This book was perfect! Well, maybe it was just the perfect book for me but I think lots of other people will love it too. First things first - this entire book is told from the dog's POV. And man, Gatz is quite a dog. From the first chapter when he overdoses on Valentine's Day candy so his parents will both be together at the vet office, to all the other antics he does throughout the book, Gatz managed to dig his way further and further into my heart as the plot progressed. He is a energetic, intelligent and well spoken canine and not since Enzo in The Art of Racing in the Rain have I met a dog so enjoyable to read about.

So The Man and The Woman met the day Gatz is rescued and the relationship between all three ensue. And when The Man and The Woman split up, it's up to Gatz to get them back together and makes them see the errors of their ways. I enjoyed both characters, and I need to add we never do know their actual names, but the star of this show is Gatz. Here are just a few parts of the book so you can get a true feeling for Gatz.

It all started with the chocolates. Ah, who am I kidding? It all nearly ended with the chocolates too.

It wasn't always easy, the waiting. In fact, it was exactly as hard as Tom Petty said it was.

Wait. Did he just whatever her? Oh this was bad, very bad.

A man and a dog walk into a bar...It's good to have a place where everyone knows your name. I know this for a fact, because I saw it on the TV.

But there are some serious aspects to the book as well. We get a good look at depression and loss. The Man enters a deep depression when The Woman leaves him and Gatz watches him both spiral and also pull himself back up again.

So basically, read this book. I'm so thrilled a sequel is on the way because I need more Gatz in my life!

Fun, fun, fun read for every dog lover!  For those who believe dogs can read our minds and are mire intelligent than we give them credit for, this is your book. Gatz is not only adorable (he prefers not to be called “cute”) but he is thoughtful and compassionate - and he is a real “take charge” kind of guy.

Joint Custody
Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Jackie Logsted
5 Star
The Gatz Chronicles Book 1

Synopsis:  

A mischievous dog takes matters into his own paws when his beloved owners split up in this offbeat romantic comedy.

The Man has custody Monday through Friday, The Woman has custody on the weekends. But that's not enough for Gatz, who will do anything to bring them back together--even if it kills him. And it almost did. Of course he knows chocolate is bad for him, especially two whole pounds of it, but it's the risk he's willing to take to get them back together.

Gatz knows that The Man and The Woman are perfect for each other--how can they not see it too? She is an editor and he's a writer. She's a social butterfly and he's as introverted as a guy can get. After the misguided death-by-chocolate attempt, Gatz thinks he still has time. But when New Man--so handsome, so nice, so perfect--enters The Woman's life, he realizes he'll need to step up his game. And you know what they say: drastic times call for drastic doggy measures.

A laugh-out-loud romance that will touch your heart and make you want a furry friend of your own.   (Goodreads)





Review:

This book is told entirely from the dog’s, Gatz, point of view.  It tells the story of when Gatz was a puppy and got adopted by The Man.  Shortly after they meet The Woman and for a while they are all happy.  But then things change and The Man and The Woman split up and they share joint custody of Gatz.  I thought it was really clever that the book was told from Gatz’s point of view, it gave it a special twist.

Gatz has all kinds of tricks up his paw to try and get his owners back together.  Even after The Woman becomes interested in another man, Gatz still tries to keep his owner’s together.  Gatz has to learn, like we all do, that sometimes things do not go the way we plan and that there are no guarantees in life. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted rom-com.  This is a charming “tail” of “puppy love”.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

What made me want to read Joint Custody was how different it sounded. It’s a story told entirely from the viewpoint of the dog, Gatz. He calls his humans, man and women and the whole point of the story is trying to get them back together since they broke up. We follow them meeting while adopting Gatz, to their breakup, to what happens afterwards. 

Overall, an extremely cute story, but a little long for my taste. Since it was in the POV of the dog, I think cutting down 40% of this book would have made it perfect. Other than that, it was definitely an original story that I do recommend!

Hey folks, daddy Steve again, with some more doggiebook talk. At one point, I had two books going on at once, one audio and the other a Kindle eBook. I reviewed the audiobook yesterday, this second book is Joint Custody from the mother-daughter author team of Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Jackie Logsted.

