My thoughts




Narrative and Plot


The Dog Share is a heart warming and simple story that talks about letting go and embracing whatever life throws at you. The story is focused mainly on Suzy but the narrative shifts between the two main characters Suzy and Ricky.

It is a slow paced and relaxing read with a bit of humor here and there. There's is nothing much of a big conflict, except for a difficult phase in two people's lives. And how they navigate it by finding companionship.




Characters and Conflicts



Suzy and Ricky are easily likeable characters. Suzy with her wit and charm and Ricky with his own awkwardness make up for a happy and entertaining story. Scout makes an adorable entry and naturally, is loved by all. His friendship with Arthur makes you long for a dog friend of your own, if you don't have one already that is.

All these characters feel isolated and lonely on their own and it is Scout who brings them together. Suzy's friendship with Cara isn't any different. The point is , you have quite a few well rounded characters who are connected by Scout. Apart from that, it is mainly Suzy's story and how she finds something that she cares about.


The only thing is a lot of time was spent on Ricky's relationship with his girlfriend. On the other hand, the distillery and how things ended up there was only a passive part of the story. That would have made up for a much interesting story.


Conclusion


Overall, The Dog Share is a cozy one time read set up in this beautiful island of Sgadansay with its picturesque beaches, streets and colorful characters. If you're in for a slow burn second chance story for people in their forties, give this one a try.

After reading the blurb I was sure I am going to love this book. I fully enjoyed about the story: including side characters and plot.

I liked this book.

I liked the premise of it, like how a dog can bring people together, and the story is nice but it had a few issues that made me don't love this book.

The story is good and romance lovers should read it but the story needs a bit of work because it focus on the main love relationship, that being said I love romance since the blossom until the end and it kind of didn't happen.


So in conclusion I recommend this book if you are into light quick reading romance with smart and cute dogs.

This book was a cute read about the power of an adorable dog who brings a group of people together. I enjoyed the story though I would of liked to read a bit more of how the romance in it formed and blossomed. I feel like the other relationships had a good rhythm and details to them but the romantic aspect just fell a little short.

I want to start by saying that I enjoyed this story, but, it was not the story I was expecting. From the blurb, I was expecting a light, humorous, uplifting story with some romance, but that is not exactly what it was. Suzy is a woman who has allowed her boyfriend to use her to support his crazy schemes and jobs. She was a pushover and finds herself as a partner in a distillery that is going bottoms up. She is determined not to let the people on the island who are in her employ down, and works hard to bring the distillery back from the brink. The first part is about Suzy's life with her deadbeat boyfriend and her struggle to get the business back on its feet.

When she meets Scout, things change. Everyone loves him, her teenage children, some of the locals, and the grandson of her master distiller. This brings so many people together in wonderful ways and Suzy develops some lasting friendships. This was a unique plot, an abandoned dog left on an island to survive all by himself bringing all these people together. There are wonderful friendships developed, family relationships improve and move forward and there is a romantic relationship, but it is actually just a small part of the whole story. I was hoping for a bit more romance, but Fiona Gibson did a good job fitting all this together and in a uplifting, happy way. I had a Jack Russel for 17 years and I can definitely attest to their personalities and how they bring people together. I loved Scout and he left me feeling a bit melancholy remembering the great times we had with our Bigg.

What a cute story ! A novel with a dog (or a cat, for that matter) always has me.

Lately I've read mostly romance stories about people in their 30s or late 20s and it's great to have Suzy and Ricky who already have baggage and a life before meeting.

And most of all, it's set in the Hebrides ! If anything, I would have liked more Scout and more Scottish scenery :D

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc in exchange of an honest review.

This is such a lovely book and Scout is just adorable! The location is gorgeous too and perfect to escape to in these strange times. I love the idea of the dog share and how it brings people together in lots of different ways. An uplifting read, highly recommend.

I loved this book, such a heart warming, wholesome read that was a joy to pick up while in lockdown🤍@fionagib writing style is amazing, from her descriptions of the Scottish Islands to how she makes the characters and their lives seem real.

