The Dog Share

I listened to the audio edition.

An entertaining, enjoyable book!

This story is about Suzy who admirably tries to sort out the mess her ex partner has left her in. On a whim he bought a distillery on an Hebridean island and it’s left nearing liquidation.
Suzy is a caring , funny character and feels sorry for the workers at the distillery who may lose their jobs due to the inadequacies of her ex partner’s business skills.

The book is about change and rebuilding a new life , whilst Suzy is doing this she meets an abandoned dog who she names scout . He helps her to forge friendships on the island.
One of these friendships is with Ricky and his son Arthur, the friendship develops in to a romance and a happy ending.
I liked the characters in this book and the writing flows easily and makes it easy to listen to. As I reached the end I was left with a warm fuzzy feeling , really enjoyable !

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this audio arc copy

This was a sweet, uplifting story about changing courses in life. The beginning is less fluffy than I imagined but it was really the lowest point of the whole story for Suzy.

The narrators were both great with accents that worked for me and a good depth of expression to their sections without being over the top.

There were a few plot points that seemed strange to me, and the end tried to do a bit much too quickly. I also didn't like the bit with th obituary... Felt like a trick.

Overall though, this was an uplifting and enjoyable read about a little dog bringing people together. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Narrators 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cathleen McCarron & Robin Laing are fantastic!! I just finished listening to The Shadow Man another book narrated by these two so when I first heard Robins voice come into my ears I actually had to stop the book for a second because hearing his voice still gave me creepy chills.

Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the first time I've read/listen to a book by Fiona Gibson and I quite liked her style of writing. It has a really Lucy Dillon type of feel to it (who I love and own every one of her books) so I'm quite looking forward to reading heaps more from this author

A really enjoyable uplifting read
I wouldnt describe it as hilarious but it did have me chuckling in places
Suzie starts life on the island on the wrong foot and comes back to try and fix things, when she finds am abandoned dog that's when things really change, it's amazing how having a dog can change your whole life, she meets new friends and they in turn all look after Scout (the dog) what follows is a really lovely story about life, love , friendship and (wo)man's best friend.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced audio copy of this book and I highly recommend it , wether you read or listen you will absolutely love The Dog Share.

The Dog Share - Fiona Gibson
Narrated by Cathleen McCarron and Robin Laing

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and Netgalley.

Suzy Medley is having a bad day…

… when a shabby terrier turns up at her door. Just like Suzy, Scout has been abandoned, although only Suzy has been left with a financial mess and a business in tatters thanks to her ex.

Suzy takes Scout in and her chaotic world changes in unexpected ways: strangers have never been more welcoming and her teenage kids can’t wait to come home to visit.

Then a chance encounter on a windy Hebridean beach makes things more complicated, because Suzy isn’t the only one who needs a friend.

Scout has plenty of love to go round… but does Suzy?

The Dog Share is a warm tale with down to earth, hard working characters. This story is told from both the perspective of Suzy and Ricky. Whilst their stories are connected it takes a while before the characters actually meet, which allows the readers to get to know the characters individually.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy stories about pets, friendships and fresh starts.

Rating 4/5

OMG I really want to share Scout I am totally in love with this little dog in the story and loved this book. As we follow Suzy as she tries to sort out the mess her ex boyfriend left her and their business in a little lost dog comes into her life and not only changes her but also a number of new friends she makes along the way. I don’t want to say too much because it will spoil it but it’s a beautiful heartwarming book with great narration and will cheer up your day.

This book is absolutely brilliant, there’s so much going on, all tied together in some way by a dog. It showcases relationships, friendships, families and the pure love of a dog.
Thoroughly enjoyable read.

An easy listen audio book - it took me a while to get into the different characters but all in all an easy listen

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio for approving me for an ARC of this audiobook.

As soon as the word dog was mentioned I knew I wanted to give this one a go. Having two dogs myself I love reading anything that includes our cute companions. As with all the audiobooks I’ve listened to the narration was brilliant. I love having two narrators as I find the story plays out more in my imagination. This is the second audio I’ve listened to where Robin Laing narrates and I love his voice, it is so easy to listen to and his execution is brilliant. I particularly liked the voice he gave Harry! This si my first audio with Cathleen McCarron and she did a superb job.

Everything about this book was adorable. I loved Scout and how popular he was with all the characters, even convincing those who weren’t a dog lover to be his new friend! Fiona Gibson did an excellent job in portraying just how much a dogs love becomes infectious.

Having been to Scotland many times the scenery was described perfectly. I have never been to Sgadansay but my family and I always enjoy a visit to see family up in Lossiemouth and are always dazzled by how beautiful it is. My husband also enjoys the whisky tours and I couldn’t agree more with the Sgadansay distillery about the three vital ingredients for the perfect whisky!

I felt that Suzy was a little bit of a pushover at the start where Paul was concerned. As I listened to her list the different ventures he tried I couldn’t believe she had stuck with him for so long. Even I could see where this distillery business was going to end up. As the book progressed I admired her determination to get the business back up and running. She could of easily walked away from it all but she took the harder route and did a brilliant job. Both Ricky and Suzy had a fantastic relationship with their children and I often found myself giggling at the WhatsApp conversations or, in Ricky and Arthur’s case, their conversations about Meg’s job.

The only thing missing for me was a little more romance between Suzy and Ricky. I felt that it was a little rushed at the end and would of enjoyed a bit more courtship or drama surrounding them. Having said that I did enjoy the listen and felt this was the perfect pick me up I needed. The story made me laugh, smile and was a joy to listen to.

