After a few months of pandemic isolation, true crime books and podcasts, mystery/thrillers, and a double binge of Ozark (yes, all three seasons TWICE through), I needed a break. I needed something that wouldn’t require much if any intellectual exercise, and hopefully didn’t have any major characters with cancer…okay, that last one was a bridge too far. And when I saw this book compared to Marley and Me, I feared the “heartwarming” story A Dog’s Chance by Casey Wilson was going to be a downer. – a super tearjerker.

Let’s not bother with analysis or in-depth psychological examination of characters’ motivations and actions. This is a straightforward schmaltzy story about a single mother named Madison, her fourteen-year-old daughter Abbie, and an orphaned golden retriever puppy named Duke.  

Madison has been sort of on the run, moving from one nurse practitioner job and town to another every six months, dragging her daughter (who seems possibly on the spectrum but definitely suffering from deepening anxiety). They move to an idyllic small town in Oregon where a recently widowed (here’s the bridge too far) gentleman in his 70s comes to Madison’s clinic, and before you know it, the four of them (Madison, Abbie, Duke, and Arthur, the old guy) have become a family.

Duke is a typical golden puppy, full of energy and totally untrained. Madison offers to train Duke so that Abbie will get to see more of him, as he calms her anxiety… and TA-DA! we now have a family of choice. All they need is a hunky single man to come and sweep Madison off her feet and be a father figure for Abbie – and here comes Arthur’s nephew, a single lawyer with muscles and just the right amount of stubble, just in time!

Will Madison finally feel like she has a second chance at life and a reason to stay in town?  Will her mysterious past catch up with her, putting all of them at risk? Will Duke be able to unite this family, and keep them together, saving a life or two along the way? It’s a Hallmark movie in print, it’s really sappy and written at a level for Abbie and her friends, and it’s so sweet it may be too much for some people. But, thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley, I enjoyed a copy in exchange for this honest review. Perfect for Dog lovers and fans of sweet romance novels that don’t require much effort, but provide a nice warm feeling. Four stars.