graphic memoir. A teen adopts a "problem" dog from a Kansas City shelter that would be a lifelong companion (for the next 16 years) as she moves to Portland, becomes an artist/musician, comes out as bisexual/lesbian, and deals with depression.

Heartfelt story with lovely black/white ink + wash-type illustrations, recommended for any dog- and animal-lover. ( )

Sweet coming of age with a dog story. I did not know to expect the coming out plotline! I was pleasantly surprised! Many resonant anecdotes about being young and not knowing how to do things and figuring that out.

Lovingly evokes the intense relationship between person and dog,. Especially when that relationship is anxious human managing anxious dog interactions with neurotypical society. Sketchy art except when dogs are illustrated. Contains: emotionally abusive childhood, animal harm, the dog dies. ( )

Sweet. Sad. Complicated.

Georges's memoir is certain to tug at the heart of anyone who has given their heart to a pet, especially a dog, not to mention a dog who doesn't always seem lovable. The story is touching and complicated as it skips back and forth in time through her life - pay attention. ( )

314 pages to belabor the adage that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners? Not for me. I get the love a person can have for a dog, but the rest of the bizarre choices and experiences of this author and her dog are so alien to me as to be off-putting.

A big problem in the book is the lack of flow in the pages. Poor placement of word balloons and mostly the captions (which are almost randomly placed at the top, bottom and sides of panels - sometimes all three in a single panel) often left me reading things in the wrong order. The thick black borders placed around almost all captions and panels may have contributed to this, making my mind split a caption apart from the panel it was supposed to be in. And while it was at least legible, I found the hand lettering to be distracting in its inconsistent size and alignment of letters and words in their assigned spaces, again possibly because those thick black borders drew such attention to the captions and how the words floated in them. ( )