Sometimes the dogs we rescue… also rescue us.A heart-wrenching and beautiful story perfect for dog lovers everywhere. Fans of A Dog’s Purpose, The Art of Racing in the Rain and Marley and Me will be utterly entranced by this gorgeous page-turner.Madison knows her fourteen-year-old daughter Abbie is struggling. She wishes she could give Abbie stability, the promise of a forever home in Millbury, … Abbie stability, the promise of a forever home in Millbury, but she is scared to stay in one town for too long, and every day Abbie seems more anxious. Until a chance encounter with a beautiful, boisterous golden retriever puppy called Duke changes everything…
Duke bounces into the community centre where Madison is working and when Abbie meets him she stops pacing the room. Duke is tugging his owner, seventy-five-year-old Arthur, along for the ride, and instantly Madison sees a way she and Arthur can help each other. She offers to train Duke so that Abbie gets to see him, and from that moment the four of them become a family.
Madison finally feels like she has a second chance at life and a reason to stay in town, but when her past catches up with her they are all at risk. Duke may have united this family, but will he be able to keep them together?
A reminder of the unbelievable bonds we form with the dogs in our lives. No matter how broken you are, the unconditional love of a dog can piece you back together.
What readers are saying about Casey Wilson:
“Perfect for fans of A Dog’s Purpose, The Art of Racing in the Rain and Marley and Me. This book drew me in from the first page… I honestly shed tears reading this wonderful book, I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially dog lovers.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“I am completely demolished, this was the most heart-warming, sweet and beautiful book I’ve read in a while. It grabbed me and just stole my heart… I can’t even express my feelings, just read it!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“A totally heart and gut-wrenching novel… I read the last couple chapters through tears as it touched me very deeply. I absolutely recommend this page-turner! You will not want to put it down!” The Write Review, 5 stars
“Wow!… This story is one of heartbreak, love, loss, forgiveness and overcoming! It’s a wonderful story about the peace that comes when you find your sweet, furry soulmate and I believe everyone has one!… We can learn so much from a dog and this book captured that perfectly!” I Have Lived a Thousand Times, 5 stars
“Omg! Omg! Omg!… This book just breaks my heart into thousand pieces.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“If I could rate this 10 stars, I would!… This book drew me in from the first page… I definitely shed some tears reading this. If you love dogs and are looking for a book with REAL meaning, grab this one!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“I so so so totally, utterly loved this book… If you are a dog lover, you will love this story too. If you are wondering why people love their furry friends so much, you should read it and maybe you will understand why.” B for Book Review, 5 stars
“Once I began reading, I couldn’t put the book down. A Dog’s Hope is a heart-warming journey between a young boy and an abandoned dog… a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings from a dog’s perspective and how we can learn from each other.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“Beautifully written story that will remain with me for a long time… I definitely required tissues at hand to get through… several times the intensity required me to put the book down which made it a wonderful, memorable story.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
Favorite Quote:
That’s the beautiful thing about sharing the love in your heart— it doesn’t mean you have less of it. Love is the only thing that grows the more you give away.
My Review:
I relished this tender and sweet story. Duke’s tale squeezed my heart, stung my eyes, and caused my lips to quiver, and more than a few times. This lovely story included a rescued puppy’s point of view and Duke’s observations were my favorites. The characters were endearing and highly likable, realistically flawed, and each struggling with significant personal challenges. However, they found their burdens were easing once their paths had crossed – which was all due to the exuberant introduction and interventions of Duke. The writing style and storylines were easy to follow, emotive, relevant, and quite moving. I am an animal lover and adore stories featuring clever animals almost as much as the precious animals themselves.
A truly emotional story. The author captures the essence of how I imagine a dog truly loves his family. Anyone who thinks a dog has no feelings has never looked into their soulful eyes. I hugged my dog a little longer and a little tighter after reading this. The author is so gifted with her vivid descriptions. Few authors can bring me to tears but several of her books have been able to make me reach for the tissues. One of my favorite authors.
