The first half of this novel was exactly what many romance readers want--that tension of characters who shouldn't quite work but do, with a mixture of humor and emotion. And of course, dog lovers will love that added aspect too :)

As many have noted in their reviews, there's a shift in the novel and it's that shift that left many disenchanted with the novel as a whole. No spoilers here--but know that this won't be everyone's romance but I have a feeling many will find it enjoyable.

Truly enjoyed this book. entertaining plot, characters I actually liked, and a satisfying ending. looking forward to reading any future books in this series.

This was a fun read! I don't do romances too often, but this one sounded fun. I loved the letters in the book! I've noticed they've become a trope over the past few years...we love reading folks diaries, journals, and letters, lol! I started to think, early on, that the book agent might well be looking at his star client and a best seller. Fun story!

An adult title that I will recommend to the public library.

The title, the blurb, and even the cover grabbed my attention. However, once I got started, it just wasnt holding my attention. I may give it another try at a later time.

My rating scale:
5☆ - I loved this book and it brought out true emotion in me (laughter, anger, a good cry, etc)
4☆ - I loved this book.
3☆ - I liked this book.
2☆ - I didn't really care for this book.
1☆ - I did not like this book at all and probably did not finish it.

Found the first few chapters strange and couldn't really get into it.

Daniel Ashe is an LA literary agent with a strange fear. Annie Doherty is a lively Irish red-head with an unusual past. He just needed a dog walker and what she needs is a bit more complicated.
Kathryn Donahue’s first novel is original if not a little schizophrenic. It begins with a meet cute, meanders through fanciful dog tales and eventually leads to legal drama. The canine adventures that Annie writes for Daniel are at first cute, then a little distracting, they are however, relevant. Whimsical at times, flirtatious and occasionally tragic, The Dog Walker’s Diary has a lot going on. The book is divided into two vastly different sections, but if you hang in there for the journey, the ending is divine.

Thank you to NetGalley, North Star Editions, and Kathryn Donahue for the ARC to review. I started to read this book and I wasn't quite taken with it right off the bat. However, as I kept on reading, I became engrossed in this book and couldn't put it down. It was very entertaining with lots of twists and turns in the plot. Just when you think you have the plot figured out, pow, your hit with a new scenario. I don't want to give anything away, but I was glad to see the way the author finished the book. I would definitely read, and look forward to reading, other Kathryn Donahue books. I highly recommend! It's a great read.

This was interesting. To be honest I have conflicted feelings regarding this novel. They story follows Daniel, a middle aged literary agent with an irrational fear of redheads who happens to hire Annie, a red headed dog walker. Annie leaves Daniel cute short stories and anecdotes regarding his dogs via a notebook called the Dog Diary. Hilarity ensues.

The first half of the book was good. Two people falling in love, cute dog stories, what else do you need? Well, apparently the author felt we needed a little larceny in our love story. It felt weird. The tone of the second half of the novel was entirely different from the first. You almost have two separate stories here.

Despite this weird shift, I still enjoyed the book. It's a quick read and does keep you invested in the characters. Thanks to Netgalley for providing and ARC for review!

The Dog Walker's Diary is definitely a different sort of book. Literary agent Daniel Ashe hires Annie Doherty, an Irish dog walker, to care for his dogs. Their means of communication is not normal, however. Annie leaves him stories about his dogs’ secret lives, which go from the sea world to a magic circus to a unique place where the dog characters live, every day. As time goes on, Daniel becomes enthralled with the stories and with Annie herself. Their growing affection for each other develops slowly but easily as the book continues, showing Daniel and the reader how resourceful and different the dogs’ lives can be and are. However, the growing romance between Daniel and Annie shines through beyond the creative and whimsical interactions the author has created with this unique but interesting format for their budding romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The dogs’ stories were interesting and captivating. The book started out a bit slow and did not gather steam until almost half way through, but nevertheless, it still held my attention from the get-go. I loved the two main characters, but the dogs and their fantastic, magical stores were the most interesting part for me. I think the author deserves credit for this innovative approach to a simple romance. I will not soon forget this one. The book is a great read for anyone who enjoys something refreshing and/enjoys dogs. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I saw the cover and read the blurb and it looked like it would be interesting to read. What I got was so much more. It is not like any other romance story I have ever read and had me captivated and reading long into the night. I couldn’t put it down! For a debut novel, I am impressed and bubbly with excitement to spread the word that this is a book that anyone and EVERYONE should read. It’s entertaining, fun, heartbreaking, and a mystery with a few twists that will absolutely delight you.

Daniel Ashe hires Annie Doherty to be a dog walker for his two dogs, Sparks and Eddie. When he gets in return is a spiral notebook of fantastical stories on the secret lives of the dogs and how their owner is always the romantic hero. These stories are what grab you and don’t let go. Daniel has a warped misconception about redheads and is totally captive by Annie and her mystical power to tell these fantasies on a whim. Annie has become a present day Scheherazade and that Daniel is the king in The Arabian Nights who couldn’t fall in love. Daniel calls Annie the most interesting person who he knew nothing about but through her stories she tells us her backstory and it is both tragic and magical.

