Book Review: Lost, Found, & Forever | Victoria Schade

If you love romances and love our furry four-legged friends (more specifically pups for this book!) then you have to make sure you are following the books by Victoria Schade. Lost, Found, and Forever is heartwarming, adorable, engaging, and really everything you could want from a feel-good contemporary romance. This book will leave you with a smile on your face and your heart singing!

About the Book (Goodreads)

What do you do when you discover your four-legged best friend might belong to someone else? From the acclaimed author of Who Rescued Who comes the charming story of a custody battle between two pet parents who would do anything for the dog they both adore.

Justine Becker could not be more in love with her rescue dog, Spencer. He’s her best friend and “colleague” at her dog supply store, Tricks & Biscuits, in upstate New York. When she discovers a heartbreaking social media post trying to locate a dog that looks suspiciously like Spencer, Justine realizes that her beloved pup might actually belong to someone else.

Her worst fears are realized when she and Spencer meet up with Brooklyn-based Griffin McCabe, and he wants Spencer back. He claims he  is the dog’s rightful owner, and has the paperwork to prove it. But Justine refuses to roll over and let him take Spencer without a fight.

It’s not easy juggling Spencer’s burgeoning new career as a dog actor, along with the demands of her life upstate, all while constantly trying to prove she’s a better pet parent than Griffin. Their not-so-friendly competition teeters on the edge of flat-out hate, so when romantic feelings for Griffin catch Justine off guard, she needs to determine if it’s all part of his plot to win the pup back, or if the guy who was good enough for Spencer might also be good enough for her.

Review

This is a book written for the modern woman! A mistake leads to a meet cute which leads to potential catastrophe which leads to melt-your-heart love (and a cute pup!). Leading lady Justine Becker loves her rescue pooch Spencer. She owns a dog supplies store in upstate New York and Spencer is a hit at work—the cutest colleague you could imagine!

Meanwhile Spencer is cast in an acting role thanks to the bond between Justine and Spencer that have led to a dog who can do a whole bunch of tricks. Justine is so proud of Spencer for getting the part, and she is working to figure out a way to be a full time stage mom and full-time shop owner.

When she comes across a social media post from a man trying to locate his lost dog, she realizes the dog is a dead-ringer for her sweet Spencer. Could it be that Spencer belongs to someone else? Being the responsible and kind woman she is, Justine meets Griffin, the man who claims (and has paperwork to prove) that Spencer is his lost pip. But Justine isn’t ready to part with Spencer. Who is the rightful owner?

As Justine and Griffin compete to prove who is the better dog parent to Spencer, it turns out that they may be falling for one another. But is Griffin manipulating her so he can get his pup back? Or is this a love story that will have a happy ending for the humans and the dog?

This is a complicated and stressful situation! Both have a rightful claim to Spencer, but Griffin did own Spencer first. With Griffin’s travel schedule, Spencer never got quite the amount of investment from him as from Justine. Still, it is clear immediately that both love this dog so much.

I loved that this was a happy love story, and neither character treats the other poorly. It was refreshing! As much as I love a romance where the leads deny their attraction, or there is a misunderstanding leading to an angsty start, this one was two adults with good hearts in a tough situation trying to separate their feelings from one another from their desire to keep their dog.

I really enjoyed the storyline about Spencer and his acting career too. It was so fun to imagine being on set with your dog, seeing them shine in the spotlight! Justine was also a really great dog parent and I liked having the book told just from her perspective, rather than switching between Griffin and Justine. It made me root for Justine and be happy when it seemed like it might end up working out for all involved.

An adorable story with a heartwarming conclusion—you won’t want to miss this if you need a pick-me-up or even just want to lose yourself in a cute story for an afternoon!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.