Thank you to NetGalley and Casey Wilson for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Moving, charming, and uplifting!
A Dog’s Chance is an optimistic, engaging novel that takes us into the lives of four main characters. Arthur, a kind-hearted widow whose loneliness is palpable and who spends the better part of his days thinking of his lost wife, Rosie; Madison, a nurse practitioner who would love to settle down but knows she must always keep one step ahead of her past; Abbie, a troubled teenager, struggling with anxiety and a place to fit in; and Duke, a stray golden retriever who is determined to bring together all those around him and ultimately find himself a forever home.
The prose is reflective and sweet. The characters are caring, endearing, and resilient. And the plot is a compelling tale of life, loss, friendship, tension, kindness, self-discovery, generosity, happiness, taking chances, unconditional love, growing old, and the healing power of pets.
Overall, I found A Dog’s Chance to be a heartwarming, emotive, touching novel by Wilson that reminds us that family can be any unit created by love and not limited to those related by blood and that life should always be lived to the fullest.
Such a sweet and heart warming story that is centered around Duke, a golden retriever. He is a delightful puppy whose view is expressed through several chapters. Between Duke and Madison, you will fall in love with Millbury and the wonderful characters who call it home.
If I have a complaint, it’s the fact that Madison continues “thinking” about her “situation” without letting us know what it involved. I finally suspected what had happened, but it drove me nuts the way she kept being troubled but wouldn’t “think” about the details.
I fell in love with Duke and could imagine living with such a sweet and caring dog.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
There was so much about this book I loved. Duke the Golden was number one, of course. Dogs; they bring us together and give us such unconditional love. The characters were wonderful and so well developed. I had a special spot in my heart for Arthur; he’s gentle, like my own dad who also has another thing in common with Arthur (can’t give away spoilers). I could just feel the love of a small town where I’d love to be part of such a community. Loved it all!
A Dog’s Chance is the second dog book by Casey Wilson. This is a newer author for me to read but I have since purchased the first book, A Dog’s Hope. Heart touching story of the role animals play in our lives. As well as the positive differences that they can make in bringing people together, families that are made not born are often as strong or stronger. All the characters have needed and that includes Duke that are met so that they begin to thrive. What a beautiful lesson for us all.
This story is told very effectively in dual perspectives; one by the dog, Duke and one by a human, Madison. I enjoyed Duke’s point of view as much as Madison’s. However, I would have like to have heard from Madison’s teenage daughter, Abbie too.
This is an author on the rise, who is not a one book wonder but will be entertaining us with heart warming and heartbreaking stories for many years to come. Any book she writes will be on my future TBR list. Duke, Arthur, Madison and Abbie won my heart!
An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wonderful story about a dog named Duke who brings a world of comfort to a widower, a single mom and her daughter. Abbie, the daughter, sometimes got to me because I don’t have kids or have patience for them. But of course, I loved Duke, Arthur and the possible chance for a happy life for Madison and Sonny.
What a truly heartwarming novel Casey Wilson has written!!!
“A Dog’s Chance” tells an emotional yet charming tale of Madison, Abbie, Arthur and Sonny and their relationship development.
Even Duke, the adorable pup tells some of story from his point of view! Which was really entertaining because a dog’s perspective is different from us humans.
It was hard to put the book down and the whimsical whirlwind of emotions it put my heart through.
I absolutely adored this novel!! This is a must read!!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for fair and honest review.
Casey Wilson! You’ve done it again. I did not want A Dog’s Chance to end. It was such a beautifully written book. It pulled at all of my heartstrings one at a time and all at once.
I woke up this morning thinking about Madison, Abbie, Arthur and Sonny. I was excited to get back to the book to see how everything was going to conclude.
This author creates the best characters and her dogs are simply top notch. I like that some of the story is told from the dogs point of view. That is unique and something you don’t see often. It comes off as pretty authentic. I especially loved these characters and more than once found myself aching to give them a hug.
