Looking at life through a dog's eyes. A really nice, easy to read story through the eyes of Bill, a Labrador mix. It was a bit slow in parts but i liked the descriptive passages of Donegal. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I thought it was nice to get to read it from a dog's standpoint but it was sort of horrible how Ruby was, and they didn't seem to scold her about what she had done to Bill at all, and she pondered if he could get a heart attack and her father would'nt scold her...that was awful.

This book is told by Bill's POV, Bill is the dog, well you will also get the other neighborhood's dogs POV's, but mostly Bill.

I loved the story line, it was touching, you will get attached to Bill and to Bill's master but because it is told in the dogs' POV I felt like lost sometimes. There were times I didn't know who's POV I was reading, and why was I reading another dog's POV, what was the point? I wanted Bill's story, so why was I reading ten other POVs, it felt way too many of them.

You just can't help but fall in love with Bill and it won't matter if one of the neighborhood's dog is way "smarter" than all the others, you will just want to flip the page back to troublemaker but sweet Bill, especially when his life takes a turn that he never thought it would.

Overall a cute read..

3.75 stars out 5 and I recommend it.

I got an ARC from Netgalley.

Just Bill
by Barry Knister
173 pages
4⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description:
Have you ever wondered what your dog was thinking? Meet Bill. He’s a big, affectionate Labrador mutt who lives with his master Vinyl and the missus at the Donegal Golf and Country Club. Rescued by his owner after escaping a puppy mill, Bill is a bit of an oddity among all the other purebred dogs: Emma, the miniature poodle, Hotspur the loyal border Collie, and Wolfi and Stanzi the fearless and courageous dachshunds. Bill spends most of his days hanging out with his doggy friends and trying to obey all the rules that the missus has. But when his master’s granddaughter Ruby shows up, things suddenly go from good to bad. Ruby has it out for Bill, and she’ll do anything to get her way.
🐕🐾MY Review🐾🐕
What a heartwarming cleverly told story told from a dog’s perspective. I love stories narrated by dogs. This story started out slow but drew me in from the first page . As a
rescuer this story really hit me hard. It made me cry so hard . It had a much deeper meaning than I expected. I’ve always wished I could be inside my dog’s head, to see the world through their eyes. Just Bill is a very short story that I was able to finish in just a little over an hour. I was sad when I finished the last page. Wish it had been much, much longer. The characters are well written and most were likeable. The descriptions were done extremely well. It was so easy to picture everything. I really loved the ending which was so perfect for this story. It is a GREAT read, one that will stay with me for a while.
Wish I could read more about Bill . Many thanks to the Publisher , the Author , and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this interesting book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get ! You can also read this review and all my other reviews on my fb page at Joyce Stewart Book Reviews , my fb Group Stewart Book Reviews Book Club , Good Reads at Joyce Stewart Reviews and instagram at Stewarts_bookreviews.
❤About the Author❤
After a career of college teaching, Barry Knister returned to writing fiction. The Dating Service, his first novel, was published by Berkley. He's written four other novels, including Just Bill (releasing 2017), The Anything Goes Girl, Deep North, and Godsend. Knister is the past secretary of Detroit Working Writers, and the former director of the Cranbrook Summer Writers Conference. He has published travel and humor in local markets, and writes an occasional blog/column for the Naples (Florida) Daily News. He lives in Michigan with his wife Barbara, and their Aussie shepherd, Skylar.
#JustBill #NetGalley

If you ever wanted to experience life through the eyes and ears of a dog, this is the book for you. Bill is a big lab retriever mix rescued by his owner and master, Vinyl. Mrs. Vinyl only tolerates Bill because her husband dotes on his dog. Bill tells his own story, along with those of his dog buds Hotspur, Chiffon, Emma and Luger. The story really begins with the advent of Bill’s master’s grandchildren. One of the grandchildren, Ruby, feels insecure with a new stepmother and baby in the house, so when there is an incident with the baby, Ruby, tells a lie blaming Bill. Mrs. Vinyl then forces Mr. Vinyl to give Bill up to local animal shelter. Bill’s life changes from one of safety and security to one filled with misery. Bill remains steady and faithful to his master, watching and noting the world around him, again sharing his thoughts with his doggie buds.

