The Good Boy by Stella Hayward is such a fun, heartwarming read! Genie’s life gets turned upside down when her golden retriever, Rory, becomes human overnight. Rory’s hilarious attempts to be human and Genie’s journey to change him back—with help from her charming childhood friend, Miles—make this story both funny and sweet. Some parts between Genie and Miles felt a bit repetitive, but overall, this magical twist on romance is perfect for a cozy escape. This book sprung me out of my reading rut!

This was such a sweet story!
As a big dog-lover myself, i loooooved how accurately the dog turned human acted and just was a ray of sunshine through and through like any good boy would be.
When it came to the romance i was really fustrated at Gen and Miles most of the book, but i guess that’s what happens when you put two people who are bit shy or closed up with their emotions to share them openly.
Overall i think it was a cute book that was perfect palette cleanser for me as I have been reading many heavier books recently so it was just what i needed!

What a sweet story! I absolutely adored the main characters relationship and their journey to meeting each other. It was just darling!

This was cute but a stereotypical romance it was a cute quick read. Loved the character development and contemporary style of this book.

Honestly, I was not rooting for these two to be together. Genie and Miles were a little annoying each, and while I can appreciate that Genie was working through a lot of trauma, her relationship with Mikes didn’t feel healthy either. Miles just felt … wrong… and kind of judgey the entire time. Within the first few chapters, he kinda slut shames Genie when he thinks she had a one night stand. It felt like he thought she belonged to him, just because he loved her (even if he didn’t know she returned the feeling).

There was too much of the purposeful misunderstanding of each other to be entertaining. And then it just wraps up? Within basically a chapter?

I am glad that Rory got turned back into a dog, and this book definitely made me hug my dog a little tighter. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve told him he’s a good boy recently. Get ready for the Rory of it all to basically rip your heart out. The Rory character is what gives the book 3 stars, along with the careful handling of sensitive topics like miscarriage.

The sentence structure felt weird and it brought me out of the book a bit, the pacing was off through the novel, and Miles was a definite no for me. Rory was a big yes. I’d give 2.5 stars if I could, but I’ll be generous and round up to 3.

I was surprised to find out that Stella Hayward was a pseudonym and that the author has actually written a lot of books. This book had the feel of a "first book." It was a cute book but wasn't the most technically complex, it felt a bit like they had a fun idea and wanted to write a book but maybe didn't think through the whole thing. The idea of turning a dog into a man is fun but it felt a little like she was just making it up. Obviously its a work of fiction, so of course it is all made up, but there weren't really logical rules or consistency with the transformation. Rather than worry overly much about making sure it made sense, she wrote in a work around. "This whole dog-to-man deal is so lacking in consistency, it does my head it. (Chapter 10)"

It does contain some heartwarming themes of healing and being comfortable being yourself. A woman who has suffered a great tragedy, causing her to wall herself off from the world and her own feelings, is confronted with her dog-turned-man who sees the world like dogs do. Living in the present and being excited about every little thing, he helps her to heal.

I enjoyed the book but I wouldn't label it a "must-read."

Cute, definitely captured golden retriever energy in a person, lol. Magic structure not really explained, but the how wasn't really the point. I saved a few quotes about enjoying life and taking chances. Fun read overall! I received this as an ARC from Avon/Harper Voyager via Netgalley.

First off - thanks to NetGalley & Avon for the ARC!

Really more 3.5 stars, cause I did quite enjoy this book, despite figuring out how it would end almost as soon as it began.

Things I loved -
Rory ... no notes, exactly how I would expect a golden retriever who magically turned into a man to act and I loved every scene he was in. As a single dog mom, I won't pretend that I've never not wished I could understand what my dog was saying and that they knew how much I loved them, so seeing that portrayed in a speaking human delighted me to no end and made me cry appropriately. His disdain for mint chocolate did not go unnoticed either. I'm with you Rory.

Miles ... what a delightful geeky MMC.

