Stay by Allie Larkin

Narrated by Julia Whelan

I’m not sure if the Internet stalkers were targeting me or not, but a search at Audible for audiobooks narrated by Julia Whelan put Stay on the front page – no matter that it’s from 2010. The cover has a great dog on it because it’s about a woman who gets a German Shepherd for a companion, and hey! I’m a woman who recently got a German Shepherd! Of course, I had to read it.

Stay has chick-lit bones but it’s pure romance, complete with a satisfying HEA, which I was a little worried about when I read the Amazon reviews. Savannah “Van” Leone has been in love with Peter since the moment they met – too bad Peter has been in love with Van’s best friend, Jane, since the moment she introduced them. And so, in the vein of great contemporary romances, she finds herself at the wedding as the bridesmaid, not the bride, dressed in hideous orange (mistake at the dressmakers!). Even Jane’s quasi-evil mother knows Van’s heart is broken, and she steps in to warn Van away from them, with what seems to be a bribe. While the happy couple is honeymooning away, Van indulges in a little bout of vodka therapy, watching Rin-Tin-Tin reruns, which will always remind a girl that dogs are a girl’s best friend, not diamonds! So she buys a German Shepherd, over the internet, from Slovakia, like you do. When you’ve overindulged, that is.

From the moment she picked up the puppy (90 pounds of puppy!) at the airport, discovering he doesn’t understand anything but Slovak, Joe the dog wormed his way into her heart and mine. He’s very well trained, once she gets the Slovak cheat sheet out! She finds, however, that she needs to take him to the vet for some extra help – and hey, guess what about that vet. Yup, Dr. Alex Brandt is single and good looking and fun too.

It’s not all lightness and fluff – Van is still mourning the death of her mother, and dealing with complicated relationships – her mother was the live-in housekeeper for Jane’s mother, and her home was the quarters at Jane’s house, making her life inextricably entwined in theirs. Alex is also a little deeper – he divorced his ex-wife and then found out she was cheating on him which he didn’t know – this kind of thing can mess with the ability to trust. While he enjoys Van and Joe’s company, once the honeymooners Jane and Peter come back into her life, he sees that she is still carrying a torch for someone else, and he can’t deal.

In the capable hands of Julia Whelan, this book was expertly narrated. It’s written in chick-lit style, in first person from Van’s POV, and Whelan gives her a dose of Long Island, New York, accent. It’s not overwhelming but pronounced enough to be noticeable, and it fits in nicely since other characters comment on her accent during the story. She did it very consistently throughout, in addition to creating all the other characters. Although I find that her voice has matured and gotten even better over the years, she was a very accomplished narrator in 2010 as well, making this a completely enjoyable, full-length, contemporary romance. Especially if you’re a dog-lover like me! (PS: Lucy liked it too)

Melinda

Narration: A

Book Content: A

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in – mostly pretty tame though

Violence: None

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Chick-lit)

Publisher: Brilliance Audio