This book was so cute! If it includes a dog, I’m in! But a book all about dogs, oh yes!! I loved Cora (+Cho, Cap & Boris) and Leo (+Tilly), and watching them go from enemies to lovers. The side characters were great additions to the book as well. The first 50% took me a few days, but by the second half I was in love! I finished the last 50% in a day! If you enjoy dogs, enemies to lovers & some found family- I highly recommend!

Cute story of a girl helping her grandpa run his pet store while following her passion on the side. Enter 3 quirky dogs who add humor and danger to daily life. A handsome man opens a chain pet store across the street and sparks fly!

Great moments of laughter and love. This is a book I would grab off the shelf!


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was adorable! So many fun elements with the dogs and Cora’s grandfather. The slow burn between Cora and Leo felt believable and I was really routing for them. The online friend storyline did feel a bit cheesy though and was very transparent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC of this book

If you’re a dog lover - read this book!

Cora’s grandparents pet shop is in trouble, so she attempts to join a dog show to earn some money.

Leo opened a store RIGHT across the street from her grandpas shop. They immediately can’t stand each other (even though they are secretly messaging each other without knowing!!)

I love the “you’ve got mail trope” and this did not disappoint! Throw in dogs and you have the perfect dog lovers cozy romance!

It took awhile for them to develop some real tension, but when they did it delivered!!

This was an easy and enjoyable read!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)


YOU’VE GOT MAIL - ENEMIES TO LOVERS - SLOW BURN

Worst in Show gives you homey romance, with a mix of dogs and the warm hug of a family. At first, I wasn't sure there was going to be much romance, but around 70% of the way through it picked up a little. I appreciated the detail of running a pet store and the challenges that comes with, all while trying to balance free time, passion and dogs.

I enjoy the cast of characters and their different personalities - reminded me of a few of my friends. Leo did a great job at redeeming himself at the end of the novel which made me happy. Although, I do feel like Cora could have provided him with a bit of a better apology.

Cute book nonetheless that I enjoyed!

3.75⭐️
Worst in Show by Anna Collin’s releases 8/13 and is a light hearted, enemies to lovers romp in the world of pet shops. Cora is helping her grandfather Harvey in his mom and pop pet store when Canine King moves in next door led by grumpy Leo. Cora and Leo become instant rivals. Leo’s shop is sleek, modern, and popular immediately whereas Cora’s shop is old, cramped, and barely hanging on financially. When a dog competition offers $15,000 for the most talented dog, Cora and Leo team up to train their dogs to win the big prize. This was a cute read. If you’re looking for a slow burn romance, this is it. The more intimate parts don’t start until 70% of the way through the book and are very tame. It’s the secondary characters that really bring the story to life. Harvey the grandfather is so loving! Cora’s best friends are the ultimate example of a solid girl group. The stars of the show were the dogs! If you love dogs, then you’ll fall in love with Boris, Tilly, Cap, and Cholula. Their personalities are so funny and as a reader, I was more invested in their journeys than in the main characters stories. Overall, Worst in Show is a fun, sweet palate cleanser of a read.

Oof this one was rough for me, because it had all the potential but couldn't deliver. The MC was annoying, and there's something about this book that makes me thing was written in the 2000-2010's and it's just now getting published.

If you love romance and you love dogs, then this is a must-read. I loved the story, the characters (including the dogs!), the character development, the romance. I just really enjoyed this book. This is a book that I would enjoy reading again. I will also be keeping this book in mind for gift-giving. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

A rivals-to-lovers story involving dogs and a dog show? Sign me up! 🤣 Not only that, but we get a city boy vs. a small-town girl and competing pet stores. If you think this sounds like a cute premise, you'd be 100% correct.

This entire book reminded me of "You've Got Mail," and I am not mad about it. We have the colorful, energetic Cora, who helps her aging grandfather run his eclectic pet shop. Then, we have broody, perfectionist Leo, who opens a competing pet store right across the street.

It's a classic rom-com, rivals-to-lovers story with a side dish of adorable dogs. The vibe of this book is what I absolutely loved. It was a cute, sweet romance book with a few spicy parts.

I love me some witty banter and Cora and Leo are the masters of puns and smartalick comebacks. The tension between these two made me squeal, and I loved it. There is also a healthy dose of effective communication involving these two. I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but it was refreshing to see. Oh, and there's a scene where hunky Leo carries an injured dog through a cornfield. If that doesn't make you want to read this, I don't know what will 🔥🔥

I absolutely recommend this book to any dog-loving rom-com fan. The rescue dogs are adorable and act as hilarious side characters. The rivals-to-lovers trope is done extremely well in a cute way that is lower stakes than some other books in this genre.

This is a cute, comfy romance that gets extra points because of the dogs being involved in the story. Cora is a little irritating but I enjoyed her banter with Leo and reading how their relationship develops. This is great for anyone who wants a sweet, easy read.

This book was a comfy romance. That is great to sit down in front of a fire and enjoy! The characters were lovable and sweet. This was definitely a cozy story that made me feel warm and fuzzy.

