What do you think?
Rate this book
My Boyfriends' Dogs
If only boys were more like dogs.
On a stormy night in St. Louis, Bailey Daley finds refuge in an after-hours diner. Bailey, a girl with three dogs in tow, wearing a soaking-wet prom dress, obviously has a story to tell. See, she wants what every girl wants from her boyfriend: enthusiasm, loyalty, and unconditional love. And Bailey is always falling in love - with boys, and with their dogs. And each of her dogs came from a relationship that didn't quite work out. But don't worry: in this fun, clean romance, true love is never far away - it just waits until you stop looking for it.
On a stormy night in St. Louis, Bailey Daley finds refuge in an after-hours diner. Bailey, a girl with three dogs in tow, wearing a soaking-wet prom dress, obviously has a story to tell. See, she wants what every girl wants from her boyfriend: enthusiasm, loyalty, and unconditional love. And Bailey is always falling in love - with boys, and with their dogs. And each of her dogs came from a relationship that didn't quite work out. But don't worry: in this fun, clean romance, true love is never far away - it just waits until you stop looking for it.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2010
7 people are currently reading
557 people want to read
About the author
Dandi Daley Mackall
352 books295 followersA professional writer for over 20 years, Dandi Daley Mackall has written dozens of articles for popular magazines and published around 500 books for children and adults alike, with sales of over 4 million.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats. Awards include the Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery, the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children's Literature; Distinguished Alumni Award from Mizzou; ALA Best Book; Christian Children's Book of the Year, Amelia Bloom, Mom's Choice Awards. Her YA novel, My Boyfriends' Dogs, is now a Hallmark movie.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats. Awards include the Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery, the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children's Literature; Distinguished Alumni Award from Mizzou; ALA Best Book; Christian Children's Book of the Year, Amelia Bloom, Mom's Choice Awards. Her YA novel, My Boyfriends' Dogs, is now a Hallmark movie.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
November 16, 2012
Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
I absolutely loved this book. It made me smile and it has a very good message for young girls.
I read this book because it was about dogs. Usually, I don't like animal books, but this one isn't an "animal" story. MY BOYFRIENDS' DOGS is about growing up and remembering to be yourself. It states that you don't have to be a perfect girlfriend. You can't lose yourself to please a guy.
The heroine of this story is Bailey Daley. When we first meet her she is wearing an evening gown, is walking three dogs, and is in a sudden downpour. She runs into a diner and ends up telling the owner, the cook, and a customer three stories about how she got her dogs.
The stories are compelling, especially the last one. Bailey is very likable and so is her mother. I loved the message and the writing.
I am going to recommend this book to all of my students, and I hope some of you will pick up this story, too!
I absolutely loved this book. It made me smile and it has a very good message for young girls.
I read this book because it was about dogs. Usually, I don't like animal books, but this one isn't an "animal" story. MY BOYFRIENDS' DOGS is about growing up and remembering to be yourself. It states that you don't have to be a perfect girlfriend. You can't lose yourself to please a guy.
The heroine of this story is Bailey Daley. When we first meet her she is wearing an evening gown, is walking three dogs, and is in a sudden downpour. She runs into a diner and ends up telling the owner, the cook, and a customer three stories about how she got her dogs.
The stories are compelling, especially the last one. Bailey is very likable and so is her mother. I loved the message and the writing.
I am going to recommend this book to all of my students, and I hope some of you will pick up this story, too!
couldnt-finish
May 5, 2015This book had an interesting premise but it was terrible. The book is split into three stories and I couldn't even finish the first one. I flipped ahead to see what the outcome was and just couldn't keep going. If felt like a really preachy, vapid way to tell girls not to have sex before marriage. The female protaganist's first real boyfriend is having sex with another girl the whole time they are dating and the conclusion she comes to is not to be outraged and dump his ass, but to hold on to him by having sex with him. The mom character does the typical mom yelling about waiting til you are married. In the end, the girl finally finds her chutzpah and breaks up with him without doing the deed, but it all felt very false to me. Even if I did subscribe to the no sex before marriage thing, I wouldn't want my teen daughter to read this because the character is weak, whiney, and one dimensional, and the male character (at least the first one) is a chauvinist prick. And even if real teens do act and behave like that (which some do, some don't) I would rather the charcters be ones a teen could look up to and emulate, not a caricature of what real people are like but in the worst possible way.
August 4, 2011
Bailey Daley attracts dogs to her. She trips over a white terrier named Adam and then meets his owner, Went Smith. She considers him her boyfriend but he seems to flirt with every girl he meets. Right before she is ready to give into him so he will want only her she sees that he is not the one type of woman. She loses Went but gains Adam. She is telling her story in Louie's of St Louis where she went to get out of the rain. She is in a prom dress with her hair up and has her 3 dogs. Her story is touching the 3 men who are listening to her in the early hours of the morning.