Things I didn't love -
The breaking of the fourth wall by the narrator. It didn't bring anything to the table and took you out of the story. Not really a fan ever of being referred to as "The Reader" by the author and every time it happened it felt unnecessary.

The reveal of the FMC's major trauma. For something that so completely impacted her life, I felt like the discussion and the path to healing should have been more of a focus than just 10-15 pages of the overall novel. It also completely removed you from the overall tone of the rest of the book. This is a lighthearted book about a woman who wishes her dog to be a human and then tries to turn him back - that's all it needed to be. Adding this trauma felt like an afterthought and didn't really pay the trauma enough respect in doing so.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, I laughed a lot and I cried a little and I'll recommend it to others when it is released next summer.

3.5 stars rounded up

First off, thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in turn for a review.

I was SO excited to read this book because I love dogs, love the cover, and love the title of this book! I was expecting a fun, silly romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously and that’s exactly what I got.

On Genie’s 30th birthday, she receives a wish from her Nanna Maria to be made specifically at midnight and the wish is irreversible. Genie, not believing in her family’s alleged magical abilities, pays no attention to the rules of the wish. So after enough drinking, she cuddles her dog, Rory, on the couch and at midnight, says she wishes he was a human.

What I didn’t like about this book was that, while her dog turned into a human, he still had all his dog qualities, which in human form, can be a bit annoying. Examples are Rory talking about smelling butts, yelling at cats, etc.

Through a quest to turn Rory back into a dog and find her true self, we are drawn into a budding romance between Genie and her oldest friend and neighbor, Miles. We learn that finding your true self means standing up to your fears and confronting the people that hurt you in order to be truly free.

This book does have some very serious moments and I was brought to tears learning of Genie’s heartbreak. It did take me a bit longer to get into this book for reasons stated above, but as it progressed, it got better and I ended up really enjoying it.

It's the eve of Genie's 30th birthday and she's at dinner with her family. Her Nanna grants her a birthday wish, along with a warning that this wish is irreversible. Genie being 6 margaritas deep and forgetting Nanna's warnings wishes that her dog Rory was a human. When Genie wakes up on the morning of her 30th birthday, there is a naked Adonis asleep in her dog bed. Genie enlists her best friends Miles and Kelly and her family to try to reverse her wish because how could she live with an Adonis with golden retriever energy.

Calling anyone who has ever wondered what goes through their dog's brain. The Good Boy was a really cute story and a very easy and light read. We got to join Genie in her journey of self-reflection, forgiveness, and love. I loved Genie's eclectic but supportive family. Overall, a feel-good story!

3.75⭐️

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon or Harper Voyager for allowing me to arc read The Good Boy!

I really enjoyed this book, far more than I thought I was going to. If you like the movie Freaky Friday I think you’ll really enjoy The Good Boy, as it gives very much Freaky Friday vibes.

I went through all of the emotions in this book. There was so much I enjoyed, so much I could resonate with. So many things I didn’t see coming that came out of left field. The neighbor next door, the slow burn, the closed door romance, the character development, it was all done so well. I would love to see another book after this one 🤞🏻

This was such a cute story! Our main character Genie and her dog Rory end up in a freaky Friday situation where she accidentally wishes Rory to be human. As Genie struggles to undo her wish, she also has to uncover and work through trauma from her past and reveal her feelings for her best friend Miles.

Rory as a human is hilarious and so easily lovable- just like dogs are. I kept comparing things coming from Rory as things my own dogs would say or do if they were humans. I found myself giggling through the whole book as human Rory navigates his new life.

The romance in this book is small, which was honestly great. I loved the writing style of the author and how she really focused on helping her characters through some tough situations and facing real life human emotions. A very heart warming and cute book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🫑

Honestly, this book really surprised me with how much I actually enjoyed it. I ate this up in one sitting! Charming and funny with the perfect amount of magical realism to satisfy me.

