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olivia1997's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
cassidycapata's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Who doesn’t love a book narrated by a golden retriever? This one was absolutely spectacular and really puts you in your feels. As a dog lover, this was certainly a page turner. So glad it had a happy ending <3 Your car goes where your eyes go! Manifesting is real!
sadalababa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
llfoofaye's review against another edition
2.0
The very beginning was sad, the ending was sad. The middle was boring and frustrating. I found myself skimming pages and don’t really feel like I missed anything. I didn’t think I’d care but I really didn’t enjoy the dog being the narrator. Just didn’t work for me.
leyavh's review against another edition
Didn't finish it, couldn't get through the cheesy over-emotional vibe. Is that giving it a fair chance? No. But life is too short.
pages_and_papercrafts's review against another edition
4.0
A novel that was both refreshing in that the point-of-view was from the dog, Enzo, but also emotionally wrecking. There hasn’t been a book I read lately that so clearly defines what it is like to experience the joys of life.
shaystamper's review against another edition
5.0
Have you ever wanted to start crying and never stop? Well, this is the book for you.
rr_author's review against another edition
2.0
I was told this book is sooo much better than the movie, which I loved! In my opinion, the movie was much better. It was made family friendly, which the book really isn’t.
This book was just weird, obviously others like it, but it was not for me. I could get past it being written from the perspective of the dog. The whole new age worldview was too much, it was in the movie too - but a little more toned down? There was foul language which I didn’t appreciate, and some descriptions of women/girls were so obviously written by a man... although I guess technically they’re supposed to be from the perspective of a dog? I had to skip some inappropriate parts. I almost stopped reading, but finished it just because I wanted to see how the end compared to the movie.
The only thing I enjoyed about the book was the father-daughter relationship, and some funny moments. I appreciated the representation of how some people play dirty during custody cases, even going to the lengths of making up false abuse claims. However, I didn’t think that whole part of the story was handled very well, almost like Denny was accepting/admitting to blame when he didn’t do anything.
Overall, I would not recommend or read again. Go watch the movie instead, lol. It took the good parts and made them better.
This book was just weird, obviously others like it, but it was not for me. I could get past it being written from the perspective of the dog. The whole new age worldview was too much, it was in the movie too - but a little more toned down? There was foul language which I didn’t appreciate, and some descriptions of women/girls were so obviously written by a man... although I guess technically they’re supposed to be from the perspective of a dog? I had to skip some inappropriate parts. I almost stopped reading, but finished it just because I wanted to see how the end compared to the movie.
The only thing I enjoyed about the book was the father-daughter relationship, and some funny moments. I appreciated the representation of how some people play dirty during custody cases, even going to the lengths of making up false abuse claims. However, I didn’t think that whole part of the story was handled very well, almost like Denny was accepting/admitting to blame when he didn’t do anything.
Overall, I would not recommend or read again. Go watch the movie instead, lol. It took the good parts and made them better.
trin's review against another edition
1.0
I am halfway tempted to dismiss this as a “man’s book.” I don’t feel comfortable doing that however, as 1) I have had way too many women tell me that they adored this book, that it made them weep and filled them with joy and cleared that pesky rash right up; and 2) if a dude dismissed pretty much anything as a “woman’s book,” I’d want to punch him in the throat. So, fair’s fair. This is not a “man’s book.” But it is a book written by a man with, I think, a seriously dim understanding of women and, quite possibly, people in general.
This is a book about a man called Denny. Denny is practically a saint. He loves his wife and his daughter and his dog, and for them—only for them!—he puts his dreams and his career as a *cough* professional race car driver on hold. When his wife gets cancer, he adheres to all of her wishes, including letting her and their daughter live with his creepy controlling in-laws. And when, while the rest of the family is packed away at said in-laws, a young, nubile, non-blood female relative brazenly attempts to seduce him, does Denny take her up on this offer of no-strings-attached sex? No! He bravely fends off her advances! Just like he refuses to give in when, after his wife’s inevitable death, the horrible in-laws try to gain custody of his daughter—going so far as to use a false accusation of rape by the duplicitous teenage seductress to improve their case! In the face of all this, wouldn’t most men give up and despair? But Denny—Denny the professional race car driver stays strong!
Yeah, okay. This may not be a “man’s book,” but that is a male fantasy if I ever heard one.
