I really enjoyed reading this book. Simply put, it is a book about how 4 adults and 2 dogs can add up to 1 big happy family.

This book has a wonderful message about bullying,of children and its effects, starting over and how the love of dogs can improve ones life. Its about a relationship between a Mother and daughter who heal each other with the help of rescued dogs and the kindness of neighbors.. I love the beautifully done relationship narrative and the emphasis on the effect of rescue dogs on healing a broken family. Very well done. Thank you for ARC that did not influence my review.

I went into this book expecting cute dog fluff. Instead, I found family drama, timely issues, action, and dogs. What a nice surprise! Well written, engaging....now I want to back-track and read this author's earlier book.

Two Good Dogs by Susan Wilson is a 2017 St. Martin’s Press publication.

As an animal lover, I was drawn to this book because of its title. Then the synopsis convinced me to take the plunge.

Skye, a widow, moves with her daughter, Cody, into an old hotel hoping to turn it into a profitable venture, something she has always dreamed of doing. However, fourteen year old Cody is carrying a heavy and terrifying burden, and this move has only compounded her stress levels.

Adam and his therapy dog, Chance, need a place to stay during a blinding rain storm which leads him to Skye’s establishment. At first it seemed like things were not going to work out because Skye had a strict ‘no pets’ policy.

Adam convinces her to make an exception, and continues to stick around for a while. Being the only guest, he soon finds himself embroiled in the mother/daughter drama between Skye and Cody, while he continues to work through his heartbreaking grief.

I really wanted to like this book, and although I have not read any of the author’s previous books, I picked up a vibe that tells me she has a dedicated fan base. However, other than Chance the pit bull’s inner thoughts, the rest of the book was disappointing.

The blurb could be partially to blame. The suggestion is that this story falls into either the romance or thriller category is pushing things a bit. There is a suspenseful element, since we know Cody is carrying a huge burden and that she has been threatened. The possibility that what she knows could put her danger, or that on any day the piper could come calling, did situate itself in the back of my mind, but the author did not utilize that to its fullest capacity. Instead, the book dealt more with the psychological consequences that Cody endures, which is responsible for her disturbing, and uncharacteristic behavior that baffled and frustrated her mother.

Adam’s arrival is fortuitous, only because he happened to bring Chance along. The chemistry between Skye and Adam was a letdown for me, as I am expecting a few fireworks, but mostly got friendship.

Adam’s struggles are deeper than his sorrow, but these issues are never fully explained or revealed, and we are forced to guess or fill in the blanks on our own. Was he a victim of abuse or the abuser, both, or none of the above? I’m sorry, but to me, unless the author intends to feature Adam’s story in a sequel or if this happens to be an ongoing saga, that’s just laziness, in my opinion.

Chance’s ‘first person narrative’ though, is the book’s saving grace. The author did do a very good job of voicing Chance’s thoughts, which was a very nice touch. I just wish the other characters, who were mostly bland were as developed or as interesting.

There were a couple of secondary threads running parallel, one of which was just a big mess, but the other introduces us to ‘good dog’ number two. I enjoyed this thread which added much needed depth to a story that was beginning to become predictable.

Overall, this book has some shining moments, which speaks to the role animals play in our overall enjoyment and well -being in life. They come to our rescue in times of trouble and need, are loyal and much more attuned to our feelings than we could possibly imagine. I wish we really could hear their thoughts. Service dogs are an absolute godsend for people. They really do saves lives and I love it when stories are centered these incredible dogs.

This aspect alone makes the book worth checking out if you are an animal or pet lover, but if you are looking for romance or suspense, in the usual terms, you might want to take a pass on this one.

Unfortunately, the story is not cohesive, had too many threads going on at once, and some aspects are simply left up to the reader to decipher on their own, with several open ended threads which left me feeling very frustrated. The characters are flat, except the dog, and the crime elements do not come into the picture until the very tail end of the book.

Overall, I’m afraid this one was a dud, in my opinion, although I appear to be in the minority on that one. However, since the author has such a stellar reputation, I'm sure this is not the best representation of her work, so, I will certainly be up for reading her back listed titles and giving her another chance in the future.