I think I did not like this at first because it was frustrating seeing this girl throw herself at Went when you could see he liked all the girls. The next story is Mitch who is a real downer of a guy. A deep guy who ends up being shallow. She gains Eve, a dalmation from that relationship.
Then she finds the perfect boyfriend. Eric Strang. She goes into debt buying clothes so she fits into his rich family lifestyle. She becomes someone she is not. She gains Shirley the shitzu from Eric.
It has a really great ending.
I think I did not like this at first because it was frustrating seeing this girl throw herself at Went when you could see he liked all the girls. The next story is Mitch who is a real downer of a guy. A deep guy who ends up being shallow. She gains Eve, a dalmation from that relationship.
Then she finds the perfect boyfriend. Eric Strang. She goes into debt buying clothes so she fits into his rich family lifestyle. She becomes someone she is not. She gains Shirley the shitzu from Eric.
It has a really great ending.
April 8, 2018
This book was so adorable and fluffy. I loved it so much and I was sad when it was over. While it was a fun, and lighthearted read, I still feel that I learned important lessons from this book about dating and life. While I have never been in a proper relationship myself, I can say that I have managed to avoid the bad boyfriends; much unlike Bailey. Sorry Bailey! While, I hope to find the right guy for me someday, I don't think I'm in as much of a rush as I once was. I want to appreciate being single (and myself) for a while. I've always wanted a boyfriend and to date and I never truly appreciated how nice being single is. I vow now to change that. I refuse to ever change who I am for a man. If he can't appreciate me as I am, heck with him! It was fun listening to Bailey Daley (I see what you did there author) of Ukulele Lane (that IS fun to say) tell her story about her 3 ex-boyfriends (Went, Mitch, and Eric). I also loved how not only did Bailey tell the reader her story, but she told the 3 people of the café as well. It added a lot more depth to the story. I think this book would make a cute Hallmark movie! I wish they would make it. I do agree that there is some truth to finding a man who has the loyal, loving devotion of a dog. Dogs don't betray you or break your heart. Although, it all honesty, I'd rather have the dog. I do plan to get my own someday, a sweet stray dog from the shelter. I still can't believe that she met Goofy again! I hope Bailey befriends Colt first, and then gradually gets into a relationship with him instead of rushing in like she always does. I highly recommend this book and I will DEFINITELY be reading more stories from this author if I can find them. I'm happy to have found this book at the library.
July 1, 2025
I’ve had this on my shelves for over 10+ years, and the title is what drew me originally. However, as I read this I discovered an amazing story about finding your person, and not losing yourself in the process. Each boyfriend may have had a dog that connected them, but the lessons she learned about dating and herself are what make this book.
November 4, 2016
Bailey Daley is not your average dog owner, nor is she your average prom-goer. After her high school prom, Bailey finds herself sitting in a diner after-hours, sopping wet and recently crying, with three dogs (technically, her boyfriend's dogs) - also sopping wet (and kind of smelly). The diner owner, chef, and lone customer are just as curious about Bailey as you no doubt are, and ask her what the heck happened to her to land her in Louie of St. Louie's diner at almost midnight on the night of her senior prom - with three dogs.
So Bailey begins her story at the beginning - Adam, the elderly, sopping wet and not really so white any more terrier - and the boyfriend that brought the terrier and the girl together. Each major boyfriend Bailey has had in the past two years has left her with a dog, and a lesson. She imparts these lessons and her story to Louie (of Louie of St. Louie's, naturally), Rune (the angry-looking, tattooed and muscular chef) and Colt (a college-aged kid sitting in the diner when Bailey began pounding on the door for refuge).
Why I picked it up: I was sorting a cart for shelving and saw it - remembered that I'd been intrigued by the review in School Library Journal about the book, and decided to take it home for the weekend. I'm glad I did, bypassing the shelf of books to read and my usual meticulously, unchangeably ordered to-read shelf. I really am incredibly, pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
Why I finished it: To be honest, I couldn't put it down. Bailey's narrative voice is believable (ok, not always perfectly believable, but enough for me) and her realizations about boys slow - just like mine were when I was her age. (Wow, am I really getting old enough to say "when I was her age"? Yikes.)
Who I'd recommend it to: I'd love to recommend it to a coworker's daughter, but there's a bit too much sex in the book for it to be a good choice there. (Not outright sex, and Bailey IS a wait-until-marriage girl, but it's present enough, though not extremely blatant, and she nearly goes through with it twice.) So instead, I'll hold off for other eighth grade girls who I know are in different places emotionally and developmentally - I have a few in mind. And I'll recommend it to a coworker for a book talk, for sure.
