Heartwarming and beautifully written, readers looking for their next feel good fictional novel will not want to pass up North of Broken & Furever Home by Holly B. Gutwillinger. This is a tug at your heartstrings novel about a woman going through a midlife crisis. Life appears to be in chaos, so when she adopts two high-needs dogs it looks like she may have taken on too much. But could it be that these two dogs are exactly what they each need?
North of Broken & Furever Home draws the eye of readers with a beautiful outdoor scene depicted on the cover. You immediately get the impression of a walking trail traversing the woods. The mind drifts as it imagines a relaxing walk in nature with a furry companion and finding peace. Trees and shrubs dot the landscape as a woman with red hair walks the path. She looks dressed for comfort in a light jacket, comfy pants, and tennis shoes. At her side is a solid black dog as her companion.
Author Gutwillinger begins the story by introducing readers to one of the main characters, Renley. Renley is a middle-age woman preparing to start her first shift at a local animal shelter. The problem she’s currently experiencing? Finding her keys. For many readers, this will make her immediately relatable. Because how many people have some how misplaced their keys and then spent more time than is convenient hunting for them? LOL! Well, that is Renley’s starting situation.
During this hunt for the elusive keys, author Gutwillinger drops in a little tidbit of information about Renley. Besides the fact that she’s a mom to two boys, and relatively happily married, she’s experienced a recent loss. The family dog, Chance, has passed away. Renley is still struggling with his passing and it shows. While some of her family are ready to move on, she’s not. But could her volunteering at the animal shelter be the unexpected “push” that she needs to open her heart to a new dog?
North of Broken & Furever Home has two main characters. We’re introduced first to Renley, a human, and then author Gutwillinger, introduces us to Sully, a puppy. When we meet Sully, he’s a homeless pup living on the streets with his mother and older brother. Author Gutwillinger gives readers some insight into the life of a pup on the streets.
If you didn’t already guess it, life is hard. Winter is setting in and with no real place to go to for shelter, Sully aka Little Dog and his family move from place to place. Hunger and cold are constant companions in addition to his family. Danger lurks all around from other dogs who don’t want them around, nature itself, and more. You’ll hope for the best when it comes to Sully, but things rarely go the way that we want them to.
North of Broken & Furever Home alternates between Renley and little Sully. Renley’s story is told from the third person, and Sully’s story is told from the first person. It’s a little strange in the beginning for the story to unfold in this manner, but as you read…you’ll discover that it works. Since Sully really can’t talk like humans, getting into his head is the next best thing.
As you learn about both Sully and Renley, you’ll begin to see that these two would be good fits for each other. Of course, Renley thinks the same way when she finally crosses paths with little Sully. This is amplified by the way that she decides on a name for him not long after helping catch him and a group of other stray dogs. You just know that some names when you discover them are the perfect fit and Sully is no exception.
Author Gutwillinger writes an engaging story that draws readers in from the beginning. It’s a mix of heartwarming and realistic. North of Broken & Furever Home is a story that will stir the emotions as Renley struggles with the various changes in her life, and then also the lack of change in other aspects. Her two sons are about to both be in college. She wants more from life with her job, and her marriage? Well, things are getting strained.
There isn’t any deep diving into Renley’s marriage and her relationship with her mother in North of Broken & Furever Home. But you get the sense that there is a story waiting there. Why is there so much drama between Renley and her mother? Does it have anything to do with the passing of her father? Or has this tension and often times resentment been there long before this?
While author Gutwillinger doesn’t delve too deeply into the inter-familial relationships it doesn’t detract from the overall storyline. We hate to admit it, but you will be left with questions concerning Renley and her familial relationships. The marital struggles and the under the surface resentment toward her mother. It would have been nice to dig deeper into this, but then the main story might have gotten derailed.
North of Broken & Furever Home is an engaging story, especially when you get on Sully’s chapters. You get to experience what he experiences. This story is more than meets the eye. What you’re expecting on the surface is a story about a woman struggling and how a couple of dogs helped change her life. But there is more to it than that.
North of Broken & Furever Home is a story that looks to educate and inform those who pick it up. Two of the dogs in the story, Cash and Sully, experience the pain of being returned to the animal shelter. Cash is classified as “high energy.” Families think he’s a great choice until…he proves to be too much of a challenge. There is no clear indicator as to whether this animal shelter is a “no kill” or not, but you get the sense that Cash only has so many chances left.
Sully on the other hand, you think for a brief time that maybe he’s found his “furever home.” But wait…isn’t he supposed to end up with Renley? Just wait, everything will unfold in the way that it is supposed to. What we do get is we get to see Sully’s experience with this family. There isn’t a lot of detail, but you’ll get the sense that this is not the “ideal” family for a dog who is more shy and cautious than he is exuberant and playful.
Eventually everything comes together in the way that it is supposed to be, but that doesn’t mean smooth sailing. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Renley still has a tough road ahead of her, and now with two high-need dogs she’s going to really be pushed. You’ll enjoy the journey of watching her discover herself, and exactly who she needs to be.
While North of Broken & Furever Home is a standalone novel we would honestly love to read more about Sully and Cash. Of course, it would also be interesting to see how Renley continues to navigate and mend her various relationships.
For those looking for a story that will tug at your heartstrings, North of Broken & Furever Home will be that book. This novel is more than a story about two dogs and a middle-aged woman helping each other heal. North of Broken & Furever Home tucks in a little lesson about adopting animals while not being preachy. It is definitely worth reading.
Pros:
- Engaging
- Heartwarming
- Realistic
- Tucks in a small bit of information about adopting an animal.
Cons:
- Doesn’t go in-depth in areas we would have liked more concerning Renley and her familial relationships.
Scribble's Worth 
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