A woman's beloved golden retriever turns into a real-life man (a gorgeous man at that) because she makes a silly wish that upsets the balance of the universe because she doesn't believe in magic. And I know what you're thinking; this has a possibility of going two different ways, but it turns out to be the most heartfelt and charming quest about her finding herself again. I wouldn't lump this book with romance. It's definitely more of an ode to oneself and finding what makes you, you. There is romance in it, but it's extremely slow burn and definitely not the focal point of this book. By far, the best part of this book is Hayward's depiction of Rory, the non fluffy, but used to be a fluffy best friend. She really captured the charming and beautiful qualities of dogs with him, and as a dog mom myself, I found myself smiling often.

My one critique is that the story could have been without the romantic undertone and still would have been a great uplifting story. I personally don't think it was needed as the MMC's only personality traits were being a cat owner, and "always being around" - there's not very much complex character development aside from Genie & Rory, and frankly I would have been totally okay with it just revolving around them.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Stella Hayward, Avon & Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Good Boy revolves around Genie, who makes a wish to turn her dog, Rory, human on her 30th birthday, not thinking for one moment it will come true. When she wakes up and finds Rory is a full-grown man, hijinks and chaos follows as Genie, Rory, and Genie's lifelong friend, Miles, try to turn Rory back into a dog.

This was a closed-door romance! As someone who has also wished her dog was a person on more than one occasion, I was interested to see how this story would play out. I was worried at first that it may be cheesy, and while there was certainly some cheese, this story was surprisingly heartfelt and earnest.

I really enjoyed the dry, British humor throughout and the way the author dealt with heavy topics involving grief and trauma. The slow burn is sweet, but it really is sloooooow. Genie's character development is my favorite part of the book.

This was a hilarious and quirky read for any animal lover who has ever wished their pet was human. For such an entertaining read, it did have some life lessons and heartwarming incidents. I would love a sequel!

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What did I just read? I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. A quirky book with light fantasy and romance. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get into this book but I definitely stayed for Rory. Stella Hayward perfectly captured what I imagine it would be like for a dog to be magically turned into a man and she did so in a very funny way. This one might surprise you.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

Stella Hayward wrote a winner!! The Good Boy was such an entertaining book. I’d recommend it to all romcom readers!

The Good Boy was a true delight to read. Perfect for dog lovers and really makes you think about what your beloved pet would be like if they turned into a human. This book was filled with humorous moments, but also heart and has a very meaningful and sometimes sad plot line.

“Maybe it’s only when something truly impossible happens to you that you will really start to believe that anything is possible.”

What would you wish for if you were granted one wish? In this story, Genie makes a desperate wish one lonely night that unexpectedly comes true—her beloved dog, Rory, is transformed into a human. The book follows Genie’s frantic efforts to undo her wish and return Rory to his golden retriever form. Along the way, we discover that Genie has been harboring deep emotional pain that has been holding her back from reaching her full potential. As she battles to reverse the transformation, we’re left wondering: Can Genie fix her mistake, or is Rory doomed to live as a human forever?

This book is a charming and engaging read. While the plot initially appears lighthearted, it quickly reveals a deeper emotional undercurrent that adds unexpected depth. There's also a subtle romance subplot, which, though important to the story, never overshadows the main narrative. The writing is smooth and well-paced, making it an easy and enjoyable read. Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy rom-coms with a heartfelt twist.

A special thank you to NetGalley and publisher Avon for the advanced reader copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Rating: 3.7/5 rounded to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this ARC!

In The Good Boy, Genie is granted a wish on her thirtieth birthday by her Nanna Maria. Not believing in the family magic that her golden retriever, Rory, would be a man. What ensues is a journey of self discovery for both Genie and Rory, with help from Genie’s life-long friend Miles along the way.

Overall this was a sweet, funny, heartwarming, and surprisingly deep story. Genie’s character development is the star of the show, balanced with hilarious quips from human Rory that had me laughing out loud! I also enjoyed the slow burn romance that blossomed between Genie and Miles.