I love a good doggie story every now and then. It’s always a nice break from all the murder and mayhem that I usually read. This was a sweet and funny story of Pamela and Frank’s two dogs Zippy, a Wheaton Terrier/Jack Russell mix, and Winston, a Boston Terrier, who correspond woth their “Grandma” Vivienne through letters that they type on pretty much any available typewriter they find (even at doggie camp). Vivienne was Pamela’s childhood tutor and is still a very good friend to Pamela and her mother. Pamela and Frank and their pups live in Baltimore and Grandma Vivienne lives in Cleveland.

The storyline follows the letters back in forth from Winston and Zippy and Grandma Vivienne from 1990-1993. The letters contain a look at life for Winston and Zippy in Baltimore with their dog’s view of world events, holidays and the relationship between Frank and Pamela that has a lot of ups and downs. There are also many tales of Zippy’s exuberant nature, personality and antics that thoroughly offend and shock Winston’s proper Boston gentlemanly senses and demeanor. Grandma Vivienne’s letters offer A LOT of advice to Zippy on how to be a better companion and carer to Pamela and Frank, a better sibling to Winston, and overall well-mannered dog in public.

I really enjoyed the story and was often giggling at some of the letters as well as cracking up over Zippy’s puppy antics. I also enjoyed Grandma’s letters of encouragement to Zippy to be the best dog she can be and how she makes the day so much nicer when she’s around. I am also going to definitely be making some of the recipes that Vivienne provided from her doggie cookbook. Winston and Zippy were the official taste testers for the cookbook. However, without revealing any spoilers, the ending was a tear-jerker, and I’m guessing, the catalyst for the title.

I found the characterization of Zippy and Winston very well done, which was certainly the point of the story. However, I felt that the rest of the family could have used a little more development, but obviously they weren’t really the focus of the story, except for Vivienne. The pacing and storyline were good and the writing style for both the book as well as the letters were amusing and entertaining. At an overall rating of 3.75, I’m going to round up to a 4star rating. I want to thank NetGalley and Bancroft Audiobooks for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #BancroftAudiobooks #PleaseWrite

If you love dogs or have ever had a puppy you will probably find, Please Write a funny book that you will be able to relate to.

This epistolary novel is a cute but also heartbreaking novel told partially from a dog’s POV. I couldn’t help but laugh at certain situations that my own dogs have gotten in to.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life.

Thank you @netgalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review. Please Write was published 11/7/2023.

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Please Write by J Wynn Rousuck is a cute fast paced story.

The book is told from three points of view, Grandmom Vivienne , Zippy, and Winslow
Zippy and Winslow are both dogs. Winslow is a mature Boston Terrier and Zippy is a rambunctious terrier mix puppy with an abundance of energy and personality. Zippy and Winslow live with their human parents Pamela and Frank.
The story for the most part is cute and imaginative. It begins with Zippy not knowing how to read or write and his letters to his Grandmother begin just like a young child. The story follows Zippys adventures and I found myself laughing quite a bit at the things he does. I love seeing everything through the childlike eyes of Zippy, and seeing his development as he leans and grows.

I enjoyed the playful fun style of the book. The adventures playing out through letters is a very cute idea. It definitely made for a nice palette cleanse between more serious books, providing lighthearted fun for the most part.

I disliked certain things in the book, partially because I felt the writing style was directed at a younger age group, which would have made sense with the playful antics. Unfortunately the topics that they mentioned such as miscarriages and politics took it out of the playful childlike narrative that I thought was the book’s audience. If the book was intended for adults, I feel like it missed the mark.

I felt that the book was 3 1/2 stars but I rounded up to four. I enjoyed the characters and the authors imagination. It was entertaining and a very quick easy read. The narrator was fun and easy to listen to.
I would recommend this book but I’m unsure of exactly which group is the targeted audience. If you are looking for something light and fun for the most part then this is great. I feel that if a few parts were taken out it would make a terrific book for older children.

