The Dog Sitter
- Judith D Collins
- May 19
- 13 min read
ISBN: 9780998285122
Publisher: Fine Line Publishing
Publication Date: 05/19/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars
THE DOG SITTER is a feel-good romp that follows one woman’s unexpected self-discovery when she takes a 30-day dog sitting job in NYC despite not being a dog person (or a people person, frankly).
Freshly divorced, newly evicted, and suddenly strapped, Colleen Fitzroy has no choice but to work for former boss, Massimo Locatelli, the sexist editor of Savor Magazine, dog sitting his precious Aldo while he decamps to Italy. It may be the perfect job. With Massimo out of town, she’ll be completely on her own.
That’s until an endless cast of New Yorkers—who all possess a key to Massimo’s apartment—appear daily. As Colleen fields random strangers and Aldo’s separation anxiety, Massimo notes her pluck. He taps her for his truffle venture, which plunges her into Manhattan’s rarefied restaurant world and triggers a shameful secret—forcing Colleen to decide where her obligations lie. A self-reckoning may be inescapable when she learns—from a dog—what it means to be human.
With humor and heart, THE DOG SITTER is an irresistible portrayal of one woman’s serendipitous awakening, proving it’s never too late to start living authentically.
For fans of Steven Rowley’s THE GUNCLE & Allison Espach’s THE WEDDING PEOPLE.
About the Author
Eva Lesko Natiello is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, speaker, and publishing consultant. The author of bestselling, The Memory Box and Following You with upcoming novel, THE DOG SITTER, May 19, 2026. She is hard at work on her next novel.
She is a native New Yorker, who, by transplanting to suburban New Jersey, unwittingly conceived my first novel, THE MEMORY BOX. My articles and essays have appeared in the HuffPost, New Jersey Monthly, Martha’s Vineyard Magazine, Medium, among others. She is a member of The Author’s Guild and International Thriller Writers. Eva is a native of Yonkers, NY and currently lives in suburban New Jersey with her family.
Connect with Eva:
Exceptional Authors,
Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
BEHIND THE BOOK AND THE AUTHOR
Welcome Eva!Welcome to the May 2026 #LiftLiftMiniAuthorChats, part of the #AuthorElevatorSeries. Today, we are thrilled to have with us a long-time fan favorite, New York Times bestselling author Eva Lesko Natiello, known for her works "The Memory Box" and "Following You." She will be discussing her upcoming delightful novel, "The Dog Sitter." Get ready for a fun and lively conversation! THE DOG SITTER is on sale May 19, 2026 and will be available in all formats wherever books are sold!
Highlights...
Versatility: "I’ve read everything Eva’s written, but The Dog Sitter is the sharp, wry, feel-good romp I didn't know I needed. It’s a total Lit-Lift for your TBR!"
The Italy Connection: "Pack your bags (mentally!) for Porto Venere. This book is a masterclass in setting, bridging the gap between NYC hustle and Italian coastal magic."
Ready for the ride? ...
The Lobby: "Going up! We’re riding along with Eva Lesko Natiello to talk truffles, New York attitude, and her latest genre-bend, The Dog Sitter."
The Floor 10 Hook: "One woman, one high-maintenance dog, and a 30-day countdown to a midlife awakening. Is Colleen Fitzroy ready for the ride?"
The Penthouse: "From the grit of Manhattan to the sun-soaked shores of Porto Venere—we’re hitting the top floor of contemporary fiction."
Questions...
"Ever wondered what a thriller writer dreams up when she turns to comedy? Catch my #LitLiftMiniAuthorChat with @EvaLeskoNatiello to find out!"
"What do a truffle dog, a divorcee, and the Italian coast have in common? They’re all in the elevator with us today
Welcome Eva!
Behind the Book
Q. Give us your best ELEVATOR PITCH for THE DOG SITTER.
The Dog Sitter is a feel-good romp about a woman whose life has gone sideways, forcing her to take a 30-day dog sitting job in New York City despite not being a dog person (or a people person, frankly), in this irreverent story about starting over.
Eva Lesko Natiello's The Dog Sitter: "A delightfully offbeat midlife awakening that proves you don’t need to own a dog to capture the high-maintenance chaos of starting over."
Q. DESCRIBE your novel in three words.
Witty, feel-good, irreverent
Q. TOPICS: Name 1-3 topics or themes addressed in the novel?
Mid-life self-discovery, Starting over, The unique ways dogs and humans connect
Fangirl: "Eva’s fans have been loyal since day one. Whether she’s writing dark psychological tension or this propulsive new contemporary style, her signature sharp wit is the thread that keeps us all hooked."
