This was a cute read, but it wasn’t what I expected when picking it up. The Dog Share tells the story of two people navigating the twists and turns of life in their 40s. Suzy Medley is an obituary writer with two teenagers in college whose ex left her with a failing whiskey distillery in Sgadansay, Scotland. She’s set on closing the distillery, but when she finds an abandoned dog, Scout, she gets a new lease on life. She ends up falling in love with this island and decides to try to rescue the distillery. Her love interest is Ricky, a music teacher with a pre-teen son. While on a trip back home to Sgadansay with his son Arthur and his Instagram-obsessed girlfriend (who leaves early, thank God), Ricky meets Scout and ends up partially sharing him with Suzy to give Arthur a chance to play with him. However, this meeting doesn’t happen until well over halfway into the book.
The romance wasn’t the main focus of the story but rather the lives of the two main characters. And although I picked the book up expecting a cute romance facilitated by an adorable dog, I still ended up enjoying the book. Suzy was a compelling character, and I found myself rooting for her on her quest to save the distillery. I also enjoyed watching Ricky fall back in love with his hometown. My only complaint is that the book felt a little misleading. Based on the title, cover, and description, I did expect more interaction and more actual dog-sharing between Suzy and Ricky. Although they do end up coming together at the end, it felt more like an “oh, by the way” than a significant plot point.
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Check out my full review and more on <a href="https://cozycritiques.wordpress.com/">cozycritiques.wordpress.com</a>.

Although this book is marked as romance and women’s fiction, it is really more of women’s fiction. I was disappointed in this fact, but it was marked as both so I can’t be that surprised. Even besides the genre mix up, I still did not connect with the book. The characters did not really spark my interest, the plot seemed a bit predictable, and overall it did not hold my interest. I think I maybe had a different idea of what this book would be about and this genre is not for me.

This was a nice easy read story set in the present time on a small Scottish Island.
Suzy returns to a small Scottish Island to try and sort out problems with a distillery she is responsible for. One stormy night she rescues a small lost dog but is not able to find the dogs owner, so she keeps the dog and names him Scout.
While searching for the Scout’s owner and walking Scout, Suzy begins to meet other people and starts to establish a new home for herself on the Island.
This was about friendships, families and relationships.

Everyone needs a dog named Scout!

Suzy Medley is happy raising her two children with her partner Paul and writing obituaries but when he decides on a whim to buy a Scottish distillery creating all sorts of problems and the end of their relationship. Suzy wants to save the company but when she rescues a dog that she names Scout on Sgadansay during a visit to the company everything starts to turn around for Suzy.

The Dog Share is a little chaotic in story but in the end, Suzy finds love, makes friends on the island with the help of Scout and turns around the Sgadansay Distillery.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you like puppy dogs, beautiful islands, second chances and some romance this one is for you!

Suzy’s life just didn’t pan out the way she thought it would. She’d been abandoned just like the terrier that turned up on her door. Paul decided to buy a whiskey distillery but what he did was financially ruin it then bugger off and leave Suzy to pick up the pieces.

Suzy can’t abandoned the terrier who’s she’s temporarily named Scout. Scout wasn’t chipped so the Vet asked her to look after him until the owners found. What she didn’t realise was that Scout was everything she needed. Her kids have up and left her only returning for the holidays and she’s gotten lonely.

It turns out Suzy isn’t the only one on the island that needs a friend, Scout becomes a fixture in the beachside town and brings everyone together. Such a super sweet story. Loved reading this between some heavy thrillers.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A book with a dog on the cover? Of course I’m in! This book was a fun, light read, full of what I consider entertaining English phrases like, “cheap plonk” and “queue jumper.” I saw some negative reviews about this, but I really enjoyed reading it. I didn’t go in expecting a serious, heavy read, so the pace and style of this book suited me perfectly.

This is what I would consider a Chick Lit rather than Romance. It follows the lives of Suzy, a 48 year old obituary writer, and Ricky, a single Dad who is a primary school music teacher. The first few chapters of the book were confusing, as there were several characters described (all seemed to be 10 years old), but not named. Once I was able to get past that initial frustration, the story picked up while it followed Suzy’s quest to rebuild and redefine her life after a bad breakup and a failed business, and Ricky’s admirable attempts to simultaneously look after both his aging father and his distracted pre-teen son.

Scout, the dog in the book, did what every dog seems to be able to do - bring people together. Suzy happens upon Scout when he shows up at her rented cottage door in the rain. Since she has no prior background with dogs, she plans to find his owners or bring him to the pound. As expected, once she has experienced the calming and comforting effects that dogs provide, she keeps him after her diligent search ends without finding anyone claiming to be missing him. During her outings with Scout, the usually introverted Suzy finds that people are nicer and more welcoming to her when they see has a dog. Scout enables Suzy to befriend shopkeepers, develop a new friendship and discover a possible love interest. He also brings her closer to her grown children, who always wanted a dog but were only allowed to have guinea pigs.