2 stars

This wasn't one of my favorites by Wilson, but it was a good book. I liked the characters, Adam, Sky and Cody, but Chance was the star. He was a great dog! The storyline was interesting and kept my attention. This one tackles some tough subjects.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I was not sure about this book when I first started it, but then after the first chapter I could NOT put it down. This book is so diverse it covers every emotion. I fell in love with Cody, to be so young and have to endure so much all by herself. I would love to read a sequel to this book to see how everyone fairs in the next couple years.

This is a must read.

I requested this one after reading the description as it appealed to me as a dog lover, particularly as I love rescue dogs. I liked the sound of the storyline too so I was pleased when I was accepted and sent a copy! It took me a little while to get round to (life got in the way!) but I was excited to start reading when I got the chance. I thought this was a really excellent book! It was well written and I loved that parts were from Chance's POV - his understanding of the human world was clever and exactly how I would imagine a dog to interpret us. I did enjoy the storyline and liked the characters. Although Cody does behave like an unreasonable and annoying teenager, I find myself wanting to tell Skye that there's something wrong and she's not playing up for no reason! Adam was an interesting character too - he hints throughout the story that something happened in his past which he wasn't proud of but I don't think that we found out what it was. (I would like to know!). The only negative I really have to say about this was that it was quite a lengthy book but the dramatic end event was over in the last 3% of the book - the ending felt quite rushed after such a big lead up the whole way through! Other than that I really enjoyed it and look forward to writing my blog review. Thank you for the chance to read and review this!

Princess Fuzzypants here:
I must admit it took me a while to get into this book. I wanted to hiss and spit at the young protagonist. She was such a messed up adolescent that I was getting as frustrated with her as her poor mother. I am glad I stuck with it because when the backstory is revealed and all the other major characters, human and canine fall into place, it is a very moving and exciting story.
It tells how damaged humans and animals can come together and help heal. It tells the story third person except when the mom or the therapy dog, Chance, speak. Then we get to hear their "take" on the story. When it all comes to light, it is all about second chances and learning to trust and love again. Except for us cats, there is no one better equipped to teach humans about that than dogs.
Both dogs have been abused as fighting pit bulls. Yet when rescued and shown love, their true natures come through. The humans have been thrown into their own kind of fighting pits. Just like the dogs, they bare the scars and wounds.
There is hope. There is redemption. There are two good dogs.
I give this five purrs and two paws up.

The premise of this book is good; but for me, much of the story is lost in the constant switching between different points of view with no warning. One person (or dog) will be 'talking' and then suddenly you realize - no - a different person is now talking. It's confusing and distracting. The story itself is fairly predictable but pleasant - - it's just a challenge to get TO the story. Others might not find this off-putting at all and will no doubt enjoy the book.

Did not finish as I wasn't enjoying it, which is too bad as I've liked other books by this author.

Two Good Dogs is the newest book by Susan Wilson (author of One Good Dog). Skye Mitchell and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Cody have moved to the Berkshire Hills. Skye has purchased the LakeView Motel and is hoping this is a new start for the two of them. Cody’s personality has taken a three hundred and sixty degree turn since the death of her father, Randy six months earlier (not that he was every around much). She is no longer the happy sunny girl. Cody is rebellious, sullen, and keeps to herself. Calls from the high school principal have become a regular occurrence. Skye does not know what is wrong with Cody, and Cody refuses to talk to with her mother. The LakeView Motel is not quite what Skye expected. It needs many repairs, and Skye does not have the money to get them completed (income is low at this time). One night there is a heavy rainstorm and Adam March cannot continue on to his destination. He sees the sign for the LakeView Motel and pulls in. Skye is happy for a guest (the guest’s money), but Adam has a buddy with him that she does not want to allow in her motel. Adam travels with his dog, Chance. Chance is a pit bull rescue that is a certified therapy dog. Skye reluctantly allows Adam to stay for the night (and charges him an extra fee for the dog). Chance can tell that Cody has a lot of anger in her and needs comforting. It turns out that Cody has a secret that she cannot share. She is afraid and will not let anyone get close to her. Cody is interested in art and spends time at the local Artists Cooperative in North Adams. It turns out that Adam is in the area to do some work for the Artists Cooperative. Adam’s one night at the LakeView Motel turns into a regular occurrence (Adam is grieving the loss of his wife). Adam works to convince Skye to make changes to the motel (make it pet friendly), and they slowly get to know each other. These three people and Chance are on a journey. Another troubled soul will soon join them. The road will be bumpy and twisty, but, hopefully, they will all make it to the end.

