old dog, new tricks, old business, new love

Cora Lewis has spent the last 3 years working with her grandfather at Happy Paws. It meant that she had to table her dream of graduate school to study fashion, but it was worth it. She had moved in with her grandparents when she was 16, and now it was just Pop running the store. Well, him and the three rescue dogs, Cholula, Cap, and Boris. Things at the store were tight, but they were getting by. And fall is coming, so Cora can make some extra money for them sewing dog costumes they can sell.

But then someone moved into the empty storefront across the street from Happy Paws. The new signs said Canine King, and when Cora looked again, she knew exactly who it was moving in. Leo Salinger had been a year ahead of her in school, but he was also the guy at the dog park that morning who had not leashed his dog Tilly, and Tilly had run off with Cholula while Cora tried to catch her and keep the other two dogs under control at the same time. Now he’s opening a brand new store across the street, with slick marketing, and she and Pop were going to have to work even harder just to stay afloat.

To try to earn more money, and as an aside to all that is stressing her out, Cora posts on the Living History Illinois online board offering to make historical costumes for anyone needing one. The new moderator, AlCaponesGhost25, flagged her post, telling her she couldn’t advertise her business there. Cora replied as SingerQueen, her online handle, and said she wasn’t a company, just a person, and her posts had never been flagged before. AlCaponesGhost25 apologized and let her post stand, and then he asked her a riddle.

They traded riddles for a while, which helped Cora keep her sanity, especially when her grandfather falls down the stairs and Cora has to take over the store herself while he’s recovering in rehab. She watches as Leo posts online and draws customers into his store. Cora tries to up her game, rearranging the store and adding social media accounts. But she’s still going to need an infusion of cash to keep the store afloat. And that’s when she sees the flyer from the dog show.

Winter Fest’s Amateur Dog Show has been running for years, but this is the first year Cora knew of that the prize money is $15,000. Winning that would help keep Happy Paws going, and maybe she could get back to her fashion dreams. But when she goes to train her trio of rescue dogs, she finds out that Leo is training Tilly for the dog show too. But as they train together, Cora finds out that Leo might not be who she thought he was, and he too had good reasons for needing that prize money too. If she risks everything to win the dog show, will Cora be hurting the man she’s come to love?

Worst in Show is a sweet rom com in the style of the movies we all love. There are funny moments with the dogs and touching moments with family. Between the in-person pet store competition and the online riddles and flirting (you had to know AlCaponesGhost25 was Leo), there is lots of chemistry brewing between these two characters, and lots of reasons to root for them to get together.

I really enjoyed the time I spent with Cora and Leo. There were lots of charming scenes and adorable dogs. Watching Cora and Leo navigate the challenges in front of them was compelling, and see the sparks fly between them was everything. I loved Worst in Show, and I think all dog-loving rom com fans will find their tails wagging along with this story.

Egalleys for Worst in Show were provided by Forever through NetGalley, with many thanks.