Cora has stepped in to help her grandfather run his struggling pet store. When former classmate Leo opens a rival store across the street Cora is determined to best him at any opportunity. They both end up entering the same dog competition where the prize is $15000. Aside from helping with the pet store Cora is active on an internet forum where she becomes close with another poster.

This was a very sweet book. Cora was interesting if slightly annoying at times due to her inability to let things go. A book where there is a You Got Mail style plot could lean far too heavily into miscommunication but I was glad Leo came clean with her pretty quickly after discovering their online connection. I adore dogs so I really loved the dog focus of this book! There was really enjoyable banter between Leo and Cora. The pranks got to be a little much but were mostly fun. I very much loved Cora's grandfather and his side storyline, it was so heartwarming.

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

Cora wants to be a fashion designer but is caught between helping her grandfather at his pet store, a job (and three foster pups) she both loves and feels overwhelmed with and her own designer business. Then Leo shows up across the street with an upscale pet store and begins to take business from Cora’s family’s already floundering store, so the two get into a bit of a rivalry. All of this neighborhood drama culminates at the local winter festival with an ending full of dogs and costumes.

I mean - this story was not the best. The story and pacing could be a bit faster, their romance could be more electric, and when it gets to the very brief and sudden spice, it is awkward and weird. I feel like this book was written just to churn out another rom-com. The book is billed as having a You’ve Got Mail vibe, and yes, it is two rival business owners and a bit of foreplay on the internet, but it doesn’t have any of the fun that happens in the movie. The pranks are weird and childish, her relationship with her parents isn’t very believable, and I just did not like the romance. I managed to finish it, but it was done out of duty. I am sorry - this one was not my cup of tea, which made me sad because I love a fun story with dogs!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I’m usually a thriller girlie but I need to clean my brain between twisted reads—and rom-coms are the answer. I’m a fan of Anna E Collins debut (Love At First Spite) so when I saw this was available on netgalley—I had to read it. I’m a dog person who volunteers with a rescue, and also an elder millennial who loved the movie You’ve Got Mail, so this book hit me right in the feels! I loved everything about it. Easy 5 shiny stars!

Seriously, this book needs to be made into a Hallmark movie. The plot is adorable. Leo moves in across the street to set up a pet store that seems as shiny and impersonal as he first appears. Cora's helping her grandpa at his pet store until he rehabilitates from a hip injury. The two stores are across the street from each other, This is an enemies to lovers story with dogs who have big hilarious personalities in small fur bodies.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley got the ARC.

Cute rom-com with rival pet store owners. Not my usual fare but fun if you like the genre! Thanks to net galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun book! I definitely felt Rachel Lynn Solomon vibes from this book. I loved the rivals to lovers between Cora and Leo! It was so cute and they had nice chemistry

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. I read this book on a cross-country airplane, where I am most in need of fun and lighthearted stories. This fit the bill for sure, and I found myself really swept up in the characters' journeys together. And the dogs! A precious cast of dogs, I could not want for anything more.

I don't always crave a dual-POV storytelling in romance, but I did think something was missing in the story without some of Leo's thought process. Of course, there would be other ways to signal how Leo was feeling without literally getting his own chapters, and overall I did not think I was getting a lot from him. Cora also didn't narrate anything that would show how/when she knew Leo was even kind of into her, which was a big leap for me. She very much kept up the view of them as professional rivals (even though her family's store was already struggling before Leo came to town, which I hated about her inner narrative. Why was she lying to herself like that?!) We only got a few people from town saying "you know he likes you, right?" which is truly the most unreliable group to be talking about guys' feelings, but it *was* fun. I ultimately couldn't tell if Leo liked Cora because of their conversations, something he grew to observe about her, or because they spent time together. I like knowing!! I'm nosy!!

Lots of this book was not my thing. Firstly, I like dogs, but I’m not truly a dog PERSON. I do think a dog person would enjoy this more, especially one that’s involved in showing dogs or something similar. That being said, the hero of this book was deeply flawed, and not in a hot way. The stuff with his dad was crazy, and he made some truly questionable choices from start to finish. I kept waiting for a turning point when I’d like him more, but that time did not come. Also, the heroine was pretty immature and grated on me after a while. I’m all for a main character that’s a little lost and not sure what she wants to do with herself, but there was a lot of self pity here. Mostly I wanted someone to tell her to get a grip. There were some cute things about it- I liked the best friend, and the grandpa and his little romantic arc- but overall this isn’t one I’d recommend to most. That being said, it’s likely to find an audience with the true dog people. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Cora runs a pet store with her grandfather, but her heart isn’t in it. As much as she loves her dogs and her grandfather, her dream is to be a designer.

Leo is a burned out investment banker something or other, healing from a divorce, and with a young Aussie. He also just opened a competing pet store across the street from Cora’s.

There’s an amateur dog show coming up and the prize is $15,000…and they both need the money. Through a series of mishaps, fights, and working together with their dogs, they both prepare to compete in the show, making them business competitors and dog show adversaries.

This was my first book by Anna E Collins and I really enjoyed it. Her writing is very smooth and the storyline was cute!