A Dog's Journey

A year after A Dog's Purpose Hannah has allowed Gloria and her infant child Clarity June (CJ) to stay with her at the farm after the death of Ethan and Hannah's son, Henry. Gloria takes an immediate dislike to Hannah's old Labrador Retriever, Buddy, who feels he has found his purpose.

Numerous incidents occur in which Gloria's negligence endangers CJ before Buddy saves her. Gloria blames Buddy for all of them. Hannah suggests that she keep CJ at the farm while Gloria pursues her singing career, enraging Gloria, who leaves with CJ. Hannah notices Buddy has a limp and takes him to the vet. A veterinarian diagnoses Buddy with cancer and he is euthanized shortly after.

Buddy wakes up reincarnated as a different dog. This time, he is Molly, a [beagle] mix, and finds his way to CJ who is now an 11-year-old. CJ takes Molly home after her friend Trent decides to adopt Molly's brother, Rocky. CJ tries to hide Molly in her basement, but the dog is discovered by Gloria. CJ says that if Gloria lets her keep Molly, she will not tell her school about child neglect that was happening at the home. During CJ's childhood, Gloria verbally abuses CJ about her weight, and goes on shopping trips and vacations while leaving her young daughter alone at home. At 17 she meets Shane at a convenience store and she starts dating the unsavory criminal/stalker. While at a party Shane gives CJ a drink and she gets busted by the cops.

She has to serve community hours at training facility where they train dogs to detect cancer. During that time Molly is also trained to learn to detect cancer. One day while she was at community service, Shane comes to find her and tries to attack her. She goes home and tell Gloria what happened, but Gloria was too focused on herself and drunk. CJ asks for money from her father's life insurance that was supposed to be set aside for her college, and Gloria told her she used the money already for buying their house, car and her luxurious lifestyle. She takes her car and leaves home with Molly. While driving she realizes that Shane is following her and he crashes his car into her car, and in the accident Molly is killed.

Molly is then reincarnated as Max, a Chorkie. He is very determined to be reunited only with CJ. Max purposely bites or barks at people and fails to be adopted. He was at an adoption event in Washington Square Park in New York and he get a glimpse of CJ and manages to escape his cage and chase CJ. He runs into an apartment building and is reunited with CJ, who is now a part-time dog walker and singer-songwriter living with her boyfriend in New York. She goes to return Max to the adoption agency, she learn that he will be euthanized the next day so she ends up keeping Max.

One day while Max is on a dog walking job with CJ, he smells Trent, CJ's childhood friend, and finds his apartment and CJ and Trent reunite. CJ learned that Trent has a girlfriend. Max did not like how CJ's current boyfriend so act nasty in the apartment, which causes arguments between CJ and her boyfriend and she leaves him. Max and CJ bounce around a different friend's apartment until one day she runs into Trent again and he offers his guest room.

Trent, his girlfriend and CJ starts to live together. One day when Trent and CJ was talking, Max smells cancer on Trent and crosses his leg and sits down to get a treat ( from the training he got when he was Molly). CJ recognized that and finds it weird, but ask Trent to go to doctor. Trent is diagnosed with cancer and the girlfriend leaves him but CJ takes care of him. They start dating, but realize they can't have children because of CJ's kidneys.

Max dies peacefully a while later, then is reincarnated as Toby, and is adopted by a nun. He sees CJ again, when Gloria is ailing and in hospital. He sits with her while Gloria dies, and discovers Trent has died from his cancer. CJ is undergoing treatment, for she has cancer too. Toby is there at her side when she slips away, telling him he is an angel dog like Molly and Max. A while later, Toby dies too, with the nuns surrounding him.

He is then in Heaven with his original owner Ethan...

Library Journal called it a "multi-hanky read".[3]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/05/17/dogs-journey-boasts-oscar-worthy-animal-performances/1166313001/