Lost & Found – Jacqueline Sheehan
Genre: Adult Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
304 pages
ISBN: 9780061128646
Source: Bookstore
Psychologists are just like everyone else.
This is the lesson Rocky, a college therapist, is unlucky enough to learn when her husband drops dead of a heart attack in their bathroom, one morning. All of her textbooks and all of her counseling of others come up to a big fat zero when it comes to her own grief management.
Her only plan of action is to move out of town for a year of paid (and forcefully suggested by her boss) leave. She packs up for Peak’s Island off the coast of Maine and picks up a temporary position with the island’s animal control. She begins to carve out a new identity, running from the sorrow that has such a grip on her heart.
Like all good escape plans, however, life just gets in the way. An oversized black lab, a strange archery teacher, a teenager with issues of her own and an older neighbor with a bizarre way of looking at the world, surround Rocky’s existence and in one way or another, refuse to let her sink into herself.
It’s a sweet, sad story that has many points of hitting rock bottom but it does bounce back to a happier medium by the end, leaving a pleasant feeling after the storm.
I love a good dog story, especially when dog and person are able to mutually rescue each other. Sheehan is a great story-teller and really taps into several areas of psychology with an authentic voice that shows her background in the field. Though there are hard parts (those who have a past with eating disorders should be warned that there is a significant amount of time dedicated to the subject) the overall book would make a great, snuggly beach read, especially if you have a furry friend in your life.
This is also part of my monthlong obsession promotion of Back in Black, a campaign to help the least likely to be adopted dogs and cats in community shelters. Check the website for upcoming events near you!
Iwriteinbooks's Blog 
Oh yes, we are covered in fur down here. And my daughter and I do volunteer at an animal shelter, and we passionately support and believe in it. I need to read this book. If I had a crisis, it sounds exactly the kind of thing I would do.
I love animal books that don’t make me cry, and it sounds like this one might fit that bill. It sounds like a great read, and one that I might not have looked twice at. But having read your review, and seeing how much you loved it, it goes on the list. I bet this would make for a perfect summer read.
I love dog books too and I am sure I will like this too. I am adding this to my TBR 🙂