Rescue Me is feel good book that follows Margot and Will as they "co-pawrent" their new rescue dog Blossom. Both Margot and Will adopt Blossom for their own reasons, Margot wanting someone to love her unconditionally and Will wants to try to emotionally connect. Margot and Will eventually become friends and closer to eachother.

Rescue Me is a slower paced book that is more character driven than plot driven. It also explores mental health and finding happiness in life. If you are looking for a relaxing and romantic read, this is the book for you!

This book was so sweet it was saccharin, but that's okay cause dogs and love. I did find it went a little slow at first and was a little long. But as I started to read on it got me enthralled, especially the second half. The second half had some real heft and many issues be dealt with that I thought the author handled with dignity and sensitivity. The ending left me feeling a little deflated though as I was hoping for more of a romance between Will and Margo by that part, I wanted to know more. But all in all a pretty good read about two people trying to get over their pasts and forge a future together.

At the end of the book Ms. Manning writes a heartfelt memoriam to her dog Miss Betsy (née Blossom) and tells the reader that Rescue Me is a love letter to her late and much loved companion. We learn that the author rescued the dog after losing her beloved father. That really pulled at my heartstrings.

This was a cute premise with the two main characters Margot and Will sharing a dog, Blossom. Of course they had different ways to care and train the dog which led to a very confused and crazy pup. Of course there was a slow burn romance that ensued. Cute book

I really loved this premise. The dog was such a sweetheart and adorable as all get out. I liked the characters but it was drawn out and the pacing threw me off.

The preciousness of two strangers becoming "co-pawrents" of a Staffordshire Terrier named Blossom while falling in love is very, very cute. I thought it would also be wacky, but it wasn't, which is not a critique but more of understanding my very different expectations.

What I appreciated - Margot is lovely and independent and is about body positivity for plus-sized women. She seems like a very fine person to have in your life. She also has the biological clock ticking and has no time for men who are not into matrimony.

Which would be Will, who is standoffish and very good with spreadsheets. What will these two find in common besides an attraction to each other and eventually hot sex?

Normally I'd describe this as a slow burn, but there wasn't much of a sizzle for me throughout, just a gentle friendship, which in some ways made it feel more realistic. I sometimes find it annoying when people think the other is hot right away and can't control themselves. That said, not sure of if when they do eventually get together if it feels earned.

I also never really cared about the other side characters. Usually they bring the spice and comedy when the central people don't. Nevertheless, I found this a very good way to unwind and live in England for a bit.

Addendum for cat lovers: There is some very anti-cat propaganda at the beginning that irked me. You can love dogs and not crap on cats, people!

Review based on an ARC by Netgalley

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The tag line of "Two lonely people, one good dog." Was largely accurate, but one good dog was enough to draw me in. Blossom was written with such loving care and detail that I wasn't surprised to find out she was based on a real dog. On that note, as a 34 year old single woman, it was nice to read about a 36 year old who still didn't have her ducks in a row. There is a certain amount if pressure that other books give to have your life well under way by 30, so this book had a certain comfort in the characters still figuring things out.
One thing that scared me was imagining my wrath that I'd unleash (see what I did there? 😉) if someone tried to keep my dog. I think it was probably at that first point (It boggles my mind that it happens TWICE) that I realized I didn't like either character. Margot was whiny and neurotic, yet somehow had a thousand friends? Will, who was basically a doormat- or you know what- a coat rack for everyone else to hang their hopes and dreams on, has a large loving family, but wants to be closed off.
But you know what- read it for Blossom. She's a star.
4 / 5 stars. Cute ending, but felt rushed after a LONG read.

This book was a bit too british for me. It was hard to relate to the characters and setting because its a culture and place that isn't familiar. It also drug on way too long. I like the heroine but the hero was hard to like, even when you got his perspective. He never came across as very lovable.

Rescue Me is a romance novel centered around a Staffie named Blossom and her two co pawrents, Margot and Will. The story follows them learn how to share a dog as well as deal with their developing feelings for each other.
I was so excited for this book. I loved how it centered on a dog and adoption. I really like the Will’s family dynamic and his whole back story. I think what fell short for me were the pacing of the story and the writing. At times, the writing was very wordy and annoying which took away from the storyline. And I feel like the plot just started to develop in the last half of the book and nothing really happened in the first half. I didn’t think there was much character development and I wish the romance would have been more believable.
Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook.

Charming book set in modern day London. Margot is in her late 30s, and badly wants a marriage and children. At this point she would be willing to settle for “like” as it appears that “love” is not in the cards. Will is a highly paid financier who has been living abroad, in the US, in Paris and in Berlin, and has never found someone to love him, either. Both of them end up at a pet rescue center, and despite initial misgivings, work out shared “pawrenting “ of a sweet Staffordshire named Blossom.
Many, many, laugh out loud moments, as well as emotional growth in these three damaged individuals results in a delightful and highly recommended contemporary rom-com.
This book will be released on August 10, 2021. I received the ARC at no charge from NetGalley and author Sarra Manning, but all opinions are my own.

This book was cute, and I liked that everything was not sunshine and roses for our main characters. They both seemed really developed and had some very real trauma to sort through. I appreciate the care at which the sensitive issues were discussed - that did not go unnoticed by me. I also really appreciate that this book was set in a semi-normal timeline of 9 months. I think that really made it stand out from a lot of new releases, which are either hard and fast or enemies to lovers' romances. This was neither but rather too complicated messy people trying to work on themselves while interacting with each other.

I loved Blossom, and I have such a soft spot for Staffies as my first dog was a Staffie!