This one is again from the dog’s point of view and as you might suspect it fom the title alone, there is a separation involved. Yup, they decided to share custody of the dog after the split. This book is a very funny rom-com type book. I would see this book being made into a fun romantic comedy movie to be honest. Lots of funny moments with a cool ending. The book is entirely from the dog’s point of view, with the dog being the narrator. I found it pretty that he never used a name for any of the humans in the story, always something to qualify them, i.e. The Man, The Woman, etc. 

They subtitled it The Gatz Chronicles #1. Gatz is the dog’s name, I wonder if that means there might be more books upcoming in the series... Interesting...

That is another recommended read for me.

Huge thanks to NetGalley who provided a free eBook advanced reader’s copy  in exchange for my honest review. This is as honest as it gets... The book is currently available to buy.

#Malcolmstories #doggiebooks
#JointCustody #NetGalley

What a fun, fast read.  And who doesn’t love a great dog.  A writer and and editor are meant for each other, but just can’t make it work.  The writer’s rescue dog, Gatz, named after their favorite book, The Great Gatsby, tries hard to keep them together.  She is outgoing and social and he is an introvert.  After they split up, they share joint custody of Gatz.   She finds another man and he finds another woman.  The story is to,d through Gatz’s perspective as he struggles to get them back together.  A different twist to storytelling and one to be  enjoyed. It makes me want to go out a get a rescue dog!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

2.5 Hearts Ok so I will say I must not like this idea of the story coming from the dogs point of view. I say this because right before reading this book I started to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie with the dog telling the story of it’s family and I had to turn it off. Then bam! I picked up this book to read and I really didn’t want to read it either. I say this because I am reviewing it based on what I didn’t realize I didn’t like when I requested it from NetGalley.

The story is about a dog trying to get his parents back together. Problem is they have joint custody so even though the dog is telling us about his parents lives it is only the life he sees. And while there is a few adorable scenes I just didn’t think the scenes were worth the entire read.

Again that being said I apparently am not a fan of romances (or non-romance with this story) told by the dog. If you are a fan of that type of writing you will enjoy this book very much.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars = Good/solid/fine

Gatz the dog tells the story of his owners, The Man and The Woman, who find love because of Gatz, but then struggle and eventually break up. Gatz is determined to get them back together.

Gatz has a great voice. And the authors do an exceptional job of plugging any plot holes that could develop from having a dog tell your love story. Gatz explains how he happens to know things he wouldn't normally be privy to, and almost all of it is reasonable. I was really impressed with this from a writing and plotting angle.

Unfortunately, I felt no connection to The Man or The Woman in the story. I have to wonder if having the dog tell their story, while clever, left too much distance between the narrator and the couple for this to feel like a romance. It was a satisfying read since the writing is so good. But the story was only fair for me. (Language, references to sex)

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for access to this arc


Gatz is adorable. I won’t use the C word as far too many people squeal that word at Gatz over the course of the story though notably neither the Man nor the Woman stooped to that overused adjective. He’s also got just the right amount of snark that never goes overboard into obnoxious. He can “talk” about literary references, appreciates when a waiter adds some fresh parm to his pasta at the dog friendly restaurant, has good taste in clothes for the Man (who sadly mainly lives in flannel shirts, jeans, and ball caps), enjoys the Woman’s elegance and refinement, but also loves to spend all afternoon chasing a frisbee or stick as long as they’re thrown for him to chase. His plans don’t always work but he tries his best within his limitations. I’ve read a lot of other books with an animal narrator but Gatz will be one of my favorites.        

