Scan barcode
mreadsbooks's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Medical content, and War
tigeryear's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Don't get me wrong, this is an awfully cute book with some touching and reflective parts woven within.
It reminded me a lot of a children's story, despite some of its more emotionally grueling content -- specifically, one I read when I was in maybe second grade? -- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. But, instead of featuring an inanimate toy traversing around trying to get back home, the main character in this was Bella, a Coloradoan mutt found under an apartment complex living with a colony of cats. And in an unfortunate way, I recall the former novel in fonder form than I found finishing the latter.
The reason I rated this so low was because I felt, while narrating as a dog was an interesting choice (and made me reflect on my past pets' feelings), Bella being so naive to the world around her got sort of infuriating by the time we meet Axel. I felt like making that choice did a disservice to the novel, didn't accomplish much with the plot or the characters learning much about themselves (besides Bella, who I think grew the most out of this whole story? Not by much, though), and Bella's constant recollections of being with Lucas did not do the job to cement my interest in him as a character or make Bella's motivation to GO back home believable. Besides all of that, maybe I've missed something that others found really enjoyable? I don't know, I barely remember the movie. In my opinion, this dog deserved better! By far!
If you are an animal lover or are immersed within a military family -- and especially if there are children around who share these values you've impressed, go ahead and give this book a read aloud to them. It is enjoyable, I believe, in that capacity.
It reminded me a lot of a children's story, despite some of its more emotionally grueling content -- specifically, one I read when I was in maybe second grade? -- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. But, instead of featuring an inanimate toy traversing around trying to get back home, the main character in this was Bella, a Coloradoan mutt found under an apartment complex living with a colony of cats. And in an unfortunate way, I recall the former novel in fonder form than I found finishing the latter.
If you are an animal lover or are immersed within a military family -- and especially if there are children around who share these values you've impressed, go ahead and give this book a read aloud to them. It is enjoyable, I believe, in that capacity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and War
marinaschulz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This was a cute story, but truth be told I'm a little amiss as to who is the target audience. On the one hand, the narrator, a puppy called Bella, has a very simple language that could almost be for children, but then the topics that are addressed in passing are at times a little harsh - animal brutality, depression, homelessness, drug use. It's a little jarring that the puppy-narrator doesn't seem to understand all that's happening (especially i.g. drug use), but that as a reader you are aghast and are shaken internally and hoping that every turns out okay.
Inspite of the simpler language this book was surprisingly difficult to put down. I really found myself rooting for Bella and her human (even though usually the human characters weren't very deeply developed). There's some kind of magic that the author bottled into this book, because it really made me emotional: at times I smiled, at another time, I nearly cried. I may pick up more books by this author, but for now I'm just happy knowing that Bella found her way home.
Inspite of the simpler language this book was surprisingly difficult to put down. I really found myself rooting for Bella and her human (even though usually the human characters weren't very deeply developed). There's some kind of magic that the author bottled into this book, because it really made me emotional: at times I smiled, at another time, I nearly cried. I may pick up more books by this author, but for now I'm just happy knowing that Bella found her way home.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Drug abuse
Minor: Alcoholism