There is nothing I love more than dogs, so mix that with a romance novel and you got me. This book was very sweet. I loved the fact that the good guy finally got the girl. You could tell from the beginning that George and Charlotte were meant to be. I think the thing I loved most about their relationship was surprising. Usually miscommunication in romance makes me scream, but I really feel this particular instance to be very realistic and made me more sympathetic to the characters.
I didn't realize when I picked this up that it was a series, but it didn't detract from the book at all. This book was a fantastic example of a standalone in the middle of a series.
Overall, I really liked this book. The romance was very expected with not many shocking moments which is why it isn't a 5-star read for me. However, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, sweet read with an HEA.

It was cute, however I wasn't totally into the Jane Austen retelling.

I did like the fast pace of the book and the dialogue between the characters.

Overall, it was a sweet romance story.

This is the fourth book that takes place in Pine Hollow. It can be read as a standalone. I have read the first three books, and they almost read like a trilogy arc, and this is the beginning of a second trilogy arc. This book features, Charlotte and George. I anticipate the next two books will feature Charlotte's best friends, Kendall and Magda.

Charlotte is obsessed with all things Jane Austen in this book is definitely an ode/retelling Of Jane Austen. While it's called Pride and Puppies, I think it actually feels more like Persuasion (it feels like the movie Clueless With a very self-absorbed main character..). Like you would find in an Austin novel, there is lots of inner reflection and turmoil. We get to see and hear George and Charlotte's doubts and fears as well as watching them connect in a friends to lovers romance.

Bonus, they both have dogs and there's also a visit to a local shelter with more dogs.

I'm really enjoying the pace of it with the dramatic self-reflection, the slow burn romance, and the repeated turmoil as they both question everything and are pretty dramatic. Charlotte, especially is very over-the-top, dramatic and self absorbed while George is a nice guy who doubts his own value and appeal and feels that he'll never get the girl. Communication is not a strength, but it's nice to see them trying. I'm enjoying it and looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was such a fun take on the retelling of a classic many of us have come to know and love. However, if you are expecting a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, you may end up feeling a little confused and let down.

This book follows Charlottle and George as they navigate work, friendship, and love in the fourth installment of the Pine Hollow series. While many romance series can be read out of order, I would recommend reading the other books first in this case. This book relied heavily on the established world building for the first three books, and as someone who had not read the previous books, I did find myself a bit lost at times.

This boom takes the concept of a retelling and turns it on its head by relying on the source material as inspiration for how our heroine is sabotaging her own love life by looking for a 'Darcy' while simultaneously overlooking the 'non-Darcy' option who is perfect for her.

Despite feeling lost at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and overall story. I will definitely be returning to Pine Hollow to read the first three books, and await a fifth book in the series!

This books includes the will-they-won't-they trope, and the guy falls first trope. This is also a closed door romance.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

4.5 stars!!
I found myself enjoying this book more and more the further I got into it. As an Austen-lover myself, I was Instantly hooked by the story’s connection to & the main character’s infatuation with Jane Austen. And the pinpoint Austen quotes to intro each chapter were an added bonus of joy.

The characters had fast & witty dialogue with each other, which actually sounded like conversations real people would have. And the characters themselves were authentic; not perfect, but also not insufferable or annoying. I especially appreciated the MFC’s self awareness of her own shortcomings; characters aren’t often written to be self-aware and so they can easily bother me. But not with this one!

The love story was romantic and sweet, without being unrealistic or idealistic. I appreciate how they actually (eventually) communicated to each other instead of just holding it all in. A precious story of a friend falling for another friend, spending time in unrequited love, waiting for it to be reciprocated - and after pursuing, wooing, and commitment, it is!

Some sparse language, vulgar talk/innuendos, and light acknowledgment of bedroom activity I could’ve done without. But the amount was very small that it didn’t ruin the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Pride & Puppies”- Lizzie Shane

I don’t think I’ve read a book this fast since I read Abby Jimenez’s “Yours Truly” ARC when it was first released on NetGalley.

I started reading this at the airport and instead of taking a much needed nap, I kept reading until the plane landed. Reality set in so it took me just a few days to finish but still, it was a quick read for me and my busy schedule.

Anyways, who couldn’t love a Rom-Com involving Jane Austen & puppies!?! I loved how relatable the mane character, Charles, was. Hell even George’s character was relatable.

Also who couldn’t want to jump in to the page and want to snuggle Duke & Bingley. I don’t want to give too much away….but this is an absolute must read if you love rom-coms, classic romantic literature, and canines!

Run 🏃‍♀️ to your nearest bookstore now and pick up your copy!

3 stars

I was a little mistaken when I first picked out this book, I thought it was going to be a Pride and Prejudice modern day retelling with cute puppies. Pride and Puppies is the 4th book in a romance series, set in the small Vermont town of Pine Hollow. Each book has a different main focus, but they all have dogs adopted from a local shelter. Pride and Puppies is a friends-to-lovers romance, with not quite a miscommunication trope, but a lack of real communication between the main characters: Charlotte and George. These two work together at a retirement home, both in the medical field. George has been crushing pretty hard on Charlotte, but she’s been searching for a Darcy, and finds “the Darcys” she’s been dating in the real modern world to be not great boyfriends, and puts herself into a “no boys” mode and adopts a puppy to refocus her love.

I had trouble liking Charlotte. She’s self-absorbed, and vacillates between this bouncy extrovert to moody depressive persona. Both Charlotte and George seem to have the same problem, they lack any kind of real self-esteem, and that in turn affects how they handle building this relationship. I know I’m new to romance, but I found the constant back and forth wishy-washiness to be frustrating—and not in a good way.
The story itself was fine. I liked it well enough, but I don’t think I want to revisit Pine Hollow anytime soon.

