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My Review:
Dear Dotty - The debut novel by Jaclyn Westlake!
Release Date - June 4, 2024,
DEAR DOTTY is a delightful coming-of-age story that strikes a perfect balance between humor and heart. As an ARC reader, I had the pleasure of diving into this fresh, relatable tale before it's release.

The story centers around ROSIE Benson, a twenty-something navigating the tumultuous waters of adulthood. Rosie’s life is far from perfect; she’s grappling with her parents’ unexpected divorce, a betrayal by her best friend, and a regrettable romantic encounter. On top of that, she’s fired from her tech start-up job, shattering her illusion of having it all together... then her Aunt passes.

DOTTY, Rosie’s late great-aunt, whose unconventional and spirited life serves as a guiding light for Rosie through a series of revelatory emails.
Dotty, a pug - loving free spirit, challenges Rosie to pursue her long-buried dreams rather than conform to society’s expectations. "DOWN WITH THE PATRIARCY!"
...
As Rosie uncovers more about Dotty’s past, she realizes that even her seemingly perfect aunt had her own struggles. (as we all do)

Westlake’s novel delves into complex themes such as grief, evolving friendships, career setbacks, and the quest for belonging. Yet, it never loses its lighthearted touch.

Dear Dotty is a testament to the idea that life’s path is rarely straightforward, and that embracing one’s true self is the key to genuine happiness. Jaclyn Westlake’s debut is a fun, heartfelt read that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt the pressure to live up to others’ expectations!

Dotty's life lessons will stick with me LONG after finishing this read!

White it means a whole lot of feels come with it, I also have come to love stories that center grief in an honest, authentic way. I also love a story that centers intergenerational connections - I think because it reminds me of my grandparents. This story is about Rosie, a twentysomething who just isn't sure we see fits. She has a special connection with her great aunt Dotty, and as of late, Rosie's life has been full of lots of "hard stuff" that has just been a lot to navigate. Then, Dotty dies. Rosie then starts exploring Dotty's life, including things she never knew. As she learns more about Dotty, she also starts to figure out what the might want/need. This was just such a beautiful read. I was rooting so hard for Rosie, and I also love learning about Dotty through her eyes. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2024 release!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Jaclyn Westlake for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rosie is struggling in several aspects of her life and loses her dear Aunt Dotty who was her best friend and confidant. In her quest to learn more about Dotty, she learns about herself.

Rosie initially drove me a little nuts and felt very young/immature but as she found herself she became more enjoyable. Aunt Dotty seems like the Great-Aunt everyone needs in their life.

This was a heartwarming story about how someone can be impactful in your life - whether in it for a short time or a lifetime. And the importance of following your own dream and path.

Grief is love with nowhere to go. Such a great description.

Rose has her life turned upside down when she loses her job and then weeks later her favorite great aunt Dottie. At the reading of the will Rose realizes that she may not really know her aunt. So she sends out an email to all of her aunts contacts and asks them to tell her their stories.

This book follows Rosie learning not only about her aunt but about herself. This is a very emotional read. There were moments in the book where i wanted to shake Rose. I think that was the mother in me.

The characters were very well written and relatable. I was not a fan of her mother at all.

There were parts of the book that were a little boring and I found myself wanting to skim. This was just an ok read for me. I had trouble relating to Rose.

I think this would be a good read for a younger reader.

Thank you Harper Collin’s and NetGalley for this book in exchange for my very honest review.

"Dear Dotty" centers around Rosie, who’s had a decent life before it turned upside down - her parents are divorcing, her best friend is dating Rosie’s boss (well, before he fired her), and probably the most heartbreaking: her great Aunt Dotty died. After sending an email to Dotty’s friends informing them that she passed, Rosie started to learn so many new things about her free-spirited aunt - from how she got her nickname to her and a friend trying to befriend some wild macaws - and was surprised that she still had time for family.

Rosie’s life gets better throughout the story too: she learns that she is going to be an aunt, she has new friends from a new job (which she unfortunately hates), and she’s started seeing people. She also starts to volunteer at the same farm that her Aunt Dotty volunteered in. Every so often, she would send emails to Dotty’s old address. These emails are kind of like diary entries, sharing how she is dealing with certain events after Dotty’s death.

Overall, I like how Rosie grew as a character - in the beginning, she made quite rash decisions that I didn’t like. She seemed to have many misfortunes, but she learned to be unapologetically herself, and to be honest yet kind. Her self-discovery is admirable, and I'm glad she wasn't alone during her troubles.

