Series Name:
Paws in the City, # 1
Review By Veronica
The Dachshund Wears Prada is a swoon-tastic rom-com that readers will love from beginning to end.
Favourite Quote:
“At that moment, as if summoned by a sound no human could hear, or perhaps by the devil himself, Camilla entered the room. The Dachshund was less than a ruler’s length in height, with stumpy little legs that made her waddle with each step. Despite that, you would have thought the Queen of England had entered the room.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
Forget diamonds—the internet is forever. Social media consultant Isla Thompson learned that lesson the hard way when she went viral for all the wrong reasons. A month later, Isla is still having nightmares about the moment she ruined a young starlet’s career and made herself the most unemployable influencer in Manhattan. But she doesn’t have the luxury of hiding until she’s no longer Instagram poison. Not when her fourteen-year-old sister, Dani, needs Isla to keep a roof over their heads. So, she takes the first job she can get: caring for Camilla, a glossy-maned, foul-tempered hellhound.
After a week of ferrying Camilla from playdates to pet psychics, Isla starts to suspect that the dachshund’s bark is worse than her bite—just like her owner, Theo Garrison. Isla has spent her career working to make people likable and here’s Theo—happy to hide behind his reputation as a brutish recluse. But Theo isn’t a brute—he’s sweet and funny, and Isla should not see him as anything but the man who signs her paychecks. Because loving Theo would mean retreating to his world of secluded luxury, and Isla needs to show Dani that no matter the risk, dreams are always worth chasing.
Every once in a while, you read a book that you instantly fall in love with. For me, The Dachshund Wears Prada is one of those books. The cover and synopsis immediately intrigued me, and honestly, I am a sucker for any book with an adorable and quirky animal in it. Right from that first chapter, I knew I would love this book. It felt like Stefanie’s writing was casting this magical spell over me and drew me into the love story she created, and it didn’t let me go until the very last page.
What makes this book so fabulous, you ask? Well, for me, it has all those traditional elements I love in a romance book, a fantastic and unforgettable meet-cute moment, wonderful and strong characters, and a love story that sets my heart on fire. But this book also offers other fun and unique things to its readers. Camilla, aka The Dachshund Wears Prada, who had such a fun and, at times, heart-breaking presence in this book. Stefanie gave this little pup so much depth, and the moments that had me close to tears or howling with laughter often had Camilla in them. It was so enjoyable watching Isla navigate the world of super-rich pets. The things some people buy or sign their animals up for are funny and slightly unbelievable.
I loved the whole social media aspect of the story. I know this will sound terrible since I co-run an online blog, but I am not always the biggest fan of social media. People can be awful to one another on those platforms. Stefanie did a great job showing both the negative and positive sides of social media. I really loved how Isla wanted to use Instagram as a positive tool to help brighten people’s day.
Not only does this book offer its readers a fabulous love story, but it also has a beautiful friendship and sibling relationship that will just warm your heart. The friendship between Isla and Scout was fabulous. I loved how these two women, who are complete opposites, could have such a strong and supportive friendship. I am also super excited to read the second book in this series because I just loved Scout. The sibling relationship between Isla and Dani added a lot of charm and depth to this story. Isla and Dani are close, even though there is a significant age gap between them. Isla won me over when she didn’t shirk her responsibilities when raising Dani. Isla stepped up and made sure that Dani had all the support she needed.
Now, let’s get to the swoon-worthy good stuff, the love story between Theo and Isla. I could not get enough of these two. There is just something so believable and magical about the chemistry that existed between them. I loved that forced prolixity and opposites-attract tropey feel to their relationship. There are definite sparks between these two right from the moment Camilla brought them together, but neither of them is really in a place in their lives to start a romance. But of course, Cupid has other plans for them. There are lots of fun and light moments between these two that had me smiling. The spicy bits in this book are, oh so nice, or should I say naughty. There really is just the right amount of spice in this book; Stefanie did a great job building the sexual tension between these two and then giving her readers those spicy scenes they are craving.
The Dachshund Wears Prada is a MUST read for any rom-com fan.
Thank you Harper Collins Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This post was originally published on our sister site – Romance By The Book. Head over there for even more romance book reviews and lists, author interviews, events and join our book club!