I really wanted to love this book, especially since pride and prejudice is a favorite of mine but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. I was really frustrated with the main characters. Their constant self deprecating thoughts and actions and the miscommunication or just lack of communication was extremely frustrating. I expect that type of communication from maybe young adults who may struggle with expressing themselves but not adults who have known each other for quite some time. I can’t get behind the I’ve loved you forever but will never tell you trope, definitely not for me. Also the wishy washy nature of Charlotte and her feelings drove me insane! Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me but the premise was cute.

Oh my goodness, this book! A romance with dogs and Jane Austen! So perfect! Loved every page! This book was just what I needed! I didn’t know this combination existed!! So sweet!!

When I first saw the synopsis for the book I was so excited! Puppies and Mr. Darcy? Sign me up! This was a super cute read, loved the references to all the Jane Austen books, the humor, and obviously the puppies. I will say though, I had a really hard time with the MCs…they were very self deprecating the entire book and so much could have been solved with simple communication. This was the main reason I gave it an 3.75 star rating. Other than that it is a solid read with some great scenes. Thank you so much NetGalley for this opportunity! .

Not going to lie, I have a hard time with Pride and Prejudice retellings. That being said, I enjoyed this read. It was quick. quirky and I thought it was well thought out. I think the romance could have been a bit more enchanting but to each their own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for a review

I really liked this book I thought it was sweet and the perfect read for a cold winter day. I really loved watching these two falls in love. I would recommend it for lovers of dogs and closed-door romance fans.

This one fell a little flat for me. The dogs were cute, but the characters weren’t lovable. There were parts where the story started to drag. Not my favorite of the year

What a fun read! Great banter between our two protagonists, one a high-energy doc who swears off men and decides to adopt a puppy instead. The other is a nice-guy physical therapist who knows what he wants but doesn't know how to go about getting it. Don't be fooled by the title - this is more Emma than P&P, but there are plenty of Darcy references and enough quotes from all of Austen's work to satisfy.

This was so cute and I love how it was heavily Jane Austen based.

The characters were cute and charming as was the small town feel. I did feel as if the character had a lot of miscommunication issues or lack of communication issues that dragged the story on a bit.

I really contemplated giving this 4 stars because sooooo much miscommunication and y’all know that shit drives me insane. HOWEVER, it’s part of their character flaws. They doubt themselves and what they deserve, they self sabotage, and lowkey I got it - I get that way too. That feeling of "this is too good to be true, they'll lose interest" but being terrified of that because that person means the absolute world to you.

This follows George and Charlotte - they work together and are both doctors in a small town in Vermont. George is the new guy and wants to feel a sense of belonging after moving there a year and a half ago. Him and Charlotte become friends, especially after a breakup and she swears off men and decides on a puppy pact. She gets a puppy to help focus her love and attention and begins bonding with George.

So we get friends to lovers and it’s so 🥺 this is definitely a sweet romcom that made my heart feel all kinds of things. It’s a closed door romance, but ya know, Lizzie Shane made it work. This is technically book 2 in the series, but they can be read as standalones, as the first one followed a different couple in town.

AND, if you’re a Jane Austen fan - I bet you’d love this. So many references, quotes, and swoon worthy moments.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lizzie Shane for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a cute story. I loved all the talk of puppies and the Jane Austen quotes at the beginning of each chapter. There were a few moments where it felt a little long, but overall I don’t mind the story.

The main characters IRRITATED me a few times though. All of their problems would have been solved with an adult conversation, but instead they chose not to say anything. The miscommunication trope in full force.

Take a look at this book if you want to read a love story that involves pups, miscommunication, and references to classic literature.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I've never read anything by Lizzie Shane before so this was a new author to me. The first couple of pages I thought I hit the jackpot because I adore Colin Firth and BBC's version of Pride and Prejudice but after a while I wasn't so sure anymore. Unfortunately I found myself bored and around 30 % I started to skim. Eventually I put it down because I don't want to read books that waste my time.

I'll definitely try some of her backlist since I liked her writing style.

I had really high hopes for this book. I love P&P and so far the Pine Hollow series has been a delight.

I did not delight in this next phase of the Pine Hollow series. First off the premise of getting a puppy searing off men to solve your heartbreak is one thing, but forcing your buddies to do the same is too much. This doesn’t seem like a solid base to start this next friend group in the series.

Secondly, the friends to lovers romance between Charlotte and George was painful. Charlottes obliviousness to Georges feelings as excruciating to watch. There was no way she could be so obtuse for so long! It felt like she was using him.

I read until the 50% mark and decided this was not for me. I was not able to invest any further into these characters.

Thank you to Forever Romance for the opportunity to read this title. Opinions are my own.

This book was SO cute! I loved it! At first, I rated it 3 stars because I thought I could've used a little more but then within an hour I upped it to 4 stars. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I LOVE George's character. He is literally so sweet and nice, which is written like a pseudo character flaw. It was interesting how the author wrote about both George's & Charlotte's insecurities, which was the cause of mild concerns & issues. The characters had real insecurities that were *mostly* relatable.

I'm also a sucker for friends-to-lovers so I immediately knew I'd easily like this book. And I really dislike "third act miscommunication," which did not happen in this book. Some readers may think it does but with the timelines of the relationship & self-revelations, it all made sense and wasn't annoying. The development of the relationship felt genuine and wasn't rushed, which I appreciate. Take note other authors: let the characters get to know each other first before falling in love!

Pick up this book if you like deep Jane Austen quotes relevant to love & life, the love dogs bring to a person, and an adorably committed friendship that leads to more. Also, closed door! Big fan & a definite recommendation for my fellow modest gals.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.