What I really, really like about this novel is I didn’t quite know where it was going to go. It kept me guessing about The End and I love when I can’t predict what’s going to happen. The characters – including Gatz who is darn near perfect but not quite, as he discovers – grow over the course of the story. There’s a nice mix of humor and a little – just a bit of – bittersweet so things don’t get too sappy or overly sugary. Readers will have to be willing to accept a (very observant) dog telling the story but if they can cross that (delightful canine first person) bridge, they’ll find a fun, funny, and heartfelt book. As Gatz says, “It’s all about the happy ending.” B+

Joint Custody by Lauren Baaratz-Logsted and Jackie Logsted was a fun and charming story told by the adorable Gatz. Gatz is the lovable, if mischievous, dog shared by a couple no longer together. But he knows The Man and The Woman belong together and will do whatever it takes to get them back together. The journey starts here as he tries to maneuver things the way he wants them. An entertaining and delightful read. 

Happy reading!

If you’re a dog lover, you’re going to want to check out Joint Custody, the new novel from Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Jackie Logsted.  It follows Gatz, a mischievous border collie who is none too pleased when his owners break up.  Gatz knows they’re perfect for each other, and of course, the perfect owners for him so he decides to take matters into his own paws and get them back together.

And when I say it follows Gatz, the story really follows Gatz.  We see everything from his perspective and we are fully in his head as he plots and schemes to get his owners back together.  It’s a really fun read too as we get Gatz’s inner thoughts as he orchestrates ways to bring his owners in proximity to one another, to remind them that they belong together. It gets downright hilarious at times too as Gatz seeks to sabotage any dates his owners go on with other people.  He’s just not having it, haha.

Because we are getting the story from the perspective of a dog, we don’t get a lot of in depth information about the humans in the book.  The owners are The Man and The Woman, and when one of them goes on a date, the date is New Man, New Woman, etc.  That took a little getting used to at first, but once I settled in, I thoroughly enjoyed the overall story.

If you love dogs and/or enjoy books like A Dog’s Purpose, Joint Custody is a book that will warm your heart and put a smile on your face.

I really wanted to love this book, it was different than a lot of the other books I have read. 

For me, the fact that it was written from the POV of a dog really drew me in, but the fact that it was from a Dog tells us it is an unreliable narrator. We know that the dog is not going to see or understand everything. 

I felt like the book was more fiction than romantic fiction because there really wasn't much romance. It was Gatz trying to get his humans back together after they had broken up. But because he is a dog he doesn't understand the realize the complexities between people. 

Overall, it was an okay book, I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I rate it 2.5 stars and just rounded up. 

Thanks to both NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC of this book.

The premise of this book sounded so cute, but sadly this book didn't work for me. I wanted more of the book from the perspective of the Man and Woman instead of solely from Gatz the dog.

Ok- this is narrated by Gatz the dog.  Gatz who wants nothing more than for his people- the Man and the Woman- to get together again.  They met on the day the Man adopted Gatz from the shelter; she named him after the Great Gatsby, a book they both loved.  Things went well for three years despite their very different personalities but now they've broken up and Gatz spend the week with him and the weekend with her.  He plots and plots and does some stupid things (like eating chocolate) that he thinks will propel them into each others arms. What he doesn't count on, though, is that he doesn't know everything about their lives anymore. Is he doing the right thing?  To enjoy this you have to go with the idea that Gatz knows social as well as literary references and you know what- that was ok by me.  It's got some funny moments (always a plus these days). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.  It's light, it's entertaining, and no spoilers from me on what happens.

I have reviewed this novel for New York Journal of Books where it will be posted on their site the evening prior to the release date.

"Joint Custody" by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
January 5, 2021
Berkley
10-0593199588
256 pages
Contemporary Romantic Comedy


Three years ago, a border collie puppy, more human than canine was placed in a New York shelter with his three littermates. Feeling lonely and abandoned, he plans to be chosen by the perfect person. A few contenders check him out, but he decides they aren't the ones he wants to spend his life with. His thoughts: "No way was I going to let myself be adopted by an inferior grouping of humans." 

Then a man comes in, and he knows this is the one. "There he stood, in all his disheveled glory, looking around at the shelter like he wasn't sure if he'd come to the right place or if he should even be there at all."

It is love at first sight, and he is so excited he doesn't listen to learn the man’s name or anything he says. As far as he is concerned, he is "The Man," and that's how he refers to him.

