This book was cute and funny! Give it 5 stars for the writing, characters, and plot. Can't wait to read more from the author

I want this book to be a movie, just to see Chris Hemsworth as Rory the golden retriever. I think he would have so much fun with the physical comedy of it.

This book is billed as a romance, but I'll be shelving it as fantasy. While it does have a strong romantic subplot, the driving force in the book is figuring out how to get Rory back to being his sweet canine self before the transition is permanent. Between Genie chasing after her grandmother for answers and claiming and believing in her own power, this book is a playful romp just outside the bounds of romance.

Heartwarming, sweet & fun!

I had a feeling I was going to love this book. It sounded so whimsical and unlike anything I've read before that I knew I needed to read it ASAP. The Good Boy is magical and delightfully entertaining. I couldn't put it down, I was having too much fun!

I really liked Genie and human Rory. Genie was dealing with a lot and I thought her arc was believable and relatable. Rory was a great character. I loved his insight and commentary.

The romance here is sweet. Think friends to lovers & neighbors to lovers. Genie and Miles were adorable.

I liked the writing style a lot too. Kept me turning the pages.

If you enjoy magical realism and romcoms, give this a try.

This book was delightful and highly enjoyable. While I rated it four stars due to a perceived minor omission, the narrative was captivating and expertly balanced emotional resonance with heartwarming elements. I would readily reread it.

This was a fun read, but some of the conceit didn't work for me based solely on my preferences. The characterization of Rory and his dialogue was top notch. The side characters like Nanna Maria and Granny Rita added a lot to the story. The bits with Kelly didn't add much and were a bit meandering, though. It was a funny and heartfelt read.

I didn't realize how good this book would be. I think it should be considered an important read if you've experienced loss or depression. That being said it was also funny and enjoyable. Rory really is the goodest boy.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

I hilariously read the first paragraph of the synopsis and thought "YES! sounds like I will love it!" Needless to say the book surprised me a little, but in all the best ways. It made me laugh out loud more times than I can count and I really appreciate that about a book.
"Magic happens every time we protect one another, every time we lend a hand, every time we stand up for hope. Magic is hope, and hope moves mountains when we believe it can."This book is sweet, silly, deep, and healing all wrapped up by one cover.
Genie, the main character had well written character development even when she seemed a little stubborn in the start. Miles frustrated me at times, but in the end seemed like his communication improved. Rory was such an interesting character and the author did an incredible job with the dual perspectives needed to make his character happen.
I would happily read more books by this author involving these sweet characters and Genie learning more about the magic her family possesses.

THE GOOD BOY by Stella Hayward is such a funny, lighthearted romance and I had such a good time reading it! It was the perfect quick and easy read and I absolutely loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy!

One Genies thirty birthday, her grandma gives her one wish and while not believing her grandmas magical gifts. She doesn’t take it seriously and wishes her dog was a human so her family wouldn’t worry about her being alone. The next morning she wakes up to a naked man asleep in her dogs bed.

It goes just as well as you would imagine. Finding out that the only way to turn him back into a dog is to work through her problems and reveal her feelings for her best friend, Miles.

I wasn’t too sure what I was getting into but I was really glad when this wasn’t a book about her falling in love with her dog in human form. I loved human Rory. His insight and humor added so much to the story. Mostly light hearted and unserious, but a few deep moments that pulled at my heart strings. Giving very much slow burn, which was frustrating at some points. Wishing they would just get it over and communicate. But overall I had a good time and am happy with how this book ended. Sweet, cute and heartwarming read. Will definitely be watching this author for future books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this E-arc. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

I enjoyed this book, it was a quick light hearted read that had some moments of emotional growth for the characters. That being said, I think this book was a solid 3.5 stars.

We start of with Genie who gets granted a birthday wish she doesn't take seriously and ends up turning her dog into a human. Cute interactions, short hi jinks and some soulful moments ensue. All this with what i found to be an annoying build up to the two leads finally admitting what is obvious from the beginning of the book. Don't get me wrong I like slow-burn and building but this just seems to be a constant avoidance and miscommunication which just left me frustrated. I do understand that the FMC had to go through some growth to get to that point but I really feel like it was drawn out.

The side characters were a great addition and everyone no matter how briefly they were introduced were fleshed out well. Honestly I preferred every character that wasn't the main couple, I don't know if it's because I was annoyed with them or because I didn't connect or I found them dull? But, I did very much enjoy Rory and his development as a human. Between him and Grandma Marie I laughed and they had the most heartfelt dialogue. The climax with Rory's arc though was so quick it felt rushed. it was a good one but I didn't feel super satisfied. I wish we could have seen more of the conclusion and maybe even the future with an epilogue. Still he's the best boy.

Overall this was a sweet fluffy Rom-com book. You can tell how its going to end but, getting there was entertaining.