The stories of Suzy and Ricky are told in alternating voices, but I responded more to Suzy’s storyline. Suzy learns to trust her instincts and believe in herself as the story progresses. The author paints a lovely picture of the quaint island off of Scotland, where most of the story is based The stories of Suzy and Ricky finally intersect through Scout and Ricky’s son and father, and the ending is expected, but nevertheless heartwarming. 3.6 stars rounded up to 4.

Recommended for a light, happy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for giving me the chance to read and review an ARC of this book.

What a lovely read. Chick lit with a dog was always going to intrigue me. This book shows how important dogs are to us. Scout brought so much joy to Suzy's life, leading her to new friendships, passions and love. Ricky and Arthur's relationship was heart warming and there were some funny moments throughout the book (Derek's meaty thighs made me smile) A must read for any dog lover out there who is looking for a quick, feel good read.

My first book of Fiona Gibson that I have read and wasn't quite what I was expecting. Being honest, I am not a dog lover and usually steer clear of books with dogs in them. However, this was a well written book.

Looking for a cute story about a small island town and the dog everyone loves? I just finished reading The Dog Share by Fiona Gibson and what a neat story! Trying to turning a failing distillery around, Suzy travels to a Scottish island where a stray dog turns up at her door. However, as she soon discovers, the little terrier has a knack for finding the people who need a friend the most. As the town takes turns watching the pup, can they all be brought together and save the distillery? I loved the idea of everyone taking care of Scout and caring for him. This is definitely a fun quick read for fellow dog lovers! Thanks @netgalley and @avonbooks for the advance copy!The Dog Share comes out March 4th!

Sadly this book just wasn’t for me, however I’m sure other readers will get more enjoyment out of it. There’s a few issues I had with this book that sadly impacted my rating and enjoyment of it. Firstly, for a book called ‘The Dog Share’ there was just not a lot of dog sharing and I feel like the way this book was advertised may be a little misleading. The concept only comes in about halfway through and just doesn’t seem to be the main focus of the story, which was disappointing. Any romance in this book also felt forced.

This is not a bad book, however I do think that perhaps it could do with a change of marketing. Readers are going to go in with a certain expectation about this book solely being about a dog when this didn’t really seem to be the case at all when reading the book.

3,5 Stars

I very much liked the idea of a dog and his 'patchwork carers'. It's an ideal arrangement for all of them, especially of course for Scout. And the setting on this little island of the Hebrides sounds quite wonderful. At least for a vacation. I've just read that it is constantly windy there, and can just about cope with the amount of wind I currently have.

While Suzy is definitely the main protagonist and most of the story centers around her, there are also alternating chapters with Ricky as well. That gives us more insight into his and Arthurs life, but it wasn't really necessary and his part of the story could have been told in a different way as well. There were also a lot of issues - on Suzys side as well as on Rickys side - crammed into the story. Made me always think that there might be more books that center around one of the other characters (Suzys sister, Arthurs mom, Cara, ....). We'll see.

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Review will be shared on publishing date

I was incredibly intrigued by this romance, particularly because of the adorable cover! Unfortunately, I didn't find the writing to be very compelling and I did not care for the romance itself.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'd have to say that this book is more general fiction than romance. It was more about relationships (family, friends and exes) than falling in love. It was an interesting read in some parts, about the twists and turns of life, and I liked the island setting and the fact that Suzy and Ricky had interesting jobs.
It was fairly easy to read and plodded along at an average pace.

I was kindly gifted this ebook by @Netgalley and @Avonbooks

It was my first book by @Fiona Gibson and I really enjoyed it. It was just what I needed at this current time. The characters were likeable and believable and I loved the story. Having lost both my dogs in the past couple of years and desperately missing them, I cold totally relate to how the little dog brought people together. It was funny, sad and uplifting without being soppy. A nice easy read for a spring day. I will be adding more Fiona Gibson books to my TBR.

Ok if you're going into this book thinking this is going to be all about dogs then far not. Scout is a main character in this book but Suzy is really our main character and she is great fun to spend time with. We also get to meet Ricky who is a male character who get's to have feelings and insecurities-huzzah! The thing that I really loved about this book thought was the setting. I love spending time in Scotland and we got to see a Scottish Island, distillery, Glasgow and Oban in this book-what more could you want.

Fiona Gibson has a talent for writing female character later in life. We always get to read about the happily ever after but what about when that happily ever after comes to an end and you're turning fifty and you want to know what comes next? Fiona Gibson allows her characters to get to that point and guides us as readers as to what happens next. She tells it like it is and Suzy reacted in a great way to every that Fiona threw at her. She was just a sensible human and we all need more of those in our lives right now!

As already mentioned Ricky is a male character who is allowed to have insecurities and emotions of his own. Due to the fact that we have chapters from Suzy's point of view and chapters from Rickey's point of view we get to explore what is going on inside Ricky's mind. He has had it just as tough as Suzy and I love that he is having to care for both his son and his father on his own. We get to see the toll that takes on him and how it causes him to look for love an affection is the most unlikely of places.

