In this romantic comedy by the author of Maybe Baby, a woman must redeem herself if she hopes to get out of the doghouse. When Lisa Blake’s life in London falls apart, she returns to her hometown rebranding herself as “the purrfect pet sitter”–which may or may not be false advertising as she has a rather unfortunate habit of (temporarily) losing dogs! But being back where she grew up, …
But being back where she grew up, Lisa can’t escape her past. There’s her estranged best friend Flick who she bumps into in an embarrassing encounter in a local supermarket. And her first love, Nathan Baker, who, considering their history, is sure to be even more surprised by her drunken Facebook friend request than Lisa is.
As she becomes involved in the lives of her old friends, Lisa must confront the hurt she has caused, discover the truth about her mysterious leather-clad admirer, and learn how to move forward when the things she wants most are affected by the decisions of her past.
Praise for The Purrfect Pet Sitter
“All I can say is that this ticked every single box.” –Jo Lambert, author of Summer Moved On
more
*The Purrfect Pet Sitter* was a delightful read of a woman trying to find herself.
Lisa had the perfect life, at least from the outside. She had a fabulous job, lived in London, and had a loving boyfriend. Until, it all fell apart. Lisa moved back into her childhood home as she tries to pick up what is left in her life. She starts a pet sitting business, where she meets the vibrant Winnie. Winnie coaches her on moving forward with her life all the while adding some humor and perspective. This tale follows Lisa as she learns how to ask for forgiveness from her high school friends and family. Along the way, she finds her mojo and discovers her true happiness.
Tank and I picked this book because it was about a pet sitter. The pets made occasional appearances by adding humor and fun activities. They weren’t the main focus of the story.
Lisa was the main focus of the story. I had a hard time really connecting with her at first. She seemed so lost and passive. She kept being the victim. She is 29; time to be in charge of your life! As the story went on, I grew more attached to her. I had developed empathy for her character after all the bad things she went through. But it took a while to break through her facade to get to the real Lisa!
I thought the hardest part was getting through the first part of the book. The plot kind of dragged up until about 1/3 of the way. Then, it picked up, and the story gradually sucked me in. There were parts that I laughed and parts that I cried. I am glad that I stuck it out as the ending was endearing!
*The Purrfect Pet Sitter* is a tale of second chances and remembering that things aren’t always what they seem.
Thank you to the author for this book!
Favorite Quotes:
My Stan, you know, by God he knew how to treat a lady! The things we got up to when we took our bikes out of a Sunday afternoon. You should’ve seen us. Going alfresco, Stan would call it… The daft beggar! Ah, I miss him. I miss every bit of that man, I can tell you…
Less impressive were the too-tight-fitting Spiderman costumes worn by a marching band of elderly gentlemen, who were showing off more than their musical skills with the cut of their tights.
Uh oh, you didn’t find Napoleon, did you? … Napoleon Boneypart, the skeleton in my closet!
My Review:
I enjoyed this sneakily constructed second-chance romance, despite the slower pace of the developing story. The main character of Lisa Blake was struggling, oh so mightily, with absolutely everything. I wasn’t always as patient with Lisa as I should have been being that I had initially thought her selfish and then rather mousy and easily influenced, as I didn’t fully grasp just how damaged and traumatized she was until I was more than midway through the book. Oh this clever and wily author, she tucked sly humor into unexpected nooks and crannies and threw several curve balls that kept me a bit on edge by dropping clues and misdirection and deviously planted worrisome seeds to draw my concern in the wrong direction. And I fell for it. Silly me. Ms. Thomas’s writing was engaging, entertaining, and often amusing. I will be watching her for repeat visits.