Two Good Dogs is told from different point-of-views. It is told in the third person for Cody and Adam. In the first person for Skye and Chance. As the story plays out, it changes from one person to the next. I found this confusing. One minute we are hearing from Cody and then it changes. You have to read a little bit and then you finally figure out which person it has changed to. I wish the author had just told the story from a third person perspective (instead of each character). I found Chance’s sections to be a little too sophisticated for a dog (if they had been more humorous, it would have helped lighten this story). The dog cannot understand human speak, but he has very mature thoughts. I know my dog, Doozy has one main thought—food. His main concern is how to con more treats out of me (or find a way to steal them). The pace of the book is leisurely (a nice way to say slow) and the segments choppy. I give Two Good Dogs 2.5 out of 5 stars. I did not like Cody. She dominates the story (of course) with her teenage rebellious acts, because she will not share her secret. I felt the author shoved in as many awful teenage acts as she could into the store. It made the book very unpalatable. Two Good Dogs contains foul language, drugs, thieving and inappropriate situations (an art teacher with an underage, underdressed model). The ending was abrupt and the epilogue unsatisfactory. There was one odd sentence. Cody does not put on perfume that she does not own (stole or borrowed from a guest) because her mother “has a nose like a hound”. But Cody can smoke pot and her mother does not notice? This is an oxymoron. Two Good Dogs had very little mystery or suspense in it. I wish the author had played up this angle more and less on the teenage drama.

If you haven't read Susan Wilson before, you are in for a treat. Two Good Dogs follows the lives of Cody, a troubled 14 year old girl, her mother Skye, who is trying to get her struggling bed and breakfast off the ground and Adam March, who happens upon the inn and finds himself returning more frequently than he planned. Of course, we also meet Chance, Adam's pit bull therapy dog, who brings his own insight to the story.

Susan Wilson's books are a must read for any pet lover, and truly for any story lover as well. She weaves a storyline with compelling characters and in Two Good Dogs, a vivid setting as well. I felt the ending was a little rushed, but that might be due to the fact that I wasn't ready to let these characters go. I had previously read One Good Dog which introduces the characters of Adam and Chance, but you could definitely read Two Good Dogs as a standalone novel. I would welcome another novel in this series to see what more is in store for Cody, Skye and Adam.

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Susan Wilson has written another winner! I loved this book for a wide range of reasons, not the least of which was the rescued dogs Lucky/Dawg and Chance. Cody is a typical teenage outsider but she's carrying a terrible terrible secret. Adam is also carrying a secret- my one quibble is that we never learn what he did but I've decided that doesn't really matter. I would also argue that some of Mingo's patois is a bit off but he's such a wonderful characrter (especially when he helps Cody) that it didn't matter either. I liked (and disliked) the fairy painting concept (reminiscent of all those creepy Victorians). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. One of the best things about Wilson's books is that she throws in little twists so while you think you know where things are going, you don't. This is a very very good read.

Two Rescue Dogs Come to the Aid of Their Owners

Cody hates the Berkshire Inn her mother bought. She hates her new school. She’s angry, has no friends, and only relates to the artists in the local art colony. Skye, Cody’s mother, is at her wits end. After Cody’s father’s murder, she turned into a troubled child rather than the happy loving person she had been.

The dilapidated inn is trying Skye’s resources. She has a policy of no pets, but one rainy night, Adam Marsh, a grieving widower, and his rescue dog, Chance, arrive. Reluctantly, she agrees to let them stay; after all the extra money will be welcome. One night turns into several more visits.

Although standoffish at first, Cody gradually warms up to Chance. When she and Chance help rescue another pit bull, she begins to relate to the dogs, but she still has a secret that drives her away from her mother. Perhaps the dogs can help her they way they helped Adam get over his grief.