Yes of course we have Scout the dog and we get to see him go through the recuse process and all of that entails but can we talk about the Whisky distillery for a moment please? I may not be a dog person but I am a whisky person and I loved the idea of Suzy having this distillery hanging over her. She visits the distillery with her husband during happy times but now it is hanging a little like the rock around her neck and I loved learning about the ins and outs of running that business-it really stuck out as a unique feature of a romcom novel to me.

The things I really took away from this book were the fully formed characters, the great setting and the inclusion of a distillery in this novel. Fiona Gibson once again weaves a great tale. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrators did a great job even with the different between an inner Hebrides accent, an Oban accent and a Glasgow accent. Highly recommend!

This book was a slow burn and I will categorize it more in general fiction than a romance. It's the story of Suzy and Ricky and eventually Scout. I did feel the pace was lacking a lot and I struggled to finish the story. Scout was very cute but he didn't feature enough. I also feel the characters could have been more developed. I liked the setting of the story though.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This is a cute read with a good feel factor. Now the title had caught my eye when I had seen it, but it wasn’t quite the story that I thought it was going to be. From the title, I had it more in mind of a couple breaking up and sharing visiting rights for the dog. What I got was more of a ‘Mary Poppins’ story but in dog form.


Suzy Medley’s life had turned upside down, and she had felt at rock bottom when a stray dog turned up to make her it’s new owner. As she was actually on a small Scottish isle, it had been easy enough to ask around to see who the dog belonged to, but no-one seemed to know anything about him. As there was nowhere to leave him on the island, she decided to take him with her to the mainland, they took her details, and she took the newly named Scout’ with her.

I loved the sound of the small Hebridean island, with its unpredictable weather and hard-working people. Suzy and her ex-husband had put tremendous pressure on the folks that lived there, and now she was determined to right the damage they had caused. The little dog seemed to attract people that needed help.


It is a slow-paced read, but where it was set suited it somehow. Scout seemed more to bring people together than being a ‘dog share’, but it is a story that brought a smile to me even if it was somewhat predictable.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I was immediately drawn to The Dog Share because it features a small, scruffy abandoned dog called Scout. He enters Suzy’s life just when she needs a friend, and from that moment onwards life begins to feel much better.

Suzy has to visit the Scottish island where her ex partner’s whiskey distillery is located to sort out a huge financial mess and speak to the employees.Not only has her ex deserted her but he also moved quickly on, leaving employees worried for their jobs and the future of the island. She has to face anger and resentment from the locals and feels responsible, although she didn’t make the business decisions herself.

The chapters are split between the POV of Suzy and teacher Ricky who returns to the island to visit his father.Ricky is accompanied by his son Arthur who makes an immediate connection with Scout when they meet on the beach. Suzy learns that Ricky may know just the person to make the distillery profitable once more.

All the characters are likeable and you find yourself rooting for them to find happiness. The island of Sgadansay is described beautifully with quaint cottages, old fashioned shops and breathtaking walks along the clifftops.

This is an easy, uplifting read which everyone will enjoy (not just dog lovers!). It shows how connections can be made and avenues opened through mutual love of our furry friends.

This book was cute and not exactly what I was expecting. I really loved the main character and it held my interest for the most part. Didn't love it, but I did like it a lot

The Dog Share intrigued me from the cover alone. During the festive period, I'd read the twelve dogs of Christmas and suddenly realised, I loved reading about dogs as well as seeing them in real life so it was only natural I requested a copy of this book. Thank you for giving me the opposite to read it.

I'm going to start with the positives. It was mostly a fun, easy read with some emotional trauma thrown in. I found the last half of the book to be far more engaging than the first. I enjoyed the character development, and seeing Suzy stand on her two feet after the trials and tribulations she'd been through was moderately inspiring. Plus, Scout (the dog) came across as adorable as can be. I'd have not been able to resist taking him in and saving him from the cold, dreary night either. He brought a light into Suzy's life that she desperately needed.

Ricky was ever the dating father, but his misguided judgments in relationships were problematic to say the least. He did his absolute best for his son, Arthur, even if it wasn't always received well. Being eleven meant Arthur's teenage were fast approaching, so he was starting to settle into the brooding teenager stage early. Their bond was lovely nonetheless, and beneath it all you could tell they really loved each other. The same goes for Harry Vance, Ricky's father and Arthur's grandfather. He had a stern exterior but he was definitely softer on the inside. The years had worn him down but he still stood by his one true love - The Distillery.

For the most part, I liked the characters and their developments. However, I had issues with the first half of the book. It felt a bit scattered and jumpy. It took a long while before I could even begin to decipher what was going on. I also didn't enjoy the addition of the family group chats on WhatsApp. I just felt like they didn't really add anything to the story. Some people enjoy those extras in books, however I usually don't which explains why I may have found them unnecessary. I really wasn't hooked from the start with this book. The pacing felt a little too slow at times.

Whilst it enjoyable and easy to read, I can only give The Dog Share 3/5 stars. It just lacked quality at the start, and didn't capture my attention enough. It was fine, but certainly not the best book I've read so far this year.