Book review: “Stay,” by Allie Larkin

Last updated on: November 28, 2011 at 11:43 am by Joanne Brokaw

Book review: “Stay,” by Allie Larkin 2011-11-28T11:43:56-05:00 Joanne Brokaw

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It’s the age old story: girl loves boy, boy falls in love with girl’s best friend, girl goes on a drinking binge and orders at dog off the internet.

OK, so it’s the age old story with a twist. Of lime.

In her debut novel, “Stay”, author Allie Larkin has penned a funny chick lit story of love, friendship and self-discovery, and tied it all together with a dog named Joe.

Savannah “Van” Leone has been in love with her friend Peter Clarke since they met on the first day of classes in college. Except over the years, Peter has fallen head over heels for Van’s best friend Janie.

Now Van is the maid of honor at Peter and Janie’s wedding, and she’s barely holding herself together for the benefit of her two friends. Not only is she dealing with a love lost, she’s forced to revisit the memory of her mother, who passed away from cancer.

After the blessed event, Van heads home and drowns her sorrows in a batch of vodka-laced Kool Aid and a “Rin Tin Tin” marathon, and in the morning finds herself not only with a hangover, but a receipt for $6,000 for the internet purchase of a dog.

A 100-pound German Shepherd, scheduled to arrive in days from Slovakia.

As Van learns to live with a dog that only responds to commands in Slovak, a new romance with Joe’s vet begins to blossom, until Peter and Janie return from their honeymoon and Van is forced to face her feelings for her old pal and her complicated friendship with Janie.

Will Peter confess love for Van? Or will Van find love with Alex the veterinarian? And how will Van respond to the $175,000 check Janie’s mother has given her to stay away from Janie and Peter?

From the grief over losing her mother to her exploration of her feelings for Peter, throughout the book Van falls, stands up, screws up again, and then dusts herself off, growing stronger emotionally because of the unconditional love of a big German Shepherd who is always there to pick her up. Or eat her shoes.

“Stay” is a funny book that will appeal to fans of chick lit and dogs. And maybe vodka. You can learn more about Allie Larkin and her new novel on her website. http://allielarkinwrites.com/

Previous Post

November 28, 2011

Book review: "Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts," by Lucy Dillon

Next Post

November 28, 2011 Books for the animal-loving reader on your Christmas list

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Animal behavior Animal health Animal history Animal rescue Animal research Animals and entertainment Animals and fashion Animals and food Animals and military Animals and science Animals and the law Animals in the news Be Nice Project Bears Bees Bible verses Birds Books cats Celebrities Christianity Circus Critters Dogs Elephants Farm animals Featured Shelter Pet Guest blogger Holidays Humor Interviews Movies Music National News Nature Ocean mammals Paganism Politics Quotes Reader photos Recalls Reviews Science Space Supernatural Technology Television Uncategorized Uncategorized video Wildlife Zoo

Select a Month November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 November 2015 May 2015 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which creature deceived Eve into eating the forbidden fruit?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Serpent Lion Frog Raven