Q. SETTING(s): Place, timeline (s), season, time period, etc. where the book is set and why selected.
There are two settings. The Upper West Side in NYC and the western Italian coastal town of Porto Venere.
Most of the scenes happen in NYC. The season is autumn (my favorite in New York). I chose this setting for a few reasons. It’s a place people often go when they need/want to start over. Ironically, in a city with a population of over 8 million people living in close proximity, one can be anonymous there. Many people think they can “hide” in New York, that they can keep to themselves and not interact with others. But New York has other ideas. It’s also a place where anything can happen. And some of the most unbelievable, inconceivable things can happen! Absurd stuff. Believe me, I lived and worked there for many years and have seen some things.
The Character Hook: "Colleen might claim she's not a 'people person,' but the way she handles Massimo, Aldo, and the Italian coast makes her the most relatable protagonist of the year."
Q. DID YOU KNOW? Name 3-5 things that readers may, (or may not know) about your book, or are not included in the book.
Many readers are surprised to learn I don’t have a dog! It surprised me to discover that despite that, each of my books feature a dog in a pivotal role! I don’t know what to say about that.
I had so much fun writing this book. I loved writing Nicholas because he finds and focuses on the best parts of people, and that’s the way he chooses to live and see others around him. I loved writing Massi. I’ve had bosses like him over the years, people who have so much power that they never get called out on their bad behavior. Enter Colleen! I had fun poking fun at him through her. And kudos to Massi for coming around to recognizing that in himself! We didn’t get a lot of Tad, but he was also a lot of fun to write. I’ve worked with many Tads. And of course, Colleen, which I’m hoping came through on the page.
My favorite scenes: the interview, the first Stella scene in the middle of the night, the cruise commercial audition, the scene with Colleen and Aldo in the bathtub, the scene with Colleen and Nicholas in the bathroom, Massi after his bubble bath (hey, wait a sec—there’s a lot happening in the bathroom in this book!) Colleen at the police station was one of my favorites—I guess I have a lot of favorite scenes! Of course, the final scene when we see how Colleen will move forward in her life.
Savor Magazine is based on Bon Appetit Magazine—a yearly subscription to which I’ve received for many years as a gift from my aunt. When my kids were young, we’d read each new issue together from front to back, dog-earring the recipes we’d want to try and laughing at articles that offered advice like “keep ice-cream cold in the freezer”!
It’s funny how I often don’t know what the book is about (about—about) until much later in the process. Sometimes after it’s been written, or even months after it’s been published (like with my first book, The Memory Box). Only a few months ago I realized this about The Dog Sitter: This book will appeal to anyone who's put their dreams on hold—for people or circumstance—only to one day discover they've lost the thread of their own life.
The "No-Dog" Irony: "She doesn’t own a dog, but she captured the chaos of Aldo so perfectly I almost checked my own carpet for muddy paw prints."
Behind the Author
Q. DID YOU KNOW? Name 3-5 things that readers may, (or may not know) about YOU, the author.
I lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for many years and would take my toddlers to Fairway’s cafe for their incredible pancakes with blueberry compote—the thinnest, tallest stack—divine! We also were regulars at Patsy’s pizza.
When I graduated from college (six months early because I could not handle the winters in Albany) I moved to the Bahamas and worked at Club Med as a singer. I bopped around the islands for a while until I got it “out of my system” (like that’s even possible) and moved back to NY. Though many of my friends know this story, they often conflate working in the Caribbean (on actual land), with working on a cruise ship. So Colleen’s working on a cruise ship is an inside joke to myself since I’m sure my friends will read The Dog Sitter and say, “Yeah, Eva worked on a cruise ship!” Please note: I did not, however, ever work on a ship.
When I was doing research for the book, I frequented the Upper West Side (I now live in NJ) and bought Levain cookies every chance I could “for the book,” obviously.
When I lived in New York, every morning I’d walk from the Upper West Side to my office at the GM Building on 5th Ave and 59th Street. This was when I still worked in the cosmetics industry. It was a fantastic way to start the day. There were a couple of scenes in Central Park that were cut from the book, but one that remains is the hot dog cart scene. Yes, it’s true that I used to eat 2 hot dogs with sauerkraut and mustard and a dark chocolate Dove Bar for lunch on the work days I wasn’t taking beauty editors to lunch at fancy restaurants. I’d buy my lunch at carts in Central Park, which was right across the street from my office. Those days are sadly over.
Genre-Bending: "I’ve been following Eva since her debut, and while she might be keeping some secrets (looking at you, Memory Box fans!), The Dog Sitter proves she can master any genre she touches."
Q. BOOK REC: A book you would recommend.
I love books set in New York City. These are a few of my all-time faves: Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny, Heartburn by Nora Ephron.
