Title: House Trained
Author: Jackie Bouchard
Published: October 20, 2015 by Lake Union
Pages: 291
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 3/5
Goodreads
Alex Halstad, a childless-by-choice interior designer and dog mom, is a true perfectionist. But her orderly life turns chaotic when the teenage daughter her husband, Barry, never knew he had shows up on their doorstep...with a baby girl of her own in tow. While Alex’s dog enthusiastically welcomes the new arrivals, Alex struggles with the loss of her steady routine. She desperately needs peace and quiet to get her business back on track before Barry finds out she’s spent most of their savings. Meanwhile, the arrival of the girls stirs up old insecurities, and Alex can’t help but worry that Barry’s ex will make an entrance too. With her tidy life a distant memory, will Alex be able to learn from her dog the true meaning of love and acceptance?
From bestselling author Jackie Bouchard comes a humorous and heartwarming look at how life creates opportunities to love in surprising ways.
My review:
This was an enjoyable book, but I'm not sure that it is one that will stick with me. Having said that, I would read another novel by this author because it was very entertaining in the moment, even if I won't necessarily remember it in months to come. I liked the fact that the author did a great job with interjecting humorous situations into some rather sensitive topics, namely those of secrets, trust, and being childless by choice. Interspersed with the story lines, we have the adorable dog of the house. I have not read any previous books by this author, but in doing a bit of research I learned that all of her books feature dogs. Being a dog lover, I'm totally on board with this idea. I thought the writing was good, the story flowed well (perhaps a bit faster pace in the second half), and I enjoyed the characters (including the dog :)). The main character Alex was a bit over the top with her insecurities, but it didn't bother me enough to not like her, or root for her. The ending was predictable, but satisfying to me.
Pick this one up for a cute story that has a bit of everything to it, especially if you are a dog person.
This book is part of the fall reading challenge hosted by BookSparks. To find out more, click the link.
