Pride & Puppies by Lizzie Shane
Rating: 4.5 stars

Have you ever been so done with love that you consider swearing off men entirely and adopt a puppy? That’s exactly what Dr. Charlotte Rodriguez does until she realizes that her neighbor/coworker/hot friend may just be what she’s been looking for all along.

Pride and Puppies is a fun friends to lovers romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The MC is Jane Austen obsessed, so if you love Austen references you are in for a treat (see what we did there 🐶🦴).

What we loved:
-Friends to lovers trope
-George! George is the absolute sweetest and so kind.
-Small town setting
-Lizzie struck the perfect balance of fun with this book. It’s a very laid back read

What didn’t work for us:
-Charlotte was too wishy-washy for our liking. We get that past relationships have put her off, but there’s only so much back and forth you can take until you get frustrated with her.
-Even though there is a lot of dialogue with side characters (Beks, Magda, Kristin), we didn’t feel strongly for them.

All in all, we really enjoyed Pride & Puppies! If you love a lighthearted romance with a side of puppies and Jane Austen, add this one to your list!

📖: Pride & Puppies by @lizzieshaneAK
Pub Date: 22 Nov 2022  

Thank you to NetGalley, Lizzie Shane, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this ARC.

** 2.5 STARS **

Just like many before, “Pride & Puppies” is a Jane Austen inspired modern-day romance featuring a MC who is well obsessed with… Jane Austen. Like almost every other page, ‘Darcy’, ‘Blingley’ and ‘Jane’ are mentioned obsessed. Was it annoying to the point you couldn’t help but roll your eyes when the forsaken three were mentioned? Ab·so·lute·ly.

Despite my digressions, Charlotte (“Charles” by her wannabe Darcy) is single again after dumping her cheating boyfriend, Jeff. After a wild night of venting with her best girlfriends with a strong bottle of liquor in her hands, she decides it’s time to swear off men… for six months at least and get a puppy that she always dreamt of and who would love her unconditionally—forming the Puppy Pact. Cue in her neighbor, co-worker and friend George—who has been pining for her since the moment he arrived at Pine Hollow—providing pet advice and being a shoulder to lean on as Charlotte rediscovers herself and what love should mean to her. Amidst that, George announces he’s contemplating a cross-country move which then spirals Charlotte's emotions out of whack and pushes her to realize she may have less than friendly feelings for him. Mixed emotions, miscommunications, should they shouldn’t they drama upfolds—leaving me much to desire.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect with either MCs—George and especially Charlotte. I found her to be pushy, messy and just plain annoying. In regards to the romantic components—the chemistry and flirting was practically non-existent. In all honesty, I truly didn’t believe Charlotte's feelings were genuine for George and the romance seemed too forced, especially after she discovered his decision to possibly move back home and her sudden ‘realization of her feelings’. They worked better as friends than lovers. Let’s not forget Jane Austen obsession and references were too much of the focal point of this novel.

All in all, a strong engaging start but once the wishy-washy back-and-forth with Charles and George began, I started to tune out. It gradually became worse towards the later half of the novel when Charlotte proclaimed she was in love with the real life Blingley. It just was not believable nor did the romance stand out. I was far more intrigued by the side characters and their stories. Nonetheless, not the worst Jane Austen inspired romance novel I have read but it could have been better.