Such a huge shame but I just couldn’t get into this. Just couldn’t get into the flow of it. Really wanted to love it but there are some excellent reviews for this so definitely give it a go.

Thank you Netgalley

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I really wanted to enjoy this as I love Kevin Bridges' stand up shows. Unfortunately this one wasn't for me.

As a big fan of Kevin as a comedian I was really curious to read his first novel. It did not disappoint at all. A very good read

Did not enjoy this book. Lazy narrative and characterisation. I was looking forward to this as I love his stand-up and storytelling but this did not translate tot he page

Kevin Bridges is regularly seen on our TV screens with his Glaswegian taken on the world, so I was excited to read his debut and I wasn’t dissapointed.

With a gritty storyline and characters to match, I raced through this! I will certainly be lookibg forward tonthe next one!

Kevin Bridges is known for his witty observations in his stand up and his descriptive skills are put to good use in his debut novel. An interesting, well woven story that makes you think that he'll have a literary career waiting for him when he decides to hang up his mic and stop touring.

The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges

Kevin Bridges is one of my favourite comedians so I was very intrigued to read his first novel after listening (online) to him talking about it at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

The main characters are Declan, who wants to be a write but is currently stacking shelves in his local supermarket and James Cavani who has made it big as an actor/director/writer but has to return to his hometown to help his troubled sister. This novel follows their story as their paths meet.

The novel is funny, particularly in details observed about the quirky characters but it isn't a light fluffy book. It deals with serious topics such as mental health and addiction and it also has a lot of heart.

I just noticed that there is an audiobook version read by a narrator with a Scottish accent which make it feel more authentic if you can't easily get the accent in your head!

Thank you to Netgalley uk, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#scottishreader #irishbookstagram

I was unsure what to expect from Kevin Bridges’ debut novel but I’ve got to say that I really enjoyed it. It was a bit gritty with really relatable characters and I liked how their stories weaved together and connected. I would definitely read more fiction by Kevin Bridges if he goes on to write more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Black Dog is set in present-day Glasgow, following Declan who dreams of making something of himself and his idol James Cavani, who has already made something of himself and is now wondering if it's all it is cracked up to be.

Kevin Bridges has made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian and grew up in Clydebank - so not technically Glasgow , but close enough to have a good understanding of the kindof lives described in this story. The are elements of humour but very much from the darker end of the spectrum, and some of the language and behaviour reflects the toxic masculinity and misogyny that can be rife in small town communities in the west of Scotland.

This is not a comedy novel by a comedian - Kevin has been candid in the past around his own struggles with mental health and his debut novel reflects this. It is a sensitive portrayal with both main characters struggling in their own ways to survive and working to find their way through the challenges they are faced with.

The story is mainly told from Declan's point of view, although we are also given some insight from James' perspective and learn they are not so very different. The author did not use chapters and instead the story is told over 6 parts, personally I feel chapters may have helped the story to flow better. I enjoyed the character development and overall the story is entertaining and engaging although I did feel it was slow in parts.

Kevin Bridges is such an underrated comic and I hope that the critics will pay him far more respect as an author and give this book the credit it deserves

I enjoyed this novel by Kevin Bridges.

Funny and set in Glasgow it was an easy read. Not as funny as I would have liked but enjoyable

There's humour, there's mystery, there's the life of normal or famous people in Glasgow . They've got dreams, they want more, they join forces as life bring them together.
I don't know Kevin Bridges but I can say he delivers an excellent novel full of black humour. Well plotted and with an interesting cast of characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

When you pick up a book by a comedian whose act is brilliantly funny, you expect it to be funny. So far so good then, but The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges is so much more!

There’s been a lot about Kevin Bridges in the press at the moment, thanks to the release of this, his debut novel, and he has been very upfront in talking about his own struggles with poor mental health, so that perhaps gives you an indication that this book features mental health very heavily as the motivation behind much of what the main characters do.

On the surface, Declan and James have little in common – they grew up in the same town, sure, but one is an internationally known writer/director/actor, and the other is cruising through college and nights in the pub. They are both at crossroads in their lives, but whether they are taking the right path remains to be seen.

I just LOVED this book – it’s written in large chunks, from each of the main characters’ points of view, rather than in shorter chapters and this works really well. There’s an openness in the characters that an alternative format might not have allowed.

I felt that the whole thing was very visual – perhaps intentionally because of James’ occupation and Declan’s ambitions – but for every bit of part 6, I could see it all being played out on screen in all its sad and hilarious glory. It’s definitely something that would work well on TV.

As I said, there is a focus on mental health, and especially the kind of poor mental health that comes out of modern life – I will leave you with the quote from the book that I felt most distilled what I’ve often tried to articulate:

“There’s too much pressure on folk nowadays to try and fully eradicate any form of sadness…”

Utterly correct and just a superb book.

A style of writing that really had me hooked! Clever, chaotic and stuffed with dark humour I can see why this is a love it or hate it book- it was right up my street though and the lack of breaks and the swears definitely didn’t scare me off. I found it surprisingly heartwarming too. A real success of a first novel!