The only thing that makes this book at all believable is that it’s narrated by Denny’s dog. Denny’s dog is a dog—although, much to my disappointment, not an exuberant pup like Up’s Dug; Enzo instead sounds (as he would proudly assert) almost human—and thus he is loyal to a fault, and thus one can sort of see how Enzo-the-dog would see Denny-his-human as near-perfect. Enzo’s love for Denny is moving, and some early passages about their relationship were the only ones in the book that really worked for me. They were also, I suspect, what made so many of the people I’ve talked to—women and men—adore this book. Assuming you can ignore everything else about the story, I can sort of see where they are coming from there.
But I can’t ignore everything else about the story. Dog narrator or not, this is still a story about a perfect man persecuted by cartoonishly evil grandparents and almost left in ruin by, you know, one of those oh-so-common fake rape accusations. Have men at some point been falsely accused of rape? I’m sure they have. And you know: that really sucks. But you know what sucks even more? All the women who have actually been raped and then actually been told that no one would or should believe them, that the case will never go to court, that they guy will walk, that, you know, they were kind of asking for it anyway. And, fine, this may be partially my issues at play here, but that is all I could think about while Enzo praised Denny’s stoic dignity and bemoaned his powerlessness in the face of those evil, evil lawsuits. And I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe a word of this book. Talking dogs—those I am willing to buy. I could even conceivably have been sold on the “oh and also there is reincarnation” twist at the end of the novel. (Um. Maybe.) But Denny’s saintliness and the grandparents’ unadulterated evil and the girl who cried rape—um, nope. Those I cannot buy. Nor do I want to.
Whether or not this is a “man’s book,” it is definitely not a book for me.
This is a book about a man called Denny. Denny is practically a saint. He loves his wife and his daughter and his dog, and for them—only for them!—he puts his dreams and his career as a *cough* professional race car driver on hold. When his wife gets cancer, he adheres to all of her wishes, including letting her and their daughter live with his creepy controlling in-laws. And when, while the rest of the family is packed away at said in-laws, a young, nubile, non-blood female relative brazenly attempts to seduce him, does Denny take her up on this offer of no-strings-attached sex? No! He bravely fends off her advances! Just like he refuses to give in when, after his wife’s inevitable death, the horrible in-laws try to gain custody of his daughter—going so far as to use a false accusation of rape by the duplicitous teenage seductress to improve their case! In the face of all this, wouldn’t most men give up and despair? But Denny—Denny the professional race car driver stays strong!
Yeah, okay. This may not be a “man’s book,” but that is a male fantasy if I ever heard one.
The only thing that makes this book at all believable is that it’s narrated by Denny’s dog. Denny’s dog is a dog—although, much to my disappointment, not an exuberant pup like Up’s Dug; Enzo instead sounds (as he would proudly assert) almost human—and thus he is loyal to a fault, and thus one can sort of see how Enzo-the-dog would see Denny-his-human as near-perfect. Enzo’s love for Denny is moving, and some early passages about their relationship were the only ones in the book that really worked for me. They were also, I suspect, what made so many of the people I’ve talked to—women and men—adore this book. Assuming you can ignore everything else about the story, I can sort of see where they are coming from there.
But I can’t ignore everything else about the story. Dog narrator or not, this is still a story about a perfect man persecuted by cartoonishly evil grandparents and almost left in ruin by, you know, one of those oh-so-common fake rape accusations. Have men at some point been falsely accused of rape? I’m sure they have. And you know: that really sucks. But you know what sucks even more? All the women who have actually been raped and then actually been told that no one would or should believe them, that the case will never go to court, that they guy will walk, that, you know, they were kind of asking for it anyway. And, fine, this may be partially my issues at play here, but that is all I could think about while Enzo praised Denny’s stoic dignity and bemoaned his powerlessness in the face of those evil, evil lawsuits. And I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe a word of this book. Talking dogs—those I am willing to buy. I could even conceivably have been sold on the “oh and also there is reincarnation” twist at the end of the novel. (Um. Maybe.) But Denny’s saintliness and the grandparents’ unadulterated evil and the girl who cried rape—um, nope. Those I cannot buy. Nor do I want to.
Whether or not this is a “man’s book,” it is definitely not a book for me.
moruyle's review against another edition
3.0
Not really my sort of thing, but fine for what it was. Read for a book club.