I’m always hearing that it’s hard to say no, but I actually don’t think that’s the case. Of course, I wouldn’t be totally judgmental if a friend couldn’t refuse drugs, but it will definitely disappoint me that they can’t stop being peer pressured. Natalie is funny and charming, and I like she’s able to say no to drugs, because that’s a character trait I look for when I find new friends. Soon, Natalie is falling for him, but liking Carver comes with things that Natalie might not be prepared to handle-like breaking free from her mother and herself.Īt first, I didn’t think it was that bad. Natalie doesn’t want to like Carver, especially since he nearly killed her dog when they were little, and he’s now taken over her dream-room (the one above the garage) but Carver’s friendliness and unexpected personality soon changes her opinions. When summer starts, her mother informs her that her best friend’s son will be staying with them for awhile so he can get some hands-on activity with the dogs at their store. To get what she wants, she has to make up lies and hope her mother never finds out. Natalie Kaplan’s like a dog on a very tight leash and her owner is her mother. The storyline relates to Jennifer Ziegler’s book about a mother who wants to control their daughter’s lives and the subject of dogs, but that’s as far as they get.

Despite my anticipations when it came to reading this book-as I had been greatly influenced by the previous doggie-related book, Alpha Dog-I am very disappointed about how this book turned out.

Stray by Stacey Goldblatt