Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan - A Review

A book that took me way too long to finish! Wasn't because it was a bad book necessarily, but because I had so much to do at the start of 2020 that I did not really have time to sit down and read. Hot Dog Girl was a book I was given from Christmas in 2019 and I began reading it in January 2020, and when the whole country was locked down in March I found time to actually sit down and read the rest of this book (which I started in January...), and here I am now. Writing a Review. Hope you enjoy!

Photo Credit: @GoodReads

Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way: She's landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog. Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou's never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after. Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who's always been up for anything, suddenly isn't when it comes to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou's scheme to get close to Nick. And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland--ever--unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan's sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love--and themselves--in unexpected people and unforgettable places.

Hot Dog Girl is a funny, feel good novel that took me way to long to read! There were so many moments that made me laugh, gasp, cry and even cringe. Lou is such an awkward character, and it is very clear to see how much she loves the place she works.

Lou was definitley one of the main reasons why I loved Hot Dog Girl. She had so much personality from the moment I opened the book. She has all these expectations about how the summer will go and the rug is completely pulled from underneath her feel. Ultimately, Hot Dog Girl is a story about letting go, and that it is incredibly hard. 

Looking at her situation from an external perspective, you can see what mistakes she is making and even if it is right in front of her eyes, you are able to understand why she cannot recognize it. And that is something that makes Lou such a relatable character, because don't we all have those moments where we are set that something has to go a certain way, only to see how wrong we were? 

It is clear in the story that Lou is afraid of the future. She is scared of people leaving her, and that she will not see them again when the park has closed for good at the end of the summer. We watch her make mistakes, and choices we all know are wrong and questionable, but these make Lou a strong, relatable character. When you feel like things are spinning wildly out of control and you're in free fall, pulling things down, you can't help but try to save yourself.

The publisher's summary does say that this is a queer romance, so you can probably guess where the story is going. In the end, Lou's fake relationship ends up getting in the way of her real relationship.  Whether you are oblivious to where the plot is going or not, this is still a very good read, and it is great to watch the plot unfold. The setting is unique, there is workplace drama and many changes in relationship. These all make a cute story that is perfect to read over the summer months!