The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kittle

From the authors website

"Shaken by her recent divorce, veterinarian Cami Anderson is on a quest to unravel the secret ingredient of a happy, long-lasting marriage. Cami’s parents are preparing to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, yet her brother and his partner are legally blocked from marriage. Her best friend—and ex-sister-in-law—is newly engaged, but her teenaged daughter’s romance has developed its own complications.

Surrounded by several couples approaching different milestones in their relationships, Cami reflects on the meaning of love and partnership, sharing her hopes and fears with an angry horse, a three-legged cat, and an escape-artist goat in her care. As she tends to the rescue animals, so, too, does Cami begin to rescue herself. Coming to terms with her own divorce, she learns poignant lessons in forgiveness, flexibility, and happiness that help her master the art of simply moving on."

I cannot express how much I ABSOLUTELY adored this novel. I managed to finish it in a day, stealing away moments to try to finish it whenever I could and ended up staying up really late since I was so entranced by it. I want to be Cami, well maybe not with the whole having my husband just up and leave me but more in how she handled it. She was so strong and brave, she ended up thriving while her ex-husband remained as unhappy as before.
She really did end up making the divorce a good thing for her, she changed her life and didn't need a man anymore.

As an animal lover, I loved Cami's connection with her animals especially the horse, Moonshine. It was amazing how they both healed each other. I loved the other characters as well, Cami has some pretty amazing people in her life. I enjoyed her ex-husband a lot, he was just so entertaining in his childish ways and his complete disregard for others.

The ending was also great but I don't want to spoil it. It did however have me hopeful and I ended up reading the acknowledgments just wanting more. I think this is my favorite book that I've read in a while, I can't recommend it enough. I'd give it five out of five stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book to participate in an online book club. The opinions expressed her are my own.