Read-alikes: Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski - the narrators are similar. Boys are Dogs by Leslie Margolis - similar view on boys - but different. Fans of Boys are Dogs should read this... in a few years. Bailey is a superstrong, badass narrator, and reminds me of the main character in My Life in Pink and Green - but again, the sexual content in My Boyfriend's Dogs has me ask MLiP&G fans to hold off for a couple years. Other read alikes without explanation: Fat Cat by Robin Brande, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, books by E. Lockhart or Maureen Johnson, the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead, Before I Die by Jenny Downham, My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger, or Empress of the World by Sara Ryan.
So Bailey begins her story at the beginning - Adam, the elderly, sopping wet and not really so white any more terrier - and the boyfriend that brought the terrier and the girl together. Each major boyfriend Bailey has had in the past two years has left her with a dog, and a lesson. She imparts these lessons and her story to Louie (of Louie of St. Louie's, naturally), Rune (the angry-looking, tattooed and muscular chef) and Colt (a college-aged kid sitting in the diner when Bailey began pounding on the door for refuge).
Why I picked it up: I was sorting a cart for shelving and saw it - remembered that I'd been intrigued by the review in School Library Journal about the book, and decided to take it home for the weekend. I'm glad I did, bypassing the shelf of books to read and my usual meticulously, unchangeably ordered to-read shelf. I really am incredibly, pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
Why I finished it: To be honest, I couldn't put it down. Bailey's narrative voice is believable (ok, not always perfectly believable, but enough for me) and her realizations about boys slow - just like mine were when I was her age. (Wow, am I really getting old enough to say "when I was her age"? Yikes.)
Who I'd recommend it to: I'd love to recommend it to a coworker's daughter, but there's a bit too much sex in the book for it to be a good choice there. (Not outright sex, and Bailey IS a wait-until-marriage girl, but it's present enough, though not extremely blatant, and she nearly goes through with it twice.) So instead, I'll hold off for other eighth grade girls who I know are in different places emotionally and developmentally - I have a few in mind. And I'll recommend it to a coworker for a book talk, for sure.
Read-alikes: Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski - the narrators are similar. Boys are Dogs by Leslie Margolis - similar view on boys - but different. Fans of Boys are Dogs should read this... in a few years. Bailey is a superstrong, badass narrator, and reminds me of the main character in My Life in Pink and Green - but again, the sexual content in My Boyfriend's Dogs has me ask MLiP&G fans to hold off for a couple years. Other read alikes without explanation: Fat Cat by Robin Brande, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, books by E. Lockhart or Maureen Johnson, the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead, Before I Die by Jenny Downham, My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger, or Empress of the World by Sara Ryan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2010
Just before midnight, during one of the worst thunderstorms of the season, Bailey Daley knocked on the door of the just-closed Louie of St. Louie's Diner. Soaking wet from head to toe, dressed in a designer original prom dress and leading three dogs on leashes, Bailey obviously has a story.
Over the long hours of the night that follows, Bailey tells Louie, his cook Rune and his regular customer Colt about her three great loves, the three dogs she got from them and how her mistakes in romance have ultimately led her to this cozy diner on such a stormy night. As she tells her trio of stories, Bailey sorts a few truths about love out in her own mind and learns that real, lasting love comes along when you least expect it.
I really enjoyed the way the author chose to tell this coming of age story. Having an 18-year-old Bailey look back over the past two years and uncover the mistakes she's made gave the story an invigorating freshness. Ms. Mackall gives readers classic examples of the ways girls and women twist and lose themselves in order to fit with the boy or man of their choice without making the story too preachy or the consequences of Bailey's mistakes too dire. A great read.
Over the long hours of the night that follows, Bailey tells Louie, his cook Rune and his regular customer Colt about her three great loves, the three dogs she got from them and how her mistakes in romance have ultimately led her to this cozy diner on such a stormy night. As she tells her trio of stories, Bailey sorts a few truths about love out in her own mind and learns that real, lasting love comes along when you least expect it.
I really enjoyed the way the author chose to tell this coming of age story. Having an 18-year-old Bailey look back over the past two years and uncover the mistakes she's made gave the story an invigorating freshness. Ms. Mackall gives readers classic examples of the ways girls and women twist and lose themselves in order to fit with the boy or man of their choice without making the story too preachy or the consequences of Bailey's mistakes too dire. A great read.
May 12, 2010
This was a pretty cute, innocent romance. The main reason I didn't love it is because it got pretty close to the edge of didactic and that's just not my cup of tea. It also portrays teens stereotypically (main character must lose 10 pounds to fit into prom dress! Or else!). Well now that I think of it almost all of the people in the book are stereotyped to some level like the snooty rich country club mom. But I did actually enjoy reading it and I liked some of the characters. I just thought there could have been more development... what about Bailey's fun and fantastic singing? It seemed like such a big part of the story and then gets dropped. Why does the perfect boyfriend need to believe in God when religion or spirituality is not discussed thru the entire book? Why does Rune have only half a beard?
But like I said, I still liked it. It was fun and quick and I needed a read like this. And on the public librarian rating scale I can never knock a book entirely when I know I could easily give this to a dozen girls looking for a romance and their moms do not want them reading anything risque. There's no sex or drugs here but there is a little bit of rock n roll.