Thanks to Avon for the copy of this book!

I love debuts and books with kooky aunts, so even though coming-of-age stories aren't always for me, I decided to give this one a try. While it's cute, I did find that it dragged quite a bit for me, and I found Rosie frustrating. I'm more of a "take control of your life and do the best you can" kind of person, so the thought of going to college for veterinary school and then flunking out of basic classes really took me aback. That, combined with Rosie just giving up on doing something that she wanted to do because her brother's always better than her was just a little annoying. Also, how do you not realize you're on a performance improvement plan until you're fired?! She did start to turn it around after Dotty died, and I liked her trajectory in that sense, but just found this one a little too slow-moving and Rosie too infuriating.

Wow. What a beautiful read. The start was slow, but I fell in love. With Rosie. With Dotty. With the beautiful community that Dotty built for herself in a “nontraditional” fashion. As a somewhat aimless 20s person, I related so deeply to the pressures Rosie faced and the clumsiness of finding herself. I didn’t want this book to end.

Thank you Netgalley for a digital ARC of this heartfelt, cute story. Life can be tricky and just when things seem stable for Rosie, Dotty passes and the chain of events after leave her struggling to find her way. The book follows her as she learns to love herself and how to live and enjoy life on her terms while learning more about her aunt Dotty. Great story for young women, very relatable and a fun story that will make you smile.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This book was so cute and adorable. I just loved it. It made my heart happy, yet I was also sobbing. What a beautiful book that tears at your heartstrings. I think this book especially hit close to home because sometimes I feel like Rosie. Additionally, my only living grandparent, my grandmother has been going through dementia the last few years, and I feel like I've lost her before she's even truly gone. What a beautiful book that makes you appreciate the little moments in life. <3

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Excuse me while I go cry in a corner. This book came out of nowhere, and hit me like a punch to the chest. The message of being who you are and not caring what people think about became so big, and I loved how Rosie finally figured that out. I think what really made me cry was the letter and conversation between Rosie and her mom. I think that was when I truly started to see that Rosie could be a little bit like my mom. Trying to fit into a box that people expected from her, but it backfires and puts you in a mentality of sadness. You don't like your life. You feel like you are behind in life, and just don't feel like this is your life.

This novel is about two different things, in my opinion. Rosie dealing with the loss of Dotty, and Rosie dealing with her life. She tries so hard to do what everyone expects of her and it just blows up in her face. It hurts and she feels so lost. I relate so much to that aspect.

I highly recommend this book when it comes out. Once I got to a certain point, the tears just wouldn't stop coming.

A lol, tender story about a young woman who struggles to find her way. She learns how to love herself and live happily on her terms without regrets while learning about who her aunt was and how she impacted others lives.
Definitely recommend to all women and animal lovers.
I received an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rosie Benson does not have it all together.

She is particularly close with her Aunt Dotty who's wisdom has guided her through her life. As her touchstones change she reaches out to Dotty even after she dies in a unique way.

She finds new sources of inspiration and guidance for her life from the notes shared with her by Dotty's friends.

This was a great read.

"When life rains lemons, it pours," goes the saying, and that's exactly what happens to our protagonist, Rosie.

Rosie works a sales job at a tech start-up. Sure, she doesn't love her job of two years, but as long as she's living with her best friend Marcia and spending time with her favorite great aunt Dotty, things aren't so bad. Right? Wrong!

Things take a turn for the worse when Rosie finds herself out of a job, and her once-solid friendship with Marcia becomes entangled in the chaos. Then, suddenly, Dotty passes away, leaving Rosie all alone to figure things out for herself.

The story takes you on Rosie's journey of self-discovery, and let me tell you, it's quite the ride! What I really appreciated about the book was that things don't magically resolve themselves; Rosie takes her time navigating through it all. For example, she struggles to forgive Marcia for what happens in the book, but she eventually works through her feelings.

Rosie truly stands out as one of the most refreshingly unique characters I've encountered this year.

