Isabel Klee: On Being Vulnerable for Readers in Memoir
In this interview, author Isabel Klee discusses the interplay of day-to-day life with rehabilitating dogs in her memoir, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About.
Isabel Klee is a writer and content creator. She documents her experiences rehabilitating dogs on social media through her writing and storytelling. She lives in Brooklyn with her fiancé, Jacob, her dog, Simon, and a rotating cast of foster dogs. Follow her on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.
In this interview, Isabel discusses the interplay of day-to-day life with rehabilitating dogs in her memoir, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About, how writing what you know helps when tackling your first book, and more.
Name: Isabel Klee
Literary agent: Jessica Spitz
Book title: Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About
Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: April 28th, 2026
Genre/category: Memoir
Elevator pitch: Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About details the turbulent and heart-wrenching decade of Klee’s 20’s living in New York City and how she learned to pour her love into broken dogs rather than relationships that didn’t serve her.
What prompted you to write this book?
I’ve always been a person who feels deeply and wears my heart on my sleeve, and through my work rehabilitating dogs I realized how similar it was to how I treated my romantic relationships and friendships. There are so many things about caring for a dog that translates to day-to-day life, and so much I have learned through loving these dogs. I thought a book detailing those lessons, along with stories of falling and love and heartbreak, would resonate with a lot of people.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
My agent reached out to me in April of 2024 and asked if I’d ever consider writing a book. Together, we started working on a book proposal, and the finished book will come out exactly two years after that first email.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I didn’t realize how long the process would take, especially after we were finished writing the actual book. Because I work in social media where everything is so instantaneous, it was really rewarding working on a long-term project that I feel incredibly proud of.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I think I was surprised at just how easily the stories of my foster dogs connected to my personal stories of trying to find myself. I knew the overarching lessons would connect easily, but I had a near-perfect foster dog story for every situation I faced in my 20’s. Matching up those narratives was so rewarding.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers will feel comforted by the chaotic, heartbreaking, wonderful, and rewarding stories from my 20s and know that there is no rush to figure anything out. I always encourage young people to make mistakes, date the wrong people, move in with the stranger, and just live. There is so much pressure nowadays to have your life together and to be picture-perfect, but the best parts of life are messy. You have the rest of your life to figure things out. Your 20s are not for that.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
I think, at least for your first book, it’s important to write what you know. I love that my first book will allow my readers and audience to truly know me in a deep, raw, and vulnerable way—and a way they could never know me from just social media alone. It also made the writing process so much easier because I knew all of these stories so well, that a lot of these chapters just flowed out of me.
