This was a sweet epistolary story, written in letters from two dogs Winslow and Zippy to their human Grandma Viviene. We follow the adventures of Winslow, a distinguished pure bred Boston terrier, and his families trials and tribulations when his humans Pamela and Frank bring home an energetic rescue puppy they call Zippy.

This is a great book for pet lovers, this book illustrates how dogs are our companions through the ups and downs of life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bancroft Audiobooks for the advanced listener copy. The narrator Nancy Dhulipal was wonderful, giving each dog a unique voice that suits their personalities.

I was expecting this to be a very lighthearted & cutesy read, but there were actually some serious topics discussed throughout this book. It was interesting to see how these situations were interpreted from the dog’s point of view given the limited knowledge they have regarding the situations. There are several recipes for dogs throughout the book which is an added bonus. All in all the book is good, I was just discontented with the amount of sorrow within it.

I listened to the audiobook and read along as this books premise reminded me of "Bones and Biscuits, letters from a Dog Named Bobs" by Enid Blyton which was serialised in the 1920s to 1940s and recently brought out as a book which covered a year in teh life of Bobs, a little Terrier owned by Enid Blyton.

However. These two books could not be more different

This was a charming surprise, following letters between Winslow, a Boston Terrier who lives with Pamela and Frank, a stray called Zippy (brought home by Frank) and Grandma Vivienne who is Pamela's mother. The story however, is not just about the day to day lives of the dogs, but that of their guardians, Pamela and Frank and the problems they were navigating in life. The book is real, it doesn't sugarcoat life, but it does view it with gentle humour and sentiment

The two books could not be more different but both are equally engaging whether you are a dog lover or fan of contemporary fiction

I usually read some fairly serious fiction, but somehow this was one of my favorites of 2023! The characters (Zippy and Winslow) are amazing and so much better developed than many human characters in other books. The narrator nailed the dog voices!

As an avid animal lover, I wanted to love this book, but I can't say that I did. I really enjoyed it for the first few chapters but it kind of drudged on after that. It's cute and all. The narration was smooth and clear, but I just felt like getting through it was more work than I'd like. It's cute, but I probably won't read it again.

Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

An Adorable BOOK for Dog Lovers

SUMMARY
When a new puppy named Zippy enters Winslow's comfortable home, his life changes completely. Winslow, a sophisticated and reserved Boston Terrier, is now sharing his space with a highly energetic 7-month-old West Highland Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier mix. Winslow quickly grows tired of Zippy's tendency to steal his toys, treats, and food. In response, Winslow writes a letter to his Grandma Vivienne, expressing his grievances. Grandma Vivienne corresponds with letters of advice to both Winslow and Zippy. Meanwhile, the dogs’ parents, Pamela and Frank, are also dealing with their own issues in addition to the chaos caused by Zippy's incessant digging and chewing.

REVIEW
PLEASE WRITE an adorable story about the challenges of adding a new puppy to Frank and Pamela's home. As someone who adopted a new puppy myself a year ago, I found this part of the story to be hilarious and relatable. I especially enjoyed the correspondence between Grandma Vivienne, Winslow, and Zippy, which was used to tell the story.

The character development of Zippy, the energetic dog, was precious. His antics were so relatable, and I could just picture the very proper Winslow, wearing a bow tie, keeping an eye on the mischievous Zippy, and documenting all of his transgressions.

Being a dog lover, I found the book quite enjoyable. However, I couldn't help but ponder over the target audience for this book. The portion of the story that covers the human characters delves into complex issues such as depression, alcoholism, and death. These topics really take away from the potential of this book and seem incongruous with the rest of the story.

I listened to the audiobook for Please Write and loved the voices of both Zippy and Winslow. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Bancroft Books
Published November 7, 2023
Narrated Nancy Dhulipala
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I have mixed feelings about this book. Fun concept, but it just didn’t work for me. It was hard to listen to the voice of Zippy, and at times it felt like a children’s novel.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for my honest rating and review.

4/5

This was super cute!!! The story was told completely through letters written mostly between two dogs and Grandma Vivienne. It started off a little juvenile and I even double checked to see if it was a book intended for little kids. But as it went on it dealt with some really heavy subjects, such as alcoholism, miscarriage, and cancer. The way that this book was able to discuss the topics through the eyes of a grandparent and a little puppy was so clever and unique. I enjoyed this interesting perspective.

