“Such a funny, sparky book…An ideal read for anyone who’s a fan of Christmas or dogs–or both!”–Sophie Kinsella, New York Times bestselling authorThirty-one-year-old Charlie isn’t in the mood for Christmas cheer…Her boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, her mother has absconded with her latest husband for the holidays, and–adding insult to (literal) injury–her London apartment … (literal) injury–her London apartment has just been destroyed by a gas leak. Single, mildly concussed and temporarily homeless, Charlie realizes there’s only one place to go: Cozy Canine Cottages, where she’ll spend the season looking after her cousin Jez’s doggy day care center. And if she’s not exactly a dog person, well, no one has to know…
But her plans for a quiet Christmas in a quaint country village are quickly dashed. Peggy the pregnant beagle and Malcolm the anxious Great Dane seem determined to keep her up all night. A strange man has been casing her cousin’s house. And where is Cal, the unbearably patronizing but disturbingly handsome local vet, when she needs him?
As the days tick down to Christmas, Charlie’s life has never felt so out of control–but with some help from her new four-legged friends, she just might learn a thing or two about living in the moment, embracing the unexpected and opening herself up to love…
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Such a funny, sparky book… An ideal read for anyone who’s a fan of Christmas or dogs — or both!
5-stars
It’s snowing Christmas, comedy, and dogs in this one!
The author seems to be my age, which I’m happy to say, reflected in her writing. This was very refreshing! Nothing against my older authors, it was just way easier to relate to psychologically and behaviorally. The author is from London, so there was some slang that was incomprehensible for me simply because I grew up in America, but I just skipped over those words, it did not impact my understanding of the story any, but I was not about to start googling words when I’m reading for leisure.
The young voice in which this was written enriched the story deeply for me because the relationships were believable. The dialogue felt real. I didn’t feel like I was trying to put myself into a character’s shoes with the mindset of a 40-year-old. Those romances are always so matured in a way or just about the romance or sex. This book focuses on what is happening rather than scenery or sex. There is romance but sex is not focused upon. Don’t get me wrong there is love, it was just done in a classy discreet way.
This writing reflected so many young and fun qualities contained within a person, relatable is an understatement. Needless to say, I freaking loved these characters, humans and animals alike. The characters acted their age, and all the animals had their own unique personalities which were so fun and made the animals easy to remember by name. The main character is not big on Christmas vibes, while this story did include Christmas themes, it wasn’t shoved down your throat.
I truly loved this story. The plot was so clever and I loved how everything came together. No one was left behind and I loved how everything played out. I was laughing out loud like a crazy person in every single chapter. There are some seriously hilarious incidences that occur. I promise you will not be able to contain yourself. Here’s an example…
Decorating the Christmas tree with dog leashes, tennis balls, colorful poo bags, and a frisbee topper… There were so many hilarious scenes such as the one I just described for you. I was seriously laughing out loud at something in every chapter, those around me were giving me looks. I clearly enjoyed myself while reading this. It’s not very often I have fun reading a book, I get absorbed yes, I put myself in their shoes, but this was a seriously fun read for me, it wasn’t just emotions for once.
If you like dogs, and light-hearted humor I promise you will not be disappointed.
I cannot wait to read more by this author!
T’was a fun read before Christmas.
Much gratitude to Natalie Cox, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the Goodreads giveaway Program for this ARC I won.
All reviews are my own and voluntary.
Mutts and Mistletoe had been sitting on my bookshelf for two years before I picked it up, determined to get more holiday reading in.
Charlie is seriously a girl after my own heart. I love her dry humor even if she’s a bit down on Christmas. There’s no particular reason for it. She was recently dumped by her boyfriend but even that hasn’t necessarily messed her up which surprises her. She’s prepared for a low key Christmas but when her flat is destroyed by a gas leak, she has no choice but to stay with her cousin in the London countryside for the time being. It’s a drastic change of scenery for this city girl, especially when she has to share her temporary digs with several dogs. Her cousin, Jez, runs a boarding kennel, and dogs are definitely not Charlie’s thing. Jez calls in a major favor of Charlie who’s roped in to help watch after the kennel while the former goes out of town for several days. Of course, Charlie thinks it’ll be easy peasey but what’s the fun in that? Nothing calamitous happens; it’s all interesting locals and ridiculousness that keep things funny.
I enjoyed reading this so much! I laughed out loud, giggled and shook my head at all the weird stuff. Charlie takes things in stride and her time removed from her normal surroundings allows her to think. One of the things I loved most in this story is her relationship with her father. Her family dynamics are strange but her connection with her dad is so touching. He gets her and tells her exactly what she needs to hear in that moment. There’s something about his perspective that opens her mind and he does it quoting Kant! I was so impressed with their conversations that I bookmarked those sections because they resonated with me. Plus, they were funny, too.
Charlie doesn’t set out looking for romantic entanglements but the opportunities present themselves. Her initial rocky meeting with local vet, Cal turns cute and flirty even if there’s an absurd misunderstanding. Then another possible love interest rolls in who strikes me as such a quintessentially quirky character that I delight in and that English writers do so well. Anyway, if Charlie thought she was in for a quiet time, she was mistaken!
I’m so happy I finally read Mutts and Mistletoe. It was the perfect read to add to my holiday cheer and I want everyone to add it to theirs!
*Source: purchased copy