Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Must Love Dogs  By  cover art

Must Love Dogs

By: Claire Cook
Narrated by: Carrington Macduffie
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.56

Buy for $15.56

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Voluptuous, sensuous, alluring, and fun. Barely 40 DWF seeks special man to share starlit nights. Must love dogs.

Life after divorce for Sarah Hurlihy consists of juggling her job as a preschool teacher and the demands of her interfering family. Then her bossy big sister decides to place a personal ad for her, and the unexpected becomes a daily event. Everybody wants Sarah to put the past behind her and take a bold step towards a fresh start. But when Sarah winds up with a lot of new men and rambunctious dogs in her life, along with plenty of awkward situations, unexpected emotions, and not-so-easy decisions, she wonders whether those mindless evenings sitting alone and watching The Brady Bunch were really so bad.

©2002 Claire Cook (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"[A] surprising, touching, and hilariously deadpan debut novel." (Publishers Weekly) "[A] tart slice-of-the-single-life worth reading....Breezy first-person narration makes this a fast paced, humorous diversion." (Publishers Weekly)
"[A] laugh-out-loud novel....A light and lively read for anyone who has tried to reenter the dating scene or tried to 'fix up' somebody else." (Boston Herald)

What listeners say about Must Love Dogs

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    229
  • 4 Stars
    143
  • 3 Stars
    127
  • 2 Stars
    38
  • 1 Stars
    16
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    249
  • 4 Stars
    93
  • 3 Stars
    45
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    184
  • 4 Stars
    110
  • 3 Stars
    70
  • 2 Stars
    30
  • 1 Stars
    10

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

must love the movie

I really wanted to like this book. Turns out I like the idea of the book more than the book itself. Time and again I found myself rolling my eyes at Sarah's behaviour. She just doesn't really seem to have much passion for life and I can't imagine her ever having it even before her divorce. She even admits that she never would have left her husband but just stayed in her unhappy life because that is what is expected. And you can imagine her doing just that time and again for the rest of her life. If the author's point was to show 'boring girl next door gets guy despite herself' she has succeeded. We really don't learn anything about most of the characters and the ones we do learn about aren't really the interesting ones. The novel is fun, just not very involving. I like something I can sink my teeth into - this is not it. Go see the movie instead.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Did not age well, Feels incomplete

Aspects of this story did NOT age well. Newspaper ads, answering machines and cassette tapes. Belly button ring? Scandelous! Yes, Sara is supposed to be the "cool aunt", but even a cool aunt shouldn't allow teens to smoke.

Parts feel superfluous - lengthy discussion about cleaning up blood in the classroom and the cultural lessons Sara does in her class. (Yawn.)

The characters feel flat to me. Sara talks about being sad but it's more tell than show. The family is supposed to be big and supportive, but they just seem annoying and lack boundaries. John is unlikable and a liar. (Actually, both lie about actually owning dogs. 😒) What's the appeal? Sara is only vaguely attractedto him and treats him like a consolation prize when the other losers don't work out.

This is NOT a stand alone novel. It ends on an annoying cliff hanger with a bunch of stupid family drama. (I don't care about Mike and Phoebe. Even a little.) There's tons of these books. Sigh.

Go watch the movie.

The narration is solid.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Boring fluff!

This is the story of a woman trying to get on with her life after a divorce prior to when the story begins. It tries to be topical and contemporary, but after a while one realizes who cares? It tries to be funny, doesn't work. Should it appeal to women rather than men? Maybe. Bottom line: don't give this dust bunny very high priority!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Movie better than book

I found myself skipping to end of chapters. Story moves slowly. Not the best audiobook to listen to right after finishing the Jane Austen collection.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not sure who this was written for.

The voice actress and the written voice seem too old for the character age. The main character is too bitter and jaded. This book wasn't interesting to me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Must Love Dogs (Unabridged)

Nice, easy listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Crazy Family

This over involved, hilarious and crazy family will definitely keep you entertained. The antics of the father and the bossiness of the sister are over the top. Add in the problems of Sara and her brother and you won’t want to quit reading. The narrator does a great job.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this story

What a fabulous witty good humored story! I love Sarah and her family dynamics! I laughed so hard I started crying in at a few parts! Claire Cook wrote a Great story! Carrington Macduffie is a fantastic audiobook reader!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sweet, funny, romantic, and hopeful!

Such a great story! Highly recommend!

Not sure if the writer had John Cusack in mind when she wrote the story, but, man, was he the correct actor to play John in the book! I would have pictured him even if I hadn’t see the movie before reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Better than expected

I have not seen this movie so the book was a fresh experience for me. I enjoyed it very much. A light and easy listen. I kept waiting for something awful to happen. The father having health issues, the terrible destructive divorce. Nothing. Just folks living life. Refreshing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!