Review: Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook

First line: I decided to listen to my family and get back out there.

From the back cover: Voluptuous, sensuous, alluring and fun. Barely 40 DWF seeks special man to share starlit nights. Must love dogs.

Life after divorce for Sarah Hurlihy consists of juggling her job as a preschool teacher and the demands of her interfering family. Then her bossy big sister decides to place a personal ad for her, and the unexpected becomes a daily event. Everybody wants Sarah to put the past behind her and take a bold step toward a fresh start. But when Sarah winds up with a lot of new men – and rambunctious dogs – in her life, along with plenty of awkward situations, unexpected emotions, and not-so-easy decisions, she wonders whether those mindless evenings sitting along and watching The Brady Bunch were really all that bad…

My thoughts: I saw the movie version of this book when it first came out and had never heard of Claire Cook or was aware she was an author at that time. Since then, I have read just about every book she has written, so of course I needed to pick this one up, despite already knowing the story.

I found this book to be a light, fun read. Claire Cook takes us on a life journey with Sarah Hurlihy, 40 year old divorcee, pre-school teacher, and member of a large, wild and rowdy Irish American family, who just can’t keep their noses out of each other’s lives. When she decides to “get back out there”, there is enough comic relief to fuel her through one disastrous encounter after another.  In her first foray into the world of personal ads, Sarah manages to select a Mr. Right who is none other than her own widowed father. Will she have any better luck when her sound-alike sister writes a personal ad for Sarah, and records a voice message? With her large and colorful family trooping in and out of her life at inopportune times, with troubles and demands of their own, Sarah’s challenges are huge and her privacy non-existent. Every failed encounter, foible and mis-step is grist for the family rumor mill. 

I love reading Claire Cook’s books and look forward to her next new book when it comes out.

(I got this book from Paperback Swap.)