#all bite

All Bite is everything I was told it was. Light, easy reading with enjoyable characters, an interesting but casual plot, and a solid, real-world feel to it if the real world was slightly better written than it actually is. 

I read the whole book in one sitting, if you don’t count a few minutes to go jump in the ocean as a real break. April, the main character, is immediately likable. Her and her roommate, Jennifer, are two young women trying to make a life in Chicago, and they both come off as charming and down to earth. Even Jennifer, the more fanciful of the two, usually acts that way just to bother April. They have an easy-going friendship built on similar circumstances and likes, and they’re very easy to read about.

Also, this book is full of dogs. Every one of them is knowingly detailed, with individual personalities and quirks and, like their human counterparts, always enough interesting about them to make them easy to read about. Also... cute dogs. Like. Right? 

It’s a mystery novel. Not a ‘keep you up at night and make you worry’ kind of mystery, but one that piques your interest and keeps you guessing. It also has a light sprinkle of romance. Now, those of you who know me are aware how much romance can make of break a book with me. It’s so easy to make it trite and painful to read.

But there’s no central romantic plot. Just a hint, a little flavouring. It’s done in a completely believable way, and I honestly thought it was pretty cute when I read it. Real-life cute, not ‘oh that’s so romaaaaaantic’, but the kind of cute when your friend tells you about someone they’re talking to that they’re really excited about. It’s genuinely sweet.

The ending is very stereotypical. Is that a critique? No, actually. I could see the tropes in play, but here they actually made sense for once. It was nice to see tools being used for their actual purpose! It was a satisfying ending, and I felt happy when I closed the book. I spent the afternoon reading on the beach and it was an unfailingly lovely time.

All Bite is pleasant, easy to sit down with and comfortable. The mystery is enough to keep you guessing, the consequences are surprisingly realistic, the characters are amiable and welcoming and it has cute fucking dogs. What more do I need to tell you.

My only complaint? The book should probably be numbered. It’s the first of the series and I can guarantee someone is going to pick up Hot Diggity Dog before it.