“LOvE,,
ZZippy”

I don’t think it’s possible to put Please Write into any box (or maybe in a crate?), it’s such a different book!
This is an epistolary novel, between two dogs –Winston and Zippy– and Grandma Vivian. Just that could be an adventure by itself, but you have to add the diversity you can find in the book : posters, recipes, postcards and so on. It was original in both substance and form. I experienced Just Write in tandem, reading the ebook while I was listening to the audio. The reader (Nancy Dhulipala) was such a treat! Her acting is absolutely wonderful and I had truly sometimes the impression of actually being listening to a dog talking. It was just enough, without outdoing like it can sometimes be. I loved this moment. (I think the end will haunt me for a while) Honestly, both the ebook (for the misc illustrations) and the audio are worth it.
About the content, how the “dog psycho” is written mostly pleased me, it was fun to discover the world through a puppy’s eyes. Maybe too many subjects were talked about, though. Sometimes, it could be a little over the place, a bit like the puppy’s mind. I know it’s a reflection of what happens in our daily life, but I didn’t expect to find difficult subjects in such a book –let alone so many of them– and to actually cry at the end of it.
With Please Write, you can expect two extraordinary doggies characters (Zippy is just a perfect terrier girl, so well written), secondary humans and all their antics in life : how to train a puppy, festivities, writing, travels, painting… but also politics, alcoholism, illness or miscarriage.
Please Write is definitely a different experience!

Thank you NetGalley, J. Wynn Rousuck and both publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Please Write was so cute and well done. It is letters written by Grandma Vivienne, and her two dogs. Winslow, and Zippy. The two dogs are night an day and it adds so much joy and laughs due to this one fact. I laughed out loud so many times and didn't want to put it down.
If you like animals or want to buy a book for a pet owner this is a cute book that you will not regret.

Thank you to Net Galley & Bancroft Audiobooks. for the ARC in return for my honest opinion. Kept reading and finding your next big adventure in black and white. Momstr

I was lucky enough to get this audiobook from Netgalley. It is so cute and funny. A book of letters between Grandma Vivian, Winslow, the Boston Terrier, and Zippy, the Terrier. Winslow has always written letters to Grandma Vivian and she in turn has always replied to them. One day Zippy shows up at Winslow's home. This begins the antics between an older dog and a puppy. We are taken through a year of Zippy 's life. Winslow tries to teach Zippy what he should learn and do. Of course, Zippy just wants to have fun.

If you love dogs, I think you would enjoy this book. Having dogs, I could just picture my boys doing the same things. Pets bring such joy to our lives and this book hit right on it. How they are true companions and always there for us through good times and bad times. I recommend this book

First Published November 7, 2023

Thank you to Netgalley, Bancroft Audiobooks and Rousuck for the Audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#netgalley #bancroftaudiobooks #jwynnrousuck #pleasewrite #audiobook

I have just listened to Please Write by J Wynn Rousuck. This was a cute audiobook and I get what the author was doing in writing this. I think maybe not my type of plot but it is really well written and I would recommend if you want an audiobook that is easy to follow. It’s got some humour in there also and hearing a letter written and spoken from a dog POV is a fun way to write.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me review this book for my honest review.

This was a cute book about dogs and people who write back and forth to each other. I was laughing out loud at parts of the book. I really enjoyed the dialogue betwen human and dogs.

Zippy was probably my favorite character. She was so quirky and funny.

#Pleasewrite #netgalley

This book was funny, raw, honest, and heartbreaking. I have a friend who recently brought home a new puppy so I could not help but imagining them writing these letters and it brought me even more joy. I listened to the audio and different voices given to everyone was so accurate and sweet. It was unique to hear the humans story through their eyes.. I found myself wanting to know more about what was happening with them. The ending was not a HEA, just fair warning. It certainly had me in tears.

Please Write is a touching family story told through the POV of dogs. It gently touches on several tough life challenges (such as addiction, loss, cancer, grief and miscarriage) through the eyes of a dog. In a teaching setting this would allow an opportunity to encourage. ask and explore conversations on these sensitive topics The author has nicely woven humor into to the story throughout the book which lightens some of the heavier parts of the story line. The narrator was great! 5 stars for her! I enjoyed the different voices-especially Winslow! It's a great audiobook for all dog lovers!

Thank you Netgalley and Bancroft Audiobooks for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I must preface this review with this confession: I have small dogs and sometimes like to imagine their human voices. I realize that people without dogs probably don't find this as charming as I do, but for those who live with dogs mimicking their dogs as humans isn't unusual.

I listened to Please Write in the audiobook format. It is a sweet story told in letters written by Zippy, a small terrier, and his owner's mom, Vivian. Zippy's letters are high pitched with frenetic energy, just as I'd imagine a small Terrier would speak, and full of innocence and sweet observations. Vivian responds to Zippy's letters explaining what Zippy's owner, Pamela, is experiencing and compliments about Zippy's evolving and ever-improving writing style. As Pamela's life becomes more complicated, the tone of Vivian's letters becomes more serious. Zippy's yearning to understand his humans' lives was moving and reminiscent of how our dogs seek to understand our troubles and strive to comfort us.