Ok if you're going into this book thinking this is going to be all about dogs then far not. Scout is a main character in this book but Suzy is really our main character and she is great fun to spend time with. We also get to meet Ricky who is a male character who get's to have feelings and insecurities-huzzah! The thing that I really loved about this book thought was the setting. I love spending time in Scotland and we got to see a Scottish Island, distillery, Glasgow and Oban in this book-what more could you want.

Fiona Gibson has a talent for writing female character later in life. We always get to read about the happily ever after but what about when that happily ever after comes to an end and you're turning fifty and you want to know what comes next? Fiona Gibson allows her characters to get to that point and guides us as readers as to what happens next. She tells it like it is and Suzy reacted in a great way to every that Fiona threw at her. She was just a sensible human and we all need more of those in our lives right now!

As already mentioned Ricky is a male character who is allowed to have insecurities and emotions of his own. Due to the fact that we have chapters from Suzy's point of view and chapters from Rickey's point of view we get to explore what is going on inside Ricky's mind. He has had it just as tough as Suzy and I love that he is having to care for both his son and his father on his own. We get to see the toll that takes on him and how it causes him to look for love an affection is the most unlikely of places.

Yes of course we have Scout the dog and we get to see him go through the recuse process and all of that entails but can we talk about the Whisky distillery for a moment please? I may not be a dog person but I am a whisky person and I loved the idea of Suzy having this distillery hanging over her. She visits the distillery with her husband during happy times but now it is hanging a little like the rock around her neck and I loved learning about the ins and outs of running that business-it really stuck out as a unique feature of a romcom novel to me.

The things I really took away from this book were the fully formed characters, the great setting and the inclusion of a distillery in this novel. Fiona Gibson once again weaves a great tale. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrators did a great job even with the different between an inner Hebrides accent, an Oban accent and a Glasgow accent. Highly recommend!

This audio book is narrated by Cathleen McCarron and Robin Laing. The chapters were split between the POVs of the main characters and portrayed Suzy, a middle aged mother from Yorkshire and the Scottish accent of teacher and single parent Ricky. Both voices were age appropriate and relatable to the characters personalities.


I was immediately drawn to The Dog Share because it features a small, scruffy abandoned dog called Scout. He enters Suzy’s life just when she needs a friend, and from that moment onwards life begins to feel much better.

Suzy has to visit the Scottish island where her ex partner’s whiskey distillery is located to sort out a huge financial mess and speak to the employees.Not only has her ex deserted her but he also moved quickly on, leaving employees worried for their jobs and the future of the island. She has to face anger and resentment from the locals and feels responsible, although she didn’t make the business decisions herself.

The chapters are split between the POV of Suzy and teacher Ricky who returns to the island to visit his father. Ricky is accompanied by his son Arthur who makes an immediate connection with Scout when they meet on the beach. Suzy learns that Ricky may know just the person to make the distillery profitable once more.

All the characters are likeable and you find yourself rooting for them to find happiness. The island of Sgadansay is described beautifully with quaint cottages, old fashioned shops and breathtaking walks along the clifftops.

This is an easy, uplifting read (listen) which everyone will enjoy (not just dog lovers!). It shows how connections can be made and avenues opened through mutual love of our furry friends.

I really enjoyed this audiobook apart from sometimes I felt that the accents were a mixture of Welsh and Scottish.

The story itself was lovely and easy to listen to, I'm sure if I had it in book format I would have got through it in no time.

Would definitely recommend as an easy reader/beach read when the time comes!

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC.

This is such an adorable listen. I loved the storyline and the narrators were excellent. I love dogs so I was drawn to this book straightaway. I found this so uplifting, what she went through and how she turned things around when she could have easily walked away. I remember going to a distillery in Scotland as a child and the smell was disgusting!! But the rest of my time there was amazing and it brought back some lovely memories.
This is the perfect escape.

This really is such a lovely and heartwarming story about friendships and second or even third chances at life and love.
When I first glanced at the cover I immediately and wrongly thought this book was going to be about two people who find a dog and have to share ownership; a sort of enemies to lovers rom-com. Sharing of the dog doesn't take place until after the halfway mark of the book. The Dog Share is more of a buildup of events leading up to people sharing the dog. And it is such a lovely read.

At the beginning of the novel, Suzy is in a relationship with an utter eejit or an absolute gobs***e as he would be called here in Inishowen. Ricky is in a brief relationship with someone completely not right for him. She was not very nice and completely indifferent to Ricky's son, Arthur. On a small side note, I didn't really like that 'the childless woman' was yet again portrayed in literature as heartless and lacking in warmth. Ricky's own mother did something terrible but she had issues and reasons for her awful actions to explain it away.

The dual narration of this audiobook was very effective. We got the best of both worlds with a mild Scottish accent for Ricky and the English accent for Suzy. Both narrators were excellent and complemented each other nicely.

I love the main characters in the book. Ricky's grumpy father is annoyed with Suzy but he is the one person she needs on her side. Luckily Scout, the dog, helps to break the ice here. I couldn't help but cheer Suzy on as she tried to make things better at the distillery and slowly win over the locals. Ricky and Suzy also seemed perfect for one another so their burgeoning romance was a delight to read.
What I really loved about the book though is how Suzy grew as a person. She took on a new and scary venture when she knew the possibility of failure was very high. She began to understand herself better and where she'd gone wrong in the past i.e. masking her true self in a relationship in order to fit into a man's perception of her.
I loved that Suzy's move to the island actually made her world so much bigger. With the help of Scout her social contacts grew, she had a new love interest and new friendships were formed.

The setting of the story made me want to get a wee dog and put the Hebrides on my list of places to go visit next.