I had a great time reading this book! Solid 3.5 Stars

rosie is just like the rest of us twenty-somethings trying to find her way in this thing we call life. she experiences a series of unfortunate events, including the death of her beloved and kooky aunt, dotty. after dotty’s death, rosie is left picking up the pieces of her life and rediscovering who she is - and who dotty was.

occasionally i found myself annoyed at rosie and the decisions she made, but i understand that the through line was grief. sprinkled with a bit of naïveté.

this was a quick read and a wonderfully written story. i also found myself missing dotty. i was longing for someone i had never met. her absence was palpable.

this book was a great debut for jaclyn westlake and will encourage you to follow your heart, not what everyone else wants you to do.

i received an advanced readers copy of this novel, courtesy of netgalley, avon, and harper voyager. all opinions expressed are my own.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This charming debute from Jaclyn Westlake follows the trials and tribulations of Rosie Benson. Rosie is the epitome of the young twenty-something trying to keep it all together by pretending to know how to adult. She’s struggling with herself identity, job, friendships, and a suddenly dysfunctional family. Thankfully, Rosie always has someone to turn to for advice - her quirky and free spirited great aunt Dotty. Just when Rosie needs Dotty the most, she dies. And Rosie’s life spirals. As new details of Dotty's past emerge through revelatory emails from her many friends, Rosie learns what it means to pursue her dreams, break free from the pressures of other’s ideas of us, and find a life she’s happy with.

I didn’t expect to find myself weeping throughout most of this book! This sweet story was an easy and face paced read, and just what I needed to get out of a reading slump! I just adored the character development and the way Westlake created Dotty through the memories of others. Fans of “One Italian Summer” by Rebecca Serle and “The People We Keep” by Allison Larkin would certainly enjoy this book!

— 3 stars ★

Thoughts Ꮺ
— This book follows Rosie Benson and what I like to call, a quarter life crisis (don't worry, I'm almost there too)! Between family deaths, divorces, betrayals, bad jobs and a general identity crisis - Rosie still tries to keep her head above the water.

The story started a little slow but once things started happening, they just kept happening. It was back to back plotlines and revelations where I felt a bit whiplashed. I do appreciate how Jaclyn Westlake tackled the internal struggles of being in your 20's and feeling stuck while watching others around you proceed in life at a rapid pace. I feel that constantly as someone who is almost in her mid 20's and is in an entry level job, single and has no idea what she's really doing in life.

While the situations felt real(ish), there were a few scenes that just felt forced and overly dramatic. I think some of the plotlines did not fit with some character's arcs and were placed more for the immediate reaction.

Overall Ꮺ
— I think this was a good coming of age story about a woman who lived her life the way others wanted her to live it and not herself. The progression and growth within Rosie was lovely to see and gives me hope for my own growth!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC! Rosie Benson's life is kind of a mess: she loses her job, experiences a betrayal from her best friend and roommate, and worst of all, her favorite aunt and biggest supporter passes away. Rosie has always felt like she wasn't enough for her family - especially after she dropped out of college, but her aunt Dotty always encouraged her to follow her heart. As Rosie embarks on a personal journey to discover her own path, she is guided by stories of Dotty sent to her from Dotty's friends, lovers, and family. How Dotty lived her life, might just inspire Rosie to live her own. Dear Dotty is an emotional read that explores family, friendship and romantic relationships and how they all help to shape who we are.

As a girl in her 20’s trying to figure out life, it’s beyond comforting to read about a fellow girlie in her 20’s also trying to figure out life. This book had me crying, laughing, and feeling seen. Thankful for Dotty and all of the other Dotties in our lives that teach & love us and continue to do so even after our shared time is up. Wonderful book & can't wait for more!

As a childfree woman, "Dear Dotty" made my heart so happy.
I fell in love with Dotty from the moment she was introduced and couldn't wait to know everything their was to know about her story.
The main character, Rosie, is such a relatable women. She's unsure, searching for answers, and learning who she is.
Without giving anything away, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Dotty was able to help Rosie come in to her own.
This book was heartwarming, tear-jerking, and felt like a hug.

3.25 ⭐️
I thought this was a very easy, quick read! Fun for the summer. I like how Jaclyn Westlake tackles what it can look like for 20 something’s to navigate finding what they are passionate about, looking for jobs, and navigating relationship. There wasn’t anything crazy groundbreaking or or incredible about the book but it was good! I’d recommend to a friend if they’re wanting something fast pace and summery.
There is minimal romance - mostly addresses Rosie figuring out what her dreams are and how to have healthy relationships with her friends and family. And she is navigating grief of the person she felt most connected with.
There were a few things that I didn’t overly appreciate about how topics were talked about like pregnancy. Felt clique and judgmental maybe?