The best character in this book is Chance. He opens the story with his discussion of how he studies human emotions. Throughout the book, Chance gives his take on what’s happening. It’s interesting to see how animals view their human friends.

The plot raises issues of bullying, love, fear, grief and loss. The issues are well addressed by the characters and commented on by Chance. However, I found the technique of shifting back and forth between Skye and Cody difficult to get used to. Cody’s action is told in the third person, for Skye the author uses first person. While that technique does separate the point of view of each character, it seems strained.

If you enjoy stories where animals have a major role, this is a good one.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

After Skye Mitchell’s husband was murdered she chooses to move herself and her fourteen year old daughter, Cody, to a smaller town and try to make a go of it running their own hotel. Little does Skye know that her daughter witnessed the murder and is now scared to death that the killer will return so she has shut her mother out and gotten involved in all the wrong things.

Adam March finds himself looking for a place to stay one night with his pit bull Chance when he comes across Skye’s place of business during a horrible storm. Pleading to not turn him away due to his dog being with him he convinces Skye to let him stay the night and in turn becomes a regular customer of the hotel.

Adam one night has Cody take Chance for a walk and when the pit bull gets away from Cody she finds herself coming across a young man who overdosed with his dog left alone. Luckily Cody is quick thinking and immediately takes action calling for help for Mingo and with Adam taking Mingo’s dog Cody becomes determined to see the pair reunited.

Two Good Dogs is told from multiple points of view during the story from Adam, Skye, Cody and even the pit bull Chance tells his story. I actually thought involving Chance was a rather cute idea and enjoyed that part of the read but as for the rest of the characters I didn’t really find them overly exciting. Skye and Adam seemed to just lack any personality that stood out to make them extremely likable and Cody seemed more the normal teenage angst and testing her mother even if that’s explained as her witnessing a murder.

I was also sort of expecting some type of thriller or cozy mystery type of read with this story but was left wanting more in that area of the read. There is a lot of personal drama being dealt with all the characters that could be a bit entertaining so that I didn’t completely dislike this read but I also felt myself wanting a bit more to pull me into it other than some teenage angst being dealt with which is why I’d wished there was more of a mystery/thriller edge to it.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Two Good Dogs by Susan Wilson is a family suspense book is there is such a kind of book. I especially enjoyed the Cody. He may have been a rescued dog but he is quite capable of returning the favor. While the story has a happy ending of sorts, it has a dark side too. I didn’t see that coming from the title which sounded so update. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the book, it is just a serious read, not a lighthearted one.

The characters are well developed but are at such crossroads in their lives dealing with problems and struggles overwhelming them from moving forward at times. This came out in the pacing too. There is family drama, a troubled teenager, a chance at love, secrets, danger and wonderful dogs in this book. For those who believe that dogs enrich our lives and make a positive difference in our too often messy lives.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

Synopsis:

When Cody, a troubled fourteen-year-old, witnesses a murder, she tells no one. But it begins a spiral for her from which she cannot escape. Her worried mother Skye thinks a change of scene is just what her introverted, withdrawn daughter needs and since her dream has always been to own an inn, she jumps at the chance to buy a dilapidated bed & breakfast in the Berkshires. But being an innkeeper is harder than it seems and Cody still seems to fall in with the wrong crowd. When Adam March arrives as the inn’s only guest, he is accompanied by his rescued pit bull, Chance, a dog who has saved Adam in more ways than one. Cody and Chance begin a wary bond and soon, Adam finds another rescue who needs the kind of attention he gave Chance years ago. With Adam and Skye beginning a tentative relationship and Chance showing Cody how to trust again, this new-found family seems to be on the brink of second chances. But soon, a murderer is closing in—someone hiding in plain sight, and threatening everything and everyone—even Cody’s life. (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Cody is a troubled teen who is rebellious and anger filled. She made a lot of bad choices in her young life. Her mom, Skye, tries to help her, even going so far as buying a run down Bed And Breakfast, thinking relocating will help her. The one thing that does help Cody is a four-legged creature named Chance. I enjoyed reading about their interactions and the way the dog was able to help her.

