I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you're looking for a small town cozy series, filled with adorable rescue dogs, and closed door romance, the Pine Hollow series by Lizzie Shane should be on the top of your list.

This is book 3 in the series and yes, they should be read in order. They follow a group of friends with each member getting their own book.

This one follows Levi and Elinor, once engaged, now both single trying to move on from one another. But Elinor's pesky and absolutely loveable dog keeps escaping the house while Elinor is at work and Levi being the chief of police in their small town, gets the majority of the calls to round her up meaning they never get to avoid each other.

I adored this one just like I did the previous two. I can't wait for the next book!

Through the previous books in the series, I have been so curious about what happened that ended Elinor and Levi's relationship. So I was very excited that they were the focus of this third book in the Pine Hollow series, a second chance romance. He is the strong, silent type, and she is the brilliant woman.

One of the things I love about this series is that the men are the key friendship circle around which the series revolves and that they are written so well. Plus dogs! I love stories that feature dogs. Dory, the Australian shepherd escape artist in this book, may be my new favorite.

I also really enjoyed that each chapter began with a gossipy excerpt from the Pine Hollow newsletter, often wondering whether the chief of police was getting back together with the librarian. And since it's a romance novel, we know the answer will be yes, their romance will work out. But wow, the tension was high, and there were times I didn't see how.

I also need to do a quick recognition of the mental health representation, both in terms of how trauma can affect people and of the importance of therapy. It makes me so happy every time I see a book push back against the stigma toward mental health care.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas was my favorite Christmas book last year. While To All the Dogs I've Loved Before isn't being marketed as a Christmas book, it's another great one to read this season. It starts with Halloween and carries on through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond. I recommend it for all seasons.

Thank you to Forever for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

Elinor Rodriguez and her sisters grew up in small Pine Hollow, Vermont, went away to school and came back home. Their mom died when they were young and Elinor has always felt responsible for her family. She was also in love with Levi by the time she was 15 and was devastated when several years later he changed his mind and called off their wedding. She is currently the school librarian with a secret passion for writing but has put it aside. Dori, her Australian shepherd is a lovable escape artist and Levi as police chief is having to pick her up very often. With the help of friends and Dori, can these two get back together? This is the third book in the series, so readers have met some of the characters before. They are likeable and have problems that friendships help them cope with. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

To All the Dogs I've Loved Before by Lizzie Shane is the third book in her Pine Hollow series, but works fine as a stand-alone novel. This contemporary romance is a fun, sweet, small-town second chance story.

Elinor Rodriguez is Pine Hollow’s school librarian who lives with her mischievous, and ill-behaved Australian Shepard named Dory. Unfortunately, Dory is an escape artist and continues to escape Elinor’s house and wreak havoc on the small town of Pine Hollow. Police Chief Levi Jackson is the one called every time Dory escapes and he has to rescue Dory and bring her back to her home.

The problem is that Levi called off his wedding to Elinor three years ago, just weeks before the wedding without a reason. This left Elinor feeling betrayed, hurt and angry. Levi and Elinor had been a couple off and on ever since High School, but neither has dated much in the past three years since their aborted nuptials. Elinor never had closure from her relationship because Levi never told her why he called off the wedding. Now, the mischievous Dory causes Levi and Elinor to have to talk to each other, as much as Elinor despises being anywhere near Levi.

This is a predictable, sweet story, that is perfect for anyone who loves a clean, romantic story set in a lovely small town. It’s very Hallmark Movie-ish, so if you love the Hallmark Channel movies, you’ll probably enjoy this book too. There were some serious topics that blended well with the more humorous aspects. Especially from that dog Dory! I thought it might be one of those “the dog is setting up the couple” stories, but no, Dory is just a dog, a badly behaved, but super cute dog, who doesn’t have any special powers. The pacing was good, and I never felt like the story dragged or moved too quickly. I enjoyed the descriptions of the town and it’s a place I would enjoy living in.

I highly recommend To All the Dogs I’ve Loved Before to anyone who loves a sweet, small town, second chance romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I adore the cover! This is such a heartwarming. It involves two mule headed people who love each other, but can’t communicate. Levi is tall and broody (complete Mr. Darcy vibes) while Elinor is a fussy librarian who can’t forget his or the way he broke her heart. And oh yes, a lovable fur ball who is a better escape artist than Harry Houdini. I think I loved Dory the most, she added such life to the book and I loved the description of her cruising around with the police chief. What’s not to love about this book?

To All the Dogs I’ve Loved Before by Lizzie Shane is an excellent contemporary romance that is the third book in the truly wonderful series: A Pine Hollow Novel.

I have read all three books thus far in this series, and I have loved every one of them. While one does not have to read the previous two to enjoy this one, it really is a great series to delve into and I highly recommend for everyone to read all three.

This one focusses on the town librarian, Elinor, her rescue dog Dory, and Officer Levi. We have met these characters in the previous books, but the author refreshes our memories as she tells of their respective pasts, their previous feelings for one another, and then delves into this charming second chance romance.

Elinor and Levi really do compliment one another in the way that each are able to come to terms with their own problems and concerns as they are working through their combined past. I enjoyed the progression of their relationship and the positive ending that presented.

The more serious threads of the novel are balanced nicely with the adorable canines and the positive undercurrent that is always present.

I have really enjoyed this series thus far and I hope it continues. I can’t wait to visit this adorable town of Pine Hollow and it’s wonderful array of inhabitants again. (And come on…any time there are furry friends and a rescue organization also present definitely help seal the deal of interest for me!)

