Highly Amusing

The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley is a wonderful contemporary novel set in the heart of the Lake District.

The area comes alive under the author’s descriptive pen. The reader ‘experiences’ the richness of the open countryside. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty but with elements of danger as the weather can turn in an instant.

At the heart of the novel is Bella, a black cockerpoo who stole my heart. Zara Stoneley has brought her to life as she captures the essence of the bouncy, lovable. Loyal dog.

There is the theme of finding one’s true self. London and an old flame have squashed the life out of a character. Another character lost himself several years earlier during a traumatic tour of duty. The open air of the countryside, the love of Bella and the opportunity to relax means personalities can heal and become who they were created to be.

The characters were all well drawn. I instantly warmed to the two lead characters and Bella. Interestingly when I was introduced to the Instagram blogger, Zara Stoneley had drawn her so well that I instantly found myself reading her lines in an accent in my head whilst I decided I did not particularly like her. Zara Stonely perfectly manipulated my emotional response to her characters.

The Dog Sitter was a delightfully fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to reading much more by Zara Stoneley.

A word of caution: There are a couple of bedroom scenes with more detail than I felt comfortable with but it did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

I received a free copy of the book from OMC blogger community FB group via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON