This one was a did not finish for me. The characters seemed very immature and I couldn’t get over the writing in the first couple of chapters. No way could I make it through the entire book if the main characters annoyed me so much from the get go.

The Good Boy is a quirky, heartwarming read with a magical twist—Genie’s loyal golden retriever, Rory, turns into a man on her 30th birthday. The premise is delightfully absurd, and Rory’s human version brings sweet, silly moments that carry the first half of the book.

That said, the emotional depth took me by surprise. It touches on themes of grief and loss that felt a bit heavy for what I expected to be a lighthearted rom-com. The pacing also dragged in the middle, especially around the romance subplot.

Still, it’s an original concept with lots of heart. Fans of whimsical romance with a bit of bittersweet will enjoy the ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!

A great palette cleanser from heavier books that I read. This was fun, cute and I would recommend reading if you love romcoms!

3.75 ⭐️⭐️

I throughly enjoyed this books!!! Genie takes you on her journey of self rediscovery after turning her golden retriever into a human!!! I am not one that tends to go for the friends to lovers trope but this book does it well!!!

My only “negative” that knocked it down is that it did lull and get a little long in a few places, but other than that I loved it!!


“Maybe it’s only when something truly impossible happens to you that you will really start to believe that anything is possible.”

The premise was super fun, if you’re down for going on a wacky ride, which I often am. I liked the characters and the funny moments, but the pacing felt a little off. And I think the heavier topics didn’t really get their due in a book with such a “silly” premise as a dog becoming human. Still, it was a fun, quick read, very enjoyable for a summer vacation.

Thank you so much to Avon and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

This book was fun - it was cute, it was cringey (in a good way), and it was light. Will I remember it for long? Nope. But I sure did love it in the moment!! The characters are cute - the dog turning into a human thing was odd and made me laugh. There were some deeper elements - the FMC went on a journey to find meaning in her life. There was a few deeper topics touched on - not really explored, but for sure touched on so it's helpful to check trigger warnings! Also - the entire storyline with Claudia needs to simply be erased. Wasn't needed and was more cringe-worthy than anything else!

Overall this is a good light read perfect for summer!

I will admit that I got a little scared when I saw this book was a freaky Friday rendition involving a dog. When Rory turned into a human I was worried Genie and Rory were going to enter in a romantic relationship and I almost DNF’d a few chapters in. I was glad I kept going.
While I don’t think it’s the greatest rom com I’ve ever read, I did appreciate the author’s writing style and fleshing out the main characters. I found myself laughing out loud a few times(Especially when Rory was human but talking like a dog to Matilda, the cat) and appreciated the ending of the book.

This heartwarming romance is an absolute joyride from start to finish. I stayed up way too late because I couldn’t put it down, and I keep thinking about it even now. It’s a beautiful reminder that love comes in unexpected forms and that sometimes, what we wish for turns out to be exactly what we need.

No. Just… no.

Look, I came in with hope. I wanted the cliché. I wanted the ridiculous banter, the lighthearted chaos, the “oh no there’s only one bed” trope with a wink. I was ready for a fun, unserious romcom to give my brain a break.

Instead? I got the most cringe thing I’ve ever read—and I once willingly read Wattpad mafia fanfic with a glowing red cover and a name like “Blood Kissed Contract.” This was trying to be quirky-funny, but landed somewhere between forced stand-up comedy and TikTok roleplay skits with 3 views. I didn’t laugh. I just blinked in disbelief and rolled my eyes so hard they’re now stuck in the back of my skull.

This book was so unserious that I thought I was being pranked. Like Ashton Kutcher was gonna pop out and yell “you’ve been punk’d!” and then hand me a better book to cleanse my soul. Alas, no Ashton. Just vibes I didn’t consent to.

I had to DNF, and honestly, I’m proud of myself for tapping out before my secondhand embarrassment reached permanent nerve damage.

One star, and that’s purely for the effort of binding pages together and calling it a novel. I will now be making a burnt offering to the Book Gods in hopes of forgetting this ever happened.

A beautiful love letter to our furry companions, finding our voices and believing in the seemingly impossible—with just a touch of magic. I loved every word. Also, it’s hilarious.

I enjoyed this novel! Pacing was good, it gave me the cute, kick you feet romance vibe. Would definitely recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

What an amazing story! This literally made me swoon, laugh and cry and I adored every moment of it.

