Must Love Dogs

Preschool teacher Sarah Hurlihy, encouraged by her close-knit Irish Catholic family, begins to think about dating after being divorced for two years. Sarah answers a personal ad in her local paper, only to find her date is her widowed father; something her family finds hilarious. Sarah’s sister Carol places a personal ad for Sarah which starts Sarah on the path to weeding out prospective dates. One or two hold promise but Sarah can’t seem to find the time for any relationship to marinate while dealing with her father’s overzealous and overjealous girlfriend, her brother Michael’s marital problems, and her sister Carol’s rebellious teenage daughter. Will she find someone to spend the rest of her life with or will Sarah be show more forever doomed to taking care of the rest of her family?

Claire Cook has penned a fun romantic comedy depicting the pitfalls of dating and family life. The book moves at a fast pace, placing Sarah in the midst of some pretty humorous situations, surrounded by loving family members and interested would-be beaus. show less

light, charming - a step up from romance/ chick lit - I adored the glimpses into our heroine's preschool classroom - I wouldn't mind reading other stories about the rest of her family

Sarah Hurlihy is trying to get herself back into the dating scene after her divorce but goes through a lot of starts and stops. There are a series of funny connections with losers based on her personal ad and a smaller group of potentials that is more serious. All the connections involve dogs, since her sister thinks that is the way to sort the wheat from the chaff. This aspect of the story is very chick-lit, Bridget Jonesy, although she seems to have a more level headed outlook than said Jones. This was a good look at decision making and getting one’s self esteem back.
One thing that set this tale apart is the connection with her big interfering family. At times it seems her house has a revolving door, everyone feels free to walk in show more at any time and to give her advice. But there are subplots dealing with a sister’s problems with her teenage daughter and a brother’s troubled marriage that saves the story from being one dimensional. These problems are handled seriously and supportively within a large close extended family.
The third aspect of the story, the most humorous, but also most contrived, is the Lothario aspect of Sarah’s widowed father. His dating and relationships are over the top, a mid-life crisis extending into his senior years. All in all this was a fun read. Apparently it was made into a movie, so I’ll have to look it up. show less

So, I really didn't like this book. I gave it two stars, because it was a quick read and I was able to finish it, but on the whole, I was disappointed. I can't remember what I thought of the movie since I watched it so long ago, but I think it may have been better. Nothing of importance really happened, I didn't find it all that funny even though it's labeled as a "humor" book, and the characters annoyed me. Granted, I'm not divorced or anything, so maybe I'm not in the target audience, but I think that other authors cover this topic much better and in a much more entertaining way.

The number one way for me to dislike a book is if I dislike the main character. That's exactly the problem I had with Must Love Dogs. Yes, she's been through show more some tough times, but all she does about it is whine and watch The Brady Bunch. I couldn't relate to her, because all she does is put herself down all the time. (Honestly, the bulk of the book isn't taken up with any real plot, it's mostly Sarah whining about her life.) And though she finds some semi-decent men to date, she treats them like crap. She walks out of a guy's house without saying goodbye to him or anything, because he stops making out with her to deal with his puppy. Which is somewhat understandable, but at least say something. And she's really snarky and sarcastic for no good reason. I can see the occasional smart remark, but it was over-the-top. In short: she complains about not finding good guys, but she treats all the guys she dates like crap, so there's no one but herself to blame, really.

Secondly, nothing happened in this book. I felt like Claire didn't go through much of a change at all. There wasn't anything of significance that could have been a major turning point. If there were a sequel, I feel we'd find her in the same situation as the beginning of this book, just older.

In terms of audiobook format, the production is great. MacDuffie is an excellent narrator, and had the content been better, this would have been a fantastic read. The thing is, there are many funnier chick lit books out there to spend your time on, in my opinion. show less

An enjoyable book. It's much better than the average romance; as it certainly doesn't end with a lifetime commitment and a happily ever after. In fact it does a good job of tracking real life and how it feels. I could wish that my family was as intrusive as this one.

One of the most curious things about this story is the fact that it takes place pre-internet. The idea of posting an ad in a newspaper, of getting responses to a voice mail box, makes the story seem old fashioned. I liked Sarah's family and how even though they got on Sarah's nerves, she appreciated their love and support. I liked also that Sarah's forays into the world of dating weren't all smooth sailing, but that despite the push and pull of her emotions, she did manage to make some connections and rebuild her life.

Hubby and I had the pleasure of meeting the author and having her sign the book. She's an engaging speaker, and I adore her writing style. Enjoyed the book even more than the movie, picturing Diane Laine in all the humorous situations. Fun read with wonderful relationship insight.