Pug Actually is a sweet and light hearted read, with the story narrated by Doug the Pug, a dog with a big heart and a sight more intelligence than many humans!

Determined to break his best friend Julie up from her awful married boyfriend, Doug goes to extraordinary lengths to make her see the truth. Together with Julie's best friend Priya and her wonderful Dad, Jim, Julie is forced to confront some uncomfortable home truths.

And in all good romances, the path of true love does not run smoothly but ultimately Doug's heroic actions save the day.

Nothing heavy or mind blowing, but a lovely, uplifting story.

I was so excited to read Pug Actually as it sounded like a cute story, but unfortunately, I was not a fan of this one. I loved the idea of the book being from Doug the pug's POV but I just could not stand Julie's character. The bulk of the book is Julie trying to justify her relationship with Luke, a married man, to her friends and family, while Doug tries to set her up with someone better. I don't think that her character grew throughout the story and it just wasn't my cup of tea. I would definitely read other books written from a dog's POV though, as I thought that was  really neat!

I was so hyped about this book as I have two pugs and they are truly a great dog with all there expressions etc. But unfortunately i couldn’t like the main character she was just so weak and a bit stupid, so I was getting very frustrated with her and her story I didn’t feel sorry for her, I just wanted the book to be over. I love the title though

I have to start by saying that this is not my usual type of book, but I love pugs so I thought I'd give it a try.
From the first page I was hooked! Many people that I've seen in the book community don't like books written from the perspective of animals but I found Doug the pug, our narrator, absolutely delightful.
His owner, Julie, is in a doomed relationship with the very much married Luke who is going to leave his wife "soon." Of course, it's as clear as day to a clever boy like Doug that this is not going to happen. Animal instinct and the fact that Luke hates him prove that!
It's up to Doug to get Julie to see the error of her ways and lead her to the much more suitable Tom, even though he's a V E T.
Doug captures the heart without ever being unbelievable. Anyone who owns a pet knows how clever they are and I fell in love with Doug, snorts and all!

The title of the book totally pulled me in, and then when I realised the story was been narrated by the pug I was sold. And that aspect of the book didn't disappoint. Doug (the pug) was by far the star of the story.

Unfortunately the gimmick of the book wasn't enough to compensate for the generic romance story behind it all. The female lead was frustrating, the reason behind her questionable actions I didn't feel were justified, and I wasn't convinced of the chemistry between the two leads.

Doug though (and the Dad) were very entertaining resulting in a pleasant read, if not that memorable.

Let's be honest, you cannot beat a Matt Dunn classic and Pug Actually is sure to be one of those classics. This was such a fun read as the story is told from the point of view of the dog! Yep you read that correctly. And this makes the book a much more enjoyable read. In my opinion. 

Doug the Pug makes it his mission to help his mistress Julie in finding a more reliable man for her life. To be honest thank goodness for Doug as he knows best. Better than Julie and her trying behaviour when it comes to her manipulative boyfriend Luke. 

If we had had the book from Julie's perspective, it would have been a very different read. And as Julie annoyed me a lot, I am not sure that I could have kept reading. But instead we have Doug who keeps us, and Julie on the right path. 

For me Julie was a bit of a Bridget Jones character who shambles along with life and ends up where she is with more luck than skill. But there is something about Julie that makes her a loveable person who you just want to do well. 

Pug Actually was a fun heartwarming read, that took a different perspective on the telling and showing how some people see more things than others around them. This was a joy to read and one that I cannot wait to read again.

I was drawn to this cover because of the Absolutely Adorable Pug on the cover.
To find out the book is actually told from Doug, the Pug's point of view made this book all the more appealing. Dogs are so much smarter than we give them credit for.
Our main character is having an affair with a married man, never a good situation there but she feels like at her age, 35 she can't get anyone else interested in her for a long term relationship.
I mean come on 35 is not old at all. You haven't even hit the prime of your life at this age.
Smart boy Doug gives so many hints and clues in his own doggie way to Julie, our main character about dumping her main squeeze Luke that if she had only listened she would have saved herself a lot of heartache and tears.
One thing I didn't like in the book is how often she cries, like every little thing sets her off and I found this annoying.
The book is fun and Julie does find someone else who may be interested, it's Doug's V-E-T .
With Julie's head in the clouds after Luke promises her the moon will she be able to actually to see what's right in front of her or will she miss out this golden opportunity?
Doug is definitely the star of the show here. I want another Doug book!

Pub Date 29 Jun 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

witty cute and funny. I love this author and I am usually leery of male authors but I am glad I tried this one. Charming characters and storyline. Thank you for writing this.

Whimsical love story with a pug playing 💘Cupid: cute, sweet, funny😍

Doug the Pug observes the foibles of Julie Newman, his human, and realizes she needs his assistance in sorting her love life. The plot was cute, not extraordinary, but it's so well done with the whole story told from Doug's point of view and a really engaging sense of humor. Kept me chuckling, smiling and caught up in the action.

Perfect for reading when you need some lightness and whimsy to your day. The writing is easy, breezy and makes the pages speed by, in addition to lraving me with a smile 😊on my face. I will definitely be looking for more novels by Matt Dunn.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I have not read this author before let alone heard of him. I enjoyed the story, which was told by Douglas. Douglas is Julies dog - A Pug. The dog is very intelligent I believe this is set in the UK, because of the reference to Boots, as in the shop. there were a few American terms - They got there 'cell' out. In other words there mobile phone. Julie was seeing Luke, who Douglas did not like. Luke was a love rat and kept lying to Julie. Through the story we meet Julies dad, her mum had died a few years before. Julies friend and her husband. All the extras are introduced into the story, you do not get confused as to who's who. In places the story was drawn out a little. Also once again the 'F' word came into the story. I just do not like this word. Unfortunately it has crept into everyday language.