The book follows a dog who has been abandoned and a woman who has been left in a financial mess and a business in tatters by her ex. Feeling lonely and defeated, they embark on a journey together where she discovers she isn’t the only person who is in need of a friend.

This uplifting, easy-read was perfect in between my uni work and I found myself picking it up whenever I had a spare moment✨

Thank you @netgalley and @avonbooks for this advanced reader copy. I loved every second of it and I look forward to reading more of @fionagib ‘s books in the future🤍

This was a lovely story about becoming comfortable in your own skin- no matter your age! Any book involving a pet has me interested straight away and I thought this was a nice story about the impact pets can have in our lives. This is a light, character driven novel that would be ideal for a summer holiday!

chose this book based solely on the title. I expected a heartwarming story of a dog enriching people’s lives, and that is exactly what I got.

Scout the dog turns up at Suzy’s holiday rental cottage one rainy night. She takes him in as he looks list and she plans to find his owner the following day. She is visiting the island to try to save the distillery her ex bought on a whim and then turned from thriving business to a business full of debt and on the verge of closure.

Ricky and his 11 year old son are staying with his elderly grouchy father who had been the master distiller.

Of course we know that Suzy and Ricky are going to meet and there is going to be a bit of romance. However I felt the main message given by the book was how a dog can bring people together and help through tough times.

You will have to read the book to find out if Scout is reunited with his owner!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for a review copy of the book.

An incredibly sweet read, this is perfect for romance fans!! It isn’t very gripping but overall was a lovely story.

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for review
@whatalicereads on Instagram

If you are looking for a fun lighthearted read, this is the book for you.

Suzy is left in charge of a distillery on a Scottish island after her ex runs it almost into the ground and then runs away and leaves her to clean up the mess. Ricky is an islander who has moved to the mainland and is raising his young son alone.

Suzy and Ricky are brought together by a lost dog that is making its way around the island.

This was such a nice lighthearted read and I really enjoyed it. As someone who has visited a few Scottish islands, I think the author did a great job of capturing the atmosphere. I expected this to be a romance, but really it's about Suzy and Ricky's lives. And they have a lot of stuff going on, work, family drama, children and of course, Scout the dog.

I would rate this 4/5 stars as I was easily hooked from the beginning but felt that the ending was a tad rushed as a lot of plot lines were tied up very quickly.

Thank you Netgally & Publisher for gifting this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest and say I actually started getting into the book about halfway through. I thought the previous relationships were given too much page time to the point where I was starting to get confused if they were going to be leading separate lives the whole time. Especially when the inevitable break ups happened for each main character they seemed to be okay or just not devastated at all. I hope that makes sense. Then the actual romance felt more friends until the very end. This is definitely categorized as a slow burn.

At first I found it odd that someone with no experience at all is just going to take up an interest in a distillery but I like how the author spent time making sure we knew the main character did her homework.

I also found myself becoming protective over Arthur’s and Scout’s well being when their previous family came knocking. Everything ended up being tied up nicely.

Overall, I felt like this was such an uplifting story about a middle aged couple who takes a chance in life and in love. I found it inspiring and all the side characters were just as charming.

The title and cover drew me in. I am so glad I read this book. It is a light lovely sweet story of how one scruffy little abandoned dog manages to bring together a group of people who are all in need of a little rescuing themselves. Suzy is in a terrible state. Her boyfriend has abandoned her and left her business in financial ruin, her heart is broken and she is more than a little lost. And mad! Through this delightful sweet pup she finds that the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t an oncoming train. This one little dog has enough love to go around and heal so many. Truly sweet. Life truly is better with the unconditional love of a dog. And they always have more than enough to share. Do yourself a kindness and settle down for a bit and enjoy this book. If you weren’t a dog person before you will be after. You can thank the author later!!

I can imagine I'm not the first and won't be the last to say this, but this book was alllll over the place. The pace and plot were just a little too messy and inconsistent to really dive into this book and connect with the story and characters.

A cutesy romance involving a dog? Um… yes please! That was literally the only piece of marketing spiel I needed to be fully on board with this recent release.

