Stay

By: Allie Larkin

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Savannah “Van” Leone has loved Peter since the day they met. The problem is, Peter has loved Van’s best friend, Janie, since the moment they met. And now they’re walking down the aisle, with Van standing nearby in a Halloween-orange bridesmaid dress, her smile as hollow as one on a jack-o’-lantern. After the wedding Van drowns her sorrows in Kool-Aid-vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin Tin Tin, and does what any woman in her situation would do: She buys a German Shepherd over the Internet.

The pocket-size puppy Van is expecting turns out to be a clumsy, hundred-pound beast that only responds to Slovak. Van is at the end of her rope – until she realizes that this quirky giant may be the only living being who will always be loyal to her, no matter what. Van affectionately names the dog Joe, and thus begins a friendship that will alter Van’s life in ways she never imagined.

Joe leads Van to Dr. Alex Brandt, a rugged vet with floppy blond hair and a winning smile. But just as things are starting to heat up, the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, forcing Van to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to have everything she ever wanted.

Warm and witty, poignant and funny, Stay marks the arrival of an irresistible new voice.

©2010 Allie Larkin (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Sweet, Sweet Story

Difficult not to enjoy a story about a sweet dog becoming the emotional crutch for the lovable emotional heroine. A real feel good story.

so much more to this than expected

First book I've listened to from this author and was pleasantly surprised. This is described as 'chick lit', but is more depth to the story line and characters than expected. The dog descriptions, absolutely true, and parts were hilarious. The way she acquired this dog and the way the dog, in turn, changed her life was so funny I laughed out loud many times. Found myself getting really annoyed with her friends and what they put her through, then annoyed with Van for letting them do that to her. The topics of grief, loss, coming of age into adulthood, and taking risks, all were explored in varying depths. Really enjoyable and will look for this author again. Narration was really well done also.

A Dog's Love is Unconditional

Would you consider the audio edition of Stay to be better than the print version?

I would always choose an audio edition to a print version. I love listening to audio books, especially when you have an excellent narration. Julia Whelan does a fine job in Stay's narration, even with a slight accent of the main character.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love the protagonist, Van and her Shepherd Joe. They both are expressive and full of life. The way they both fill each other's hearts makes this tale better. I'm not a huge fan of a romance books, but these two make the romance a back story.

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Van's accent. Although Van says she doesn't have an accent. But anyone who can say coffee as cough ee, and not make it irritating, is a good narration.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

An Accidental Love of a Dog.

Just a sweet story

This book is a sweet story about the unconditional love having a dog adds to your life and the happiness of being true to yourself.

Good story with laugh out loud moments

Great story, nice diversion. Main character is wonderfully human. Having had a Shepard and wondering when it was going to have grown up dog behavior to match it's size, I understand and sympathize with the confusing and comical behavior of a teenage shepard. The human characters were honest and flawed. While halfway through the book you would like the main character to flip off every one in her past and never have anything to do with them or her past again, the incorporation of some of her old life in her future is realistic. She became who she is as a culmination of all of it. We all move on and it's nice to see her move on and take the important parts of her past with her while becoming her own person.

loved it!

This book was amazing! Ususally I like to read books with a little more romance, but the hilarious interactions between Joe (the dog) and Van more than make up for it. Don't get me wrong, there was definitely a romance but the story was more about self-growth, friends, and family. If you are a dog lover looking for a light, humorous read you will love this!

Enjoyable story

Would you consider the audio edition of Stay to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version but I would say that the voice was not as expressive as some I have heard. Nevertheless I enljoyed this audiobook very much.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Stay?

After quarrels and misunderstanding, Savannah realizes that her two best friends are her best friends for life when she hears the words

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

more or less

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This story made me both laugh and cry several times. It also made me want to take Savannah by the shoulders and shake some sense into her, because for me she was a very believable character. I wish she didn't have such a potty mouth.

Any additional comments?

I would be interested in a continuation of this story. I want to know what happens in Van's life after this story ended.

Funny and touching story!

If you could sum up Stay in three words, what would they be?

Funny, poignant, realistic

Who was your favorite character and why?

The dog! Okay, actually I loved all of the characters. They were very well-developed and true-to-life.

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought Julia Whelan brought out the humor as well as the touching, sad moments in the book, with her great sense of timing. She paused at just the right moment to make a point.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to, but unfortunately I could not. It was not hard to pick it right up again later.

Any additional comments?

Great, fun book that was very easy to listen to.

I think most of us have been there

There can't be that many people who haven't made absolute fools of ourselves over a boy or a girl when we were young. That's Savannah to a T.

On the first day of college she (the housekeeper's daughter) meets and falls for the rich boy (Peter) in her first class. Literally and figuratively falls for him. Then Peter meets her best friend, Janie, and they fall in love and get married. Of course, Savannah (Van) is the maid of honor and after all the festivities are over and Van has a big fight with the bride's mother, Van goes home, gets drunk, and buys a puppy over the internet from Slovakia.

This book is both funny and heart wrenching. The characters seemed real to me, like they were neighbors, friends, people you meet that you don't like, people you meet that you don't want to like but will end up liking. Just like real life.

And Joe, the Slovakian born German Shepherd who only answers to Slovakian words, will steal your heart and make you want to run to your nearest kennel and get a Joe of your own.

More dog - less people

Allie Larkin has talent, especially for humorous dialogue. I liked her quirky sense of humor but the main character "Van" was too wimpy to be truly interesting to me.