Let me start by saying this: 'The Friend' is not just a book—it's an experience. As someone who's read countless novels about loss, this one stands out for its raw honesty and unexpected warmth.

The way Nunez writes about Apollo, the Great Dane, made me look at my own rescue dog differently. There were moments I had to put the book down just to give my pup an extra-long hug. That's the power of this story—it sneaks up on you.

What surprised me most was how a book dealing with suicide and grief could feel so... comforting. Nunez has this magical ability to sit with pain without drowning in it. The passages about writing craft (from the mentor's perspective) were like finding unexpected writing advice in the middle of a memoir.

The nameless narrator device works brilliantly—it made me project my own experiences onto the story. Though fair warning: if you're not a dog person, some sections might feel overly sentimental. But even then, the universal themes of loss and memory will resonate.

I found myself reading certain paragraphs multiple times, not because they were confusing, but because they were so beautifully crafted I wanted to savor them. The comparison between human and animal grief particularly stayed with me—it's been weeks and I still think about Apollo's confusion.

Minor gripe: The nonlinear timeline occasionally left me flipping back pages to reorient myself. But this might have been intentional, mirroring how grief disrupts our sense of time.

Final verdict? Keep tissues nearby, prepare for existential thoughts about your own relationships (human and animal), and clear your schedule—you won't want to put this down. It's the kind of book that lingers long after the last page.