I always want to read books about animals, but then I get so sad when anything bad ever happens to them. Like even the most minor things make me super sad. It's a problem.

This story is told from the perspective of a dog with amnesia who quickly realises that he is more intelligent than the animals around him. All he knows at the start is that he has been thrown from a van into traffic; the story focuses on his quest to find out who is to blame and how to get revenge.

There's a lot to like in this book. The observations of humans from someone who doesn't quite understand them are interesting and come together to create convincing portraits. However, the animal characters are central to the story. Alongisde protagonist Rou is his pug friend Shakespeare, who is often silly but has flashes of perception that often steer Rou on his adventures. They make various friends along the way, including a family of wild coyotes and a bitter daschund that has never had a home.

The final fifth of the book descends into the strange, as Rou gets closer to finding out why he is the way he is. By the end the story becomes a blend of science fantasy and magical realism, and I did feel it lost some of the focus.

Overall I'd give this book 3.5 stars - I enjoyed quite a lot of it but it did feel overlong and the change of tone at the end threw me. However, as a non-fluffy story from an animal perspective I would say it's definitely worth reading. It ranges from funny to disturbing, with a memorable cast of characters.

Thank you to the publishers for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the first parts of the book as Leo found himself and his voice and abilities… I didn’t even mind most of the time he was with the coyotes. However when it came to his search and how quickly it declined into nonsense I didn’t enjoy it as much though I was very happy at the final ending.

In some ways, it’s hard to write a review for this book since it seems like two books combined. The Second Smartest Dog That Ever Lived is about a dog, Leo, and his search for meaning. Will Pass, a retired veterinarian, writes the book from Leo’s perspective, offering a dog’s insight into complex topics like life, death, and everything in between. The first half of the book focuses on Leo’s journey, similar to Jack London’s Call of the Wild and White Fang. Without giving anything away, the second half takes an intriguing turn that’s more closely aligned with H G Wells’ work. I enjoyed the book, but some of the comedic elements fell flat for me. It’s also abundantly clear that the author is more of a dog person than a cat person, since Leo and the other canines are portrayed in a decidedly more positive light than the few cats in the story. This was a fun novel that explored what life looks like from an animal perspective, making you wonder just what our furry companions understand.

This was a very strange book. Strange in a sort of good way. It started off strong for me, but then the plot took a turn and I never fully connected with it again. It was definitely creative though and moved along quickly. The animal lover in me enjoyed the characters and some parts of the story. I think I would've liked to see more of the ordinary world instead of focusing on the adventure.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This was a curveball for me, a highly enjoyable curve ball though? What a brilliant book, totally unique to anything I’ve ever read and one of which I adored and will be recommending to others! Thank you so much!!!

Dogs on a quest - what could be better?!

"The Second Smartest Dog Who Ever Lived" combines elements of thriller and traditional fantasy stories to weave a unique and fresh story about a dog who is trying to find himself. I enjoyed the adventures and misadventures of Rou and his lovable companion, Shakespeare.

This is, in my opinion, a "trust the process" kind of book. As with most traditional fantasy stories, there is a lot of story within the pages. At times it felt like there was a new storyline just for the sake of storyline, but I loved the payoff of it all coming together at the ending.

"The Second Smartest Dog Who Ever Lived" is a gem of a book and overall a really fun time. A absolute must for any animal lover.

Thank you endlessly to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love dogs. I am obsessed with my dog. I have a difficult time, however, with books told from an animal’s point of view. I loved the characterization of the various animals and their distinct personalities but there’s only so much you can write before it all starts to seem repetitive. This was very creative and humorous but just not my cup of tea.

Thank you to Will Pass, Thiessen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Second Smartest Dog That Ever Lived is a heartwarming and funny adventure perfect for those who have ever wondered what our dogs think of us.

If you liked A Dog's Purpose, or films like Homeward Bound or Cats and Dogs then you'll like this. I would recommend this only if you're a dog person, cat people aren't going to like this book especially as cats aren't viewed favourably in the book.

The book is split into four parts which mark very different stages in Rousseau’s journey. The pace was slow but the chapters were short. The only thing I would have liked was some human POV chapters, especially at the points when the dogs interact with humans closely. I think this would really highlight the absurdity of some moments, such as stealing fast food from a car at the drive-thru window.

My family are have always had dogs so I am a bit biased, but I loved this book. There were some laugh out loud moments and some which brought me to tears.

I give The Second Smartest Dog That Ever Lived 4 stars.

My review will be posted on Clearly Reads on 8th December.

A touching book. Told from the perspective of a dog, it was engaging and sad at times. Being a dog lover myself, maybe it hit a little harder. Overall an enjoyable read. Would recommend to everyone.

I'm sorry but I really disliked this book. It was recommended to me by a friend, whose opinion I trust, so I was really disappointed by it.
It read like YA to me (is it meant be YA - maybe it is?!). I read right to the end as I read some reviews that said it really picked up in the later stages, but it really didn't.

I love dogs and I love books so I was sure I would enjoy The Second-Smartest Dog That Ever Lived by Will Pass. Unfortunately, this one was just OK for me. At times it really dragged and the fantasy elements were just bizarre. I often felt like I was reading someone’s hallucinations.