Suzy has returned to the Sgadansay, the Outer Hebridean island where the whisky distillery that she and her ex husband bought is on the brink of closing. Naturally, the workers and their families (so, pretty much the whole population of Sgadansay) are devastated and Suzy’s presence isn’t a welcome one on the island. Ricky grew up on Sgadansay but now teaches music at a school in Glasgow. A trip back to the island to visit his dad with his girlfriend and pre-teen son Arthur introduces Ricky to Suzy. And of course, Scout, an adorable terrier who is the ultimate source of love.

Both Suzy and Ricky are in their 40s, have been married and have children and I found this fact alone so refreshing. So many romance novels centre around characters in their mid 20s to early 30s, looking to settle down and start families. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that tells a story of two people finding love at this stage of life. Suzy’s children are both at university, her ex Paul has bailed out of the business and out of their relationship and she spends a lot of time alone, making the timing of Scout’s appearance absolutely perfect.

Ricky has a deep love for the island and while spending time with his dad, he reflects on its wonders. Having made a life for himself in the city, he is now considering a change. Ricky is very much a man of simple, rural, artistic tastes and therefore I knew that it wasn’t going to last between him and Meg, the alternative therapist and prolific Instagrammer. As the attraction between him and Suzy grew, I found myself willing them to realise it.

Although Suzy is much older than me and she has experienced life events that I have yet to experience, I found her very relateable. Her mother and sister are sassy, successful women and seem to disapprove of the fact that Suzy has never had a plan for her life. Suzy’s main source of income is writing obituaries. Anyone who has tried to carve out a career as a writer will know how friends and family scoff and dismiss it as a genuinely viable career option. The fact that Suzy has come out of two serious adult relationships is another reason that there seems to be an air of disappointment radiating from her family. She simply takes life as it comes and in that, I see a lot of myself in her.

I had never heard of Sgadansay before reading this book but I want to go now. It sounds so beautiful and picturesque and Gibson did a great job of depicting it as a self-serving, close-knit community. I have a deep love of places like this and I think the cute story that was being told added to this escapist, romantic vibe.

Of course, no review would be complete without Scout. Scout is the glue that holds all of the characters together. He’s beautiful, friendly, energetic and the perfect shot of feel-good in the novel. One thing that I would say is that I don’t think the book’s title quite fits it. There is some dog sharing happening but not really all that much. The story wasn’t quite what I expected it to be but I did still really enjoy it!

The Dog Share is a cute novel that celebrates family, building a new life after a fall and of course, the power of dogs. The romance is slow-burning, which is very realistic for two people who have been through the things that they have. I can see how some people may go into this book expecting a rom-com revolving around dogsitting or dogwalking but it’s actually about much deeper things than that.

Suzy wants a dog, the dog wants a friend. Basically, another cheery, uplifting Ms Gibson book which is a terrific read during these long days without too much human interaction.

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books for the chance to read and review.

Ahh what a sweet book. Until a few chapters in, I wasn’t sure how it was going to become ‘the dog share’. It was definitely a unique plot. It struck me as a similar style to the flatshare and the switch as it’s told in alternating pov’s. The setting was the standout part of this book. I’ve not read a book set in an island off Scotland before so it was interesting learning more about it.

Thank you to Avon Books for the gifted copy in exchange for review

This was a cute story, but not exactly what I expected. Based on the title, cover, and synopsis, I assumed I was getting a romantic comedy featuring a connection through a dog. While the title does fit, I do feel it’s a tad misleading to label this as a romance.

What a gorgeous book this is! I loved it from start to finish. I love any book with dogs in it, but this is also an absolutely captivating and enjoyable story.

Poor Suzy has a lot to deal with, and the dog comes along at just the right time for her. As often happens in life, the perfect dog finds her just as she really needs it, even if she didn’t know it.

The characters are so authentic in this book, and you will find yourself totally immersed in their lives. Ricky has also been through a lot, and is just as much in need of Scout’s charms as Suzy is.

There is much more to this book than romance, which is actually only a small part of the plot. It’s about many types of love: canine, family, community and friends, and it’s a book with so much atmosphere, wonderful characters, and humour, tied up in a gently weaving and totally enthralling plot.

A wonderful feel-good and life-affirming read, I enjoyed it so much, from the first page to the last. Highly recommended.