Synopses & Reviews
Read Allie Larkin's posts on the Penguin Blog.
Something Borrowed meets Must Love Dogs in this big- hearted debut about friendship, love, and a German Shepherd named Joe.
Savannah "Van" Leone has been in love with Peter Clarke ever since she literally fell head over heels in front of him on the first day of college. Now, six years later, instead of standing across from him at the altar, Van's standing behind her best friend Janie as maid of honor, trying to mask her heartache and guilt as Janie marries the only man Van's ever loved. Before, Van's mother died, she told Van never to let Peter go, but as the couple exchanges vows, Van wonders if her fairy tale ending will ever come true.
After the wedding, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool-Aid-vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin Tin Tin, and does what any heartbroken woman in her situation would do: She impulsively buys a German Shepherd over the Internet. The pocket-size puppy Van is expecting turns out to be a clumsy, hundred-pound beast who only responds to commands in Slovak, and Van is at the end of her rope... until she realizes that this quirky giant may be the only living being who will always be loyal to her, no matter what.
Van affectionately names her dog Joe, and together, they work to mend the pieces of Van's shattered heart. And it certainly doesn't hurt that Joe's vet is a rugged sweetheart with floppy blond hair and a winning smile. But when the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, Van is forced to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice in order to have everything she ever wanted, proving that sometimes life needs to get more complicated before it can get better.
Warm and witty, poignant and funny, Stay is an unforgettable debut that illuminates the boundlessness of love and marks the arrival of an irresistible new voice.
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Review
"Delightful! Both dog lovers and the pooch-free will enjoy this novel of friendship, love, and healing."
-Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of What I Did for Love
"With humor and exceptional charm, Allie Larkin's story of a heartbroken young woman and the arrival of a clumsy four-legged friend who brings new meaning to her life is simply wonderful. Stay is a treat of a novel that must be shared with every girlfriend who has ever loved and lost."
-Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
"I cannot wait to read more from Allie Larkin-an effervescent new voice in fiction. Witty, sweet, and strikingly real, Stay is for any woman who has ever experienced heartbreak or loss and needed a friend to lean on. I loved every word!"
-Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of Shoe Addicts Anonymous and Hope in a Jar
"I'm madly in love with this big-hearted, charming keeper of a debut about love in all its forms, including the four-legged kind. Allie Larkin has a special and original voice."
-Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date and The Secret of Joy
"Wow! This book blew me away. Sharp. Smart. Observant. Buzzing with romance, friendship and heart. Most of all, incredibly well written. Stay is sure to become the new favorite among Emily Giffin fans. Enjoy!"
-Sarah Strohmeyer, author of The Cinderella Pact and The Penny Pinchers Club
"Charming, witty, and surprisingly touching, Larkin deftly examines what it means to be family. A pleasure from start to finish, but buyer be warned: after closing the final pages of this compulsively readable novel, you might just find yourself ordering a one hundred pound German shepherd from the internet."
-Julie Buxbaum, Author of The Opposite of Love and After You
Review
"Stay has everything ... humor, heart-and, endearingly, buckets of dog slobber." -Miami Herald
Review
"Gilmore Girls meets Marley & Me in this funny and compelling debut." -Library Journal
Synopsis
Girl meets dog in this effervescent "feel-good debut" (People) by the author of Why Can't I Be You
Savannah "Van" Leone has been in love with Peter Clarke since their first day of college. Six years later, Peter is marrying Van's best friend, Janie. Loyal to a fault, Van dons her pumpkin-orange, maid-of- honor gown and stands up for the couple, struggling to hide her true feelings even when she couldn't be more conspicuous. After the wedding, nursing her broken heart with a Rin Tin Tin marathon plus a vodka chaser, Van accidentally orders a German Shepherd puppy over the Internet. When "Joe" turns out to be a hundred-pound beast who only responds to commands in Slovak, Van is at the end of her rope-until she realizes that sometimes life needs to get more complicated before it can get better.
About the Author
Allie Larkin lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband and their two German Shepherds. Stay is her first novel. Her second book, Why Can't I Be You, will be released in March 2013.