There were multiple times in this book where I laughed out loud - and not just a little puff of air - we’re talking a loud LOL!! There were also times my heart truly hurt for the characters in the book. Overall this was a really unique way of telling a story about family, loss, and moving on.

Dogs correspond via letters with their grandmother, Vivienne, as their owner Pamela’s life is unraveling.

My interest in PLEASE WRITE was initially piqued when I saw the cover that had a Boston Terrier on it. Being a BT mom, I had to find out more about this book. The synopsis sounded really interesting and I enjoy epistolary formats. After reading though, I’m left thoroughly confused as to what to think and wondering if I greatly missed the point of what it was supposed to be. Winslow the Boston Terrier had a great voice in his letters but was barely included and when he did write to Vivienne, she mostly ignored him, instead focusing on corresponding with Zippy whose letters I found quite annoying to read, though I think that her learning to type was supposed to be funny. I felt so bad for Winslow but I don’t know if that was the intention. In the end, it seemed like I spent most of the time trying to figure out if I was reading too much into things or not enough, so my enjoyment suffered overall. The last couple of lines did make me tear up.
I listened to an audio copy in addition to reading a digital copy. The narration was well done.

Thank you to Bancroft Press and NetGalley for the DRC and ALC.

Debut novel full of whimsy. Written through letters to and from a family friend and her "granddogs". It's told through the eyes of Zippy (a chaotic terrier mix) and Winston (a dapper Boston terrier) with their take on their owners lives - heartbreak, loss, love, and triumph. This was an absolute delight to read!

This audiobook was cute. Nancy Dhulipala does a good job with the three voices, two of whom are dogs. It is very clear which character is writing/speaking. She is able to bring every whimper and yelp to life.

The story, though? First of all, the reader is asked to suspend all disbelief because we have dogs typing letters to a human and the human responding. How did they get the paper in the typewriter? How did the letters get in the mail?

Please Write was very much "on the surface," which was disappointing. I hoped that seeing difficulty through a dog's eyes would have been the opportunity for rare insight, but instead it made really big events seem like a side note. Especially as we learn how empathic Zippy is, it is a letdown that the author didn't go deeper into the emotions of the household.

There is a lot of loss and sadness every-so-lightly touched on: alcoholism, miscarriage, death, war. And then there are parts that will make you smile or even laugh a little. Bonus points for recipes. I'm a sucker for a book with recipes and this one includes dog treats and even cake (for dogs).

The narrator was good. The story itself had potential, but it felt like it didn't live up to it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bancroft Press for the Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked: The correspondence between Zippy, Winston and their Grandmother Vivienne is extremely clever. I am eager to try the included recipes for dog treats too.
What I disliked: The book blurb erroneously compares this book to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. There are no similarities, other than the exchange of letters.

Please Write
J.Wynn Rousuck
Enjoyed listening to audio of Please Write. A whimsical, somewhat philosophical story of a rescue dog Zippy who warms his way into a family of establish routines. Zippy arrives in household with an etiquette sophisticated dog Winslow, owners Pamela & Frank who have yet to address unspoken issues.
Zippy wiggles his way into being mentored by Winslow to read and write letters to Pamela’s creative mother Vivienne. Heartwarming evolution of building relationships, heartbreak and loss.
I have found long after finishing “Please Write” how I was able to remember both the characters names and personalities. Charming along with hints of wisdom.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this book.

** spoiler alert ** I enjoyed this book, though I honestly wasn't sure who the intended audience was supposed to be because I felt like it was geared towards upper elementary by the dialogue. However, it had to be geared towards adults because of the themes of self-help, marital problems, and alcoholism. I thought it had funny stories weaved throughout to keep it somewhat light-hearted, but I wouldn't say this is a light-hearted book. The main human writing back and forth between the dogs, is a mysterious character and I honestly don't know if she was really the mom or the friend of the mom she claimed she was, which left me slightly annoyed. One thing I'm sure dog loving audiences will appreciate are the dog treat recipes.