I really wanted to like this book, as I like dogs and want to understand as much as I can about this. However, at times I found the story a bit disconcerting. In the beginning, I had some difficulty adjusting to and following the dogs and their stories. I thought the author could have made more and better transitions, which would have helped me. It also plodded along slowly, in my opinion. The setting descriptions and weather were well done, and I could readily imagine myself right there. I do think better and more editing and smoothing out of the story, especially in this first sections would have only helped make it a better book. However, I did enjoy reading this story of unconditional love and loyalty, despite all that happened to Bill. The basic story was very well thought out and realistic, as well as sweet and emotion stirring. I really enjoyed reading about his life from Bill’s point of view, and it did help me better understand the ins and outs of a dog’s life. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Herzerwärmende Geschichte aus Sicht einer Vierbeiners - ist an sich nichts neues, aber der gewählte Sprachstil und die Art und Weise, wie hier erzählt wird, machen das Buch zu einem kleinen Juwel.

This book is perfect for anyone that loved A Dog's Purpose or A Dog's Journey, as it takes the reader on a journey of familial bonds and drama. I loved the premise of the dog being the reason for healing in the characters.

A nice story. A little uneven, but some parts were excellent. Hard to go wrong with a dog story. I hope the author keeps writing. Recommended. 3.5 stars.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!

I love dogs, so I thought that this book was the perfect read as a break from the police procedurals & psychological thrillers that are usually my genreof choice.

Sadly it never reallyhooked me. The author does a good job of describing things from a dogs point of view, but somehow it never managed to move me very much.

Thanks toNetgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Just Bill is a fairly good book. A bit slow. If I were not an animal lover I probably wouldn’t have finished it. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Bill is a large labrador retriever mix, rescued by his owner Vinyl. Mrs. Vinyl only tolerates Bill because her husband dotes on him.
They live in the Donegal Golf and Country Club community in Florida. Bill stands out, most of the dogs who live here are small breeds.
Told in the voices of Bill and his dog buddies, Hotspur, Chiffon, Emma and Luger.
When the grandchildren of Bill's master come to visit, the difficulties begin. Granddaughter Ruby is struggling to accept her stepmother and jealous of a new baby, worried she will lose her father's love. When an incident with the baby occurs, Ruby is afraid and tells a lie, blaming Bill.
This is all Mrs. Vinyl needs, forcing Vinyl to give up Bill to a local animal shelter.
Bill tells the story of his unconditional love for his master, and the lengths he will go to return to him.
A heartbreaking look at what is really important to dogs and how they can suffer the whims of their owners.
This started out slow for me, getting used to the dogs points of view and learning the different dog and owner characters. But once I got used to it, an amazing journey to see if Bill and his beloved owner would reunite.
It was tough for me to experience the dogs pain and distress, but it was told in a balanced and reasonable way.
A charming and heartwarming tale.
Thank you to BHC Press/Asher and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is 3.5 stars. The main character is a dog - no literally a dog! I found the first third of the book rather confusing- there were the dogs names and the humans names and then in some cases what the dogs called each other and their names for several of the humans. The second third of the book was a little better and started to get fairly interesting. The last third was kind of a mix of both first two-thirds. It was a sweet story and I thought some of the dogs “feelings” and “conversations” with each other cute and somewhat realistic. It was a good summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

I have to say this was a very lovely story, and in parts was compulsive reading.
The characters of the dogs really shone through and you got a good idea of their personalities and being a dog owner myself, you can really imagine some of the things that they think and the author captured this.
It was slow going at the beginning, however and felt like it needed some editing of the speeches of the dogs as I found it hard to follow.
The descriptions of the landscapes was glorious and you could really imagine the environment in the weather conditions described.
A nice read but as I said could do with further editing to further enhance the great qualities of the book.

Just Bill is a good book with some interesting characters. The book is a bit slow, but is still worth the read.

I enjoyed this book, even as I felt it started a bit slow it really gets you hooked. As a fellow rescuer this book hit home on many levels. This is an enjoyable weekend read. Meeting Bill, Hotsie, Emma and all the others make you think about what your four legged companions really think and feel.