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erinhawley's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
star1412's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Enjoyable. Once I picked it up I read it pretty fast. I wouldn't exactly call it a found family like the cover description says, but it was pretty good. I especially liked that there were sections from the dog's point of view.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction and Homophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual harassment
booksuperpower's review against another edition
2.0
Two Good Dogs by Susan Wilson is a 2017 St. Martin’s Press publication.
As an animal lover, I was drawn to this book because of its title. Then the synopsis convinced me to take the plunge.
Skye, a widow, moves with her daughter, Cody, into an old hotel hoping to turn it into a profitable venture, something she has always dreamed of doing. However, fourteen year old Cody is carrying a heavy and terrifying burden, and this move has only compounded her stress levels.
Adam and his therapy dog, Chance, need a place to stay during a blinding rain storm which leads him to Skye’s establishment. At first it seemed like things were not going to work out because Skye had a strict ‘no pets’ policy.
Adam convinces her to make an exception, and continues to stick around for a while. Being the only guest, he soon finds himself embroiled in the mother/daughter drama between Skye and Cody, while he continues to work through his heartbreaking grief.
I really wanted to like this book, and although I have not read any of the author’s previous books, I picked up a vibe that tells me she has a dedicated fan base. However, other than Chance the pit bull’s inner thoughts, the rest of the book was disappointing.
The blurb could be partially to blame. The suggestion is that this story falls into either the romance or thriller category is pushing things a bit. There is a suspenseful element, since we know Cody is carrying a huge burden and that she has been threatened. The possibility that what she knows could put her danger, or that on any day the piper could come calling, did situate itself in the back of my mind, but the author did not utilize that to its fullest capacity. Instead, the book dealt more with the psychological consequences that Cody endures, which is responsible for her disturbing, and uncharacteristic behavior that baffled and frustrated her mother.
Adam’s arrival is fortuitous, only because he happened to bring Chance along. The chemistry between Skye and Adam was a letdown for me, as I am expecting a few fireworks, but mostly got friendship.
Adam’s struggles are deeper than his sorrow, but these issues are never fully explained or revealed, and we are forced to guess or fill in the blanks on our own. Was he a victim of abuse or the abuser, both, or none of the above? I’m sorry, but to me, unless the author intends to feature Adam’s story in a sequel or if this happens to be an ongoing saga, that’s just laziness, in my opinion.
Chance’s ‘first person narrative’ though, is the book’s saving grace. The author did do a very good job of voicing Chance’s thoughts, which was a very nice touch. I just wish the other characters, who were mostly bland were as developed or as interesting.
There were a couple of secondary threads running parallel, one of which was just a big mess, but the other introduces us to ‘good dog’ number two. I enjoyed this thread which added much needed depth to a story that was beginning to become predictable.
Overall, this book has some shining moments, which speaks to the role animals play in our overall enjoyment and well -being in life. They come to our rescue in times of trouble and need, are loyal and much more attuned to our feelings than we could possibly imagine. I wish we really could hear their thoughts. Service dogs are an absolute godsend for people. They really do saves lives and I love it when stories are centered these incredible dogs.
This aspect alone makes the book worth checking out if you are an animal or pet lover, but if you are looking for romance or suspense, in the usual terms, you might want to take a pass on this one.
Unfortunately, the story is not cohesive, had too many threads going on at once, and some aspects are simply left up to the reader to decipher on their own, with several open ended threads which left me feeling very frustrated. The characters are flat, except the dog, and the crime elements do not come into the picture until the very tail end of the book.
Overall, I’m afraid this one was a dud, in my opinion, although I appear to be in the minority on that one. However, since the author has such a stellar reputation, I'm sure this is not the best representation of her work, so, I will certainly be up for reading her back listed titles and giving her another chance in the future.
2 stars
As an animal lover, I was drawn to this book because of its title. Then the synopsis convinced me to take the plunge.
Skye, a widow, moves with her daughter, Cody, into an old hotel hoping to turn it into a profitable venture, something she has always dreamed of doing. However, fourteen year old Cody is carrying a heavy and terrifying burden, and this move has only compounded her stress levels.