But like I said, I still liked it. It was fun and quick and I needed a read like this. And on the public librarian rating scale I can never knock a book entirely when I know I could easily give this to a dozen girls looking for a romance and their moms do not want them reading anything risque. There's no sex or drugs here but there is a little bit of rock n roll.
December 18, 2014
If only boys were more like dogs.
On a stormy night in St. Louis, Bailey Daley finds refuge in an after-hours diner. Bailey, a girl with three dogs in tow, wearing a soaking-wet prom dress, obviously has a story to tell. See, she wants what every girl wants from her boyfriend: enthusiasm, loyalty, and unconditional love. And Bailey is always falling in love - with boys, and with their dogs. And each of her dogs came from a relationship that didn't quite work out. But don't worry: in this fun, clean romance, true love is never far away - it just waits until you stop looking for it.
My Thoughts...
This book has been on my TBR pile for a few years and I decided it was time to read it. It is a light fun read, I think it is a YA book, but enjoyed it anyway. I found it at a bookstore that was going out of business. All the books that day were $1.00, so loaded up on books that day. The title caught my eye, so bought it just because I liked the title, and I enjoy books that include dogs in the storyline. I am just a "dog lover" at heart. Anyway....I enjoyed this story enough to award it 3 doggie treat stars.
On a stormy night in St. Louis, Bailey Daley finds refuge in an after-hours diner. Bailey, a girl with three dogs in tow, wearing a soaking-wet prom dress, obviously has a story to tell. See, she wants what every girl wants from her boyfriend: enthusiasm, loyalty, and unconditional love. And Bailey is always falling in love - with boys, and with their dogs. And each of her dogs came from a relationship that didn't quite work out. But don't worry: in this fun, clean romance, true love is never far away - it just waits until you stop looking for it.
My Thoughts...
This book has been on my TBR pile for a few years and I decided it was time to read it. It is a light fun read, I think it is a YA book, but enjoyed it anyway. I found it at a bookstore that was going out of business. All the books that day were $1.00, so loaded up on books that day. The title caught my eye, so bought it just because I liked the title, and I enjoy books that include dogs in the storyline. I am just a "dog lover" at heart. Anyway....I enjoyed this story enough to award it 3 doggie treat stars.
June 28, 2010
After finishing this book, there was nothing I wanted to do more, then follow more of Bailey's, and Colt's life. I wish they would have continued this story just a little longer to really show us how Colt and Bailey would work out. Don't get me wrong, no doubt they are absolutley perfect for each other. They are so perfect, it would have been a relationship I would have chosen to view if I was given the chance. A relationship like theirs is hard to find. Because there is the perfect guy for every girl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2017
The back of the book did not give any indication that Bailey is in high school, so I didn't realise this was more of a YA book than I was expecting. Once I realised that, her behaviour and thought processes made a lot more sense! Bailey is a well thought out character, but her boyfriends are all a bit two-dimensional. I suppose that makes it easier for us to root for her in each instance, though? All in all a quick and surprisingly enjoyable read!
March 4, 2010
Fun, quick read that has a sweet ending and some solid laughs. Less focus on finding the perfect man and more about finding the perfect imperfect man for you. Sort of.
June 14, 2019
This was the first book I read by Dandi Daley MacKall. I really enjoyed the story and had several flashbacks to my teenage years when I was way too eager and focused on finding a man then just enjoying life and letting things happen organically.
I loved the set-up of the story and how it had a feel like How I Met Your Mother where you are in the present and then Bailey tells one story of a dog and that is more like a flashback. Once the story is done, you come back i to the present. I enjoyed her first “fall” the most out of the three. Very reminiscent of first loves and really ignoring what is right in front of your face. I enjoyed getting to know Bailey’s Mom and her bestfriend Amber throughout the adventure as well. I think the thing I loved most was the fact that God and waiting till marriage is present throughout the book. I’m not even saying in a sense that is overpowering, but in the real sense that waiting for marriage is HARD and giving into those feelings of love and wanting to be close to someone in that way can be very tempting. Not everyone waits for marriage and that does cause you to give a little bit of yourself to each person you cross that line with.
I wish the other diners had their stories elaborated on a bit more. I wish that some of the things in the stories didn’t happen quite as abrupt as they ended up happening. But when you are trying to get through three love stories that didn’t workout while trying to wrap it into one package, that can be very difficult.
Overall: Again, I did enjoy this read and it’s a book I’m going to hand onto to have my daughter read it when she gets to her teenage years...and only if she wants too. Lol!!
