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Behaving Badly
All men are beasts…
…or so Miranda Sweet believes. As an animal behaviourist, she can get inside the heads of deluded Dalmatians and introverted iguanas, but she can’t work out why the men in her life behave so badly. Animals are braver kinder and a lot more reliable. So Miranda’s given up on love to open her own clinic and work her magic on neurotic pets and their grateful owners.
But can she keep the whole male species at bay for ever? Her best friend, Daisy, an incurably romantic wedding-planner, doesn’t think so. When a delicious photographer comes into her life, even Miranda starts to wonder if she’s been a bit hasty. But, just when she’s letting her guard down, her past starts to catch up with her. Now, she has to face up to her own behaviour, which hasn’t always been as sweet as she’d like to pretend…
…or so Miranda Sweet believes. As an animal behaviourist, she can get inside the heads of deluded Dalmatians and introverted iguanas, but she can’t work out why the men in her life behave so badly. Animals are braver kinder and a lot more reliable. So Miranda’s given up on love to open her own clinic and work her magic on neurotic pets and their grateful owners.
But can she keep the whole male species at bay for ever? Her best friend, Daisy, an incurably romantic wedding-planner, doesn’t think so. When a delicious photographer comes into her life, even Miranda starts to wonder if she’s been a bit hasty. But, just when she’s letting her guard down, her past starts to catch up with her. Now, she has to face up to her own behaviour, which hasn’t always been as sweet as she’d like to pretend…
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
32 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Wolff
36 books632 followersIsabel Wolff's ten bestselling novels are published worldwide. 'Ghostwritten', set in present day Cornwall and on wartime Java, was published in the UK in March 2014 and will be published in the US in February 2015 as 'Shadows Over Paradise'. 'The Very Picture of You' was published in the UK and the US in October 2011. 'A Vintage Affair', was an Amazon.co.uk 'Best of 2009' title and was shortlisted by the American Library Assocation for their Reading List awards (Women's Fiction). Isabel lives in west London with her family. Visit her 'Isabel Wolff Author' Page on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @IsabelWolff or visit her website, IsabelWolff.com. Thank you...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
November 12, 2011
The first book I read by Isabel Wolff was A Vintage Affair, which I read in 2010. Just a few weeks ago I read her book The Very Picture of You, and I really liked both books, so went hunting and found this book by Ms. Wolff Behaving Badly, and I loved it. It was such a charming, and fun book to read. Of course having animals talked about throughout the book as well as a wonderful story made it a page turner for me. Did I say I loved this book?
January 21, 2021
Arī otrreiz lasot, bija ok, jauka, mīlīga grāmatiņa ar zvēriņiem, ētikas normām, baisu pagātnes noslēpumu un happy end. Ko gan vairāk tumšam ziemas vakaram vajag?
July 1, 2020
Another offering from my neighborhood Street Library. I was in the mood for something fun and easy to read. This was not it.
First, the mechanics: This book needed some decent editing. Overuse of ellipses, missed quote marks, head hopping within paragraphs, missing words, wrong verb tenses, the overuse of adverbs - come on! Show us how people feel or sound. These things interrupted the flow of the read. Then there is the actual content.
The lead character was one-dimensional, even a bit unlikable. The premise that she was an animal behaviourist started out interesting, but became just a way to extend the word count. Miranda's inner thoughts were another word count extender that just got in the way. That said, they did underline our heroine's selfishness.
There were too many story lines here, most of them shrouded in unnecessary mystery: Daisy's love life, Miranda's parents and the llamas, DJ White, Jimmy. Most of this was easy to figure out and more than that? Who cared?
Finally, though of course I knew it was coming, the HEA and getting there would have made a better story. David just came around and it was all rosy?
This book didn't have much to recommend it, I'm afraid. Even for a romance. I didn't expect or want much. I was left wanting, expectations as low as they were went unmet.
First, the mechanics: This book needed some decent editing. Overuse of ellipses, missed quote marks, head hopping within paragraphs, missing words, wrong verb tenses, the overuse of adverbs - come on! Show us how people feel or sound. These things interrupted the flow of the read. Then there is the actual content.
The lead character was one-dimensional, even a bit unlikable. The premise that she was an animal behaviourist started out interesting, but became just a way to extend the word count. Miranda's inner thoughts were another word count extender that just got in the way. That said, they did underline our heroine's selfishness.
There were too many story lines here, most of them shrouded in unnecessary mystery: Daisy's love life, Miranda's parents and the llamas, DJ White, Jimmy. Most of this was easy to figure out and more than that? Who cared?