Thanks to Thiessen Press, willpassbooks.com, and NetGalley for a review copy of this title.

At a time of the year when I have been reading a LOT of books nominated for various prizes, the second smartest dog came along to lighten things up a bit. This is the first book from Will Pass, DVM, and I look forward to more. The characters are well rounded and furry and the bipeds fill their roles respectfully. Highly recommended

I was intrigued by the cover and title of the book and was pleasantly surprised that our narrator is a dog! But he's not just any dog, he was left for dead on the side of the road and as he slowly regains his memory, he finds out he is not like other dogs. He can read and communicate with other animals and even one human. He is fixated on finding the person who hurt him and wants revenge.

As the story progressed, I had no idea where it would go at any point. It was not what I expected and I did find myself skim reading past some descriptions just to find out what happened. I enjoyed the concept of the book being in a dog's POV, and the dog questioning the ethics and morals of being alive and how animals are treated by humans. The ending is also not quite what I expected either, but it was a fun read.

While this novel is not my personal cup of tea, it definitely has an audience. Its heartwarming narrator and thoughtful prose make for a cozy, introspective read that fans of animal stories and contemporary literature will fawn over. I appreciated the novelty of the dog's perspective, although the characters did feel a bit one-dimensional at times. I'll still recommend this book to someone looking for something sweet and unique.

I'm not a dog person. I have nothing against dogs, they stay in their lane and I'll stay in mine, and it's not really personal (though they are my first bitey/snappy memory), I'm just not all that interested in animals, the snuggly fur looks nice in theory but now we've invented polyester who needs the shedding hassle. All that to say I wasn't sure why I got this on a whim, and this review will not be using words like "good doggo" etc. But I liked the book, being a rollicking, relatively incredible journey, about a dog who narrates like a human and can't quite work out how the world works around him. Able to talk to other animals, and a few humans, it is a comic adventure whose pathos derives from its narrator, not what its narrator is.

The dog calls itself Rousseau eventually (for rights-based reasons, the dog also knows how to read), but the book starts with him waking up with amnesia in a vets clinic after having been hit by a car on a freeway. We get welcomed to the world through Rousseau's exploration, talking to other animals at the vets and then when he is a rescue pet, realising that he is much smarter than the other animals, and trying to work out how and why. Pass peppers the book with comic asides from a dog's point of view, not least a dog with human sensibilities, so food becomes an interesting dichotomy. Once he develops a quest to find the person who abandoned him, and perhaps made him that smart, he gathers a small questing band and heads of to Las Vegas - where we will discover a lot of animals in captivity. Pass keeps it light though obviously deals with a lot of inhumane treatment, and finds his lead dog asking lots of naive but good questions. Even more naive are the asides from Shakespeare, the pub he joins when rescued, who is fantastically stupid in an often lucidly smart way and is fundamentally his Sancho Panza.

The Second-Smartest Dog That Ever Lived confounded my initial preconceptions by not at all being cute, whilst observing and not dwelling on a number of its own horrors. There is an over-arching sci0fi plot buried in here, but Pass transitions from small-scale dog drama, to something more world-shattering deftly. The highest praise is it made me care about its dog protagonists and not just the smart one. And the tiger, the cats, the coyotes and birds.

I was pulled to this book due to the striking cover and intriguing title. It did not disappoint despite being pretty far removed from my usual pick of psychological thriller! I absolutely loved the first couple of parts of this book. The characterisation of the animals was wonderful and there were some laugh out loud moments amongst some truly beautiful storytelling. I found the last two parts more difficult to enjoy; the story just dropped off a little for me and I was desperate to get to the end to make sure it all ended ok! I did feel the author did an absolutely tremendous job of giving animals a totally believable voice.

We first meet our main character, a dog who goes through a couple of names, when he’s callously thrown from a car along a busy road and thankfully rescued.

He’s not like other dogs. He can communicate with any other animal, a few humans, understand speech, read and more. But he’s not sure why.

He’s got a goal though. To find this person who hurt him and get revenge.

To be honest more than anything this story is like a rebellious teen leaving home and discovering they don’t actually know it all.

Oh, I just did not enjoy this book. I am a huge fan of fiction about animals, and love a good anthropomorphic character. Ultimately the writing style just does not gel with me. The pace of the novel is slow - too slow for a book that is 387 pages long. I can’t quite put my finger on what is bugging me - perhaps Leo’s sense of aloofness? Or just that I never quite buy into his quest. I enjoyed the characterisation of the various animals, though.

A fantastic, smart read that exceeded my expectations. I am very unlikely to pick up any book about dogs. Ever since my mom read me Where The Red Fern Grows when I was nine, I had sworn them off completely. I would sob no matter what happened. (And frequently, these were books in which the dog dies.) Rousseau's story was different from that. With action and horror, we learn about this unique dog's perspective. Don't worry. Rousseau doesn't die at the end. I only could not rate this story higher due to the scene involving coyotes and cats. I had a cat that was eaten by coyotes when he escaped outside, so it hit a little too close to home. I look forward to reading more from Will Pass.