Daniel’s life is turned upside down when he hires Annie as his dog walker. He went through the motion of living a solitary life of work, and never falling in love. I loved how he described himself as an insomniac who was sleeping through life. The book is divided into 2 parts and in some way it is how Daniel lived his life itself; walking through it and the other part living it with his eyes wide open and a little on the edge. There are other characters in the story that are part of Daniel’s life but it is the one’s that Annie creates that are the true gems within the bigger story.

I could divulge more but I don’t want to ruin the fun and pleasure of reading The Dog Walker’s Diary. The story was captivating and I easily read it in one sitting. I can’t wait to get a chance to read it again soon. I would have to say that this is one of the best books I have read this year. Thank you Kathryn Donahue for writing an awesome story and I look forward to your next one.

I could not finish this book. I could not get past the odd diary entries and the whole weird setup with the redhead.

The first half of this novel was written in a fairy tale style with childlike stories of the dog that acted as the impetus to Daniel and Annie’s love story. As with most love stories there were quite a few bumps in the road, the biggest in this one being Daniel’s aversion to love. Although slow moving, I did find the stories sweet and Annie charming. Daniel, on the other hand didn’t have any self confidence, although he had an abundance of good looks, so it took me a little longer to warm up to him.

The second half of the novel was like a different book. The pace was quicker because the story abruptly changed from a sweet clever romance to a romantic thriller. The change was a little jarring, but the Daniel in the second half of the novel was everything that had been missing in the first; take charge, confident, and driven to succeed. Without giving away the story, I’ll just say that due to circumstance, Annie was mostly absent until the end which was also a little out of character for a romance.

How did I feel about this abrupt shift in pace and yes, even genre? Well, I still enjoyed the book. Although, in my head, they were two separate novels with the same characters that ultimately reached a happy ending. When I finished the book, I was happy that those two found their HEA but a little confused at the plot shifts that got them there. This author has a ton of talent because she made my emotions spike from one end of the spectrum to the other that’s for sure!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest!

The Dog Walker’s Diary by Kathryn Donahue was a great read. I enjoyed the characters, the storyline, and the funny twists and turns. The book was much more entertaining than I expected and there were some twists that were totally unexpected as well.

Annie Doherty is an Irish dog walker. Daniel Ashe hires her to walk his dogs, although he did freak out when he discovered she had red hair. There are various plots afloat: a best selling book that needs publishing, a story telling dog walker, and some job related controversies, but Daniel’s obsession with Annie is what makes the book so much fun. It was fun watching someone who feels he can not love fall in love only to have several unexpected twists cause severe problems. Annie has some secrets of her own and when everything comes to light - well - it’s unexpected.

The Dog Walker’s Diary is a bit of whimsey, tall tale and fantasy with a love story and a mystery all rolled into one book. It was a great read.

I was excited to read this book. The previous reviews were so positive. The book started out interesting. The plot idea was interesting. I then found it didn’t move fast enough for me. I grew tired and started skipping parts to finally giving up. Maybe one day I will go back and reread with more interest and find enjoyable to update my review.

I just couldn't get into this book it was so out there that I couldn't relate.

The first thing you should know is that this isn't an ordinary novel. The Dog Walker's Diary isn't just the story of Daniel where he meets Annie and they have some trouble and have to figure out their lives.
No.
It's more than that.
You don't only get Daniel's story or Annie's story. You get the story of a couple of dogs as well. The story of those amazing pets in their alternate universe where they are part of adventures and are heroes in their own right.

Everything is put together in such a fashion that you want to keep reading. I didn't get just curious about Daniel and Annie. I wanted to find out more about the dogs' adventures as well. I wanted to find out how everything would fit together in the end and that's what got me hooked till the end.

Not to mention Kathryn is pretty good at unexpected plot twists. I really thought I knew what was going on.. Until I didn't.

I read The Dog Walker's Diary in a day's time and loved every word of it. I got frustrated with Daniel, I pitied him and at times I found him absolutely hilarious.

A solid 5 / 5!

This is such an unusual book and it sucked me in! Daniel hires a dogwalker (Annie) and every day when he returns at home in the evening, she has written amazing stories in the diary they use to communicate. The stories are about his dogs ofcourse but in a magical way, with pirates, mermaids et all. I totally loved this story with all its turns and twists and (phew!) a HEA! No, it is not your ordinary romance but I highly recommend.

I will look for another book by this author again.

This book was amazing. It had so many unexpected twists in it. This author blew my mind. I honestly thought it was gonna be some boring book but it was the exact opposite. I highly recommend everyone reads this book! This got me out of my reading slump.

After reading this well written book, I considered that there were too many sub stories provided by the character Annie, at the start. In fact, I skipped a few pages of these as I found them too distracting. As the plot developed, I realised that I needed to read these stories to assist my knowledge of the main storyline.
I thought that I had worked out this 'boy meets girl' plot but I was soon to be surprised by a clever plot twist that sees the protagonist going to jail.
This turn of events came at the right time in the story and it re-lighted my interest and curiosity!
This is an entertaining read that is lighthearted and keeps you guessing 'what next?'.