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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

Stay

Press Release • Listen to an audio clip • Read an excerpt • Reading group guide

Savannah “Van” Leone has loved Peter since the day they met. The problem is, Peter has loved Van’s best friend, Janie, since the moment they met. And now they’re walking down the aisle, with Van standing nearby in a Halloween orange bridesmaid dress, her smile as hollow as a jack-o-lantern. After the wedding, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool Aid-vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin-Tin-Tin, and does what any woman in her situation would do: She buys a German Shepherd over the internet.

The pocket-sized puppy Van is expecting turns out to be a clumsy, hundred-pound beast that only responds to Slovakian. Van is at the end of her rope—until she realizes that this quirky giant may be the only living being who will always be loyal to her, no matter what. And thus begins a friendship that will alter Van’s life in ways she never imagined.

Joe leads Van to Dr. Alex Brandt, a rugged vet with floppy blond hair and winning smile. But just as things are starting to heat up, the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, forcing Van to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to have everything she ever wanted. Warm and witty, poignant and funny, Stay marks the arrival of an irresistible new voice.

Book Trailer

Praise

“So sweet, so funny, so doggone delightful.” – Claire Cook, bestselling author of Best Staged Plans and Must Love Dogs

“Delightful! Both dog lovers and the pooch-free will enjoy this novel of friendship, love, and healing.” – Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of What I Did for Love 

“Feel-good debut novel…” – People Magazine

“Larkin makes writing look easy… Stay has everything a summer read needs: humor, heart — and, endearingly, buckets of dog slobber.” – The Miami Herald

“A charming tale of love, loss, discovery, and healing.” – Modern Dog

“Van provides a front row seat to some strong emotional healing. Readers can’t help but to root for Van to the very end.” – San Francisco Book Review

“It’s Gilmore Girls meets Marley & Me in this funny and compelling debut.” – Library Journal

“A charming debut…. Smart and with emotional depth, this is a cut above.” – Kirkus Reviews

“With humor and exceptional charm, Allie Larkin’s story of a heartbroken young woman and the arrival of a clumsy four-legged friend who brings new meaning to her life is simply wonderful. Stay is a treat of a novel that must be shared with every girlfriend who has ever loved and lost.” –Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

“I cannot wait to read more from Allie Larkin – an effervescent new voice in fiction. Witty, sweet, and strikingly real, Stay is for any woman who has ever experienced heartbreak or loss and needed a friend to lean on. I loved every word!” –Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of Shoe Addicts Anonymous and Hope in a Jar

“I’m madly in love with this big-hearted, charming keeper of a debut about love in all its forms, including the four-legged kind. Allie Larkin has a special and original voice.” –Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date and The Secret of Joy

“Wow! This book blew me away. Sharp. Smart. Observant. Buzzing with romance, friendship and heart. Most of all, incredibly well written. Stay is sure to become the new favorite among Emily Giffin fans. Enjoy!” –Sarah Strohmeyer, author of The Cinderella Pact and The Penny Pinchers Club

“Charming, witty, and surprisingly touching, Larkin deftly examines what it means to be family. A pleasure from start to finish, but buyer be warned: after closing the final pages of this compulsively readable novel, you might just find yourself ordering a one hundred pound German shepherd from the internet.” -Julie Buxbaum, Author of The Opposite of Love and After You

 

Foreign Covers

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Domestic
Paperback Plume
Hardcover Dutton
Audio Brilliance
Large Print Thorndike Press
Book Club Direct Brands
Foreign
Czech Republic Euromedia Group
Germany Random House Verlag
Holland House of Books
Italy Piemme
Poland Nasza Ksiegarnia
Slovenia ZALOZBA KMS

 

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allielarkinwrites

We are in the habit of starting and ending our day We are in the habit of starting and ending our days side by side in our lawn chairs, while the light rises or dims. It’s still chilly at the outer edges of the day. Sometimes Roxy shivers. I bought her a sweater, but she won’t wear it. Sometimes I try to wrap her in my jacket, but she’s not having that either, so I throw her ball and try to get her run and then she comes back to her chair, warm for a little longer. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogssittinginchairs
“I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to “I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to heaven in a split pea shell.” ~ @petermulvey43 Words Too Small to Say
Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyro Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram
I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic ant I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic antique store sometime in November and didn’t buy it. But then, of course, I kept thinking about her. She’s the perfect size for my office, and I found those drawer pulls hilarious. When I finally went back in December, I told myself I was shopping for wall art, because I assumed she would be gone. But she was right where I’d seen her last: balanced on another dresser with boxes of old picture frames and tchotchkes piled on top (the true mark of a magic antique store). I didn’t even realize she had a towel rack — that she was a wash stand, not a dresser — until I asked about the price, said I’d take her, and my favorite magic antique store person asked if we needed to unscrew the towel rack to fit her in my car. I suspect this little sweetie is not from the days of necessary wash stands so much as from a country kitchen in the 80s. She was in rough shape, and not made from wood worth stripping and re-staining, but her price reflected that. I had to disassemble that door and put it back together, but I’d been in the market for some experience working with old furniture, and she made me feel brave about trying. I thought about painting her something more neutral, but I’m so glad I didn’t. She deserves to be pink. She’s not perfectly painted and needs a few touch ups. I learned some things about chalk paint and finishes. The drawers stick a bit. Eventually, I’d like to line them with fabric and when I do, I might plane the edges to smooth things out. But goodness, I love her in a way that I wouldn’t if I hadn’t spent time cleaning away her cobwebs and scrubbing the grime from her hilarious drawer pulls. She’s also become a little shrine for the book I’m working on, which makes me love her even more. I’ve always been a person who sees some soul in certain things, and I’m learning to cherish that idiosyncrasy, because there’s so much joy to be found in a brave little toaster or an underdog wash stand. We’re not here in the world for all that long. We may as well love some bright little things. #furnituremakeover
After Roxy started stealing my seat, I dragged a s After Roxy started stealing my seat, I dragged a second lawn chair out. She nudges me over and we sit in our chairs, side by side, and watch the sun set. Well, I watch the sun set. She spies on the neighbors. #dailyroxydog #dogstagram #sundayevening
I truly don’t understand how anyone is this cute I truly don’t understand how anyone is this cute. I never get used to it. There’s no immunity. She’s adorable beyond what pictures can capture. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram #ilovemydog
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