Adam and his therapy dog, Chance, need a place to stay during a blinding rain storm which leads him to Skye’s establishment. At first it seemed like things were not going to work out because Skye had a strict ‘no pets’ policy.
Adam convinces her to make an exception, and continues to stick around for a while. Being the only guest, he soon finds himself embroiled in the mother/daughter drama between Skye and Cody, while he continues to work through his heartbreaking grief.
I really wanted to like this book, and although I have not read any of the author’s previous books, I picked up a vibe that tells me she has a dedicated fan base. However, other than Chance the pit bull’s inner thoughts, the rest of the book was disappointing.
The blurb could be partially to blame. The suggestion is that this story falls into either the romance or thriller category is pushing things a bit. There is a suspenseful element, since we know Cody is carrying a huge burden and that she has been threatened. The possibility that what she knows could put her danger, or that on any day the piper could come calling, did situate itself in the back of my mind, but the author did not utilize that to its fullest capacity. Instead, the book dealt more with the psychological consequences that Cody endures, which is responsible for her disturbing, and uncharacteristic behavior that baffled and frustrated her mother.
Adam’s arrival is fortuitous, only because he happened to bring Chance along. The chemistry between Skye and Adam was a letdown for me, as I am expecting a few fireworks, but mostly got friendship.
Adam’s struggles are deeper than his sorrow, but these issues are never fully explained or revealed, and we are forced to guess or fill in the blanks on our own. Was he a victim of abuse or the abuser, both, or none of the above? I’m sorry, but to me, unless the author intends to feature Adam’s story in a sequel or if this happens to be an ongoing saga, that’s just laziness, in my opinion.
Chance’s ‘first person narrative’ though, is the book’s saving grace. The author did do a very good job of voicing Chance’s thoughts, which was a very nice touch. I just wish the other characters, who were mostly bland were as developed or as interesting.
There were a couple of secondary threads running parallel, one of which was just a big mess, but the other introduces us to ‘good dog’ number two. I enjoyed this thread which added much needed depth to a story that was beginning to become predictable.
Overall, this book has some shining moments, which speaks to the role animals play in our overall enjoyment and well -being in life. They come to our rescue in times of trouble and need, are loyal and much more attuned to our feelings than we could possibly imagine. I wish we really could hear their thoughts. Service dogs are an absolute godsend for people. They really do saves lives and I love it when stories are centered these incredible dogs.
This aspect alone makes the book worth checking out if you are an animal or pet lover, but if you are looking for romance or suspense, in the usual terms, you might want to take a pass on this one.
Unfortunately, the story is not cohesive, had too many threads going on at once, and some aspects are simply left up to the reader to decipher on their own, with several open ended threads which left me feeling very frustrated. The characters are flat, except the dog, and the crime elements do not come into the picture until the very tail end of the book.
Overall, I’m afraid this one was a dud, in my opinion, although I appear to be in the minority on that one. However, since the author has such a stellar reputation, I'm sure this is not the best representation of her work, so, I will certainly be up for reading her back listed titles and giving her another chance in the future.
2 stars
ahfeehan's review against another edition
3.0
Decent follow-up to One Good Dog. Usually enjoyable read, nice lightweight book for dog lovers that want to take a break from heavy duty books.
ksfmcdaniel's review against another edition
1.0
Just rather dull and blah. Not much of a storyline.
jj24's review against another edition
2.0
I've never written a book. Putting a few sentences down for these book reflections is hard enough, so I have nothing but respect for authors who manage to publish an entire novel.
Since I've been bailing out on several books this year I decided to stick with this one to the end. On the plus side, the book's plot highlights the deeply meaningful role animals can have as therapeutic healers for those who have experienced trauma or disease. I'll share my constructive criticisms directly with the publisher and simply note that this book will probably best be enjoyed by those who love "Lifetime" moves (note: I don't).
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Since I've been bailing out on several books this year I decided to stick with this one to the end. On the plus side, the book's plot highlights the deeply meaningful role animals can have as therapeutic healers for those who have experienced trauma or disease. I'll share my constructive criticisms directly with the publisher and simply note that this book will probably best be enjoyed by those who love "Lifetime" moves (note: I don't).
