Pupcakes - Not All Holiday Fluff

TITLE: Pupcakes
AUTHOR: Annie England Noblin
PUBLISHER: William Morrow Paperbacks
PUBLISHING DATE: October 10, 2017

FROM GOODREADS: All she wants is a settled-down life.

What she gets is a dog—and a whole new normal . . . 

There he stood in the doorway: overweight, depressed and nearly homeless—a pug named Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy was Brydie Benson’s latest problem, arriving on top of her messy divorce and sudden move. Brydie needed a place to start over, so this rent-free home seemed a great idea. She just never counted on Teddy, or his owner, the Germantown Retirement Village’s toughest customer, Pauline Neumann.

And because rent-free doesn’t mean bills-free, Brydie gets a night-shift job at a big-box grocery. Whoever guessed there were so many people who wanted baked goods after midnight?

Then, she gets an idea—why not combine her baking skills with her new-found dog knowledge? And so her store Pupcakes is born. Along with a new start comes a possible new love, in the form of Nathan Reid, a local doctor with a sassy Irish Wolfhound named Sasha. And as fall turns to winter, and then to Christmas, Brydie begins to realize that life is a little bit like learning a new recipe for puff pastry—it takes a few tries to get it just right!

MY THOUGHTS: First let me say it took me forever to read this book. However, it's not a reflection on the book because once I actually sat down to read it, I read the majority of it over a 24 hour period. While the cover is marketed as a holiday read, it actually takes place during the months of October, November and December so if you aren't a big Christmas-themed reader, don't let the cover throw you.

Byrdie Benson has moved to the Memphis area to be closer to her best friend following the collapse of her marriage and the bakery she owned with her husband. She is having difficulty starting over and since her bestie is pregnant with her second child, she is no longer able to crash in her home. She ends up staying in the home of an elderly woman, Pauline, who has recently entered a nursing home. While she can stay rent-free, there is one small catch which just happens to come in the form of Teddy Roosevelt, Pauline best friend pug. She also has to take Teddy to the nursing home once a week to visit. Eventually Byrdie manages to start her life anew, making new friends and meeting a new love interest, and she learns slowly learns how much a 4-legged friend can help a person.

I really loved this book which is probably evident by the 5/5 rating. Brydie was instantly likable yet flawed. While it was nice to see Byrdie move on and finally let go of any feelings for her cheating ex, the best relationship in the book ends up being between Bydie and Pauline. "Pupcakes" is full of great characters and Noblin has a way of placing you right inside her novels. I must also add that many of her characters are also defined by their dogs and it's of no surprise to find out Noblin is an animal lover herself. 

Finally I have to say this book is packaged quite well. It's divided into three sections - October, November and December. At the beginning of each section there is a title page feature Teddy dressed according to the season. Each chapter then again has a tiny picture of Teddy next to the number. 

This is a great book to read during the holiday season so there's still time to grab a copy. However, like I mentioned, I think "Pupcakes" is a great read year-round. Also, rarely am I a sentimental reader. In fact, I had a co-worker once who told me we both needed to take yearly sensitivity classes. Yet the end of the book ALMOST brought tears to my eyes. And no - the dog does not die.

RATING: 5 PAWS

BOOKER T'S THOUGHTS:

Boy it's been a while since Mom asked my opinion.  And just when I was starting to feel neglected.  Let me just tell you that Teddy Roosevelt is my kind of dog.  He may be a bit on the small side, but I do love his puggy face (did you guys know that one of my nicknames is Puggy? And when I was small, Dad would have me dance the Dougie?  That's a tale for another day and one Mom can share with you because I think it's a tad embarrassing).  

Teddy like to eat and sleep in a human bed - a dog after my own heart.  But more importantly, he knows the value of cheering up the people in his life and he always has room in his heart for more love.  

So basically - READ THIS BOOK GUYS!