I loved the set-up of the story and how it had a feel like How I Met Your Mother where you are in the present and then Bailey tells one story of a dog and that is more like a flashback. Once the story is done, you come back i to the present. I enjoyed her first “fall” the most out of the three. Very reminiscent of first loves and really ignoring what is right in front of your face. I enjoyed getting to know Bailey’s Mom and her bestfriend Amber throughout the adventure as well. I think the thing I loved most was the fact that God and waiting till marriage is present throughout the book. I’m not even saying in a sense that is overpowering, but in the real sense that waiting for marriage is HARD and giving into those feelings of love and wanting to be close to someone in that way can be very tempting. Not everyone waits for marriage and that does cause you to give a little bit of yourself to each person you cross that line with.
I wish the other diners had their stories elaborated on a bit more. I wish that some of the things in the stories didn’t happen quite as abrupt as they ended up happening. But when you are trying to get through three love stories that didn’t workout while trying to wrap it into one package, that can be very difficult.
Overall: Again, I did enjoy this read and it’s a book I’m going to hand onto to have my daughter read it when she gets to her teenage years...and only if she wants too. Lol!!
January 12, 2018
I just loved this book!
I don't know if maybe I was just tired of reading books that were so heavy or if I just really needed something upbeat. It could very well be that it was just a great book! I can relate to the main character so much because at the end of any relationship, I would have to say that I would end up with the dog.
So the story is, a girl walks into a diner in a prom dress and with her are her three dogs. Of course people want to know her story so she shares it with the owner and a few of the patrons. The story takes all night to tell but what a story it is. It is nothing over the top, in fact, we have all been in these situations, and that's what makes this book so endearing. Through the relationships Bailey has, we can see also how she grows up along the way. We spend so much time looking for perfect, or what we believe is perfect, that we often can't see what is right in front of us. We don't give real a chance when we are forever trying to meet our own expectations.
Bailey learns along the way that even though you think you know what you want, it might not turn out to be what you think it was. And another thing to consider, over time we and our needs change but we often don't account for that change. This is not only a story about a girl and her dogs, but it is a story of self discovery, maturity, and a coming of age story we can all see ourselves in.
I don't know if maybe I was just tired of reading books that were so heavy or if I just really needed something upbeat. It could very well be that it was just a great book! I can relate to the main character so much because at the end of any relationship, I would have to say that I would end up with the dog.
So the story is, a girl walks into a diner in a prom dress and with her are her three dogs. Of course people want to know her story so she shares it with the owner and a few of the patrons. The story takes all night to tell but what a story it is. It is nothing over the top, in fact, we have all been in these situations, and that's what makes this book so endearing. Through the relationships Bailey has, we can see also how she grows up along the way. We spend so much time looking for perfect, or what we believe is perfect, that we often can't see what is right in front of us. We don't give real a chance when we are forever trying to meet our own expectations.
Bailey learns along the way that even though you think you know what you want, it might not turn out to be what you think it was. And another thing to consider, over time we and our needs change but we often don't account for that change. This is not only a story about a girl and her dogs, but it is a story of self discovery, maturity, and a coming of age story we can all see ourselves in.
December 13, 2020
4.2 Stars Had me laughing...
This ended up being pretty good. It was a fun read with a really great message. I LOVED Baily's relationship with her mom. Some of the best parts of the book were between Big D and Baily. I also liked Baily's bff (can't remember her name now). The only thing I didn't like so much was Baily's OBESSION with boys. It's one thing to wait a boyfriend, but there were times when Baily seemed a bit "off"----too desperate (underlying issues?).
Anyway, it was a really good book that I would definitely recommend.
Content: It does talk a lot about sex, but mainly in the sense of waiting until marriage. There is one time when Baily plans to have sex, but she doesn't go through with it.
Language: No language.
This ended up being pretty good. It was a fun read with a really great message. I LOVED Baily's relationship with her mom. Some of the best parts of the book were between Big D and Baily. I also liked Baily's bff (can't remember her name now). The only thing I didn't like so much was Baily's OBESSION with boys. It's one thing to wait a boyfriend, but there were times when Baily seemed a bit "off"----too desperate (underlying issues?).
Anyway, it was a really good book that I would definitely recommend.
Content: It does talk a lot about sex, but mainly in the sense of waiting until marriage. There is one time when Baily plans to have sex, but she doesn't go through with it.
Language: No language.
June 20, 2022
Overall, this is a good book... for a middle schooler. I think it teaches a valuable lesson about sex and holding off for the right one. Also, I think it teaches a good lesson about not just doing what "everyone else is doing". The story line is very cute and it is a quick read. I would not recommend to someone my age (mid 20s) but to a younger girl this would be a good book to teach her about peer pressure and how to find the right guy. Cute read
May 9, 2017
At first i did not like this book because it was confusing going through all the realtionships and not understanding why she couldn't just stay with one person but it good better in the middle and has a great ending
December 13, 2017
This is a cute book for this age range. I loved the intro and how it was a valid reason to tell the stories of how she got the dogs. I love how the ended got set in place at the beginning and slowly progressed throughout. All in all cute little story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2017
This was a good book to sit out on the porch and read.
