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    House Trained
    House Trained
    House Trained
    Audiobook8 hours

    House Trained

    Written by Jackie Bouchard

    Narrated by Justine Eyre

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Alex Halstad, a childless-by-choice interior designer and dog mom, is a true perfectionist. But her orderly life turns chaotic when the teenage daughter her husband, Barry, never knew he had shows up on their doorstep...with a baby girl of her own in tow. While Alex’s dog enthusiastically welcomes the new arrivals, Alex struggles with the loss of her steady routine. She desperately needs peace and quiet to get her business back on track before Barry finds out she’s spent most of their savings. Meanwhile, the arrival of the girls stirs up old insecurities, and Alex can’t help but worry that Barry’s ex will make an entrance too. With her tidy life a distant memory, will Alex be able to learn from her dog the true meaning of love and acceptance?

    From bestselling author Jackie Bouchard comes a humorous and heartwarming look at how life creates opportunities to love in surprising ways.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateOct 20, 2015
    ISBN9781501276101
    House Trained
    Author

    Jackie Bouchard

    Jackie Bouchard, a USA Today bestselling author, writes what she calls Fido-friendly fiction: humorous and heartwarming stories about women and the dogs that profoundly impact their lives. Bouchard has lived in Southern California, Canada, and Bermuda and now lives in San Diego with her husband and dog. Her novels include What the Dog Ate, House Trained, and Rescue Me, Maybe. For more information, visit www.jackiebouchard.com.

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    Reviews for House Trained

    4/5

    8 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I just finished reading House Trained by Jackie Bouchard. Alexandra “Alex” Halstad is an interior designer married to Barry. They live in Santa Barbara, California. Barry has been saving for a car (he does not believe in debt), but Alex has been borrowing the money to keep her business afloat (without telling Barry). She has also racked up a load of debt on her credit cards (without telling her husband). Barry and Alex do not have children and they never wanted them. They are very content with the just their dog, Marie. Then Barry comes home one day after being away on a business trip to tell his wife important news. It turns out that Barry has an eighteen year old daughter that he never knew about. Her name is Marie (just like their dog). Marie did not know that her father was alive. Her mother, Jade told Marie that her father was deceased. When Marie was looking for schools, she discovered that her father was very much alive (and nearby). Marie comes over for dinner to meet Alex and spend more time with Barry. Marie shows up with a fifteen month old daughter named Ruthie. Marie (the daughter, not the dog) wants to spend the summer before college with Barry. She wants to get to know her father. Without her mother’s support (and she is not giving it), Marie cannot afford to live by herself. Marie asks if she can live with Barry and Alex. Alex is less than thrilled. She has a beautiful home and can just imagine what a child will do to it. Barry, though, wants her to stay. Alex reluctantly agrees (she has no idea what is in store for her this summer). Things are about to change for Barry and Alex. They are in for a life changing summer.House Trained was a good book (if you can get past the first chapter). I was not sure I would enjoy the story (the first couple of pages had me wondering), but I was drawn in. I was curious to see how everything would turn out for Marie, Ruthie, Alex, and Barry. House Trained was an interesting story and well-written. I liked the characters and the storyline. House Trained shows that you never know what life has in store for you and a person is never too old to change or adapt. I give House Trained 4.25 out of 5 stars. I received a complimentary copy of House Trained from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Alex, and interior designer, and Barry, a senior member of the university research library staff at the nearby university, are childless by choice and living the life they want with their labradoodle, Marie (named after Marie Curie, Barry’s favorite scientist). In comes Barry’s college age daughter, whom her never knew he had, from a relationship years ago and her 15-month old daughter. The daughter, Wren, and her daughter, Ruthie, manage to convince Alex and Barry to let her and Ruthie live with them for the summer until her friend arrives for college and they can move into their apartment. Once that happens, everything goes quickly into a tailspin, as everything--the house, their jobs, etc.--must be adjusted to this new living arrangement. In the first place, both Barry and Alex need to adjust to the fact that Wren and Ruthie exist and have arrived, no small feat. After they move in, things become a little bit difficult for Alex and Barry, who are not used to having a long-term guest with a baby in tow. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fantastic read. Of course, I love dogs, so that helped. The characters are all well developed and realistic. However, there are two real stars among them: Ruthie, the baby, and Marie, the dog. I loved cute-as-a-button Ruthie, but, for me, Marie, the labradoodle, stole the show. This book is equally as fabulous as the other one I have read by the same author, Rescue Me, Maybe. In fact, I have difficulty deciding which I prefer. The antics of the dogs in both books are endearing. The plots, storyline and endings are both fantastic. This author has quickly become one of my favorites. Her style, her writing, her plots, her characters, but mostly her dogs, pulled me in from the start. This is a must-read for any dog lover or for anyone looking for a real feel-good story to sit back with your favorite beverage, to enjoy over a lazy afternoon or weekend. I am sure you will love it as much as I did. I only hope there will be more books like this one or the other to come. After reading this one, I think it can easily become a series starring the labradoodle Marie. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.