This is hard to review as I’m not sure who the target audience is as it tackles some mature topics, but then it also is based on the antics of two dogs and their letters back and forth to their grandmother. They then work together to come up with an idea for a dog food/treat cookbook and it becomes successful and the dogs are set to go on tour to promote it when the letters from their grandmother stop coming and we learn that she has died. That’s another example of how it’s meant to be a fun and entertaining book for kids as the voices of the dogs were cute and I understand that they need to learn about hard things but I’m not sure that thus was the way to go about it. That being said, the audiobook was entertaining and easy to listen to.
Thanks to Bancroft Audiobooks for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

“Please Write," offers a whimsical heartwarming yet poignant journey through the eyes of two dogs, Winslow and Zippy. The narrative unfolds through an exchange of letters format, a choice that works for comedy, because the formal aspect of this type of writing. I have seen this used successfully by a local group of authors writing about a writing group, who used emails from the fictional characters to each other, to hilarious effect. The epistolary format also allows for multiple perspectives, offering glimpses into the lives of the humans as well.

It’s a tale of resilience and hope, showcasing how individuals can overcome hardship and find strength in unexpected places.

”Please Write" is a perfect read for dog lovers, and there are millions of us out there. Fans of quirky epistolary narratives, and anyone looking for a heartwarming tale of love, loss, and the healing power of friendship will love this.

The narration for the audio book by Nancy Dhulipaly, perfectly suited this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, J. Wynn Rousuck, and Bancroft Press for a copy of the audiobook.

For all dog lovers who wish they could talk and communicate easily with their fur paw loving friends this is the book for you! I listened to it as audiobook and was not disappointed.
Wilson is an astute Boston Terrier who's been in his owners life for long enough now to know he does NOT want to white fluffy mutt furball around. Nevertheless, Zippy is introduced to the family in fashion as she "zips" around the house to meet everyone. Both pups correspond with their grandmother Vivienne over the span of a few years.
The letters to and from deal span from humor, relatable issues that humans face, relatable issues that humans face with animals ( ie potty training, getting into things, foods). Winston tries to be patient with his new sister and guide her in the right direction towards being well behaved and Grandmother Vivienne pushes for a better relationship between them both.

This was a quick read/listen and the perfect companion for a car ride with your beloved fur paws.

This unbiased review is based on the audio received from Netgalley and Bancroft Press.

Please Write follows Grandma Vivian and dogs Winston and Zippy, as the trio correspond with each other via letters. I love the writing style through the letters! Reminds me of childhood memories of reading Click Clack Moo.

Each dog has its own unique personality. Grandma Vivian’s writing is humorous, especially when explaining things to a dog. Winston sounds like a wise old man who is low key grouchy. Zippy is a hyper, curious puppy. I appreciate how Grandma Vivian corresponds with Zippy in a positive manner while also offering some advice.

I had a lot of fun viewing the world through a puppy’s eyes. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick, lighthearted read guaranteed to make you laugh.

Though this book is funny, it is geared towards adults and mentions tough topics like miscarriage, alcoholism, and war.

I thank Netgalley and the author for allowing mee to receive the ARC copy of this book.

I loved the originality of this book, the simple language and the fact that the dogs could type was really fun and innovative. I absolutely think that as a children'#s book it would make a great present for any young fellow. I also liked how the most important aspects of the owner's lives were acounted from the dogs'POV. The fact that they didn't fully unerstand what was happening was great for the reader, as it gave the story layers.

The ending also played on this aspect and was quite heartbreaking. I would definitely recommend this book.

"Please Write: A Novel in Letters" by J. Wynn Rousuck is a delightful exploration of human connection through the lost art of letter writing. The novel cleverly unfolds through a series of letters exchanged between characters, weaving a tapestry of emotions, relationships, and personal growth.

Rousuck's writing style is refreshingly intimate and effortlessly captures the nuances of each character's voice. The epistolary format adds a unique layer to the storytelling, allowing readers to peek into the hearts and minds of the characters as they navigate love, loss, and self-discovery.

The characters are beautifully crafted, and their stories are both relatable and poignant. As the letters unfold, a sense of intimacy and authenticity emerges, making it easy to empathize with the joys and struggles of the characters.

"Please Write" is not just a novel; it's an invitation to connect with the characters on a personal level. Rousuck's masterful use of the epistolary form makes this book a compelling and heartwarming read, reminding us of the power of words to bridge the gaps between us. If you're looking for a novel that celebrates the beauty of human connection, this is a must-read.