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Forever ( Grand Central Publishing) for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, and Instagram accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon on 11/30/21.

Review of To All The Dogs I’ve Loved Before by Lizzie Shane
Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Short Review
Lizzie Shane’s romance novel To All The Dogs I’ve Loved Before is told through the alternating points of view of town police chief, Levi and school librarian, Elinor as they navigate their tangled relationship with each other and other members of their town. The two keep colliding as Elinor’s mischievous dog, Dory, continuously escapes while Elinor is at school and Levi has to track her down to take her home. Readers who love stories about people trying to change, strong family bonds will enjoy this book, and Jane Austen references will love this book. The romance fell short for me due to communication issues by both leads and other problems with their relationship.

This book has a lot of positive things about it, but the negative aspects outweighed the positives for me this time. Two out of five stars.


Additional Thoughts
I like the strong bonds that Elinor forges with her sisters and friends despite the conflicts that arise amongst them. It’s clear that there’s a lot of love there.

I like that the people Levi is friends with challenge his opinions on what it means to be a man and help him get away from his upbringing.

I like the way that Levi tries to work through his issues in therapy. I thought that was done well. I just think he could’ve done with some time away from Elinor to actually work through the way he tends to be overbearing towards her. He constantly crosses boundaries and spies on her while she is on dates more than once.

As previously mentioned, I thought Levi was overbearing when it comes to Elinor. I think he crosses a lot of boundaries that should’ve stayed in place which bothered me a lot. There are also moments when Elinor feels bad for things that I just don’t think she should’ve felt bad for because they weren’t her fault. Those two things made the romance-element of the story uncomfortable to read at times. I know this is vague, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

This is a silly personal preference, but I wanted more of Dory and dogs in general. The moments readers get with Dory are adorable. She’s such a sweetheart but also very mischievous. Dory was definitely one of my favorite characters.

There is definitely an audience for this book. Just because it wasn’t my cup of tea, doesn’t mean it won’t be someone else’s.

“Love is a collaborative work of art.” That is the hard won lesson learned by small town school librarian Elinor and Levi the police chief in All the Dogs I’ve Loved Before, the third Pine Hollow book by Lizzie Shane.

I’m a sucker for a small town librarian finding love so this book was a pleasant and appealing diversion.

This can be read as a stand-alone. I read the first book but not the second, yet I didn’t feel lost at all.

If you like childhood sweethearts getting their second chance, a group of friends like family, a Hallmark romance and a mischievous dog - this book is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elinor and Levi have had a rocky relationship. This book shows that real life can get in the way and with lack of communication it can snowball from there. I enjoyed this book over all. It was a slow burn for me, sometimes too much so. But overall I did enjoy it.

Loved reading this book and series. If you haven't read this series yet I highly recommend doing so and read the books in order

Thanks to Forever Publishing for the free book.
I adore this series. I love getting to come back to Pine Hollow again and again, and I'm glad that this wasn't my last time there. I have been curious about Elinor's story since the first book, and I just loved it. There is so much depth and heartbreak in her past, which affects her current day life. Then the relationship with Levi was so full of past history, which made me wonder where the story was going for these two. I liked how both of them had big issues to work through and how therapy is normalized in this story. This book shows how impactful someone's childhood can be on their future, and what can be done to make their life what they want it to be. <br>Also, Dory is the most adorable dog. I loved reading about her antics and was impressed by some of the shenanigans she gets herself into - also totally believable with her being an Aussie.
If you love dogs and closed door romance, please check this series out. It is absolutely wonderful!</p>

3.75 stars

This book was a cute, clean, and sometimes frustrating story of a longtime on-again off-again couple who have all the feels for each other but can't quite believe they can make it work. It's the third in a series, but it was my first, and I wonder if I would have understood and appreciated the conflict more if I'd read the previous books.

Librarian Elinor and police chief Levi have been together platonically and romantically off and on since they were kids. Presumably, they were lovers too, though nothing is ever said about that aspect of their relationship; the book is quite chaste (without being syrupy). They were also engaged until Levi abruptly broke it off shortly before the wedding three years ago. He did it for what he truly believes were the right reasons (basically that Elinor was too good for him), but he neglected to explain to her the "why."

Present day Pine Hollow has them coexisting, frequently finding themselves together either because of her escape artist dog or because they share a core group of friends. Nothing really obvious happens to have them considering giving love another go, but they both start thinking about it. Lots of soul searching and revealed secrets eventually bring then back to a good place, but it's it enough for Elinor to trust Levi with her heart again?

The pace of the novel is fairly slow, though it is never boring. The characters are also easy love, though I wanted Elinor to go to dog owner training school. I also thought Levi would benefit if someone smacked him upside the head a time or two. Other than that, the book sticks pretty closely to the cute small town trope with a nosy senior citizen, the requisite small town holiday events, and a surfeit of cute rescue dogs. (Is it just me, or is it odd that romance novel rescue dogs are always purebred? Around here, they're all pitties or Chihuahua mixes.)

This book is a worthwhile read as long as you don't mind a slow burn that reads a little more like book club fiction than a contemporary romance. I would definitely read the previous and future books in the series.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

I loved the first two books in this series and was delighted to receive an ARC of this book. Unfortunately I didn't connect with the characters or their story.

You can read this book as a stand-alone but I'd highly recommend reading the first two books as they're wonderful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing).