Stay
By: Allie Larkin
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Published: June 10, 2010
Genre: Chick-Lit Romance
Rating:
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Savannah “Van” Leone has been in love with Peter Clarke ever since she literally fell head over heels in front of him on the first day of college. Now, six years later, instead of standing across from him at the altar, Van’s standing behind her best friend Janie as maid of honor, trying to mask her heartache and guilt as Janie marries the only man Van’s ever loved. Before, Van’s mother died, she told Van never to let Peter go, but as the couple exchanges vows, Van wonders if her fairy tale ending will ever come true.
After the wedding, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool-Aid-vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin Tin Tin, and does what any heartbroken woman in her situation would do: She impulsively buys a German Shepherd over the Internet. The pocket-size puppy Van is expecting turns out to be a clumsy, hundred-pound beast who only responds to commands in Slovak, and Van is at the end of her rope… until she realizes that this quirky giant may be the only living being who will always be loyal to her, no matter what.
Van affectionately names her dog Joe, and together, they work to mend the pieces of Van’s shattered heart. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Joe’s vet is a rugged sweetheart with floppy blond hair and a winning smile. But when the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, Van is forced to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to have everything she ever wanted, proving that sometimes life needs to get more complicated before it can get better.
This is a cute chick-lit romance about a woman who’s best friend/ secret love marries her other best friend. Van is feeling rather lonely and makes an impulsive online purchase while drunk. She thinks she’s getting a cute little fur-ball of a puppy but when she goes to pick up the dog from the airport, it’s a 5 month old massive German Shepherd puppy. On Joe’s (GSD) first vet visit, Van meets Alex (the vet). They hit it off and pretty soon Van is forgetting all about the heartbreak she experienced over her best friends.
Like I said, this is a cute story. There’s no heavy romance, no major drama, no suspense. Just a cute love story with an adorable German Shepherd who brings everyone together. Some of the story was a bit cheesy but I sort of expect that when it comes to chick-lit romances. There was some humor that had me laughing out loud.
There were also parts of the story that I enjoyed simply because of Joe. Van’s never had a dog before, so even though Joe is well trained as a working dog, she doesn’t know all the ins and outs of owning a dog. Sorta like me when I got my first dog. One of the things I loved was that the author literally got one of my moments in the book. For instance, there’s a scene where Van comes home to find out that Joe’s chewed the leg of her bed like it was a stick. My dog did that to my bed. I’ve no idea how long he sat under the bed gnawing on it but one day I found the leg to be nothing more than a twig compared to it’s former self. The fact that the author added little things like this to the book really made the book that much better.
I’m new to the authors work but I really did enjoy this story. I will have to check out her other books and keep an eye out for new stuff. If you’re in the market for a light read, than this is definitely a must.
This is the moment that Van finds out that the puppy she’s supposed to pick up from the airport isn’t the tiny thing she was expecting.
“I had a tiny black puppy collar with little silver stars on it tucked in my purse along with a skinny black leash. It didn’t look like it would fit around this beast’s leg. I pictured myself leading a big black wolf through the airport with a collar on his leg.”
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