This was a really cute story, but I had to be in the mood to handle it. It's like eating chocolate cake (and listen, I could put away an entire cake by myself) that is SO SWEET you can't eat it all in one sitting. I tried reading this book last summer and made it about 80 pages in before giving up. I started over this year knowing what I was in for and ready to accept the teen awkward flirting, friendship drama, and adorable dogs. I think this was a well written YA contemporary novel, but I'm not sure if Matson is an author I'll seek out in the future. Contemporary is the type of genre I r e a l l y need to be in the mood for, so it's not fault of the author that this isn't my favorite. I'd give this a 3.75 rating.