This was a fun, entertaining read. I was really excited by the premise and the cover, but unfortunately, the result didn't really deliver on the promise of the premise for me. Ruby Taylor is a former pageant queen turned nursing home assistant who decides to fulfill the dying wish (she's not really dying) of one of the seniors in the nursing home where she works: get her scruffy, stubborn, disobedient mutt-but-mostly-golden-retriever Wheezy to win the local dog show. On embarking upon this new mission, Ruby meets twins Spencer and Caleb, and while Caleb is the popular twin, Spencer ends up being the antagonist/lover for Ruby. Spencer is the one who started the dog show and is one of the judges, and Caleb is a dog trainer. Feeling desperate when Wheezy refuses to make any headway on training, Ruby hires Caleb to help her, and since Caleb currently lives with his twin brother, she ends up getting closer to Spencer as well, who may be getting more than he bargained for from this past pageant queen: an actual human person!

I really liked the antagonists to lovers set up, I appreciated that it was relatively low angst, and I LOVE the grump/sunshine dynamic. The true highlight for me was the side characters. I loved Wheezy first and foremost. As a person who has had multiple golden retrievers since they're our traditional family dog, I fell for him. Hard. Spencer's business party turned Ruby's new friend Eva was also really great, and her whole little family was super cute. (Though I felt like describing her as "topaz-skinned" was lowkey racist...?) I also really loved Mrs. Orson, Wheezy's owner and peak "feisty older broad" energy. She has an erotic book club (books vetoed if no pegging involved, alright grandmas!) and consumes edibles with her friends. Which, goals. Spencer's brother Caleb has a storyline I don't think I've seen in a romance before. It was really interesting, and I always appreciate a romance that addresses serious topics because relationships have to address serious topics. While Caleb's not the focus (and shouldn't be, it's not his story), it didn't really feel like there was enough time to properly address that serious of a topic along with all of the other things that were included in the book. I did enjoy that it was relatively low angst, which is a plus for me.

That said, most of this really didn't end up working for me. Most importantly, I never felt the chemistry between Ruby and Spencer, which is pretty dang important for a romance. There's a steamy scene where they first act upon their feelings for each other (and honestly, it's pretty hot mutual-but-across-the-room self-satisfaction scene) but it seemed to come completely out of nowhere. I just didn't really buy the relationship or development between their two characters. And while that first scene was pretty hot, everything after that was pretty low-steam, including a near fade-to-black when we got to the big one...For me, the book didn't do a great job of unpacking Ruby's past with pageants, and the expectations of what pageant girls are. Spencer has a lightbulb moment that's like, "huh, I guess she's not just a beautiful dummy," but doesn't really seem to interrogate or apply that to his understanding of pageants and those who participate in them writ large. It was more of a sense of "she's not like other hot girls" tone. That felt like a missed opportunity. Along with that, I think there could definitely be some triggering body talk when it comes to Ruby's past with pageants, and especially her mother's continued commitment to punishing diet culture. Overall, I don't think this one will stick with me much, but I'm sure there will be readers who love it!