Dog Handling

... Show More
Yesterday, Liv Elliot had it a great flat in London’s Notting Hill, an actual career (okay, as an accountant), and a coveted fiancé. Every girl’s dream, right? But then Tim declared that the wedding was off—leaving Liv shell-shocked. Luckily, she’s got her best friend’s fab Australian beach house in which to recuperate.

The restorative powers of the Sydney sun, sand, and sea soon have Liv feeling wonderfully anti-accountant. Then she runs into old flame Ben Parker. It’s been years since they fooled around during a summer fling, but Liv never forgot that genetically blessed face. Raring to help her land beautiful Ben, Liv’s friends teach her the Rules of Dog Treat a man like a dog and he’ll be eating out of your hand. But surely this can’t actually work? Liv is about to find out that it can—but she’s hardly prepared for the results.

Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 94 votes)
5 stars
38(40%)
4 stars
24(26%)
3 stars
32(34%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
94 reviews All reviews
April 17,2025
... Show More
This book was hilarious. I laughed so hard, even out loud that sometimes I got looks from strangers while reading in the park. Claire Naylor knows how to lift a mood when she talks about everything this poor woman goes through. If you are having a gloomy day, this book is a total pick you up.
April 17,2025
... Show More
Cute book, pretty funny at times, I even laughed out loud a few times!
April 17,2025
... Show More
I gave "Dog Handling" by Clare Naylor three stars. One, because it was written with proper grammar and punctuation, two, because it served to take me away from all the negative news in our country right now, and three, because I did stay with it to the end. Half way through, I was finally sucked into the plot despite the novel being as shallow as its characters. Liv goes through a break-up with her fiancé, Tim, and leaves England for Australia to heal her wounds. What ensues is fun, but silly, with no depth at all. She befriends James and Dave, a couple who sell corsets (and other lingerie) at a flee market on the weekends and who dress in drag at night. They tell Liv she must treat potential boyfriends as dogs, training them as you would a puppy, not letting a man have the stick right away or he will lose interest and chew on a different stick or bone somewhere else. I felt as if Naylor were trying to channel Sophie Kinsella in style and plot, but even Kinsella's fluff novels have more depth than this one. Still, I just had to know how it would all end, and whether Liv would end up with Ben, a dashing fellow she met when she was 18 while on vacation in Australia, whom she sees again during this sojourn, or with Will, the chubby, pug-like fellow she meets in a bar one night who, surprisingly, excites her, or whether she reconciles with Tim at some point. I needed to know if Liv would get her happy ending, and whether her best friend and business partner, Alex, would leave the unsuitable, wealthy, older man with whom she was having an affair if she fell in love with someone more suitable. I actually felt myself smile, to the point of my eyes scrunching up, when I finished the last page, so I can't say the book was a waste of time, though I would not put it on my list of books to recommend.
April 17,2025
... Show More
Really cute story. 100% predictable, but sometimes you just want it that way.
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.