July 22, 2018
Another book that's been on my to-read list for 8 years and I LOVED it! Loved getting lost in Baileys story!
December 31, 2018
This book was absolutely adorable! Such a creative idea, certainly very unique!
February 4, 2020
a silly easy read!
April 8, 2010
Taken From My Blog: www.princessbookie.com
My Thoughts: This is one of the cutest books I've ever read. First off, I'll start by saying I'm not a huge fan of books that go back and forth between characters (alternating viewpoints) or books that take place going back and fourth between past and present. This book jumped back and fourth between the past and present! It totally worked in this book! It made it what it was. We meet Bailey who shows up at a cafe in the middle of the night. 3 mean are there. The old guy who owns it, Rune, who is the tattooed guy and Colt, the boy who always seems to be around. They wonder why Bailey is there in the middle of the night in a soaking wet prom dress. Basically, Bailey tells each of the stories on how she came to own each of her dogs. Each dog came from a relationship. I loved reading about each of the relationships and why they didn't work out. And I love the irony of who she does end up with at the end. I love hearing about fate and that is what this book reminded me of. I loved Bailey's friends and her mom. I loved the things her mom said. They were so refreshing! Especially the one about going back to an ex boyfriend and how it relates to garage sells. I don't want to give away the whole book, but I was smiling so much throughout this book, I swear my cheeks were going to freeze that way. This book was so much fun. I stayed up until 4 Am reading it. I needed to finish it. I needed to know what happened to Bailey and her 3 guys/3 dogs. I could see myself in each one of her relationships and how she grew from them. I wasn't fond of any of the 3 ex-boyfriends but I still loved hearing about how she outgrew them. I also loved the Goofy aspect of the book. It was just so darn sweet. To quit bragging now, I loved this!
Overall: Buy this now! It was so much fun and so sweet. I adored this book. I loved the storytelling of this book. I loved the way we could go back and live through Bailey's words. I loved the 3 guys in the cafe. I loved everything about this book. To sum it up, it was amazing.
Cover: Love it. And the back cover is awesome as well, it has a picture of the 3 doggies on it. Its so cute!!!!
My Thoughts: This is one of the cutest books I've ever read. First off, I'll start by saying I'm not a huge fan of books that go back and forth between characters (alternating viewpoints) or books that take place going back and fourth between past and present. This book jumped back and fourth between the past and present! It totally worked in this book! It made it what it was. We meet Bailey who shows up at a cafe in the middle of the night. 3 mean are there. The old guy who owns it, Rune, who is the tattooed guy and Colt, the boy who always seems to be around. They wonder why Bailey is there in the middle of the night in a soaking wet prom dress. Basically, Bailey tells each of the stories on how she came to own each of her dogs. Each dog came from a relationship. I loved reading about each of the relationships and why they didn't work out. And I love the irony of who she does end up with at the end. I love hearing about fate and that is what this book reminded me of. I loved Bailey's friends and her mom. I loved the things her mom said. They were so refreshing! Especially the one about going back to an ex boyfriend and how it relates to garage sells. I don't want to give away the whole book, but I was smiling so much throughout this book, I swear my cheeks were going to freeze that way. This book was so much fun. I stayed up until 4 Am reading it. I needed to finish it. I needed to know what happened to Bailey and her 3 guys/3 dogs. I could see myself in each one of her relationships and how she grew from them. I wasn't fond of any of the 3 ex-boyfriends but I still loved hearing about how she outgrew them. I also loved the Goofy aspect of the book. It was just so darn sweet. To quit bragging now, I loved this!
Overall: Buy this now! It was so much fun and so sweet. I adored this book. I loved the storytelling of this book. I loved the way we could go back and live through Bailey's words. I loved the 3 guys in the cafe. I loved everything about this book. To sum it up, it was amazing.
Cover: Love it. And the back cover is awesome as well, it has a picture of the 3 doggies on it. Its so cute!!!!
March 27, 2011
This story started out pretty good. The dynamics between characters was fairly sharp and I enjoyed the relationships between Bailey, Amber, Went and Big D. The budding relationship between Went and Bailey was cringe-worthy but accurate and I felt myself back in high school, holding onto that boy who never felt for me the way I felt for him. Ah, the memories! I understood Bailey's motivations and need to mould herself into "perfect girlfriend material". I think we've all been there.
What irked me about this book were the choppy transitions between stories and the addition of third person narrative from peripheral characters, which I found pointless and seemed like an after-thought. Furthermore, by the time I reached boyfriend number three, it was far too obvious where the story was headed. Don't get me wrong, the writing is solid and the narrative is believable, there just wasn't enough to keep me motivated. I think what I struggled with most was the idea that a girl who is so wrapped up in being someone's girlfriend she's willing to morph into anything to fit her man, would suddenly grow a backbone and stand up for herself without much internal debate. It just didn't ring true.