"Before she was a New York Times bestseller, she had a "short but cherished" stint as a resort singer in the Caribbean! This makes her transition to a "feel-good romp" like The Dog Sitter even more fitting—she’s always known how to entertain a crowd."
Q. ELEVATOR: If you were stuck in an elevator with someone, who would you want it to be? (celebrity, relative, influence, author-dead or alive).
I was stuck in an elevator with Robert Downey Jr!! Well, not stuck, but we rode the elevator together in a hotel in Naples, Florida. I was holding a cup of coffee, on my way to a business meeting. I was working for Clinique at the time and this hotel was the site of our Sales Meeting. I was preoccupied with thinking about a presentation I was about to give when the doors opened and Robert Downey Jr. walked in! He stood next to me at the back wall of the elevator and said to me, “I thought you were going to offer me a cup of coffee.” To that I said, oh, we should try this again, then. Shockingly, he actually pushed the button for the next floor so he could get out and walk back in so we could do the “scene” again! When he walked into the elevator I said, “Would you like some coffee?” And offered him my cup. He scowled at me and scoffed, “I don’t drink coffee. I drink tea!”
Why Buy?
"If she can handle a witty, tea-drinking Robert Downing, Jr., Eva can definitely handle the sharp, eccentric New Yorkers in The Dog Sitter.
"It’s the ultimate summer escape that bridges the gap between a gritty New York City apartment and the vibrant, secret-filled coast of Porto Venere."
"It’s a masterclass in starting over, proving that a 'midlife awakening' can be just as propulsive as any psychological thriller."
The #LitLift "Floor by Floor" Rapid Fire
"Eva, that RDJ story is legendary! Since he insisted on a 're-take,' if he was cast as Massimo in 'The Dog Sitter' movie, would you insist he drink coffee this time, or are we switching the whole book to tea?"
We never know with him, do we?
Floor 1 (The Dog Dilemma): "Scale of 1 to 10: How much did writing a high-maintenance dog like Aldo convince you to never get a puppy?"
I want one now more than ever!
Floor 2 (The Taste Test): "Italian Truffles or New York Coffee: Which is the ultimate fuel for a writer's block?"
NY Coffee with a Levain chocolate chip chaser!
Floor 3 (The Travel Bug): "If you could teleport to Porto Venere right now, what is the first thing Colleen Fitzroy would tell you to eat?"
Fried scallops
Floor 4 (The Wildcard): "If Nicholas were stuck in this elevator with us, would he try to fix the cables or just live-stream the disaster?"
Haha! Lead a meditation, perhaps?
Floor 5 (The Pivot): "One word to describe the feeling of switching from dark thrillers like The Memory Box to a 'wry romp' like The Dog Sitter?"
Fun!
The "First Floor" Entry: "If your book’s protagonist was standing in this elevator right now, what’s the first thing they’d do to break the silence?"
She probably wouldn’t. 😂
The "Sensory" Floor: "If this book had a signature scent or a specific soundtrack, what would it be?"
Melting cheese!
The "Chaos" Floor: "Did you follow a strict blueprint for this story, or was it a 'calculated chaos' that somehow worked?"
Definitely calculated chaos.
The Casting Floor: "If your book were a Netflix series, who is the one actor you’d dream of seeing in the lead role?" (or playing in your head).
I see Greta Gerwig as Colleen and Bobby Canavale as Massi
The Soundtrack Floor: "What is the 'mood song' for this book? Is it a slow burn or a high-speed chase?"
Kooky with a touch of whimsy
The "Writer’s Room" Floor: "If your current book were a cocktail (or mocktail), what would be the 'surprise ingredient' that gives it its kick?"
Strega
"The Writer's Superpower": "If you could use an 'elevator override' key to finish any chapter instantly, which part of the writing process would you skip?"
Starting. I much prefer the second draft and each draft after that.
Fascinating!
Thank you, Eva, for spending time with us today! It was wonderful to learn more about you and your exciting new novel. What a fun elevator ride!
I was aware of the cosmetics industry and New York, but I didn’t know about the singing. No dog? You would never guess! You really nailed it. Robert Downey Jr.? Swoon! What a fantastic story. Thank you for sharing. You are full of surprises and talents!
Readers and fellow book lovers, this is a must-read. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
Praise
"With a bright, fresh, and very funny voice, Eva Natiello takes us on the journey of a woman who has no idea where she's going, but manages to find her way there with the help of one very New York dog and a cast of outrageous but believable characters. The Dog Sitter is a propulsive, charming, and wholly original book!"