Please Write is delightful and highly recommended to people who love dogs.

This was a great listen! The narrator was great and the story was catchy and it was also easy to follow.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book. Written in a unique style and relating to pets.

This novel in letters was very engaging and cute. It was different from other books I've read or listened to. I loved every minute of this book and the narrator was good. The book kept my attention! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

To be honest this is the first audiobook I have listened to in the epistolary style format. I felt the book lost me a few times between the characters grandma Vivienne and Pamela's mother, especially at the end. I felt I needed to revisit some sections of the audiobook for more clarity. For me it felt a little convoluted.
I am a dog lover and enjoyed the dogs point of view in their letters and the antics of the young puppy. I did feel some of the subject matter the human was trying to convey to the dogs a little cumbersome. I felt the narrator did a good job differentiating the characters in the book, using distinct voices for the main characters. The pace was good too. The overall story was cute and heartbreaking. There is defiantly humor and heartache and hope in the book. I felt my heartstrings pulled often.

This audio book had a very cute premise but was maybe a little too cute for me. I am a dog lover and I enjoyed the doggie’s silly letters for a while but around mid book I started to realize that nothing was really going to happen other than the normal happenings of life. Possibly something does happen but I couldn’t stick with it to find out. Although the reader did a great job reading, it think this book would have been better for me in print. There are cute typing errors that the reader does convey but they would have been better in a book rather than a recording and also possibly I would have kept reading a short book when a 5 hour audio book was just too long. I would recommend the book as a cute gift for a dog lover in your life (in print).

I would imagine myself as the target demographic for this title, as an avid dog lover and fan of correspondence-based literature. With many redeeming qualities, the work as a whole is enjoyable and often charmingly humorous. However, I found the narrator's interpretation of Zippy to be rather off-putting. Perhaps this would work better in print format, as I would assume that there are formatting cues that would warrant such exuberant narration. Or perhaps it was the intention of the narrator to be as annoyingly perky as possible, to capture the overwhelming puppy energy of the character-- in which case, they excelled in doing so! It was just a bit over the top for my taste, but I suppose puppies CAN be that way in real life.

With regard to the plot, I found some of the contextual details and plot points of the human characters to be awkwardly dropped in, and potentially off-putting to certain readers. There were far more politically targeted moments than I anticipated for a typical "dog read," along with some heavier topics such as child loss/pregnancy loss. While I understand the necessity to incorporate the human life element into the plot, I did not expect these heavier themes to repeatedly occur within the book based off of the description, cover, and my previous experiences with this genre. Overall, the book is entertaining and heart-warming, it is just a little off the path of why I personally enjoy reading stories from the perspective of dogs.

This novel in letters was very engaging.. In audiobook form, it is well read. I loved every minute of this book. I think the timing was great. I listen to audiobooks to help me as a reader at the library. I often doze off while listening. I didn't doze off during this one!! And, I finished it in 2 sittings.

As Zippy would say "Noo noo nooo noooo nnnooo ooooowwwwww". No, this book did not cut it for me.

Pros:
Adorable cover
Narration was cute, considering a majority was from the dogs POV

Cons:
The cover did not mix with the contents.
I accepted this audiobook with the expectation of a cute epistolary style book between dogs and their "grandmother". Granted it was far fetched for this to even occur, I went into it accepting that.
However, it soon became apparent the author was overextending themself by adding in some serious and sometimes volatile topics ~ Cancer, War, Politics, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Marital issues, Death. ?!?! What? I thought this was a cute doggy book.
No, this did not mix with the cute format of 2 dogs writing letters to Vivienne. Which I will note, I was not even sure who Vivienne was, Because it seemed she was Pamela's mother yet she was talking about her in second person, like it was a female acquaintance that she was living with. So weird and confusing. ( also, How were these dogs mailing their letters ? )

I give this audiobook 2 stars because the cover was adorable and the narration was actually pretty good. Otherwise, ugh... way to much to smush into one short book.

Thank you to Bancroft Audiobooks and NetGalley for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story written in letters between two dogs and their human grandmother. It covers some quite deep subjects including miscarriage, grief and alcoholism. It's beautifully written and the letters give the canine characters such lovely personalities.
Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.