The end was absolutely predictable, I saw it coming as soon as Colt was introduced so I wasn't at all surprised to learn of the Six Flags connection. Colt was an under-developed character and I never understood his motivation or who he was. Also under-developed was Amber and Big D, which is a shame because they showed such promise at the beginning of the book. Really, the only characters I felt I truly knew where Went and Bailey (Eric too but he was written to be a sort of "unknowable" character) and this was not enough to support the story.
This was by no means a bad book, there were a lot of entertaining elements, it just wasn't a great read.
What irked me about this book were the choppy transitions between stories and the addition of third person narrative from peripheral characters, which I found pointless and seemed like an after-thought. Furthermore, by the time I reached boyfriend number three, it was far too obvious where the story was headed. Don't get me wrong, the writing is solid and the narrative is believable, there just wasn't enough to keep me motivated. I think what I struggled with most was the idea that a girl who is so wrapped up in being someone's girlfriend she's willing to morph into anything to fit her man, would suddenly grow a backbone and stand up for herself without much internal debate. It just didn't ring true.
The end was absolutely predictable, I saw it coming as soon as Colt was introduced so I wasn't at all surprised to learn of the Six Flags connection. Colt was an under-developed character and I never understood his motivation or who he was. Also under-developed was Amber and Big D, which is a shame because they showed such promise at the beginning of the book. Really, the only characters I felt I truly knew where Went and Bailey (Eric too but he was written to be a sort of "unknowable" character) and this was not enough to support the story.
This was by no means a bad book, there were a lot of entertaining elements, it just wasn't a great read.
October 25, 2013
The title of the book that I read was My Boyfriends' Dogs. The author is Dandi Daley Mackall. I would say the genre of the book would be mostly romance. In the book we follow Bailey as she falls in love for the first, second, and third time. In the process she gets three dogs named Adam, Eve, and Shirley.
This is a fiction book. There are many main characters. Some of the main characters are Bailey, Amber, Went, Mitch, and Eric. I think that the plot of the story is all about growing up and remembering just to be yourself. It states that you don't have to be a perfect girlfriend. You can't lose yourself because of a guy.
The symbol of this story is fall because all of Bailey's relationships started in the fall. Another symbol is dogs. After all of her relationships ended, Bailey kept the dogs. With all of the guys, Bailey was always spending more time with the dogs compared to their owners.
My reaction to the book is that there were not that many boring pieces compared to other books that I have read. When I first saw this book I thought one-hundred percent of the book would be about dogs but I was so wrong. I feel like the author rarely talked about Mitch. I think it might have been like that because of how Mitch was involved with working with and watching many videos.
In conclusion, if you enjoy nice romance books that give you advice, My Boyfriends' Dogs is for you. If you are looking for a really funny book, skip it.
This is a fiction book. There are many main characters. Some of the main characters are Bailey, Amber, Went, Mitch, and Eric. I think that the plot of the story is all about growing up and remembering just to be yourself. It states that you don't have to be a perfect girlfriend. You can't lose yourself because of a guy.
The symbol of this story is fall because all of Bailey's relationships started in the fall. Another symbol is dogs. After all of her relationships ended, Bailey kept the dogs. With all of the guys, Bailey was always spending more time with the dogs compared to their owners.
My reaction to the book is that there were not that many boring pieces compared to other books that I have read. When I first saw this book I thought one-hundred percent of the book would be about dogs but I was so wrong. I feel like the author rarely talked about Mitch. I think it might have been like that because of how Mitch was involved with working with and watching many videos.
In conclusion, if you enjoy nice romance books that give you advice, My Boyfriends' Dogs is for you. If you are looking for a really funny book, skip it.
February 18, 2019
OK. I have no words for how much I loved this book. It was one of the best books that I have read in ages. The ending..just..ahhhhh!!!!!
Loved:
-Great for Christians (like myself). The main character believes in God, and there are definitely Christian undertones.
-Kept me hooked
-SUPER original
-Hysterical
-Big plot twist that made me so happy
-Not at all like most teen books
-Light but still had great messages
-Makes you feel good
-Encouraging
-Great message about waiting for sex until marriage. Bailey's mom tells her (and its oblivious that she tells her a lot) to wait for sex until marriage. Bailey then finds out that her BF has been having sex with another girl the entire time, so, in order to keep him, she decides to have sex with him behind her mom's back. She backs out though. In the end, she realizes that its better to wait and that you should never let a guy pressure you into anything that you don't want to do. Definitely made me want to wait, even more then I already did. Mom's that want their daughters to wait should definitely read this book with them and then discuss it after. Btw, this was not a big part of the story. Only like, one chapter of the first story, but definitely left an impression on me.
OK for 12+
Loved:
-Great for Christians (like myself). The main character believes in God, and there are definitely Christian undertones.