I was not really happy with the different perspectives that this book is written in. It got a little confusing and interrupted the flow of the story. The one thing I did like was when Chance narrated the story. I thought this added another layer to the story, one that I liked. The author did a good job dealing with some unpleasant material, such as bullying, dog fighting and drugs.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy a well written women’s contemporary suspense. If you are a dog person, that is a plus.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I so enjoyed this story. It's theme is "Second Chances".
A pit bull who was once abused gets a second chance and becomes a therapy dog for a man who received another chance.
A family who gives a young boy help to become and upstanding citizen in a world that often throws people out and a teen- that has kept an awful secret thru out the years and needs to learn to live without fear.
Written with every character's thought's shared, including Chance sharing his thoughts about his "person", other people and his new found friend, Dawg aka Lucky.
It was an easy book to follow and a wonderful, enjoyable read.

Two Good Dogs by Susan Wilson


Two good dogs – and they were definitely sweeties – is an interesting tale.

Fourteen year old Cody Mitchell is a mess. She has seen a murder and been threatened. She has cut herself off and become a loner who is badly treated at school. She is an artist. She is filled with anger, fear and teenage angst. She is on the outs with her mom for a number of reasons including the fact that her mom has moved her away from all that she knew. She is not very likable but I do understand her.

Skye Mitchell is Cody’s mom. Her dream is to own a bed and breakfast so she bought one BUT owning it is a lot of work, requires budgeting and then add in a daughter with problems and her life is not the greatest.

Adam March is a grieving widow and rescuer of dogs and sometimes people. He is on the road a lot and happens to stop at Skye’s B&B. Over a period of time he begins to visit more and finds solace in the Berkshires.

Mingo Ayala is a troubled young man who has had a hard life. I enjoyed his story and wouldn’t mind reading more about how he eventually turns out.

The story includes a lot of heavy topics: bullying, loss, rescue, abuse, fear, second chances, lies, bad choices, making amends, etc.

This book is hard for me to rate with stars. Why? Because I liked the story, for the most part, but I did not like the style it was written in. I had trouble knowing whose point of view I was reading till I had read into the paragraph a bit and the point of view changed often. I wanted to know more about Adam and his background – what he did that was so horrible and cost him so much. I wanted to know more about Skye before she bought the B&B and also wondered how she could be so clueless. I felt sorry for Cody BUT also felt the choices she made were hard to understand at times. In some ways I wished for an epilogue to let me know how everyone is doing a few years down the road.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Story: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 3 or less stars
Overall: 4 Stars

I've read Wilson's books before and I was excited to get my hands on this one, as I love any book about dogs. I did enjoy hearing this story from different points of view, including from Chance the dog.

This story takes place in the Berkshires, where Skye and her daughter, Cody, have just purchased a mountain hotel that has seen better days. Cody's estranged father has just been killed in a drive-by shooting, which leads to her having The Secret. Skye struggles to get the hotel up and running and get enough heads in beds to pay the bills and Cody struggles with bullying and not fitting in at her new school, leading to her only making one friend, the dubious Black Molly. Cody starts hanging out at the Artists Collaborative, where she finds herself hanging out and modeling with Moseley, which may or may not be the most appropriate relationship for a 15 year old.

Enter the dogs.... Chance, owned by Adam March, a guest at the hotel, is a pit bull and a therapy dog and we get to hear his point of view throughout the book. Lucky/Dawg enters later, when Cody finds him in an abandoned building with his owner, who has OD'ed on drugs. Adam and Cody/Skye alternate taking care of Lucky, and disagree if his owner, Mingo, should get him back after he's turned his life around.

Here's where the book goes wrong - it wraps up too quickly. We spend 90% of the book working out the back story of "The Secret" and hearing about how Adam was a bad guy and had to change his life but then it just ends. It's never fully discussed how Adam lived prior to Gina and why he needs a therapy dog to control his anger. We never get a resolution on if Adam and Skye end up together. We don't know if Moseley gets his due for having a less than innocent view of Cody. We don't know if the bullies get their due. We don't get a real clear ending on any of the characters and generally with a book like this, I want a clear, concise, neatly wrapped up happy ending.

While I liked the story, I would have preferred a cleaner ending. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.