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February 15, 2010
Larkin debuts with a funny and touching story about love, loss, and dog ownership. Twenty-something Van Leone, fresh from serving as maid of honor at the wedding of her childhood best friend and the man Van's been in love with since college, impulsively buys a German shepherd puppy on the Internet while drowning her sorrows in vodka and a late-night Rin Tin Tin marathon. Van's surprised to discover, however, that the “little ball of fuzz” she's expecting is an enormous Slovakian police dog that she names Joe. The expected furniture-destroying and neighbor-terrifying antics ensue, but Joe quickly becomes Van's family, chief confidant, and romantic catalyst. The fresh start Van had envisioned turns out to be more complicated than she'd hoped—particularly after the newlyweds return from their honeymoon—but Joe nudges her ever forward. Though the support cast could be trimmed and the love interest lacks satisfying depth, Van's conflicts feel authentic, and her emotional frankness is refreshing. Cute story, nicely told.

April 1, 2010
A charming debut about a young woman, the troublesome men in her life and the dog she gets to replace them.

Savannah should be happy that her two closest friends are getting married. Janie (really more like a sister, Savannah grew up on Janie's family estate—her mother was the housekeeper) is marrying Peter, Savannah's best friend from college. The only problem is that Savannah has been nursing a secret love for Peter for years. Savannah is racked with guilt; lusting after Janie's new husband isn't part of her life plan. When Peter almost makes a drunken confession of love to Savannah on his wedding night, and when Janie's mother offers Savannah a six-figure check to leave the married couple alone, Savannah embarks on a bender with surprising results. Drunk and watching a Rin Tin Tin marathon, she decides she needs a dog to fill the void and orders over the Internet a $6,000 German Shepard from Slovakia. When he arrives, he is enormous, highly trained (Savannah has to learn his Slovak commands) and a bit too high-strung for condo living. She takes the newly christened Joe to Dr. Alex Brandt, a young, ruggedly handsome vet who takes a shine to Savannah. If this were all, there would be little to distinguish it from the well-worn territory of light romances, but Larkin complicates things in interesting ways. Savannah becomes increasingly class conscious—as the housekeeper's daughter, Savannah has endured a lifetime of letting Janie get her way, of Peter's parents disallowing him from dating lowly Savannah—and now in a budding relationship with down-to-earth Alex, Savannah is beginning to question what kind of strange triangle she, Peter and Janie formed. As Peter and Janie become more demanding and unhappy—they're not used to life without Savannah to fix things—they begin to jeopardize the good thing she's got going with Alex. Maybe Joe will save the day.

Smart and with emotional depth, this is a cut above the romantic comedies that flood the market every summer.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2010
Van Leone returns home from the wedding of her best friend to the man she has secretly been in love with since college and drowns her sorrows in vodka and a marathon of "Rin Tin Tin" reruns. Waking up the next day, she retraces her steps and realizes she's purchased a German Shepherd over the Internet. When Joe finally arrives from Europe, he turns out to be much bigger than anticipated. Luckily, the handsome, newly divorced veterinarian she takes Joe to seems more than willing to help out Van and her new best friend (who, by the way, speaks only Czech). Joe also provides plenty of support for Van when her newlywed friends turn to her for advice and a shoulder to cry on. VERDICT It's "Gilmore Girls" meets "Marley & Me" in this funny and compelling debut. Joe is probably the "doggiest" of the dogs in these books, communicating only with barks, tail wags, and soulful looks. His zest for life will be familiar to readers who have raised a pup of their own. For dog lovers and chick-lit fans. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 2/1/10.]

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