Earnest

Earnest 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐ Dog lovers know there are indeed several life lessons our loyal friends can teach us. Leave the past behind; don't brood in it. Live in the present... The story, though fictional, is a testament to the bond that we not only form with our dogs, but the bond that they help form and preserve among us.I expected to like this book more than I did as I read it. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either, hence the three stars rating.The beginning of the book is good. Jeff and Anna have been together long enough to know they love each other and will marry some day. They felt the time was right to get a dog so they visited their local animal control. They found a purebred Lab who ran to the front of the kennel when he saw them and worked hard to show the couple he was perfect for them. All is well for the first third of the story. The middle third of the story dragged. Jeff and Anna argue over a new building he proposed that would require tearing down the building that Anna and her two friends worked in. Anna had sentimental feelings for this house because it use to belong to her Grandmother who had taken care of Anna when she was a child. Anna had dreamed of buying this house when she got older. Rather than act like adults and problem solve they continued to hurl insults at each other and the argument continued to escalate to the point where they seethed with anger at one another. Of course each of them wanted the dog and neither was willing to give him up. This is the part that went on so long with both of them getting angrier and with the dog being the ultimate looser. I don't want to tell you the ending and spoil the story but I will say that the ending was abrupt and didn't work for me. I think this part could have worked to enhance the story rather than leave the reader wondering what happened.