.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicide, Grief
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wish I had read more reviews before delving into this book, as it is very, very mismarketed in my opinion. This is really not acceptable, as a lot of the content in this book is heavily traumatic and triggering, and not handled in a way that is suitable for many readers who have experienced the issues described. If you find yourself often distressed by difficult content in books, I'd advise skipping this one, or at least checking the content warnings on reviewing platforms. It is really not responsibly marketed; the blurb's trite assertion that this is a book about "three people learning to make connections and find joy in living off the leash" is pretty horrible, actually, when re-read after finishing the novel. That is one of the key reasons my star rating is so low, despite the fact that the quality of the prose and character development is quite strong. The author is definitely talented, and actually I would like to read her work again, but this is a really flawed book that needed much more sophisticated and involved work from the editorial and marketing teams.
I've seen a lot of reviews comparing this book to Eleanor Oliphant I'd Completely Fine, but I would absolutely disagree. Eleanor Oliphant is a story which allows the reader to really and thoroughly work through the main character's trauma and the obstacles she encounters alongside her; despite some heartbreaking lows, there is an overall sense of hope. This book almost completely lacks that for me, as two of the three main narratives end in different kinds of tragedy.
However, the worst tragedy of this book happens far, far too close to the end of the book, leaving the reader with no opportunity to process it. You have no sense of recovery; one of the main character's finds their lover dead after he has committed suicide, and there is very detailed description of the scene. There is no time for the character to heal, and we're even made to understand that he is never able to really open his heart to romantic love again, and only settles for a relationship that he's moderately happy in.
There is also a depiction of a woman with ASD, exacerbated by postpartum depression/PTSD after a miscarriage. This could have been a really nuanced and incisive opportunity for representing a neurodiverse character who has gone through a common but deeply traumatic life event; instead, the plot twist in her arc is demeaning and reductive as it is revealed that she turned to domestically abusing her husband as a coping mechanism. Although I am certain this has happened in real life on occasions, it is a deeply irresponsible way to present a character who many readers will be looking to in order to feel represented and seen.
I was also incredibly infuriated by the prologue/opening scene, which shows a snapshot of the three main characters and their respective secondary characters, all well and relatively happy. This lulls the reader into a false sense of security, indicating that you will get a hopeful and uplifting conclusion, but as I've outlined above, you really don't. I do not have a problem with books that show life's problems sometimes cannot be easily, wholly resolved. There is plenty of room in the market for heavier books which look at the sadder parts of reality. But it is so incredibly irresponsible and infuriating to see a book which is completely presented through its marketing and its opening moments as a hopeful, uplifting read, but that will have many of its readers walking away feeling deeply upset, even actively distressed by how some of the themes are handled.
I've seen a lot of reviews comparing this book to Eleanor Oliphant I'd Completely Fine, but I would absolutely disagree. Eleanor Oliphant is a story which allows the reader to really and thoroughly work through the main character's trauma and the obstacles she encounters alongside her; despite some heartbreaking lows, there is an overall sense of hope. This book almost completely lacks that for me, as two of the three main narratives end in different kinds of tragedy.
There is also a depiction of a woman with ASD, exacerbated by postpartum depression/PTSD after a miscarriage. This could have been a really nuanced and incisive opportunity for representing a neurodiverse character who has gone through a common but deeply traumatic life event; instead, the plot twist in her arc is demeaning and reductive
I was also incredibly infuriated by the prologue/opening scene, which shows a snapshot of the three main characters and their respective secondary characters, all well and relatively happy. This lulls the reader into a false sense of security, indicating that you will get a hopeful and uplifting conclusion, but as I've outlined above, you really don't. I do not have a problem with books that show life's problems sometimes cannot be easily, wholly resolved. There is plenty of room in the market for heavier books which look at the sadder parts of reality. But it is so incredibly irresponsible and infuriating to see a book which is completely presented through its marketing and its opening moments as a hopeful, uplifting read, but that will have many of its readers walking away feeling deeply upset, even actively distressed by how some of the themes are handled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Where to begin? This book follows three central characters:
George, a grumpy, cantankerous old man who isn’t dealing with the death of his wife very well (and he’s a piss poor dog owner to a dachshund puppy)
Lizzie a lady dealing with recently moving into a women’s refuge with her son. Her link to a dog is walking the refuge’s dog.
Dan is a shy counsellor/therapist who has OCD. He has got a sock stealing Golden Labrador called Fitz.
The start of the book was jarring for me as it felt unnatural to instantly dislike a character! George is not a nice person. It’s understandable that he’s grieving and lashes out a lot. But I hated how poorly he was treating his late wife’s dachshund puppy, it hurt my heart. She still cared for him despite him being a horrible git and therein lies the beautiful nature and heart of dogs. However, I grew to appreciate George and his new friendship.
Dan’s story stole my heart. I felt all of the emotions and his story is the one that has stuck with me weeks later. Beautiful yet devastating.
This book is packed full of emotions, grieving, friendships, love and dogs. It will stay with you.
I received an e-ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review, these opinions are my own.
George, a grumpy, cantankerous old man who isn’t dealing with the death of his wife very well (and he’s a piss poor dog owner to a dachshund puppy)
Lizzie a lady dealing with recently moving into a women’s refuge with her son. Her link to a dog is walking the refuge’s dog.
Dan is a shy counsellor/therapist who has OCD. He has got a sock stealing Golden Labrador called Fitz.
The start of the book was jarring for me as it felt unnatural to instantly dislike a character! George is not a nice person. It’s understandable that he’s grieving and lashes out a lot. But I hated how poorly he was treating his late wife’s dachshund puppy, it hurt my heart. She still cared for him despite him being a horrible git and therein lies the beautiful nature and heart of dogs. However, I grew to appreciate George and his new friendship.
Dan’s story stole my heart. I felt all of the emotions and his story is the one that has stuck with me weeks later. Beautiful yet devastating.
This book is packed full of emotions, grieving, friendships, love and dogs. It will stay with you.
I received an e-ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review, these opinions are my own.