"Little Lola’s Dog Walking Service" by Chris M. Yates

A YA novel with a morbidly quirky sense of humor, written by my buddy, Chris.

The author is a good friend of mine. I’ve eaten enough sushi with him to say that with confidence. And I’ve read his previous (and much darker) self-published books works. But Little Lola’s Dog Walking Service shows a different side of his writing: heartfelt, funny, and full of unexpected charm. The premise alone is worth the price of admission: eleven-year-old Lola starts a dog-walking business so she can raise money to pay a psychic to help her talk to her dead dad...so she can ask him how to get her mom to break up with her new boyfriend. I think that’s a story worth following.

Originally sparked during one of our NaNoWriMo writing sprints, it’s fun to see this idea fully realized. Whether or not Chris was aiming for "cute," that’s what this YA novel is. It’s also offbeat, tender, and surprisingly grounded for a book that involves psychics, grief, and therapy sessions.

READ IT IF: You want a fun, quirky, unexpected novel with an off-beat protagonist. Do yourself (and Chris) a favor and buy a copy here.