I have laughed out loud at many video clips of Kevin Bridges and was expecting that this book would be more like his stand up material. This was actually a darker, more serious story than I expected (even though I thought the title was a reference to depression). What is clear is that the author can create characters and tell a good story. I found Cavani the more interesting character here even if Declan did grow on me in the later parts of the book. My overall honest opinion is that while there’s a decent story here it felt a bit too long and just not as funny as I had hoped. That said I won’t be surprised if we see more novels from Kevin Bridges

I wanted to love this so much, I think Kevin is hilarious in his stand up act, however this just wasn’t for me, I’m sure others will enjoy this, but not my cup of tea

The Black Dog is not the usual genre of book I would read, but I'm a big fav of Kevin Bridges so thought I would give it a go. The main character is Declan Dolan, a college student and supermarket worker, who dreams of becoming a writer, like local hero James Cavani, But following an embarassing episode at his writing class, and too much cheap vodka in an Uber, Declan starts shouting at the wrong people in the pub.

What follows is a pretty uncomfortable turn of events, with Declan ending up in hospital, but a chance meeting with James Cavani helps set him on a new path.

We also follow Cavani through his own struggles, from navigating his way through celebrity life and facing his own demons.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Black Dog. It's not an easy read at times, but you feel utterly taken in to the lives of Declan and James, and really rooting for them.

So, Kevin Bridges, one of Britain's most-loved comedians, has written a book. To be honest, I'm not really much into the current comedy circuit and have never seen, and hardly heard of him. I'd definitely not be able to pick him out in a line-up. But the synopsis did intrigue me, which is why I requested an ARC. And, to be fair, it was a thoroughly decent read to boot.
So, Declan wants to become a writer. He attends a writing course and, when we first catch up with him he is delivering a piece he has written to his fellow wannabes.
And this bit is important. The beginning is written in strong Scottish vernacular. But, apart from the odd word here and there later on in the book, that is it for that stuff. It's a bit hard work to get through - and I do advise you take yourself off somewhere private and read it aloud - but it is only the beginning that's like this.
Anyway, after delivering it, he is mortified and gets drunk and does something stupid to the wrong person in the pub which sets off a chain of events which kinda spirals out of his control.
Meanwhile we follow James, a renowned actor, writer, and director who hails from the same town as Declan. Chalk and cheese they are, but a chance meeting... well, if I told you what that sparked, that'd be spoiling things...
I have mixed emotions about this book, even a few days after finishing. It's gritty and hard hitting, but also very funny. It depicts ordinary people doing ordinary thing without ever getting boring. It contains football rivalry, gangs, drugs, and some rather authentic dialogue. Bringing the characters off the page and into life. And there's a dog who is way cool. And a cracking best friend. Both for Declan. James has a wife and troubled sister. All very normal and the like.
But I kinda hated the fact that there were no chapters which made it hard to break. There are obvious natural breaks but it still made it hard to work out reading time and when to stop.
All in all though, a good solid read that I have no hesitation in recommending. Hopefully we haven't seen the last of these characters as I also really believe they have more to give. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Poignant, provactive and with a dark humour that's just Glasgow in a nutshell!

Kevin may not be a Glasgow lad, but Clydebank's close enough, but he has managed to capture the wit, backhanded compliments and sarcasm that we're well known for. Having Kevin's voice in my head as I was reading just made it all the funnier as it was like having him read it to me. I've always known that comedians could deal with dark topics and make us all laugh but who knew that they could write such heartfelt realism!

Declan comes from the wrong side of Glasgow and as a working-class lad he doesn't have much hope for the future beyond his job at Morrisons Supermarket. Football and drugs are the usual coping methods for his contemporaries but Declan's attending college in the hopes of becoming a writer. But our lad has a dream and he's about to launch himself into a whole new world. He's about to test his friendships, and maybe make a few new ones.

James Cavani is perfect as the local boy done good, the type of fam that Declan dreams of. But he is also a warning of how fickle Hollywood can be - you're only as good as your last work. His loyalty to family and the way that he takes Declan under his wing make him a great mentor.

Kevin doesn't shy away from showing how the "Big Men" of the schemes may be hooligans and hardened criminals but even they have a kind of code of conduct and Eddie sure makes Declan's bullies feel his wrath - and all without laying a finger on them.

Doof is the kind of friend we all want but few of us get. Doof Doof is ride or die level!

Exceptionally good and Kevin now has another string to his bow. If he ever gets tired of being on the road with his comedy he can fall back on his awesome writing!

Declan dreams of becoming a writer, It's a dream that helps him escape from the realities of his life - going through the motions at college and stacking supermarket shelves part-time, whilst fighting a battle with the ever-darkening thoughts in hiss head. He has a pet labrador for companionship and his best friend - turned - mentor, a pseudo-inetllectual who works as a greenkeeper at his local municipal golf course, bith of which help keep the worst of his anxieties at bay. But following a drunken row with local gangsters, Decaln's worries threaten to spiral out of control.

Kevin Bridges is Scottish and well known for his stand up comedey. This is his debut novel.

Set in Glasgow, we follow two characters - Declan, an aspiring writer in his twenties, who lives on the rougher side of Glasgow, and James Cavani, an older man and somewhat successful actor from the same area, and I liked their character development. The story is told from Declan's point of view. This is a funny and heartwarming read. Declan has some mental health issues, but he's honest and relatable. My only critisim os that there is a lot of bad language, espically the C word. I took a star off for that reason.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Headline and the author #KevinBridges for my ARC of #TheBlack/dog in eschange for an honest review.