As the man and dog leave the facility, a young woman with a British accent approaches them gushing over the pooch asking if she can pet him. In that second both the puppy and the man are besotted. When she asks the dog's name the man informs her, he just adopted him and hasn't thought of a name yet. They ponder over suitable monikers, and she states he looks like "Gatz," from her favorite book, "The Great Gatsby". The man is floored because it is the one he favors the most, so the name is chosen and thus Gatz now considers her as "The Woman."

In love with Gatz, she offers her contact information in case the man needs someone to watch him. Soon they become a couple and Gatz couldn't be happier. He adores his new family, especially when the woman moves into the man's apartment with them.

There's only one problem: the man, an author is an extreme extrovert who spends the brunt of his time at home. Socially ill at ease, he's not one to attend parties or go to clubs, though he does enjoy taking Gatz to the nearby pub, where the dog is greatly welcomed. 

The woman is an editor and used to a busy social life. She enjoys stepping out and having a good time, so can this relationship work? The two connect, but this difference in their personalities seems to cause obstacles for them. 

Though estranged from his relatives, on their first holiday season together, she persuades him into visiting his parents for Hanukkah. This turns into a catastrophe and he is miserable which hampers their festivities. She comes from a close-knit and loving family and when she brings him together with them it only makes matters worse. He withdraws feeling totally out of place and from then on, their relationship begins to dissolve. 

Twelve months pass and as the holidays approach, the man says: "How about this year, we go to no families? Would no families work for everybody?"

Gatz has many internal conversations and this is one after the man's statement: 

Oh crap, buddy. I put my paws over my head in disgrace. It would’ve been better if you'd just let the silence go. It would've been better if you hadn't broken it. Don't you know by now that it's better to keep silent and have everyone think you're a fool than open your mouth and confirm it? I mean, I love you, man, but come on: Surely even you can see that this is not the route to go right now, can't you? So, let's all take some deep, calming breaths and—

Though the woman cares about him, she is sad coming to the conclusion they aren't right for each other, and she ends up moving back to her condo.

Not only is the man in a funk, but Gatz misses her too. A clever pooch that he is, he formulates a plan to get them back together when he decides to eat the box of chocolates the man has left on the counter, though knowing chocolate can prove fatal for dogs. He's willing to take any risk, even understanding this can have dire effects on his health.

After ingesting all the candy, he becomes violently ill, which scares the man. Gatz overhears him on the phone, thinking he's calling the woman, but it turns out he's talking to the vet. Then he calls the woman who meets him at the vet's office where the doctor purges him of the poison and stabilizes him. But does his plan work? 

The man and the woman, who both love Gatz, decide to share custody of him. He will be with the man during the week while he's working at home on his next novel, and she will have him on weekends. Gatz sadly realizes his plot to rejoin the man with the woman has failed, but he's happy to his two favorite people will stiff be in this life, only this is not how it wanted it to be. 

Time passes and life goes on as they say. The man is still in a funk and misses the woman terribly, especially when he discovers she has a new beau—and one who seems perfect for her. He has one-night stands to try to get over her, but it doesn't work. 

The woman still takes Gatz on the weekends and before long he meets "The New Man" as he refers to the woman's new heartthrob. On a visit to his condo, Gatz is impressed by the opulence of his residence compared to the man’s tiny apartment, yet he goes out of his way to show his hostility to New Man. Even when he recognizes how happy the woman appears to be, he still believes she should be with "his" man. But could he be wrong? 

This novel is especially charming for it is told from the point of view of a dog. His comments and actions are both humorous and thought-provoking as he thinks he can get into the minds of his "people" while believing he knows what is best for all of them. It makes one wonder what our pets think about, giving them the human aspect to their personalities. This read is not only for pet lovers but demonstrates it would be enjoyable to anyone looking for a feel-good story.

Joint Custody by Lauren and Jackie Logsted is a cleverly told tale of love lost and found. Gatz, a dog who admits that the reader may have difficulty believing him is the narrator. The dog’s owner known as The Man is an introverted writer who meets The Woman of his dreams as he brings Gatz home for the first time. The omniscient Gatz intervenes when the budding romantic relationship falls on hard times. The authors created a fun dog’s eye view of a romance.

