I wanted to like this one, puppies and Jane Austen im in. But I didn’t know it was part of a series and i felt like I was missing something especially with the abundance of other cast members. I also found the main characters soo just blah and hallmarky. Charlotte annoyed me with her I know George likes me but let me set him up with another women, and George had no personality his pov bored me to death. I did love the dogs tho! Thank you to the plubisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book! It was a cute read.

Star Rating: 3⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: November 22, 2022

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were fun, the story was enjoyable, and I was rooting for love, of course. I also am content to read anything that is a remote retelling of a Jane Austen book. For the enjoyment factor, this one gets two thumbs way up!

That being said, this one was just too perfect. I think the romance genre has come a long way towards normalizing romance stories in that real world issues are pretty much the norm. Having just read a romance that tackled some pretty serious issues, I felt disappointed as I read Pride and Puppies because it just seemed so shallow.

If you're looking for an enjoyable romance, definitely pick this one up. If you're looking for a deep story, this is not the book for you.

This one was a Jane Austen ANTI Darcy story, which I couldn't resist. By anti-Darcy, I mean that the hero is NOT the brooding jerk- it's the golden retriever boy-next-door, which is a lovely twist.

I'm glad I read it. George is a perfect cinnamon roll (we love a Bingley!) and Charlotte had a good character arc (even if I did wish she would get out of her own way). Their romance progressed in a natural (if painfully awkward at times) way, but I did feel like this book was hard to remember to pick back up. I'm not sure why, but I wasn't like, obsessed with it. I think because Charlotte had a lot of the same issues repeat over and over, and she wouldn't just have a conversation with George (my #1 complaint in the contemporary genre).

Characters from the previous books either make a tiny cameo or don't appear at all, so it wasn't necessary to read the previous books. But I did love this town and the Estates Oldies that really got the quirky, small town vibes going. This is also closed-door, which is my preference, so that was a nice addition.

Toward the end I got really frustrated with Charlotte not being willing to communicate and assuming like a LOT of things about George, but all's well that ends well, and I got my HEA. I don't think I'll go back and read the past books, but I would absolutely love to know where Kendall and Magda's stories go, so I'll keep an eye out for more from Shane.

✨BOOK REVIEW ✨
Pride and Puppies
By Lizzie Shane

This book is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

In saying that, this book was just cute for me. Honestly who doesn’t love a book with love and puppies? This just fell flat for me.

I found it so hard to get into the storyline, and there was a lot of what I like to call “filler” that just could have been left out.
There were parts in this book where two main characters argue, and I had to skip through those parts, it became too much.

Other than those minor issues, this was a cozy little love story, perfect for this Fall.

Thanks so much to @readforeverpub for both the physical and e book copies of this book.

Rating: 🦴🦴🦴🦴/5

QOTD: Do you have a dog?
Meet Harlow, she’s a Catahoula Coonhound

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*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a cute story of learning to love yourself, learning to accept love from others, and, of course, PUPPIES!

This was overall an average, good read for me. The chemistry was okay, but I found Charlotte and George's inability to communicate irritating at times. While at times I did find this book dragged, the ending was very strong and made it worth the read. The last few chapters and epilogue had me grinning from ear to ear! And of course, there were lots of puppy appearances to keep the story going.

If you are a fan of fluffy, sweet, closed-door romances featuring adorable canines, then this book may be what you are looking for!

A sweet no steam friends to lovers small town tale. Charlotte has sworn off men and is devoting herself to her puppy Bingley. George, the physical therapist who is a colleague and a neighbor, moved to town 18 months ago and Charlotte is the first woman he's felt sparks for. Except she keeps trying to set him up with other women. Will these two recognize they are meant for each other before it's too late and George moves? That might be a foregone conclusion but it's the little details that make this a fun read. I liked George's sisters and Charlotte's friends and well, who doesn't love a puppy. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fun read with Jane Austen quotes (and yes, Austen always will do it better but still....)

As a Jane Austen and dog lover, the title and synopses for this book immediately jumped out at me, and I’m glad I read it, because it was cute!

Charlotte has always had bad luck when it comes to dating. She’s always so caught up in her fantasy of finding her perfect Mr. Darcy that she overlooks red flags and ends up making excuses for the guys she dates. After another brutal breakup, she vows to stay single and instead adopts a cute puppy to pour her love into. Enter George Leneghan, her next door neighbour and fellow dog owner. George is the anti-Darcy. AKA the Bingley. He’s been in love with Charlotte practically since he moved to town and all he wants is her to see him in a new (non-friend) light.

