Dog Person by Camille Pagán

 

I have to admit that when I realized the narrator of Dog Person by Camille Pagán was a dog, I moaned. Wasn’t that a thing we did for writing assignments in High School?  But I kept reading and was glad I did. Harold is not just any dog. He’s a fourteen-year-old rescue who has not only lost Amelia May, his “person,” but has been left with an assignment: Make sure her husband finds love again. And maybe that the bookstore they had founded would survive.

So many things to love about this book. Set in fictitious West Haven, Michigan, (which seems and awful lot like non fictitious South Haven), the bookstore is the sort of place readers and booklovers adore. Harold is a familiar part of it, after all, booklovers tend to love dogs and cats, too. And Harold takes his work seriously, which isn’t easy for a fourteen-year-old who gets tired easily. Rather than feeling contrived, we completely accept Harold’s voice and his intuition.

The other characters are well drawn and authentic as well, but Harold is the star. I hope you love him as much as I did. Dog Person will be released April 7,2026, by Ballantine. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Save the Date by Mallory Kass

Billed as a romantic comedy with the slow-burn romance of Emily Henry and the fizzy humor of Sophie Kinsella, Save the Date had a lot to live up to. Happily, Mallory Kass met the challenge. This could have been just another wedding gone wrong book, with fake date and friends to lovers subplots, but Kass gave us wonderfully quirky and fully developed characters instead.

Marigold is marrying Jonathan, who was her maid of honor’s best friend. Natalie, the best friend, was always in love with Jonathan, but assumed he was too good for her. So, she introduced him to Marigold, the lovely, rich, influencer who’s wedding on Sandpiper Island in Maine is a major event. But there are problems, not the least of which is Natalie’s desire to make sure the wedding is perfect for her friend.

Olivia is Marigold’s sister and used to cleaning up the messes her sister inevitably gets into. She is organized and smart and probably should have been the maid of honor, but graciously helps Natalie with her issues, and assumes she will be enjoying the continuation of a near romance with an old acquaintance. But there are problems there, too. Like the old acquaintance’s supermodel Plus One.

Then Marigold disappears, the day before the wedding. Olivia sees her leave and assumes it’s cold feet. Olivia knows family secrets that Marigold has been spared and is determined to get Marigold back on board.

The novel is charming, serious and just what I needed for this time when the world seems anything but romantic. It will be released April 14, 2026, by Atria Books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Clutch by Emily Nemens

This novel portrays the relationship of five college roommates who’ve stayed relatively close for 20 years. They decide to enjoy a reunion in Palm Springs, where each of the four are dealing with the particular challenges of middle age: careers, children, marriage and even politics.

 

The problem is that none of the women made me care. Their relationship was supposed to be unconditional and endearing, but the slow pace of the novel made it hard to see. The closeness just didn’t come across. For a character driven, literary novel, the work was dense. I found myself just wishing it were over. Thanks to the publisher, Zando/Tin House, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. The book was published February 3, 2026.