Genie is a young woman completely stuck in life. After a trauma decade earlier, she’s given up on her dreams and on everything that made her thrive. On her 30th birthday, her magical grandmother gives her a wish, but the wish she makes isn’t the wisest- which she realizes when she wakes the next morning to find her bestest boy, golden retriever Rory, has been turned into a human.

What follows is a joyous magical delight as Genie, Rory, Miles (her lifelong friend and unrequited love), and Matilda (Miles’ cat, not to be trusted) quest to return Rory to dogdom before he loses himself completely.

The writing was absolutely delightful. I loved the way these characters speak to each other and embrace their zany.

I’ll definitely be recommending this to friends and following this author for more.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I feel like the pacing of the book was very off. The FMC realizes that she’s in love with the MMC about halfway through the book, and I think that the second half of the book wouldn't have happened if the characters would just say what they were feeling instead of avoiding all conversations. There were some sweet moments between the characters, but I feel like the second half of the book was too frustrating to get through.

On the eve of Genie’s thirtieth birthday her grandmother gives her an unexpected gift a wish at midnight. Genie laughs it off after fending off invasive questions about her nonexistent love life and returns home to her empty house and her golden retriever Rory. Who needs a boyfriend when you have a loyal friend like Rory? But when she jokingly wishes he were human Rory actually transforms and Genie must team up with her oldest friend and boy next door, Miles to reverse the wish before it’s too late. Along the way old feelings bubble to the surface and magic just might lead her heart home.

I gave this one four stars because it had me smiling from the first page. Rory’s big Golden Retriever Energy is such a delight and watching him navigate human life had me laughing out loud. I did feel the middle slowed down when the magic rules and family drama piled up. Yet Genie and Miles share that warm friends to lovers spark that felt genuine. I was totally invested in whether Rory would keep his dog senses or turn fully human. I did notice everyone accepted human Rory surprisingly quickly, but by then I was just rooting for this quirky found family.

The Vibes It Brings:
🐕 dog becomes human delight
🏡 small town nostalgia
🤝 friends to lovers tension
✨ magical realism charm
😊 heartwarming found family
⏳ ticking clock urgency

The Good Boy is a sweet escape packed with laugh-out-loud moments and big heart moments. If you want a feel-good romance with a twist of magic this one is for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the copy of The Good Boy. This is my honest review.

Ok, adorable setup for a book! (especially because the romance is never with the dog-turned-human, to be clear) Unfortunately, it did not meet expectations.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I was honestly bored reading this which is why it took so long to finish. The plot got bogged down in revealing the main character’s trauma that affects her so dramatically. I thought the male lead, Miles, is a nice character. But so much of this book felt like a first draft with immature dialogue and weak transitions.

I wish it had been as cute and fun as I thought it would be, but it was rather bogged down by the trauma of many characters. I think the marketing does not match the plot and the tone of the book does not match the plot, either.

Really wanted to love The Good Boy, but Genie kind of ruined the book for me. I just didn't like her at all lol

**Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC**

It was a cute lil romcom, but it wasn't really anything special or memorable. It was a nice way to spend my time with a lighthearted story that touched on certain important themes, but I did feel that the romance was stretched out too much and the FMC was a bit too cringey for my taste.

This was pretty cute. I just don’t like friends to lovers that much and I spent a LOT of time at the beginning worrying she would fall for the dog-man.

This would probably make a pretty entertaining movie.

I was intrigued by the plot of this book, but unfortunately I had to DNF. I’ve only DNF’d one other book ever so this was disappointing. The FMC was, for lack of a better word, really annoying and self sabotaging constantly. She also is constantly referring to this tragedy that turned her into this bitter person, but there’s not even clues or allusions to what it is and I’ve seen that even halfway through you still don’t know what happened. Also, I felt really weird about the dog becoming a hot, naked guy in his 30s who acted like a child. Miles is cute and nice but bland. And the FMC just half ignores him and bullies him about being a nerd most of the time?? The humor was a bit overdone for me as well.
Overall, it sounded like a fun new plot I hadn’t seen before, but I was disappointed. I did not want to rate it because and I don’t feel that is fair when I did not finish it, but it will not let me submit without a rating.

Adorable and fun book. Genie and Miles are cute. I liked Rory. I enjoyed the premise of the story. I can't wait to read more. Stella Hayward