Finally, though of course I knew it was coming, the HEA and getting there would have made a better story. David just came around and it was all rosy?
This book didn't have much to recommend it, I'm afraid. Even for a romance. I didn't expect or want much. I was left wanting, expectations as low as they were went unmet.
July 20, 2020
Sweet romantic chick lit, with the fun of companion animal training thrown in the mix. Totally fit the bill for a light, enjoyable read during the pandemic.
February 12, 2022
Funny but with serious reflections
December 17, 2011
An animal behavior therapist, Miranda has long found comfort and understanding with animals more than people. Since watching the destruction of her parents' marriage and being hurt as a young teenager, Miranda has hidden behind a wall of reserve and privacy. When she finally opens up to love, only to have it traumatically end, Miranda is devastated and confirmed in her belief that animals are much more humane than people. Her unhappy view of men and relationships is only strengthened by watching the ongoing, never progressing relationship of Daisy, her best friend, and her non-committal boyfriend. However, with her successful TV series and puppy parties, Miranda finds happiness in her work and with the animals she treats. Her heartache doubles, though, when she is confronted with a ghost from her past and she is finally forced out of her habitual reticence into revealing to Daisy a startling secret that she's been carrying around for years. When Daisy encourages Miranda to resolve the issue for once and all and unburden herself of the load of guilt she's been carrying, she sets Miranda out on a course of self-discovery and into a new, surprising relationship whose uncertain future relies on forgiveness and restoration...if Miranda is courageous enough to bare her soul to someone who has the greatest ability to destroy all she's worked for. Can she come to grips with her past in order to find peace for the future?
What an absolutely wonderful book. I've been a fan of Isabel Wolff's since reading her "A Vintage Affair" and have really enjoyed the chance to backtrack through her earlier works and see how she developed as a writer. Her earliest novels (especially "The Trials of Tiffany Trott") were sadly lacking in the polish, plot development and characterization that she has since developed so well. Somewhere, between that unfortunate and very typical "chick lit" book and this one, however, Isabel took enormous strides as a writer. Here, her skill shines, filled with the humor, intelligently drawn characters and well-sculpted plot that I first came to admire in A Vintage Affair. Isabel deftly spins out Miranda's tale, slowly revealing her past secrets and the hurts that she's endured as the current plot unfolds, and draws the reader in with a wonderful mix of information about animal (including some very funny excerpts about different animal quirks ) and human behavior (highlighted best in Miranda's observations of Daisy's ongoing but never progressing relationship), all told with a sensitivity and charm that is utterly captivating. This book is so much more than chick lit and I recommend it highly (especially if you've got a few neurotic pets of your own!)
What an absolutely wonderful book. I've been a fan of Isabel Wolff's since reading her "A Vintage Affair" and have really enjoyed the chance to backtrack through her earlier works and see how she developed as a writer. Her earliest novels (especially "The Trials of Tiffany Trott") were sadly lacking in the polish, plot development and characterization that she has since developed so well. Somewhere, between that unfortunate and very typical "chick lit" book and this one, however, Isabel took enormous strides as a writer. Here, her skill shines, filled with the humor, intelligently drawn characters and well-sculpted plot that I first came to admire in A Vintage Affair. Isabel deftly spins out Miranda's tale, slowly revealing her past secrets and the hurts that she's endured as the current plot unfolds, and draws the reader in with a wonderful mix of information about animal (including some very funny excerpts about different animal quirks ) and human behavior (highlighted best in Miranda's observations of Daisy's ongoing but never progressing relationship), all told with a sensitivity and charm that is utterly captivating. This book is so much more than chick lit and I recommend it highly (especially if you've got a few neurotic pets of your own!)
December 21, 2021
Ceritanya agak kayak sinetron, mau ngomong sesuatu yang serius eh tiba-tiba dipotong sama hal-hal sepele, jadinya kan gregetan 😂
sudah terprediksi sih endingnya seperti apa, tapi yang gak disangka saat Alexander dateng ke rumah Miranda. That was sweet.
overall it's not a cringey love story, still like it though.
sudah terprediksi sih endingnya seperti apa, tapi yang gak disangka saat Alexander dateng ke rumah Miranda. That was sweet.
overall it's not a cringey love story, still like it though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2011
Un livre simple. J'ai beaucoup aimé les détails concernant les animaux et leurs problèmes. J'ai moins aimé l'histoire d'amour qui tire en longueur alors qu'on sait ce qui va se passer.
