I had to skim through a lot of the dog stuff because I just can't handle it. My older dog is in great health, but is in double digits age-wise,so I've become even more sensitive to stories involving aging pets. About 90 pages in I had to set this down and hug my Saoirse Dog for a good ten minutes. I will say that unlike the vast majority of YA novels that include a pet, this is in no way manipulative nor a plot device to simply illicit an emotional reaction. It's real and very sensitively handled. I was surprised by the reason for the rift between the narrator and her boyfriend (it's revealed late in the book) and the family issues aren't as neat and tidy as I'm used to reading in YA these days. 
 FYI: despite the pink cover, this is not a romance, rather it's about love and family in all their permutations. 
 Edit: I suggest reading the author's essay about the inspiration for this book - http://debcaletti.com/archives/662 (bring Kleenex)