Slow to start but enjoyable. ( )

When the dog walker hired by Carly Kennedy and Max Sheffington goes to jail, their dogs, Baxter and Hazel, end up getting switched. Carly's investigation into Baxter's whereabouts leads her to Max's door, with Carly's abrupt behavior getting them off to a rough start, but their dogs are so into each other, that they have to make arrangements for them to meet again. As their dogs spend more time together, Carly and Max develop an attraction for one another that turns into something more, but their families and their jobs make it difficult for them to find a way to be together.

You Lucky Dog is a cute story with appealing characters and a plot so crazy, it's a little tough to feel invested in their lives. Much of the narrative revolves around coincidence, and a love story that takes a back seat to all of the absurdity involving the supporting characters. While there are multiple humorous incidents, they tend to overshadow the main characters, leaving their story feeling a bit flat. Overall, You Lucky Dog is lots of fun without a lot of substance. ( )

This was really cute. I had a great time reading it, and I'd happily read another Julia London book. But the pacing was all off, and I struggled with the messaging it seemed to present.

There were a few major plot lines here--their parents, their romance, and their jobs. All of these were in conflict throughout, but none seemed to really reach a peak until about 80% in. I checked and was surprised to see that the point at which I finally felt like there was drama and tension was the point where things should be about to resolve.

I think there was also a little bit of instalove. They needed a bit more build-up. Just a bit. I loved how they came together, but after they came together, it was instant ILY, and it would have benefitted from some anxiety first.

But the thing that has me wavering between 2 and 3 stars here is the resolution. First of all, if Carly was making what she thought was a decent salary, then getting a room in Brooklyn would be far better than getting a place in Jersey where her commute was an hour and the room was tiny. Come on. People live in Jersey because they want nice apartments with space. But my big issue was that it felt like Carly didn't really try, and that didn't seem like her, so it felt like she was giving up her dream for a guy. Maybe if the conflict had started earlier and lasted longer and we had seen her give NYC a try, it would have felt more believable. It certainly seemed like her business would be a feasible ending. But instead, we see a few "two months later" jumps and she gives up on what she's worked for for the guy. I would have been happier if we had at least seen Max investigating jobs in the city to demonstrate that he would move for her. But it really came off as her giving up a lot for him.

Also, the parents subplot was weird and a bit unbelievable. I got Carly's mom, that felt in character. But Max's dad felt like a placeholder and this seemed just designed for more conflict, but then it resolved way too easily. I think the novel would have been far stronger if this hadn't been such a focus but if instead it had focused on Carly's journey in the city.

But I felt like Max's autistic brother was represented in a caring way, so that's a plus, and the dogs and their mac and cheese were absolutely charming. ( )

Formulaic romance novel. Although I appreciated how the characters were honest with each other throughout - not the usual manipulative games played in many romances. Found the narrator's accents a bit off-putting. ( )

Carly is a PR person having a work crisis. Max is a university researcher working with dogs. When they come home to find their Bassett hounds have been swapped, (fun loving Hazel for sad Baxter), they have to figure out where the other droopy eared pup has gone to. Here’s all the things about this book that worked for me: Quirky writing voice? Check! Set in hipster Austin? Check! Add in a pair of adorable Bassett hounds with enough personality to carry the book? I’m sold. Heck, I randomly picked this up based on the cover with two cute Bassetts and their leash forming a sweet little heart. Adorably written pets in books get me every time. I loved the dog cuteness! So funny! This also had a well-written storyline featuring one of the character’s brothers, who has autism. Four paws for Bassett cuteness. ( )