As a story I can recommend it.

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review which I freely give.

A hilarious and heartwarming story told from the point of view of a dog! Get the canine lowdown on Luke’s love life as he navigates his way through a romance - with the faithful Doug at his side. It’s a wuff ride to happiness!

Fantastic story - really enjoyed it! I have read and enjoyed other Matt Dunn books, so had high hopes for this one. I was not disappointed! Such an unusual concept, with the narrating of the story by Doug (the pug!). It follows the love life of Julie, his owner, which is not going particularly well. Up steps Doug to take matters in hand and sort things out for her. Such a funny book and spot on on so many occasions - I really was laughing out loud! My only criticism would be that it seemed to end fairly abruptly; although everything had come to a conclusion, I was surprised that was the end of the story. Perhaps it was just my disappointment that there was no more to read!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

Brilliant book, that is written as though the dog, Doug is telling the story. His owner, Julie is unlucky in love. Her father, Tom finds a new companion after his wife passes away. Julie thinks she has found Mr Right, However, he is just using her, Doug eventually makes Julie realise this after getting hurt and getting in trouble a few times. The story likes you want to know what happens next.

This rom com is written entirely from a dog's eye view. Doug is a pug determined to obtain the life and love his owner Julie deserves, rather than the miserable bit on the side existence she has with horrible boss Luke. Doug is privileged to see things Julie can't, like the surreptitious kicks and sly glances from Luke he has to endure, and the way in which Julie's Dad really does like the woman in the park cafe. The trouble with humans is that they are so clueless when it comes to their senses! Can they not sniff out trouble, can they not hear love birds tweeting when The Right One is near? Clearly not, so a dig just has to do what a dog has to do and Doug makes all sorts of sacrifices, trying to lose weight at the dog exercise class in the park, and risking his own safety getting through the garden gate and venturing into the world all alone. V.E.T. Tom is his target and he needs him to help reveal just what a rotten egg Luke is and just how perfect Tom is for muddled up, in denial Julie.
With humour, human and canine, hilarious attempts to lead the course of True Love and bring it to heel, Doug the Pug partners Matt Dunn in shaking the humans to their senses and seeing the world for what it is.
I loved the light heartedness, the fun and the farce, so thank you to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to exercise along with Doug to get my heart in romantic match mode.
A wonderful escape from reality.

Julie's boyfriend Luke is a waste of space. Her girlfriend can see it, her father can see it and they've tried to convince her to drop him and find someone better but she just can't see it. So now it's down to her best friend Doug. Who is, of course, a dog.

I've been reading a lot of crime and dystopian fiction over the past few months and so escaping into the world of Doug the pug and his owner Julie was a joyous relief. It's truly funny and I read it with a silly smile on my face. I was quite happy to suspend disbelief about Doug's amazing insight and, at one point, ability to read. Pugs, as Doug points out, were bred as Chinese imperial lapdogs and are known to be supper intelligent. And like I say, I spent the spring reading much weirder stuff in dystopia.

So if you're looking for something fun, charming and full of clever one-liners this is definitely one to pick up!

I would like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley for giving me this advanced readers’ copy in exchange for an honest and frank review.

This book was fantastic. I loved the story being told by Doug (the dog) directly. I laughed out loud a lot and I want to have a Doug of my own. Not really a fan of Julie (his owner) though. This is the best and funniest book I have read in a long time. Everyone should read this.

Loved this book! Very clever setting it from the dogs point of view. I thought it was excellent. Very funny and I kept laughing out loud. Highly recommended especially to fellow dog lovers!

Quite a different read. I'll be truthful, it took me two attempts to read this book because of the storyteller. I will give points to creativity in having the story being told from Doug, Julie's pug and how well the author stayed in character we only know what the does sees and hears, very well done. i enjoyed the hero Tom and would liked to have a little more of him in the story. Where the story lost me was the fact that I couldn't see why the heroine had two men vying for her attention. I found Julie be lackluster and bordering on unpleasant most of the book, and her cold and hot behavior to Tom very confusing although it is explained later in the book somewhat. *Personal preference* I don't like cheating in my books and the book does begin with Julie having an affair with a married man, grant it, she didn't know in the beginning but continued with the affair after finding out. Another bother I had was that there are no chapters, it almost has the feeling of a run on sentence-I found that if there had chapter breaks would be better flow than the breaks in paragraphs-story change indication. All in all I will say that I did enjoy the story and tell a friend to give it a try for something with a different twist.

I've never read a book like this. It was very unique, charming and funny. A romance from the POV of a dog was great fun and I loved all of Doug's doggy observations and the way he managed to make things happen. I was on the fence about whether I liked his owner, but Doug, I need a Doug in my life!

Doug isn't your normal rescue Pug - he's also very caring and very smart.

If only his owner Julie could listen to his advice. She's still in a secret relationship with her very married boss and isn't happy at all. Doug does everything he can to drive him away, but he knows unless she realises she can do better she'll keep going back to him and his empty promises of a future together. In fact, even his V-E-T, Tom, is a better match for Julie. And seeing as he's newly divorced, Doug thinks maybe they could be happy together despite his problematic choice of career.

Doug may not know much about relationships - but he knows a lot about love, so nothing is going to stop him.

I've been a fan of Matt Dunn for quite some time, so when you add an adorable rescue puggo into the mix I of course had to read it right away. Silly, utterly adorable, and with quite a few wrinkles (haha) - this story definitely had the cutest hero I've read in a long time. This story manages to capture the very real frustrations and drama that comes with dating and mix it with complete silliness into one gloriously funny story.

For me, I loved Doug but I spent most of the book shouting at Julie to get it together and listen to her dog for once! Did I know where this story was going? Of course - but this book is made for pure fun and it's definitely worth the read.