"Pug Actually" was a super cute, laugh-out-loud funny, and creative tale narrated by Doug, an adorable pug who was determined to help his rescuer and best friend, Julie, straighten out her love life. I wasn't a big fan of Julie's at first; she was involved in an affair with her married boss, Luke, and didn't seem to see anything wrong with that. She certainly made no effort to be discreet about the situation, not only confiding in her best friend, Priya, and father, Jim, but also telling potential love interest Tom all about it the first time they met. As the story progressed, Julie finally started to realize that her actions had consequences for people other than herself, primarily Luke's wife, Sarah, who wasn't nearly as blind to the situation as everyone thought. More details of how the affair began also came to light and it became clear that Luke had been lying to Julie just as much as he was his wife. For those reasons, I found it much easier to empathize with Julie by the end, though she still seemed kind of selfish to me.
Julie's love interest, veterinarian Tom, seemed to be a nice guy, and I didn't appreciate the way Julie treated him for most of the book. I wasn't convinced that their relationship would ever be more than a rebound for her, coming so close on the heels of her breakup with Luke. Honestly, what Julie needed more than a new boyfriend was time on her own to work through what had happened with Luke, and possibly some counseling to work through the underlying self-esteem issues that had allowed Luke to manipulate her for so long.
Overall, I enjoyed "Pug Actually," but more because of Doug and his humorous antics than because of the actual romance. I would recommend it for chick lit and romantic comedy fans and will plan to check out future books by this author.
Julie's love interest, veterinarian Tom, seemed to be a nice guy, and I didn't appreciate the way Julie treated him for most of the book. I wasn't convinced that their relationship would ever be more than a rebound for her, coming so close on the heels of her breakup with Luke. Honestly, what Julie needed more than a new boyfriend was time on her own to work through what had happened with Luke, and possibly some counseling to work through the underlying self-esteem issues that had allowed Luke to manipulate her for so long.
Overall, I enjoyed "Pug Actually," but more because of Doug and his humorous antics than because of the actual romance. I would recommend it for chick lit and romantic comedy fans and will plan to check out future books by this author.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "Pug Actually"
Doug’s human, Julie, has been adrift since she lost her mom (which is strange, because she’s usually pretty good with directions). Doug just wants Julie to be happy, and he doesn’t think she’s going to get there while she’s seeing her married boss, Luke. What’s worse, she’s saying if things don’t work out with Luke, she might end up like her lonely cat-lady neighbor. Horrified by the prospect of a sad Julie and untrustworthy feline companion, Doug decides it’s time for an intervention.
Despite his short legs and some communication roadblocks, Doug sets out on a quirky, sweet, and hilarious mission to find his rescuer the love she deserves. Though he doesn’t totally understand the strangeness of human relationships, he knows he can’t give up on Julie - after all, being a rescue dog works both ways…
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