(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Elizabeth Barnes is fired after an off-the-cuff remark brings unexpected embarrassment to the tech company for which she works, the 32-year-old workaholic is at loose ends.  She still has a horde of followers on her social media accounts, but with no job, no family left and no true IRL friends, Elizabeth's once-glamorous Silicon Valley life suddenly seems very empty.  A surprise phone call from a British uncle she never knew she had comes at just the right time.  Not only will a trip across the pond give her a chance to reboot (not to mention fill her feeds with attention-getting travel selfies) and connect with estranged family members, but the sale of her father's land should bring in enough cash to tide her over until she can find new employment.  

Although Elizabeth receives a warm welcome in Fargrove, it's immediately apparent that she doesn't belong in the tiny backwater town.  Without a reliable Internet connection, she's losing followers by the second.  Still, when two intriguing opportunities—a temporary job organizing her uncle's artwork and an adorable puppy who's decided to adopt Elizabeth—land in her lap, Elizabeth finds she can't refuse either.  Then there's the stunningly handsome James Holworthy, whose eye she simply must catch... As life in Fargrove teaches her to value a simpler way of being, Elizabeth must decide what she really wants, who she really is, and where she truly belongs.

Even though I'm not a huge animal lover, I really can't resist the sweet pup on the cover of Who Rescued Who by professional dog trainer Victoria Schade.  I can't say I loved the novel, but I did very much enjoy gazing at its adorable cover model!  I also liked the story's quaint setting as well as the warm-hearted townsfolk who inhabit the small village of Fargrove.  For me, the secondary characters way upstaged the heroine and hero, neither of whom I found very appealing.  Although Elizabeth does change over the course of the novel, she's still a stuck-up, self-centered brat with whom I never felt much of a connection.  Perhaps it's because everything always turns up roses for her that I didn't feel invested in her "plight."  James comes off as equally as shallow.  Their insta-lovey romance feels forced—Elizabeth's bond with her dog is both more believable and better developed than her relationship with James.  Plotwise, there was enough going on in the story to keep me reading, but the tale definitely feels longer than necessary, especially since it offers no real surprises.  All in all, then, Who Rescued Who turned out to be just an okay read for me.  That gorgeous furball on the cover, though?  He/she gets an A+ all the way!

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other novels about unmoored city women finding their place in the back of beyond, although no specific titles are coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Who Rescued Who from the generous folks at Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!