The storyline in this book is interesting. The book is well-written. But it is not what I expected. I did enjoy getting the dog's perspective of happenings.

I'm mixed about this book. I am a huge pet lover, so getting a POV of this pup is fantastic. He had me laughing at times, I really wished there was more of the characters and not sure how I felt about the ending. Overall, cute and laughable book. Great for all dog lovers and wanting to find a HEA.

I requested this book simply because I loved the idea of a book from the dog’s point of view.  At first, I thought I had made a mistake.  Initially, I thought it was trying too hard to be cute . . . the book, not the dog.  Gatz is cute and he knows it.  He, however, does not like to be called cute.  It is so overdone!

The two main human characters love each other, but are horribly mismatched.  The relationship finally falls apart and Gatz is devastated.  He has to get his people back together and will stop at nothing to accomplish that.

As I said earlier, I thought the first person dog was a bit much.  However, the premise worked much better than I expected.  To be honest, Gatz has more of what I would call a cat attitude than a dog.  He knows he is the most important character in the book and thinks very highly of himself.  To me, that is all cat.

Anyway, this book was fun and heartbreaking all at the same time.  Yes, it is a romantic comedy, but it is really more about relationships than romance.  It is not all light and fluffy.  All of the main characters, including Gatz, demonstrate emotional growth and the willingness to admit they could be wrong about some things.

Did I love this book?  No.  I did enjoy it though and am glad I read it.  There was a lot more depth than expected and as in all good romances, things work out in the end.

This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Spoiler Alert: The ending is mentioned in, somewhat, detail as it greatly affects the tone of the review.
Okay, peeps, this is going to be a rather rambly and mushy gushy because… I haven’t loved a story quite this much in some time. As soon as I read the blurb I knew I needed to read Joint Custody. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bit over the top/ridiculous with my reads and a romance story narrated BY A PUPPY is basically everything I never knew I needed in life.

But I am going to start with a pretty familiar disclaimer from me, but for a very different reason. A lot of times I’ll say that I am struggling to write a review because I don’t want to give away too much of the plot and ruin the story for you all. This is mostly my norm when it comes to romantic suspense or a good ole PNR where there is a hefty secondary suspense line. Unfortunately for me, it’s for a pretty sad reason this time. Joint Custody is possibly one of the best books I’ve read this year… but this is not a romance, folks. The overwhelming sadness I had when I reached “The End” and the people I’ve been rooting for throughout the story DID NOT get together… well it was immense.

So I am walking a pretty precarious line here because the authors and the take on this book are FABULOUS. The craft, storytelling, and uniqueness of having the narrator be an unreliable puppy are out of this world.

We start out with our precocious little narrator, Gatz, eating 2 lbs of chocolate (in his defense, he thought it was 1 lb because… puppy logic) in an effort to get sick enough to need an ER trip and bring his estranged owners, The Man and The Woman back together. As we are sitting in the animal hospital alongside Gatz and his humans, we are taken back through the timeline of when The Man and The Woman met and fell in love and their three years together… along with their subsequent breakup and agreement to share joint custody of Gatz.

This is where his little trick should have worked and The Man and The Woman would reconcile, right? Yeah, this is where my HEA loving heart kind of plummeted to the ground. They, in fact, do not. Now, I want to be VERY clear that the ending is lovely and happy, but it isn’t the happily ever after that I signed up for when cracking open what I thought was a romance.

Joint Custody would make an AMAZING book club book and is the warm, wholesome palate cleanser we all need in this world, but please don’t expect the typical romance ending because, while there is a satisfying end and we definitely have closure from all parties with one going on to have an HEA and the promise of a second for the other, The Man and The Woman do not, in fact, get back together. And my biggest question of what happens to Gatz (I mean, he is only 3 years old, are they really going to share joint custody of him for a decade or more?) isn’t answered. But in the end Gatz is content and so are the leading characters.

And as long as you don’t expect the normal romance HEA, you will be far more content than me.