—Ellen Meister, bestselling author of Joyride and Divorce Towers
“The invisible subtitle of The Dog Sitter might well be When Ridiculous Yet Hugely Entertaining Things Happen to Good People. No one would choose the calamities that befall Eva Lesko Natiello’s midlife everywoman, and yet—somehow—by the end of this funny, sly novel, you find yourself wanting in. Natiello is a deft stylist and a sweetly incisive social satirist, turning one woman’s misfortune into something unexpectedly joyful, even aspirational.”
—Karen Karbo, bestselling author of Yeah, No, Not Happening and In Praise of Difficult Women
My Review
"Best known for her psychological thriller hit The Memory Box, New York Times bestselling author Eva Lesko Natiello (favorite author) makes a brilliant and hilarious pivot into comedy with THE DOG SITTER. This 'first foray' into humor doesn't lose her signature sharp edge; instead, it blends witty social commentary with a chaotic, high-stakes plot that proves Natiello's versatility.
"It’s a 5-star romp that fans of the author's thrillers—and anyone who’s ever been at the mercy of a difficult pet (or owner)—will absolutely adore."
Intro:
A total genre pivot! When a woman takes a high-end house-sitting gig for 30 days, she expects a quiet getaway with a pampered pet. Instead, she gets a "chaotic and hilarious" comedy of errors involving suburban absurdity and a dog that might be smarter than the humans.
✍️ Highlights:
~Vibe:
A "cinematic bridge" between the high-stakes stress of Manhattan and the slow-burn magic of the Italian Riviera.
~Standout Points:
The transition from Natiello’s signature psychological tension to this wry, propulsive humor. Having read all her books, this "genre-bend" feels like a masterclass in versatility.
~Culinary Serendipity:
The truffle business (connecting NYC to Porto Venere) serves as a metaphor for digging deep to find something valuable buried under the surface.
👤 Characters
~Colleen: A "reluctant" protagonist whose life has gone sideways.
~Aldo: A high-maintenance canine.
~Massimo: Colleen's former boss and the editor of Savor Magazine.
~Quirky New Yorkers: Who all seem to have a key to the apartment where Colleen is hiding.
"Colleen might claim she's not a 'people person,' but the way she handles Massimo, Aldo, and the Italian coast makes her the most relatable protagonist of the year."
💡 Themes & Takeaways
~Themes:
Midlife awakening, starting over from zero, the burden of "shameful secrets," and the power of living authentically.
~Metaphor:
The "leash"—literal and figurative obligations. Colleen must decide if choosing herself means "abandoning" others, or if finally seizing her own life is her greatest obligation.
~Takeaway:
"It’s never too late to start living authentically".
✨ Standout Points
~The Genre Pivot:
Author Eva Lesko Natiello is known for dark thrillers like The Memory Box; this shift to contemporary fiction is being hailed as "serendipitous" and "delightfully offbeat".
~Complex Relatability:
Colleen's "messy and mixed up" journey is deeply relatable for anyone who has felt they’ve lost the thread of their own life.
~Pacing:
Engaging with an intriguing story with twists that keep you flipping pages.
~Why Buy:
"If you’ve followed Eva from the dark halls of The Memory Box, you’ll be obsessed with how she applies that same sharp observation to a story filled with heart, pasta, truffles, and a very anxious dog."
Recs or Similar Books:
They all share that same blend of wit, "laugh-out-loud" moments, and genuine emotional stakes.
~The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
~Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
~The Guncle by Steven Rowley
~The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
🎤 Q&A Promo Hook
~"Stick around for my exclusive Q&A with Eva Lesko Natiello on my blog (May 19) where we dive into why she traded psychological thrillers for Italian truffles, a dog named Aldo, and more secrets!"
My thoughts:
~The Versatility:
"I’ve read everything Eva’s written, but The Dog Sitter is the sharp, wry, feel-good romp I didn't know I needed. It’s a total Lit-Lift for your TBR!"
~The Italy Connection:
"Pack your bags (mentally!) for Porto Venere. This book is a masterclass in setting, bridging the gap between NYC hustle and Italian coastal magic."
Eva Lesko Natiello (a long-time favorite) steps into her first foray into comedy, the vibe shifts from her usual psychological suspense with THE DOG SITTER. The standout is seeing Eva’s signature observational, sharp wit applied to humor rather than suspense. The pacing is snappy, and the humor is derived from a very relatable, real-world disaster. With lively characters, it's a masterclass in starting over, proving that a 'midlife awakening' can be just as propulsive as any psychological thriller. It’s lighthearted without being "fluffy," maintaining the smart prose her fans expect.
Trust me, you will be salivating over the divine delicacies.
"Ever wondered what a thriller writer dreams up when she turns to comedy?" Catch my #LitLiftMiniAuthorChat with @EvaLeskoNatiello (May 19) to find out!
Ready for the ride?
Special thanks to Fine Line Publishing for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. #CoverCrush
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
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