“The Good Boy” is a funny, lighthearted romantic comedy that would be a perfect “palate cleanser”. I loved the idea of a dog turning into a human (let’s face it - we’ve all wondered what our furry friends would say to us if they could). Rory’s commentary was both funny and very thought provoking at times. I really wasn’t expecting the more serious, emotional parts of the story but it added depth to Genie’s character arch and made her more relatable. The pacing of the story and page length was perfect and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for their next favorite feel-good read.

I mean, i had no idea what i was going into but wow i am still not sure what was going on. A dog turns into a man? Unserious and sometimes cringe but also deals with some heavy topics (done well and gracefully). I did enjoy parts of this book, i think topics were handled well even though many parts were just outlandish and just hilarious. This was a fun, goofy read that was okay but took me many attempts to get through/stay engaged and not sure I would pick it up again.

2.5 stars. The premise is fun—FMC’s dog turning into a man, magical family, and neighbor/friends to lovers. Animal lovers will delight in the way the book captures the joy animals bring. Rest of the book (romance, family dynamics) was bland/boring and could have been better developed.

Thanks NetGalley Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I loved it! I was so surprised because I do not normally love romance novels! This book had the best banter! It struck me as a corny premise, but I was SO WRONG! The FMC was hilarious, flawed and super relatable to me. Her dog gets turned into a human at the very beginning of the book. The way that Stella Hayward voiced the dog/man is expertly crafted. The dog was exactly how I imagine dogs would speak. As a dog lover, I was hooked! It was unexpectedly deep in it’s character growth and topics. There is a bit of realistic magic that I feel enhanced the story so much! I hope if this isn’t your usual genre that you take a chance on The Good Boy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 for this Good Boy! If Romance is your genre then you will LOVE this book! If Romance isn’t your genre like me, then I hope you give it a chance anyway! I would also say that if you love doggos and pets, then this is a MUST READ! Release date is JULY 8, 2025 and can be preordered now! I’m definitely buying a copy for my shelf! #BookTok #romance #bookish #booknerd #doglovers #reading #magic #fantasy #ARC Thank you to @Avon Books @NetGalley @HarperCollins and Stella Hayward for the privilege of reading this ARC!

"I think happiness is a thing that you can catch in your teeth, if you are always on the lookout for it and ready to jump."

I love magical realism. I love silly stories. This was one of the silliest I've ever read, but it was exactly what I needed on my third snow day in a row. This was a pure comfort book.

The humanization of Rory was done artfully and comedically, with so much emphasis on the unconditional love between dog and human. Rory was easily the best boy, the best man, and best human in this book, and I loved watching the development of his unconditional love with Genie. There were more times where I felt frustrated by Genie's insistence against the quest than I ever felt against Rory's trials and errors as a human, but Genie is a human first and foremost. I can't blame her when I do the same thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Genie finds herself in a bit of a mess after a drunken late birthday night wish comes true and her dog becomes a human man. She has to navigate Rory being a human and enlists the help of her neighbor Miles. Which means she also has to navigate not fessing up to her long time neighbor and friend that she wishes they were more than that.

The banter is funny, the characters are quirky and unique in interesting ways and this is definitely a plot I haven't seen before.

If you're looking for a slow burn, friends to lovers romance, but still plenty of fun, The Good Boy might be for you. If you've been wanting to dip a toe into witchy romances, this might fit the bill. It's not packed full of paranormal stuff, but it's not completely contemporary romance.

Aww. The Good Boy is one of my favs so far this year! As a dog mom, I knew I had to read this one. Genie turns 30 and her dog becomes a human after she wishes for it. Love, friendship, family magic... What more do you need?

Genie, our main gal, and her new roommate (former dog) have this beautiful bond and Hayward brought so much more to Rory's personality than I expected. He is a loyal friend, empathetic and smart--just as you may expect from a dog, but I've seen other animal-to-human characters and they don't always land.

If you're looking for a love story (with a human or dog), beautiful friendships, and a little magic, go fetch The Good Boy! It will leave you wishing your pets were your human besties, too.

DNF at 43%.

The premise of this book sounded so fun and new, so I had to request the ARC. Unfortunately, I was extremely underwhelmed with the delivery.

I absolutely hate the FMC Genie, and I don’t use the word hate lightly. She is horribly bitter and so annoying the entire read. I know that the point is that Rory teaches her how to live again after what happened (still don’t know what the tragedy was at this point, which pissed me off), but come onnnnn. There is almost nothing likable about her character.

Miles is subpar as a MMC, with how reserved and bland he is. Maybe I’m just not into quieter nerdy guys in books, but I’ve read some in the past and loved them so it makes me think it’s him. He had redeeming qualities, but I just could not get invested in him at all.

Rory was single-handedly the best part of this book and the only reason I got this far. I probably loved him so much because my love of dogs surpasses my love of humans most of the time, and I’m not ashamed to admit that.

This was such a cute book overall. I absolutely adored the pace of this read and these characters had me kicking my feet and giggling the entire way

I really wanted to like this book. It seemed like such a cute and funny plot, but unfortunately I ended up DNF'ing. Everything was described so much, like feathers on birds, but then the character descriptions seemed barely there. I really appreciate the opportunity.