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
kathijo63's review against another edition
5.0
Another fantastic read from Susan Wilson. I want to read more and more books about Adam and Chance and their friends and family. I can't get enough of them!
mformato's review
2.5
The book promised a found family concept between four individuals each going through their own struggles; however, it failed to meet those expectations.
Each character did have their own voice, however it was very confusing at the start of the book with very little clarity between the change in narrators. I found it odd that two of the characters were written in first person while the other two were written in third, I think it should have been consistently third person narration.
I found it odd that Chance, the dog, had the most sophisticated voice at some times, but failed to understand minute concepts at other times. It felt as if the author had to sprinkle in some reminders that he was just a dog and not a human.
Adam's story probably would have been more complete had I read One Good Dog first, despite these books not being labelled as part of a duology. Some parts of his past were stretched out too much while others were merely glossed over. As a reader, I never felt like I knew who he was other than a "changed man" from a life I knew nothing about.
Skye's role felt sort of flat. I like that we had a chance to see her struggles in maintaining herself afloat, but I never felt emotionally connected to her. I am glad that since we got to see her side of the story instead of just her daughter's that we understand where she's coming from and that she's not a monster as a troubled teen narrator would have you believe. I like that she found a friendship in Adam rather than a romantic bond (what I assumed the story was going to lead towards) but their dynamic was boring at best.
Cody's story was the most engaging. From harboring a secret about her father's death, dealing with bullying, aspiring to impress her art mentor, dealing with a bad friend, and her fear of letting her mom get close to her, she had so much potential. However, the author dropped the ball on what could have been a great story. Had Cody been the main focus the entire time and more of her storyline was fleshed out, the novel would have been way more interesting.
-----------Spoilers below!-------------
The resolution came by way too fast at the very end of the book. Randy's killer finding Cody and trying to kill her would have been a much better climax had it happened not in the final two chapters of the book. There was no resolution with Mosely's grooming of Cody. There was no resolution with Cody's bullies at school. There was barely a resolution with Johnny. Mingo felt like a wasted character. Honestly, with so much useless build up, the ending was only satisfying in that I was finally done with this book. The story had so much potential but never went in-depth on what actually mattered.
Each character did have their own voice, however it was very confusing at the start of the book with very little clarity between the change in narrators. I found it odd that two of the characters were written in first person while the other two were written in third, I think it should have been consistently third person narration.
I found it odd that Chance, the dog, had the most sophisticated voice at some times, but failed to understand minute concepts at other times. It felt as if the author had to sprinkle in some reminders that he was just a dog and not a human.
Adam's story probably would have been more complete had I read One Good Dog first, despite these books not being labelled as part of a duology. Some parts of his past were stretched out too much while others were merely glossed over. As a reader, I never felt like I knew who he was other than a "changed man" from a life I knew nothing about.
Skye's role felt sort of flat. I like that we had a chance to see her struggles in maintaining herself afloat, but I never felt emotionally connected to her. I am glad that since we got to see her side of the story instead of just her daughter's that we understand where she's coming from and that she's not a monster as a troubled teen narrator would have you believe. I like that she found a friendship in Adam rather than a romantic bond (what I assumed the story was going to lead towards) but their dynamic was boring at best.
Cody's story was the most engaging. From harboring a secret about her father's death, dealing with bullying, aspiring to impress her art mentor, dealing with a bad friend, and her fear of letting her mom get close to her, she had so much potential. However, the author dropped the ball on what could have been a great story. Had Cody been the main focus the entire time and more of her storyline was fleshed out, the novel would have been way more interesting.
-----------Spoilers below!-------------
The resolution came by way too fast at the very end of the book. Randy's killer finding Cody and trying to kill her would have been a much better climax had it happened not in the final two chapters of the book. There was no resolution with Mosely's grooming of Cody. There was no resolution with Cody's bullies at school. There was barely a resolution with Johnny. Mingo felt like a wasted character. Honestly, with so much useless build up, the ending was only satisfying in that I was finally done with this book. The story had so much potential but never went in-depth on what actually mattered.
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