I think where this book fell a little short as it was hard to get into. I felt anxious reading Margot's sections and Will, quite frankly, irritated me at the beginning. I think Blossom was intended to ground the story between the two characters, but I think the story needed more. Maybe if it was one POV it would've been more manageable. I think the tone shift back and forth made me lose a lot of impact from the story. I did not feel closure at the ending. And lastly, I recognize this is a personal gripe, but I would love a woman MC in her thirties who isn't obsessed with fertility.

This was a sweet little romance, engineered by love of a dog. It was definitely a bit of a slow burn, but the alternating POVs helped me see why everything moved slower. There was a lot to like about this: rescue dogs, self-exploration, family that you choose and family by blood.

I absolutely loved this book!! It was such a quick read full of goodness on every page. Highly recommend this one 🤍

Let me begin by saying that I automatically thought this book was a romantic comedy. I don't know if it was the graphics on the cover, or the synopsis. However, I wad dead. wrong. This book was definitely more women's fiction with a hint of romance, than it was a traditional romantic comedy. Keeping that in mind, I had to adjust my expectations accordingly.

When reading Rescue Me, I would definitely say it was heart warming, but I wouldn't go as far to call this book sweet. In fact, the most heart warming aspect of this book was watching Blossom's transformation.

However, let me get into the character analysis. I think that in order to show realism and growth, Margot and Will were both introduced as unlikable. I think that this was done to show that real people can find love, and the untraditional heroine, and the flawed hero are worthy. I will applaud this novel for going so far as to take that leap. I liked that they worked together to overcome their struggles, and they were friends before they ever became lovers. Additionally, the ending to this book was everything I could have wanted and more. Like I said, I was REALLY in the mood for some sweet mindless fluff. But this book isn't it. This book will definitely make you think, and open your perspectives to what you thought you knew about modern love.

Overall, this book was given 4 out of 5 stars because it was pitched as a fluffy piece of feel good, but it definitely wasn't that. However, if you want a book that gives you "Under the Tuscan Sun" vibes, with a side of "I'm living my best 40 year old, single woman life", this is it. I was given a free ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


Heat Level: 🔥🔥

I found this to be an enjoyable read. It was a charming read and not a ridiculous, over the top romance (which I'm not overly fond of). I found the characters to be interesting & well developed, and the relationship between then didn't seem forced.

I really enjoyed this book. There were a lot complex emotional issues experienced by the main characters that pushed it beyond a standard rom-com. This story felt like it went on pretty long, and I wonder if something could have been cut out. Although, I also could have done with more of the two main characters being romantic together. That part seemed too brief. I also felt like it took at least the first quarter of the book before I started to really like both main characters. I appreciate when main characters are more complex, but their characterization bordered on just unlikeable for a while. I really appreciated that Margot is not physically not the typical rom-com heroine (red-headed and petite). She’s attractive and curvy and seems mostly secure about herself. If the story had been paired down just a bit, it would have been a higher rating. Overall, I still found myself getting lost in the store, which is the most I hope for while reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

This was a touching and delightful read. Both main characters have problems and challenges to overcome. Margot is desperate to find love and have a baby as she feels her timeline of fertility coming to an end. Despite a job she loves and many friends, she’s very lonely. Will has never overcome his sad and abusive childhood and feels he’s unworthy of love. These two unlikely people meet and bond over sharing care of a sweet rescue dog, Blossom. The story is very sweet and, as Blossom, comes to feel security in their love, Will and Margot have to overcome their insecurities to open up to love.

You’ll fall in love first with Blossom and then with all the adults who fall for the sweet, loving dog.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Who doesn’t enjoy a great love story with a dog?

Although the story is centered around Will and Margot overcoming the trials and tribulations of their pasts to find what they were longing for in the future, Blossom the dog really stole the show for me. She was just as much a character in the story as the other two, and like her owners, she was also triumphing over the rough start she had in her life.

If you enjoy stories with a touching message and an adorable K-9 companion, you’ll enjoy this story.

This ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a sweet, uplifting read! If you love dogs the way I do, you can't fight a book about falling in love with a pup and their co-pawrent. There are some hard moments, but in the whole, the book felt like a warm hug. Blossom steals more than just Will and Margot's heart. Margot comes off a little bit too strong. All of the characters have believable personalities and back stories, all were well-rounded.

The story switching from Margot-centric to Will-centric stories doesn't cop out. It could have been that we learned each of their thoughts easily. But we learn about the characters along with each other. What a beautiful read.

Margot's been dumped by her boyfriend and to add insult to injury her cat decided to rehome himself and move on to greener gardens. Fed up with the current turn of events Margot decides she needs a change, a big one, and that's how she needed up at her local dog shelter. For Margot and Blossom it was love at first sight. The only trouble is she couldn't take her immediately due to work commitments. Faced with the possibility of losing Blossom entirely Margot must rely on a handsome stranger, Will, to foster her for a week, but when the time comes to pick up Blossom to start their new life together Will has other plans.

Rescue me is a cute contemporary enemies to lovers story which shows how dogs can bring families and people together. While the format of the story is fairly cliched, what sets Rescue Me apart is that the characters are nuanced and complex. Often when reading a romcom the characters are very two dimensional, which is not the case here. Will and Margot both have very distinct personalities, as well as, past trauma they are actively working through which makes the ending all the more satisfying.

It's been ions since I've read a Sarra Manning book so after reading the blurb(dogs!) I jumped at the chance to read this one and it didnt disappoint. Beautifully written it is about two people who have never met before who decide to co-parent a dog that both have fallen in love with and throughout the book it keeps you guessing will they or wont they get together while coming to terms with real life stuff. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the advanced copy 4.5 out of 5.