Alpha Dog by Jennifer Ziegler

Seventeen-year-old Katie isn’t used to being in control. Her mother drives her crazy with her constant criticism and advice, and her boyfriend of two years just destroyed her whole world by dumping her on her birthday. It’s just as well that Katie’s headed to a summer program at the University of Texas in Austin — at least there she can get over Chuck at her own pace. But Austin holds its own challenges — like Christine, a cooler-than-thou roommate whose rocker boyfriend is permanently camped out on the couch. When Christine drags Katie to the city pound to check out a potential pet, it’s Katie who’s mesmerized by a pair of brown doggie eyes. Before she can think it through, she’s standing out on the curb with her adorable new dog, Seamus.

There’s only one problem: Seamus is a holy terror. He chews up the apartment, barks maniacally, terrorizes their landlady’s cat, and seems destined to keep the cutest guy in their building at arm’s length. When Katie takes Seamus in for obedience training, she’s told, “You have to be the alpha dog.”

The alpha dog. The head of the pack. Katie has never wielded that much power before, but she finds that being top dog can be addictive. Soon she’s acting the alpha dog in every phase of her life … and nothing will ever be the same.

Oh, jeez. This novel was laugh-out-loud funny without a doubt. I couldn't stop laughing in several parts. Seamus, the dog, was so hilarious. The writing was awesome. I loved the setting of the novel. I loved the dog, I loved most of the characters. It was overall a completely fabulous novel.

The one thing I had a problem with is Katie's character. She was a bit whiny, yes. and she was kind of immature. It was a bit annoying. But at some parts it didn't matter because from what her life was like and not used to being the boss to something I sort of saw where she was coming from, but it was still annoying.

But, I did have trouble holding in my laughs while I was reading in the middle of the night. I almost burst out laughing, threatning to wake my parents up, a ton of times. It was just to humorous. I would recommend this novel to anyone wanting a great laugh. It will be sure to cheer you up.

~Kelsey