When Mr Dog Bites, Brian Conaghan

I'm not sure what made me choose When Mr Dog Bites, but I am so glad I did. Not only is this book side-splittingly hilarious, it is heart-warming and heart-breaking. Conaghan has done such a fantastic job creating such believable characters using a difficult context. The book cover description of which says, ''a story about life, death, love, sex and swearing'' could not be more apt and all these components sum up the life of Dylan Mint superbly.

The main protagonist, Dylan Mint suffers from Tourettes Sydrome and on a routine visit to the hospital, he discovers he is going to die next March. Along with his best friend Amir (who is Autistic), he creates a bucket list - and in pure Dylan Mint style, called ''Cool Thing to Do Before I Cack It''. Top of the list? To have sex with Michelle Maloney! A story of friendship, a journey of clumsy self discovery and Dylan's determination to prove his self worth.

At first I was taken aback by the sheer level of profanities used in the dialogue, however it doesn't take a genius to understand how and why Conaghan has done this. Plus, Conaghan has introduced me to two of my new favourite words; Shizenowzen and Bahookie. You can't help but fall in love with Dylan.
As for Mrs Mint, I couldn't help but become increasingly frustrated by her, but by the end of the book, all you can do sympathise with her as we learn the truth about Dylan's father.

It's not often I would give a book 5 Stars purely based on fun, but this one I would. While its not a psychological thriller, it is still a thought provoking insight into this debilitating condition.  I will point out this book is profanity ridden and not suitable for a younger reader, or any readers with a predisposition to swear words!!!