Scared Money Book

OK, I get it that characters are supposed to be flawed like the rest of us and show some kind of growth by the end of the book, but I almost did not get past the opening chapters of "Stay". Savannah, 'Van', Leone is not very sympathetic -- a foul-mouthed drunken slob who still carries a torch for her college crush who just married her best friend. Peter, the object of her crush, seems hardly worth it. He's cute and wealthy with nice manners, but is happy to follow the lures of a cushy job and nice new European car on the path laid out for him by his lawyer father and snobby heiress mother. A path that certainly wouldn't include Van, the daughter of a housekeeper. He clearly has never had an original thought or would dare consider veering away from his parents' prescribed plan. Besides that, he's never treated Van as anything but a friend. Yet he's the only guy she's ever loved. Sheesh! If that weren't irritating enough (you want to scream 'get a life!'), she consoles herself with Kool-Aid and vodka and ends up spending thousands of dollars ordering a dog online from Slovakia. I nearly tossed the book then, but I was curious about the dog (the picture of the dog on the cover being the bait that got me to pick up the book at the library in the first place). The dog Joe was definitely the redeeming factor, not just for the book, but for Van, along with the kind vet Alex. After he arrived on the scene, the book got more interesting, though predictably, and the relationships more complex. I ended up getting pulled into the story and liking Van better as she became, well, more likable. I'd probably give this book two and a half stars. Perhaps the book would have more charm for a twenty-something reader, but I found the characters' immaturity and shallow self-centeredness, although mitigated by the end, a put-off.