Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried about: A Memoir
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From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it.
A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she got her chance, ditching her college upstate and moving into a grungy basement apartment in Manhattan. Dog-obsessed since childhood, her first post-grad job was becoming an assistant to a dog photographer, and something clicked into place: a career focused on helping dogs was the new dream.
Isabel quickly found a passion for rehabilitating rescue dogs and helping them get adopted. At the same time, she was caught up in a whirlwind of friendships, parties, fickle boyfriends and grand romances, which she recounts in honest, tender, and sometimes devastating chapters about the search for love and belonging.
Isabel's first true love, though, was Simon, a fluffy puppy who'd been saved from the meat trade. As the highs and lows of her twenties hit Isabel in wave after wave, it was Simon who kept her grounded. Together, Isabel and Simon created a community of dog-lovers and a tight-knit group of friends pursuing their dreams.
In this honest and moving memoir, Isabel weaves together the stories of her foster dogs--and the challenges she helped them overcome--with tales of complicated relationships, hard decisions, and great loves in New York City, all leading to a happy ending not only for the rescue pups, but for Isabel herself.
Book Details
- ISBN
- 9780063451070
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Isabel Klee
- Publisher
- William Morrow & Company
- Published Date
- April 28, 2026
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 288
- Physical Info
- 1.1 in H x 8.4 in L x 5.7 in W
This book is for anyone who has ever felt deeply, been confused, made mistakes, known sorrow, felt joy, fallen in love with a person, and—most importantly—been fortunate enough to have known the love of a dog.
I knew from the very first page that this book was going to undo me in the best way.Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About opens with a dedication “for the dog you got in your twenties,” and I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so immediately seen by a book. For anyone who has had that one dog…the one who carried you through heartbreak, apartments, loneliness, first dates, bad days, new chapters, and the long, strange work of becoming yourself …this book understands.After losing my Delilah, words about dogs hit differently. There is a kind of grief that only people who have loved a dog like family can understand. They are never “just dogs.” They are witnesses. Anchors. Soulmates. Tiny, stubborn, perfect pieces of home. Reading that first page made my heart ache, but it also made me feel so happy…happy that this kind of love was captured so beautifully, honestly, and tenderly.And beyond the grief, there is so much life in these pages. Isabel writes with humor, vulnerability, sharpness, and heart. She manages to make you laugh, cry, remember who you were, and feel grateful for every version of yourself you survived. This book is for the girls who grew up alongside their dogs, made questionable choices, loved deeply, lost painfully, and kept going anyway.I am so incredibly proud of Isabel. This book feels like a love letter to growing up, to friendship, to heartbreak, to dogs, and to the messy, beautiful tenderness of being human. It made me miss Delilah, but it also made me feel close to her. And that is a very rare kind of gift.Five stars, through tears.
Relatable, heartfelt and easy to fly through the book but you won’t want to because you’ll want to stay with the story longer!
Such a wonderful encapsulation of being a woman in her 20s in New York while also weaving in the incredible work Isabel has done rehabilitating rescue dogs, beautifully written, with vivid detail and a raw honestly that doesn’t come easily nowadays
I pre-ordered this book and I was a little bit concerned that it wouldn't live up to my expectations from following Isabel on Instagram. Boy was I wrong! The writing is so good, the story is so compelling, I couldn't put it down.
I can’t really review the book because I haven’t read it. It arrived and I immediately gave it to my daughter in law after seeing the fine print. It’s too small for my old eyes to read. Guess I will stick with my kindle from now on.
The best book I've read in a long time!! What a stunningly beautiful memoir about love, loss, dogs, and most importantly, resilience. I can only hope this is the first of many Isabel Klee books. 10/10
Finished in only 2 days. Extremely well written and while a memoir, anyone can relate to it, especially those who found their soul dog or human soulmate.
Her memoir was beautifully written. The timeline seemed off, but it’s not my life so how would I know. Made me laugh, cry and I could feel her anxiety through the pages.
Isabel Keen has accomplished amazing things with foster pups and kittens. She lives a lifestyle that truly embraces caring for others. Her book shares the highs and lows that dogs, boys and life bring about. Tiki’s story was where I first caught up with her story on TikTok. I am inspired by her and Mr. Isabel that their lives are intertwined with giving a voice to those who don’t have one.
Without sounding *too* much like a stalker, we've been following Isabel's @Simonsits account on Instagram for several years now where her insights into fostering have been very touching and you can't help rooting for the dogs to thrive. Most of the foster dogs are also followed, because everyone needs a good pup story in their Instagram feed at least once a day.A quick read, this autobiography gives a little more information on what was going on behind the scenes. A very honest and frank story about, you guessed it, Dogs and boys and living in New York. Even though I was already familiar with some of the characters it was great to find out a little more back story and be reminded of some of the events and characters that she has shared over the years. Dealing with love, emotions, the cutest of dogs (how does she not keep them all) their mix of stories are spread through the book. The highs and the lows are honestly documented in an emotional read and followers will feel like they are following along with Isabel's life. No spoiler, but Jacob is totally a keeper!The only thing I would have liked to have seen is a link to the social media pages of the dogs so readers can follow along in the life stories of these larger than life main characters in the book although you can always follow SimonSits and keep up to date that way.Speaking of Simon - he is such a good foster dog for the other pups
Prepare to laugh and cry! Ordered this book but since I was traveling I listened to the audiobook read by the author and couldn’t resist binging it. I’m well above the author’s age but her themes of finding yourself as a woman and navigating the world before, during and after Covid in NYC resonated with me as well. I’ve always believed dogs have so much to teach us and her tales of each foster dog she healed with her love and devotion was truly validating and inspiring. A gifted writer Isabel makes us feel like we’re a friend learning, living, laughing and crying along with her. Her story will stay with me in the best possible way for a lifetime.
This was such a great book. Intertwined with Isabel falling in love with herself were stories of the rescues who taught her about love. And the boys she cried over, along with the boy who let didn’t get away when she needed to heal herself. Anyone who follows Isabel on social media knows she is a beautiful writer. I wish I could put into words how wonderful it was to be able to read this book full of her beautiful words.
What a beautifully written book. Cried so much and read in several hours nonstop. Love Isabel and all her fosters and everyone needs a Simon
What can't Isabel do? She can heal broken dogs, she can make you care, she can look gorgeous in Oscar de la Renta, and she can write! Boy can she write! Her story telling is easy and readable and relatable. The way she weaves her own growth journey with her dogs is perfect. Great read and I hope the first of many books from her!
How did Isabel Klee become a beloved dog rescue influencer, survive her twenties and heal from her anxiety and trauma? A memoir that reminded me how we need friends, pets and family to live a healthy life. Angst, joy, tears and more.
I follow Isabel on Instagram but only for maybe the past couple years so I had no idea how she got Simon (her dog) or how she met Jacob (her fiance ). This book was about both of those things but also so so much more. Her love affair with NYC and coming of age there really …surviving the pandemic there and falling in love and pursuing her passion of helping dogs. I definitely laughed and cried and cheered her on throughout the book!
I have been anxiously awaiting this book. But it was beyond my expectations. I loved reading about Isabel’s life, how she decided to rescue, and her history with Simon. But Isabel’s story transcends just her life and so deeply connected with me. Her journey to self discovery and the lessons and joys dogs contributed to that. It struck deep in my heart and was far more moving than I expected. I could not put it down and it is one of those books that will stick with me far after having finished the book.
I have adored Isabel from the moment I found her on social media. I am infinitely inspired by her and getting to finally read her story has been such a joy. What an incredible women.
I’ve been waiting for this book for months and I finally got to read it and loved it. Make sure you have tissues. I had to put the book down because I was crying so hard I couldn’t see the words. Very well written.
