Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About

A deeply relatable, tender-hearted memoir for all the hopeless romantics and dog-obsessed among us.

From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee - known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue - comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it.

Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she got her chance, ditching her college upstate for Marymount Manhattan and moved into a tiny basement apartment on the Upper East Side. Dog-obsessed since childhood, her first postgrad job was managing content for the incredibly popular account The Dogist, and something clicked into place: a career focused on helping dogs was the new dream.

Isabel quickly found a passion for using her own growing platform to help rescue pups find their forever homes. At the same time, she was caught up in a whirlwind of friendships, parties, fickle boyfriends and grand romances, which she recounts in honest, tender and sometimes devastating chapters about the search for love and belonging.

Isabel's first true love, though, was Simon, a fluffy puppy who'd been saved from the meat trade. As the highs and lows of this turbulent decade hit Isabel, it was Simon who kept her grounded. Together, Isabel and Simon created an online community of dog-lovers, fellow foster advocates and girls just trying to get through the trenches of their twenties.

In Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About, Isabel weaves together the stories of her foster dogs - and the challenges she helped them overcome - with tales of bad dates, hard decisions and great loves in New York City, all leading to a happy ending not only for the rescue pups, but for Isabel herself.

About the Author

Isabel began sharing her story via her social platforms (@simonsits) in 2023 to capture a devoted following, and posting on her Substack, Dogs & the City. Her first position in the dog-media world was with The Dogist, where she rose to director of content and grew its following from zero to over one million. She also works with organizations including Adopt a Pet and The Wildest to find rescue dogs homes. Isabel lives in Brooklyn with her partner, Simon, and a new foster dog every few weeks or so.