-Kept me hooked
-SUPER original
-Hysterical
-Big plot twist that made me so happy
-Not at all like most teen books
-Light but still had great messages
-Makes you feel good
-Encouraging
-Great message about waiting for sex until marriage. Bailey's mom tells her (and its oblivious that she tells her a lot) to wait for sex until marriage. Bailey then finds out that her BF has been having sex with another girl the entire time, so, in order to keep him, she decides to have sex with him behind her mom's back. She backs out though. In the end, she realizes that its better to wait and that you should never let a guy pressure you into anything that you don't want to do. Definitely made me want to wait, even more then I already did. Mom's that want their daughters to wait should definitely read this book with them and then discuss it after. Btw, this was not a big part of the story. Only like, one chapter of the first story, but definitely left an impression on me.
OK for 12+
February 10, 2010
My Boyfriends’ Dogs relives the experience of first love three times. I know, I know, with your first love it can only happen once, but with Bailey it’s an exception. See the first was just for practice, the second was a case of mistaken identity, and the third was a fluke. What these three boyfriends had in common was the extreme high Bailey felt and the adorable dogs that own.
With My Boyfriends’ Dogs I expected a very cute, highly dramatizes, sqee-y book, but it had a much different approach. It was slightly saddening but enlightening tale. Each recap of these three boyfriends are very brief—there aren’t many swooning happening ladies—just a basic ‘how they met’, ‘dog dates’, and ‘the letdown’. In fact the entire novel is very brief when considering what it covers,
The book includes 4 POVs with 3 of them only lasting a chapter. I thought it was insightful for the author to describe how this drenched prom-dressed girl affected their lives and could have easily read more.
Overall: If the stories were stretch a bit longer I might have enjoyed it a bit more. The mother-daughter bonding and friendship were a nice touch that brought humor and depth.
With My Boyfriends’ Dogs I expected a very cute, highly dramatizes, sqee-y book, but it had a much different approach. It was slightly saddening but enlightening tale. Each recap of these three boyfriends are very brief—there aren’t many swooning happening ladies—just a basic ‘how they met’, ‘dog dates’, and ‘the letdown’. In fact the entire novel is very brief when considering what it covers,
The book includes 4 POVs with 3 of them only lasting a chapter. I thought it was insightful for the author to describe how this drenched prom-dressed girl affected their lives and could have easily read more.
Overall: If the stories were stretch a bit longer I might have enjoyed it a bit more. The mother-daughter bonding and friendship were a nice touch that brought humor and depth.
October 29, 2012
"My Boyfriends' Dogs," by Dandi Daley Mackall starts out with a high-schooler named Bailey who arrives at a diner on a stormy night, soaking and in a prom dress. She also has three dogs with her. The owner of the diner, intrigued, can't help but ask what her story is. She says it is a long story, but he insists that he hear it, saying that he'll be there all night. So she begins her tale of how she got the dogs from three different boyfriends. Throughout her search for the perfect boyfriend, she discovers more about herself and what she is looking for. The story is funny and romantic, but I wouldn't recommend it to kids who aren't yet in middle school. The stories of how she now owns the dogs are interesting and fun to read about. Mackall has written over 400 childrens books and has won many awards. This book grabs your attention and you don't want to put it down. Bailey is very likable and you want her to find happiness when you are reading. I really liked Mackall's writing style.
ACADEMIC HONESTY--By pasting this statement, I am indicating that I read the book, and the information on this page is accurate.
ACADEMIC HONESTY--By pasting this statement, I am indicating that I read the book, and the information on this page is accurate.
May 14, 2015
Loved this book! Such an adorable, quick read about a quirky girl in search of the "perfect" boyfriend. A few not so hot relationships and three dogs later, it seems she's truly found "the one". But how far is Bailey willing to go to make sure this relationship works.
November 12, 2014
What a cute book! I'm a college student and am always bogged down with school work and work-work. I love having a fluff-book to enjoy for leisure reading—something light, cute, and captivating.
Bailey Daley is the girl who does a better job attracting dogs than boyfriends. We enter the story as she finds shelter from the rain in a small cafe. Her entrance is quite a sight to Louie,—the kind cafe owner— Rune,—an "identity-crisis" employee— and Colt, a loyal customer. Not only is she dressed in a beautiful gown that's been drenched by the rain, but attached to the ends of leashes are three sopping canines—each equipped with their own story of love gained and lost. Bailey tells her stories to the three men who have decided to stay and listen.
Bailey Daley is the girl who does a better job attracting dogs than boyfriends. We enter the story as she finds shelter from the rain in a small cafe. Her entrance is quite a sight to Louie,—the kind cafe owner— Rune,—an "identity-crisis" employee— and Colt, a loyal customer. Not only is she dressed in a beautiful gown that's been drenched by the rain, but attached to the ends of leashes are three sopping canines—each equipped with their own story of love gained and lost. Bailey tells her stories to the three men who have decided to stay and listen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews