Entertaining story in which our hero recovers from the shallow life of fame and fortune to discover that a man's best friend is his dog. Unless they are auditioning for the same job...

This book has some triggers, as Stan Pavlov, the MC, starts to suffer from depression, addictions, and behavioral problems.
What started as an enjoyable read about a guy trying to make a career out of acting, even though he wasn't a likeable character since the very beginning, quickly turned into a storyline that had make me making faces of disgust at how much a person can change for the worse due to bad habits.

Readers who enjoy sarcasm and satire should grab this book immediately.

Reading this makes you view the entertainment industry in a whole new light. You may not like what you discover. At first, the tone was humorous with a touch of bitter truth but towards the end, it’s intense anger and resentment.

What happens when a down-on-his-luck actor, who cannot get any breaks (or jobs), has a dog who suddenly becomes famous? David Kurman has presents a good picture of this very thing in this book. Stan is the out-of-work author. After his dog gets picked up at an audition where Stan is trying for a job, Stan and his dog part ways. Fast forward, and Stan, this time, has become a game show host for a show that literally takes off. However, Stan has not learned anything, and soon becomes an obnoxious celebrity, unsuccessful in his private life and missing is dog. Stan becomes the embodiment of the absurdity of fame and how it is handled by many who achieve it today.

This is an okay book, but not a great one. I grew more and more irritated with how San acted as the book progressed, but I think that was the author’s intent. Even the dog, who also could not handle fame, got under my skin. Still, there is the underlying message of the bond between dog and owner as well as just how some of us react to and treat fame and fortune. Thus, the book is cute, but also provides a serious note and picture of one aspect of our society. I think the satirical aspect is what made me unsure whether I really even wanted to continue with it as I read along. The author, if he wanted to portray a definite weakness in human nature and our society, has succeeded. However, I am not sure just what his intent was. I think anyone who is interested in something a bit different, who can handle satire, will enjoy this one. I am not sure, however, a reader will like reading something so lengthy to get the point. It is definitely a book I will not soon forget. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

What do you do when you are a struggling actor and your dog gets more jobs than you do? Pavlov's Dog by David Kurman gives us that scenario. Stan has to endure the humiliation when his dog is chosen for a job that he had tried out for. Can you imagine how that would feel?

This wasn't the best book that I have ever read but it was highly entertaining. The bond between a man and his dog is endearing. In a way, it is a love story about that unbreakable bond. There were moments where I was like, "What in the world?" but the amount of laughs I experienced outweighed the odd moments. The characters were easy to relate to and the reader sees them grow.

Thank you NetGalley and Roundfire Books for the digital eBook. I was given it in exchange for an honest review. I am rating this book Three Stars because it drug at times and was predictable in some aspects. It was a humorous book and I would probably recommend.


InkedBookDragon

Actually 3.5 stars but I have rounded it up for its moments of sheer brilliance (bonkerness).
This was a bit of a fun read for me. Well, initially hat's what it started out being. A bit bonkers, a bit strange, a bit funny on the side. But as it went on, it started to take itself a bit more seriously and started being a wee bit philosophical. Definitely a book that can be read on many levels depending on the readers own background and other comparisons they make from their own life experiences. It becomes the story of an unbreakable bond between man and his best friend and the lengths he will go to repair the past.
Stan is an interesting character to say the very least. A washed up actor who is scraping the bottom of the barrel just to do something in the field. Lowering himself at every turn. At one audition he loses out to, of all people, his own dog. Dog then becomes a star and he loses him too. Stan then follows the obvious downward spiral as Dog's star shines bright. To tell the truth, Stan is a pretty nasty person during these times and I did lose faith with him a bit along the way. But then, Stan is offered the ultimate gig; host of a new game show. A rather interesting (shall we just say) game show where the contestants have to act like animals. See, that's where the bonkers element comes forward! The rest of the book is beyond describing, mostly cos it just has to be read in context to everything else but, suffice to say, Stan's true colours shine out once again and you just know how it will all end up. And it does.
I say I enjoyed this book. Well, for the majority I had no idea where it was going, what was going to happen next, and when it did, sometimes I was a bit dazed and confused for a while until the whole thing managed to wrap itself up at the end. And then I wasn't too sure what I thought about that. I didn't leave the book completely satisfied but, at the same time, I couldn't see any other way that things could have worked out and, after a few days thinking about it, I have to agree that it was a fitting end for what had gone before.
During reading a book, I do have this annoying habit of rating it as I go on. This book swung between 2 and 5 stars for me the way through. With the book titled as it was, there was something I was waiting for throughout, I won't spoil it by mentioning here but I did get my wish and that basically is why I rounded up my half star.
This is definitely going to be a marmite book. I admit that it won't be for everyone. People will give up half way through even but, you know what, tempted as I also was to throw the whole thing it, I did stick with it and I am glad I did. There were some very funny moments that kept me going; that really helped. Whether I would read the author again is another question but I think he's one for the sample system to help me with.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley and John Hunt Publishing for the eARC.
Stan Pavlov is a struggling actor in NYC, living with his beloved girlfriend and the Dog. While on an audition, he loses the gig to Dog. Dog's show becomes a big hit and to add to Stan's humiliation, his girlfriend leaves him, taking Dog with her.
Years of frustration and missing Dog like crazy, Stan unsuccessfully tries to find acting jobs and a new girlfriend when he hits the jackpot: heading a TV show. Hugely successful, the show changes his life. It also changes Stan; he becomes an insufferable ass.
It's difficult for me to rate this book, at times funny and appealing, it ended up irritating me no end, disliking Stan more and more as the story progressed. Therefore I rate it 2.5 stars.

The author took me on a wild goose chase. At times I had to check to see if I was reading the same book. What started off early on as enjoyable read, quickly turned into a senseless storyline. I will remember this book for a long time for all the wrong reasons. The ending was a fitting tribute to a most unfitting character.

Endless auditions in the Big Apple have not landed aspiring actor Stan Pavlov the role he's always wanted. Truth be told, any role. Fortunate to be cast as nothing more than an extra until one day his luck had changed. At least, his dog's luck. Not the success he desired. His roommate, girlfriend, confidant - Sarah, had taken his nameless best friend and abandoned him. A wise move. Now dogless, he had nothing.

Seven years later, Stan finally, miraculously, fell into a role as a game show host of the TV series, Animal Instinct. An instant success. Practically overnight, loved by millions. It was a no-talent role. Custom-made just for him. Contestants were called upon to act like animals. Classy show. The fans adored him. Of course. He was just another Joe Blow. Then he met the girl of his dreams. Again. She also worked on the show. His co-host. The relationship faltered. She parted. The story of his life.

Celebrity status had turned Stan into a smug, arrogant jerk. He became a tyrant. No one was worthy of his respect. Or for that fact, acknowledgement. No one. A victim of the Jekyll-and-Hyde syndrome. He spun totally out-of-control. Found himself ranting and raving about anyone and everything. If there was a prize for being the most obnoxious, repulsive individual a person could be, he'd have won it hands down. His life had quickly cascaded down into a bottomless abyss. Alone again. Naturally.

A light hearted humorous, witty story about a failing actor who's dog becomes more famous without even trying, really enjoyable read