Only R.L. Maizes would have thought to combine burglary with animal empaths. And she does just that in her sparkling, feel-good novel, Other People’s Pets. (Publishing on 14 July 2020.) I loved her 2019 short story collection, so I’m not surprised I feel the same way about this book.

At the center of this story is La La (short for Louise) Fine, a young woman in veterinary school. She lives with her chiropractor fiancé, and dotes on her dogs, Black and Blue. Then her dad gets arrested at work, which is burglary. La La needs solutions to the legal and bail bond costs. And she needs them yesterday.

In addition to spinning the web La La is currently caught in, Maizes also jumps back to her childhood. And a unique one it was. La La’s mom left the family when she was just a kid, after an accident involving a lake, thin ice, and a black Lab. On that day, young La La realizes she’s an animal empath, meaning she can feel what a nearby animal is feeling. Coincidentally, this makes her the perfect assistant for her dad’s burglary endeavors.

So, as we switch from past to current day, La La grapples with how to help her dad. She also find that the ache for her mother has reached a fever pitch. Suddenly, she stands to add the loss of her dad’s presence to her already absent mother. The potential orphan pain is a strong motivator. Plus, La La and her sweetie are at odds on the best way to help her dad. All of a sudden, La La’s primary relationships start heading south.

My conclusions
It sounds like La La is a hot mess, right? And she is. Even so, Maizes keeps it funny and light and, for me, that makes it a great book. She never shies away from the intense emotions—loss, fear, loneliness. Still, the writing is so gentle and warm that I never got depressed. Instead, everything pushed me to root for LaLa like my life depended on it. As a result, I sped through this medium-length book like a burglar running from the scene of the crime.

The supporting characters are strong, especially the BFF, sweetie, papa, and pets. This is a perfect book for animal lovers. The creatures in La La’s life add so much joy to this reading experience.

Maizes keeps the two timelines—current and past—moving swiftly along and coordinated in their themes. There’s no artifice in distinguishing between the story lines. La La is a thinker, analyzing events and feelings because past and future are colliding.

Maizes could have turned this into an overly sweet and schmaltzy story. It isn’t even slightly close to that saccharine possibility. It’s just good old-fashioned crisp and crackling good writing. I’ll be thinking about La La and her life for a while to come.

I recommend this if you like character studies with feeling and an absorbing, fast-moving plot. It’d also make a good summer book club book, if your group hasn’t already chosen for the next few months.

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for the opportunity to read a digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've been doing a lot of reading since Covid started and this book was unlike anything else I've read!

At first glance this novel is a light read about an animal empath robbing houses and taking care of sick animals while she's there. As the story progresses, I quickly realized that it was about a lot more: Loss, abandonment and building the family you want when the family you have fails you.

The premise of the book is that La La turns to crime again to help her father pay his legal bills but the more I read, the more I disliked her father. His controlling and manipulating ways made me so frustrated that I couldn't lose myself in the story and enjoy it.

A dog saves La La from drowning while ice skating and from that point forward LaLa becomes an animal empath. A very readable story of abandonment, loss and love.
I was given a free digital copy by the publisher Celadon through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I adore Other People's Pets! It is fresh and heartfelt, a perfect read during stressful times. La La and her father Zev will win your heart.

Even if they are burglars.

LaLa's mother ran off when she was nine. She wasn't a very good mother. When they were ice skating, LaLa fell through the ice and her mother didn't notice. LaLa was rescued by a large black dog. The near-death-event left her an animal empath.

Zev was a locksmith by day and a burglar by night. He homeschooled LaLa and took her on his heists, isolating her to protect himself. He couldn't risk his daughter giving away his secret life. LaLa has a special relationship with a veterinarian who notices her insight into animals and takes her under his wing.

LaLa is in vet school, living with her fiance, when her father lands in prison, unable to make bail. He was caught after calling 911 to help the man he was robbing. LaLa makes the hard decision to put her dad first.

As LaLa's life stray further from her dreams, she takes comfort that she only robs houses with ailing pets she can help.

LaLa and Zev have never recovered from their abandonment. Zev still carries a torch for his wife and LaLa dreams of gaining her mother's approval, which brings them to a fatal meeting.

LaLa faces a series of heartbreaking losses, including her beloved dog, Black. In the end, LaLa realizes the true meaning of family and finds her place in the world.

I love Mazies humor. Descriptions like, "The pores on his nose are big enough to house a fly" and "ears grown large from listening," and Zev's business name of "Honesty Locksmith," kept me laughing out loud.

I loved R. L. Mazies book of short stories We Love Anderson Cooper, filled with memorable, flawed, yet loveable characters.

I was given a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

La La Fine has had it rough. Her Mom left the family, so her Dad, Zev, stepped up to raise her by himself. But like her disengaged Mother, her Dad has problems of this own. He is not only a locksmith, but an accomplished robber. His skill set works both ways. And like most parents, he teaches La La what he is good at….robbing houses. Zev also has tried to erase all traces from La La’s life of her mother. He also shelters La La from most outside contact, doesn’t want her outing his occupation. But that is some of the back story.

Meeting La La for the first time in present Colorado, the reader sees a young woman happily engaged to a chiropractor. La La is almost finished with veterinary school, a dream she has long wished to achieve. But La La will not be an ordinary vet, she is an empath – able to sense animal’s feelings and illnesses. No, not science fiction but perhaps the result of her childhood where animals have played a central role. They will not abandon her or lead her astray.

So, what could go wrong? Just about everything. When La La’s life falls apart she seeks to find answers in the past in her downward spiral of poor choices and wishful thinking. The author takes the reader to places where it seems redemption and hope are precarious outcomes. Trust La La to see what can still be achieved. Highly original and recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read another title by Maizes….I am a fan!

I found Other People's Pets to be refreshingly original.

Abandoned by a narcissistic mother and raised by a burglar father, Lala is now in veterinary school and living with her boyfriend. After an unfortunate incident, Lala was left with an unusual ability to understand the feelings of animals.

Her father, always afraid that she would reveal his illegal activities, withdrew Lala from school and isolated her from others. Along with normal homeschooling lessons, he also taught Lala to be a successful burglar. Now, unless Lala is able to pay a talented attorney, her father will be going to prison for a very long time.

Lala turns to burglary to earn the money needed. She uses her unusual talent to select victims who don't care for their pets properly. Her life becomed a train racing toward the inevitable crash.

I would recommend this title to any animal lover.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#OtherPeoplesPets#NetGalley

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

LaLa is an animal empath who is studying to be a veterinarian. Her childhood was anything but traditional and her past interferes with her future.

I struggled to get interested in the story. I couldn’t connected to the main character, as much as I enjoy pets, I couldn’t put myself in her shoes and understand why she was doing what she was doing.
I chose to put this story down after a few pages and did not finish reading.

I had a hard time engaging in this book and the characters. I liked the main character, La La, and thought her story was interesting and what she was doing with the animals. The animals were, for me, the best part of the book. The story of La La being abandoned at a young age by her mother and then having to drop out of vet school to pay for her father's bail was sad, but it does show the length some will go for their family.

Overall, this was a mediocre read for me, but it did have some good qualities.

I absolutely loved this book and La La's story and feel she is somewhat of a kindred spirit to myself. I feel better with most animals than people and enjoy the unconditional love. The story of La La is filled with loss, abandonment, love and a burglar father. I was hooked from start to finish and it was book that was hard to put down; I finished this in 4 sittings.

Any reader can empathize with this story and hope it is enjoyed by everyone else. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/14/20