If you read A Dog’s Hope and liked it, you will love this one. If you haven’t read either one and you love dogs, then you will definitely want to read both of them. These are stand alone stories. Pick up whichever book you can, get a cold drink and curl up in the hammock. You’re probably going to be there until you’re done.
I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review.
This is a MUST READ book!! It is well written and hooks you on the first page. It is full of emotions and you can feel every one them. I loved how the author included Duke’s point of view in the story and showed how a dog can help a person. I loved this book so much that I pre-ordered it. Thank you Bookouture via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book, and a huge THANK YOU to Casey Wilson for writing it! All opinions expressed are my own.
Sweet and Emotional Tale
This is a sweet and emotional tale of a dog and several hurting people that he helps heal through his unconditional love. The story is well done. There are parts of the history that are just alluded to until the climactic moment. I think that it is a story any dog lover would enjoy. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
After reading Casey Wilson’s first book called “A Dog’s Hope” I was thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to read “A Dog’s Chance”. Ms. Wilson writes the best novels with dogs as her main characters. I’ve always been a dog lover and reading books that feature dogs is just the best for me! This book is no exception…..a best!
It’s not always the person who finds the dog but the dog who finds and chooses its person. There is a connection between them that’s just meant to be. Duke is that kind of a dog. He is an abandoned “dump dog” puppy and he longs to be in a family. Because of destiny or fate, he happens upon a very sad elderly man, Arthur, and he just knows he can comfort him. This is his person! There is an instant bond between them and that’s where the story of Duke grabs my heart and takes me on his journey. Dogs bring such joy into the lives of the people they choose and Duke is there for Arthur.
Madison is a traveling nurse practioner and a single mom of a 14 year old daughter, Abbie, who’s struggling with anxiety. Madison’s next assignment brings them to the town of Millbury. This place just seems to be where they belong but there’s a reason they can’t get complacent and settle down. Madison just can’t become attached to anyone or anything. It’s not worth the risk. But….who can resist Duke? He’s such a lovable and intuitive golden retriever and connects with Abbie. As does Madison connect with Arthur. Now what will she do and how will she ever be able to leave this new family?
I love the way this story is written between the two POVs. One is Duke’s and the other is Madison’s. Ms. Wilson has created a dialogue with Duke’s voice that is so unique, touching and compassionate. She’s put into “words” what those soulful eyes and expressions dogs have and what they would say if they could actually talk. Duke is a very wise puppy and he loves through his heart. “Dogs see what’s inside, what’s underneath, and we have a keen awareness of how humans are feeling and what’s churning inside, deep below the surface.” Duke is so intune with his people. Throughout the story, Ms. Wilson weaves Duke’s instincts and connection to bring the characters together.
This story has so many of the “feels” that make it a great dog-lover story. Duke channels his inner “Lassie” so many times. One point in particular of the story. I loved watching Lassie when I was a little girl and this book reminded me so much of that. The love of a dog for his family. Always faithful to protect and comfort.
Duke had challenges when he was a pup. He was the runt of the litter and overlooked. But his mother encouraged him and told him he was “destined for greatness”. He is loyal, devoted and loves unconditionally. “Just because I was different and smaller, didn’t mean I wasn’t powerful. Stature, breed, looks-all are labels that serve only to limit, but they don’t determine our strength. Dogs know what’s on the outside isn’t important; it’s what’s deep in your heart that defines you.” I love Duke!! He is a GREAT dog!
I am so honored to have read this book. Ms. Wilson’s wonderful gift of writing is even more incredible in the way she expresses the inner thoughts of the dog characters she brings to life. I love her dedication to her sweet pup, Izzy. Dogs do heal hearts and bring joy. This book is full of this. Huge thanks to Ms. Wilson for the copy of this wonderful story. I loved the journey with Duke and his family. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.