Fifth Avenue Fidos by Holly Schindler

I feel like cat people always get a bad rap for being kind of weird or quirky…like myself. However, this book goes to show that dog people can be nutty oddballs as well.

What’s it About? 

Mable Barker, a hilarious, good-natured sweetheart who is always the pal but never the girlfriend, endures nine horrendous months of bouncing between lackluster New York City jobs (and suffering unrequited love) in her unsuccessful attempt to find her one true talent. So when she meets Innis, the ill-tempered Upper East Side Pekingese, she assumes her dog-walking days are numbered, too; soon, she’ll be heading back to Queens brokenhearted, tail tucked between her legs. But Innis belongs to the adorable yet painfully shy young veterinarian, Jason Mead, a man whose awkward ways around women have him dreaming not of finding love for himself but of playing canine matchmaker—breeding Westminster champions.

When Mable and Jason meet, romance is officially unleashed: they find an instant connection and shared goal, as it appears that Mable could very well have what it takes to be a professional handler, soon to be seen holding Innis under a banner labeled, “Best in Show.” As Jason and Mable get closer to putting a new twist on the term “dog lovers,” outside forces—Mable’s overprotective brothers, a successful wedding planner with her eye on Jason, even the theft of purebred pups from Jason’s Fifth Avenue apartment building—all threaten to come between them. Will Mable and Jason simply let their burgeoning love roll over and play dead? Or will they rally to make sure Innis emerges as the leader of the pack?

First Impressions

This book was definitely quirky, just like the main female character, who has a one-liner for everything. At first I found myself chuckling along, but after a while all of the jokes (and humorous asides presented in parentheses) seemed really forced. It was almost like a desperate attempt to be funny. Let’s face it, when your main character is described as “hilarious” within the first sentence of the synopsis, you might be pushing it a bit. I personally like to determine the personality traits of the characters on my own, rather than having them spelled out for me.

The Story

There was actually a lot going on in this novel, from Mable trying to make her way in the big, bad city, and Jason trying to prove his worth as a champion show-dog breeder. Then there’s a little mystery thrown in with a dognapper. See what I mean? Dog people can be obsessive and weird too.

Overall, cute and interesting story, but I thought it took a tad too long for the story to really get going. I understand not wanting to immediately throw our love birds together, but waiting until 40% of the book was finished before they have an actual conversation? What exactly are we waiting for? I’ve got places to be. And by “places to be” of course I mean in my apartment reading another romance novel.

The Best of the Best

The absolute best part of this novel was the chemistry between Mable and Jason, which makes the fact that we had to wait so long for them to actually come together seem like even more of a waste. We see how awkward Jason is when communicating with basically any other human being, but with Mable they just connect and feed off of each other’s particular brand of humor. As a matter of fact, I think I giggled the most when these two were together. It just goes to show that no matter how quirky, nerdy, or awkward you may be, there really is someone out there for everyone. It’s like puppy love!

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Stand-alone

Should you read it? It’s cute and silly. A slight hint of drama, though not overly dramatic. I do think a lot of the comedy was forced, which was kind of annoying after a while. However, if you’re a dog person, and you just want to sit back and relax with a sweet romance, then this might be the book for you.

Smut Level: There’s only one love scene, but they break a chair for crying out loud! Not too shabby!!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Amazon Digital Services. 391 Pages.