April 2, 2022
I found this in our local free library. I was ready for a little light chiclit after reading The Last World and Steppenwolf (I've almost finished that). This was an enjoyable fluff piece but the gushiness over dogs left me cold - although I did think Herman the Dachshund was cute (I'm a cat person). I liked the bits about the other animals best. The drama was good, the romance was well paced and it did stir the emotions, but perhaps it would have been a little better balanced with more comedy and less behaviouralist.
August 13, 2019
It would have been four stars, but a couple of things niggled at me. The main character is vet-turned-animal behaviorist, and she gives some bad advice to pet owners. The book was originally written 15 or 20 years ago, but even then the advice would have been bad. A dog having a false pregnancy? Why, breed her of course. It's good for female dogs to have a litter of puppies.
But I liked the basic storyline and characters.
But I liked the basic storyline and characters.
January 31, 2022
Entertaining, just a little too full of coincidences and lucky breaks to be believable. Best friend Daisy was the most endearing character, and the protagonist’s mother’s tendency to anticipate conversations and complete sentences was quite believable. The story did make me think about forgiveness and vengeance, and prompts me to read The Tempest (or at least a summary of that play), but more than anything, makes me wonder, why do people name their wiener dogs “Pretzel”?
July 25, 2018
Loved this book.
It was great to read an interesting book with nice people involved . There was a little bit of mystery, a couple of love stories, and interesting information about the work of animal behaviorists. I appreciated the lack of overly descriptive sex. If you want to relax and enjoy a good book, if I would recommend this one.
It was great to read an interesting book with nice people involved . There was a little bit of mystery, a couple of love stories, and interesting information about the work of animal behaviorists. I appreciated the lack of overly descriptive sex. If you want to relax and enjoy a good book, if I would recommend this one.
April 21, 2020
Mouaif... J'attendais que le métier de Miranda (vétérinaire comportementaliste) prenne une place plus importante, mais au final, elle parle surtout de sa culpabilité à propos d'événements du passé...
Bon ça reste divertissant et mignon si on n'est pas trop exigeant (j'ai trouvé plusieurs incohérences qui auraient pu être évitées avec une meilleure relecture...)
Bon ça reste divertissant et mignon si on n'est pas trop exigeant (j'ai trouvé plusieurs incohérences qui auraient pu être évitées avec une meilleure relecture...)
July 24, 2018
Really good from start to finish
Enjoyed this book and the twist and turns. Loved the characters. Filled with humor, suspense and sweetness. Although the eventual outcome wasn't a surprise, the path to get there kept me interested.
Enjoyed this book and the twist and turns. Loved the characters. Filled with humor, suspense and sweetness. Although the eventual outcome wasn't a surprise, the path to get there kept me interested.
August 11, 2018
Surprisingly excellent
Not at all what I anticipated and was pleasantly surprised. Most books I can guess the plot twists early into the book but not this one. I will not give any spoilers but just enjoy reading it.
Not at all what I anticipated and was pleasantly surprised. Most books I can guess the plot twists early into the book but not this one. I will not give any spoilers but just enjoy reading it.
November 28, 2018
This book was sweet and an excellent beach read so if one reads it with those expectations, it won't be disappointing. It is funny in parts and the main character is likable, someone you can root for, if slightly annoying at times.
January 4, 2021
Good book
Though the book is a romcom, it is really more than that. The characters were well developed and the story was very interesting. In,irked the little twists and turns and the ending was cha4ming!
Though the book is a romcom, it is really more than that. The characters were well developed and the story was very interesting. In,irked the little twists and turns and the ending was cha4ming!
May 3, 2024
This book was cute but was rather unbelievable and ended very quickly. Giving it a 3 feels a little low. I felt a lot of the dialog was skippable for the main story and was very predictable. All that being said it was still a fun, fast, classic chick-lit read.
July 17, 2017
Cute!
October 22, 2017
Like the writing style.
August 13, 2018
Laugh out loud funny!
September 29, 2018
Great book with several smaller stories woven into the main story. Light enough to keep you reading but a strong story.
September 17, 2019
Very well written and very interesting to an animal lover like me.
October 2, 2019
Un livre plutôt ennuyeux et très vite, on devine le dénouement de l'histoire!
February 18, 2020
One of the first books I read as a teenager and I thought it was very sweet. I tried reading again however I’m into more dark and sinister novels.
October 26, 2020
Good rolling story.
November 7, 2020
A very good story and one of the best I have read in a long time...4 1/2 stars!
May 21, 2021
The light animal behaviour and llama tone didn’t really go with the tone of the heroine’s secret.
April 16, 2023
i only read it for the bathtub smut part and then threw it away.
July 17, 2023
I enjoyed the characters job as an animal behaviorist. It was interesting to hear all the stories. I enjoyed this book. easy read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews