Publication Date: April 24, 2022
The last place Denise wanted to land after college was back with her folks in her Podunk-nowhere hometown. With only retail experience on her resume, her writing accolades apparently mean nothing except student loan debt.
So when her parents say they’re moving to an adult living community where she’ll be sleeping on the couch, it’s the last straw. Putting her fruitless creative dreams aside, she interviews with a wealthy couple to watch their retired greyhounds. Sounds easy—until she has to win over their animal psychic and learn to cook steak for dogs. The hounds’ raucous antics only highlight how clueless she is at life as she struggles to not only control them, but the direction she’s headed.
That includes her love life. She meets Logan—hot, ambitious, a player—around the same time her twice-over ex, Alex, calls her, ready for a real relationship. Logan claims the world is her playground; Alex says everything she needs is right there. Not knowing what to do, Denise juggles dating both, falling further down an emotional rabbit hole.
Running toward a shady relationship, with retail hell looming, Denise has the summer to figure out her biggest herself.
Running with Hounds and an English Degree by D.M. Roberts is equal parts comedy and soul-searching journey for recent college graduate Denise. Filled with dreams of being a writer and just graduating with an English degree, Denise must face the real world, which unfortunately intervenes with such things as student loans and needing a place to live. This adorable book grabs your interest right at the start.
With numerous failed interviews behind her, Denise scours the internet for a job—any job—when one pops up for a dog sitter for two rambunctious greyhounds. Denise lands the gig, which leads from one hilarious adventure to another as she navigates handling the dogs while also house-sitting the couple’s mansion and expensive furnishings.
Simultaneously, Denise searches for work related to writing but with limited success. Much to her credit, Denise perseveres and continues to learn and grow while reaching out for new experiences and opportunities. While it’s an ongoing process, Denise isn’t one to give up.
Her “Fun Squad” of friends help Denise with advice, fun distractions, and even an intervention to help with her writing, but also the other dilemma Denise faces—her love life.
There’s Alex, who Denise has dated twice before and called off both times. He seems to have changed, so maybe there’s a chance . . . But then there’s Logan, who is super cool and who challenges her about her writing in ways she didn’t realize she needed. It’s one dating dilemma after another until everything comes to a climax, and Denise is left knowing, without a doubt, the right course of action.
D.M. Roberts does a wonderful job in Running with Hounds and an English Degree of bringing the woes of recent college graduates vividly to life. It’s a relatable but humorous story of searching and learning that while remaining true to oneself, there’s also the need to be open to well-meant advice and accepting the changes and challenges life brings.
It’s notable that very few characters had last names, including the main characters. It would be interesting to learn the reasoning behind that creative decision.
Running with Hounds and an English Degree is a winsomely fun read packed with humorous antics with the dogs but balanced with the seriousness of coming to terms with being an adult while still reaching for your dream. 
D.M. Roberts is a full-time copy editor and weekend writer who self-published her first novel, Letting Go and Holding On in 2011. Her second novel, Running with Hounds and an English Degree, was released in April 2022. Originally from Adams, MA, Roberts worked as a reporter and columnist for her hometown newspaper before moving to Worcester to be a copy editor for Gatehouse Media. When the company announced their plans to move, her boyfriend landed a position at Chapman University in Orange, CA, starting two weeks after her last day. So she embarked on a six-day cross-country road trip to reach their SoCal home. There, she works on whatever ideas pop into her head.