Things I liked:
-The puppies! Of course, you can’t have a book called Pride and Puppies, and not include puppies, but I think Duke and Bingely got just the right amount of screentime to make us care about them, but also not so much that they stole focus of the story.

-Friends-to-lovers trope was handled really nicely. I bought George and Charlotte as good friends and I liked their chemistry a lot.

-George’s niceness. I really like that George is just an unequivocally nice guy. There were a few times I was worried he was crossing into ‘nice guys finish last’ and ‘why do girls only date assholes’ territory, but I think he toes the line nicely without going overboard.

-The small town setting. It’s charming and I liked reading about the quirks of the town. Particularly all the different inns.

Things I wasn’t a huge fan of:
-The ending was kind of rushed. The main central conflict is resolved quickly, and the impact of the decision that George makes is kind of downplayed in my opinion

-There’s what seemed to be an important plot thread with George’s sister that just doesn’t really pay off. There’s a throwaway line to wrap it up in the epilogue but it felt kind of like an afterthought. But I also know this is one book in a series of books that takes place in the same universe, so maybe it will get more screentime in a future book

All in all, this was a cute closed-door romance. If you’re in the mood for a Hallmark-esque feel good romance, definitely give this one a try!

Charlotte is on a streak of bad relationships so she decides to swear off men and get a puppy instead. She wanted to give all her attention and love to a new puppy instead of getting into another meaningless relationship.

Her friend and coworker George lives in the same complex and has a dog as well. George has been in love with Charlotte since he set eyes on her, but he has been friendzoned.

I really enjoyed the friendship George and Charlotte had. I am glad Charlotte finally realized that he was perfect for her.

I love how learned more about both of the characters. Getting to know George through his book club and his sisters worked really well. Then you get to know Charlotte through her friends, sisters, and through her tragic loss of her mother.

This is the fourth book in a series called “Pine Hollow”. However, this can be read as a standalone. I have not read any other books in this series and had no issues.

If you love puppies and “friend to lovers” romance, than this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was surprising. I enjoyed the integration of the dogs as side characters themselves - it was done well and in a way that didn’t distract from the hero and heroine and instead fleshed out their personalities more. The miscommunication trope was used well here, highlighting their issues and fears as individuals instead of placing the blame on one another. A quick and easy read that warmed my heart and made me smile.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to read this book! It was so fresh to read about two people who are ready to just settle down! I was kind of confused on George and charlottes relationship in the beginning but I really grew to love their friendship! I will say I like charlottes peppy personality but it annoys me how naive she is when it comes to George’s feelings towards her. At first it made me mad how she didn’t realize she was stringing George along but after awhile you really get to know about charlottes insecurities and see she isn’t doing it on purpose. I felt so content when they finally got together! This was a quick easy cute read! I love the dogs in this book and the side characters! I really liked getting to read about two sweet people that just want love actually find their lightning that stemmed from friendship. George and charlotte are perfect together!

Charlotte, is a doctor with a successful career, but a string of bad luck with men. She keeps falling for a Mr. Darcy wanna be's, but never finding the one who can stay committed. George has been in love with Charlotte since he moved to Pine Hollow 2 years ago, but he is the opposite of Charlotte's type. George think's he finally has his chance to ask Charlotte out, only for her to profess she's swearing off men and getting a dog to live out her days. So George is stuck in the friend zone, but when Charlotte's friends tell her she is basically platonically dating George, she decides she might as well give it a try. Can they make their relationship work or will George leave her and Pine Hollow behind?

First off, I didn't realize this was part of a series. While you can totally read this as a stand alone, I wish I would have known because there are so many characters and I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it would have been nice to have more background info. I loved all the plot around the puppies. This is a slow burn. They aren't usually my favorite trope, but overall lit was well done. I wished we would have seen a little less of the friend-zone part and more of the relationship part. I related a lot to both characters fears and thoughts. It broke my heart to see how much Charlotte told herself she was "too much" or "too messy" Even to George, her family and to her friends, and no one for almost the whole book was like "whoa girl! that's some messed up thoughts about yourself!" One thing that irked me was how much miscommunication there was. It felt pretty constant, like neither of them were really discussing their feelings and a lot of the story could have been solved just by talking to each other. I loved the grand gesture at the end. The side characters, while I thought there were a few too many, were a great addition to the story and had a well rounded feel.

Overall I'd give this a 3.5. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Pride and Puppies by Lizzie Shane is a sweet friends to lovers (kind of coworkers) romance inspired by Jane Austen a Pride and Prejudice.

Set in a small town, this novel follows Dr. Rodrigue as she gives up on dating and adopts a puppy.

