Review of Love is a Donkey by Meghan Parks
Title: Love is a Donkey
Publisher / Publication date: Next Chapter Publishing; September 1, 2026
Language: English
Format / # of Pages: eBook, Hardcover, Softcover, 230 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
ISBN-13: 979-8171112790
Reviewed by: Elise Posledni
“Oh, love is a donkey
Who knows just what to do
And if it makes you happy
I’ll be a donkey for you”
Big headed rockstar Julian “JB Khan” Blaire thinks he has it made. It’s everyone else around him that has the problem. There’s nothing wrong with his attitude or the stadium tour or the music. His hit song “Love is a Donkey” is a work of perfection. However, during an autograph signing after a concert, he meets a strange old witch that curses him into a donkey. JB has one year to complete one truly selfless deed or he will remain a donkey forever.
If this sounds ridiculous, it is. But in all the best ways! It is silly and cleverly written and a bit over the top at times, but so is rockstar JB Khan! This book does require you to suspend some disbelief and just read along for the ride, but is overall an enjoyable read. The personality of a petulant rockstar seems like the perfect fit for a sassy donkey and it is a great character to explore the ultimate themes of love and finding the meaning of family.
We follow JB the donkey as he is shuffled between homes. First, he is adopted by his former assistant and his friends as part of social media scheme. JB is furious, but goes along with their plan to gain followers (and money) by having a dancing donkey in their videos in the vain hope that someone will recognize him as the missing rock singer.
Unsurprisingly, no one notices that the dancing donkey is the one and only JB Khan. News of the rockstar’s disappearance, and then suspected death, slowly fades from the news as the weeks, then months, pass. When his assistant’s social media scheme falls apart, JB is sold to a sweet old couple that dote on him. Instead of focusing on completing his good deed, JB hatches a new plan to learn to play an instrument in the hopes someone will notice him.
When tragedy befalls the old couple, JB is left alone in his barn until a new family moves into the house as caretakers. His new inherited family consists of a young mom, a small daughter named Sadie, and an abusive father. For the first time in his donkey (and human) life, JB cares for someone other than himself. As Sadie and JB bond over their love for music, JB must decide how far he is willing to go to protect her from her angry father.
