DOGS, BOYS, AND OTHER THINGS I’VE CRIED ABOUT

Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About is the heartfelt new memoir by Isabel Klee, creator of @simonsits , where she shares her adventures fostering countless rescue dogs with her million+ TikTok followers. The author chronicles, with touching candor and poignant prose, her life as a 20-something in New York City, navigating her first job, boyfriends, and tentative first steps of adult independence - alongside the rescue dogs who share her home and heart.

Reading the synopsis, I wondered at first if I would be the right reader for this book. After all, my single days in Manhattan were well before anyone swiped right (or is it left?) - would I care about hot dates and hangovers? But then came the dogs! 🥹 Simon, Tiki, King, Toast, and more. ❤️ I soon realized what the author surely knew all along: that this book is for anyone and everyone who has felt a dog take hold of their heart and never let go.

Isabel’s foster dogs uplift, challenge, and mend her, and as readers we emerge feeling hopeful and healed, too. I also wholeheartedly enjoyed the dating stories, which brought back memories of how it felt to be so sure, and then so unsure, and finally, truly, gloriously positive what real love feels like. This was such an honest and touching read that would make a wonderful gift for a dog-loving friend, or for yourself. Download the audio, narrated by the author, and listen while you walk your dog - I guarantee you’ll smile all the way home.

Yes, I am fully aware that I project my own taste and palate onto my pup - which is why for this book I baked banana-peanut butter-pumpkin dog biscuits for Gus, basically the canine version of a cookie I’d want to eat myself. They were more challenging in some ways than I expected (very sticky dough that’s tricky to roll) and easier in others (they kept their shape very well). Click here to see if Gus liked them!