Puppies and men what could be better ❤️❤️❤️

This is the 4th novel in the Pine Hallow Series but works well as a stand alone as well

I have to admit that I found Charlotte a bit whiny, especially with her puppy pact and trying to get her friends to commit to it as well. I think her preoccupation with Jane Austen and party was a bit much, but a bit understandable with it being a way to connect to her dead mother.

I did enjoy Charlotte's interactions with George, except when she kept trying to set him up with her friends so he wouldn't move. Her realization that she liked him came a bit late for me. I did like the efforts that Charlotte made to get him involved in the town and the town to accept him. I thought it was sweet especially since George felt like an outsider except for his friendship with Charlotte.

I'm not super sure that I really enjoyed Georges sister Beks, because even though she thought that Charlotte was being manipulative Beks was also projecting her insecurities and manipulations onto George and Charlotte's relationship.

Overall I think that I enjoyed this book solely because of the ending. The way that George and Charlotte both separately committed to each other was beautiful and worth reading the entire book for.

Pride & Puppies is a friends to lovers that delivers a meet cute, two years of developed history and friendship, some amazing banter, and of course adorable puppies. The whole book is just *chef kiss*, one of my favorite romances to date!

Every chapter starts with a Jane Austen quote which was a lovely addition given this is an Austen retelling.

As a dog lover, I couldn’t stop smiling at all the parts talking about love at first sight when she meet her puppy. The joys of having a dog are so amazing, I don’t think I could ever not have a dog again.

I am seriously in love with every single character and every sentence of this book. If you haven’t already, preorder this and add it to you TBR!

Lizzie Shane’s, “Pride and Puppies” was thoroughly enjoyable. There was a lot packed into this book, including: lovable main characters, adorable dogs and just the right amount of emotional packaging. I liked how much depth the two main characters had; they were flawed but very human. There were times that I wanted to strangle Charlotte because she wouldn’t deal with her issues. That said I never once thought, “Just talk to each other!”, like I have in other romance novels because the strife in the relationship was so believable and real.

This book does not contain a ton of spice. The romance itself is very believable and you can tell that they are attracted to each other. Whether by a pointed choice or because the author just shied away from it, there is one mutely spicy kiss in the book, and that is absolutely it. So, if you are looking for on page spice this book will leave you frustrated.

Overall, I liked this book. The story and strife were believable and had me invested. You find yourself rooting for the main characters, which is always a bonus in a romance. The perfect sweet romance.

Content warnings: parent death, cancer and emotional cheating.

This book was so annoying. I’m trying really hard to loosen up about Austen and not be such a purist, but the way this book didn’t understand the messages of P&P just drove me up the wall. Like, I swear, every time Charlotte would say her exes would do certain toxic things and call them “the Darcys,” I wanted to shake her and point out her exes sounded way more like Wickham or Willoughby. Darcy may be proud or awkward, but he’s nowhere near brooding. It would have been believable if she idolized the Brontes, but not Anti-Scoundrel Austen.
And then there’s the misattribution of movie quotes to Austen herself. I bailed when Charlotte said something about having read one of the books several times…like, are you sure about that?

Pride & Puppies by Lizzie Shane is the fourth book in her popular Pine Hollow series but can be easily read as a stand-alone. This friends-to-lovers story set in a delightful small town with a couple of sweet dogs made for a delightful feel-good story. Always a fun read with some good romance!

I truly enjoyed this book. I don't often gravitate towards small town romances, but the mixture of Pride and Prejudice references, friends to lovers romance, and sweet dogs hooked me. This book made me smile while simultaneously wanting to shake each of the two leads to "just kiss already!" I would recommend this title to anyone looking for a romance that will transport them to a Stars Hollow-esque setting with two likeable leads who aren't afraid to quote Austen.

Pine Hollow is a small, Hallmarky town in Vermont. And when their resident PT and orthopedic doctor start falling in love, the whole town watches it unfold.

This story was such a fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice - but with unique twists along the way! Charlotte was always trying to find her Darcy, yet she never managed to pick the right man. So, after mourning the end of yet another relationship, she makes a pact with her best friends and adopts a dog - Bingley. And from then on, the story catapults into a fun and romantic friends to lovers with a guaranteed HEA.

I had such a blast falling in love with George alongside Charlotte. I’m a huge fan of P&P, but loved how all of Austen’s work was included.

My two favorite things. Pride and Prejudice and puppies!!! This was such a fun and fluffy read. I enjoyed every second of it. It was so heartfelt and just made me feel good. So excited to show this off.