We’re getting to the time of year where I usually binge read a bunch of rom-coms and I am so grateful that this came into my life when it did. I’d heard good things about it from my fellow bloggers but I still wasn’t expecting to have quite as fantastic a time as I did.

Birdy Finch’s best friend Heather has recently run away to Italy to pursue an almost certainly doomed romance and Birdy has found herself at a loose end. So, she takes a job as a sommelier at a beautiful Scottish hotel. Only Birdy knows nothing about wine. It’s Heather who should have taken up this job but Birdy isn’t going to tell anyone that -not even Heather herself.

Birdy has never really had a clear idea of what she wants to do with her life and I know this is something that so many people of our generation can relate to. I think it’s often because we were lucky enough to have so many choices that we simply found it difficult to pick one. However, this has meant that Birdy has found herself unemployed with no real direction and so she takes the job in Loch Dorn as a desperate bid for living quarters and a wage without really considering the logistics. She is fantastically impulsive and I guess that fits with how her life has panned out.

'Sorry, a very long day. I was at St Pancras at the crack of dawn. Poor old Dawn, Everyone's always at her crack.'

The book is dotted with a few hilarious lines like this and although they’re brilliant, the best thing is that there aren’t too many of them. This means that they actually come at you quite unexpectedly which makes them funnier. I did snort-laugh a few times while reading it and there is no higher compliment I can ever pay a book.

'Last summer we had a challenge to grow something edible in the garden. Brett won with his massive cucumber.'
'Everyone loves a massive cucumber,' I say, nodding my head in approval.
'James was very upset it beat his carrot,' Roxy teases. 'But worst off was poor old Bill, who couldn't get anything to grow.'

This wonderful use of innuendo is testament to brilliant comedic writing too. It’s a great example of small town humour that almost feels unintentional because the conversation flows so naturally. It makes the reader feel like they’re in on some kind of inside joke between the characters, which I loved.

Birdy and Heather’s friendship is beautiful and I was really worried that it would be ruined when Heather finally learned the truth. They have a wonderful unique bond that can only be achieved between women who have been through everything together. However, although the tight cords of female friendship are incredibly strong, they are rarely unbreakable. Birdy is essentially risking Heather’s professional reputation by assuming her identity throughout the novel and Heather is well within her rights to cancel the friendship over that. That was definitely a huge concern for me for most of the book.

We get glimpses into Birdy’s past and that’s where a lot of the darkness of the novel lies. Her relationship with her parents is very strained due to her father being an alcoholic. This is reflected during her time at Loch Dorn too, when she realises what’s really going on with bar manager Bill. Her self-esteem isn’t great due to being consistently mistreated but she still manages to portray this confident, caring persona. Although she is incredibly messy, in some ways Birdy is an inspiration to anyone who has come from a troubled background. She would probably never agree with that assessment but I felt a huge amount of pride for her by the end of the book.

With this being a lovely summer rom-com, of course there is a budding romance to enjoy too. Birdy finds herself falling for the handsome, charming chef James. But he knows her as Heather, a sophisticated wine expert, so you can see how their romance doesn’t get off to the best of starts. Compared to Birdy’s on-off, obnoxious boyfriend Tim, James wins on every count, so I was willing her to come clean and for him to somehow be OK with everything!

There are a few places where the novel seems to pause and appreciate the beautiful scenery that surrounds it. I know that so much of rural Scotland is literally breathtaking and I loved taking in these views with Birdy. There is no greater pleasure than taking the time to enjoy nature and the peace it brings to a troubled soul.

The Summer Job is a laugh-out-loud page-turner that you will devour this season. Birdy is a wonderful, relatable narrator and the premise is a very unique one. It balances the light-hearted ridiculousness with the more serious issues perfectly. I honestly couldn’t put it down and inhaled it in one sitting.

The Summer Job is a funny and heartwarming story of mistaken identities, wine and finding a place where you belong. I've been dipping my toes into more romance recently and was excited by the premise of this; mistaken identity mischief? That just sounded like a great time and it did not disappoint!

I have to admit, this book gave me visceral flashbacks to my very brief and stressful stint working in hospitality. Birdy's anxiety was palpable on the page and unfortunately relatable (even though I have never had to pretend I was someone else). But that personal connection just made me root for her more throughout the book! Despite knowing nothing about wine, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to tag along with Birdy trying to figure it all out. Dent's writing is snappy and made me do the weird laugh-snort thing multiple times. And who knows, I might even have learned a thing or two!

My only real issue with the pacing is that the ending moved a little too quickly for my taste. This is where your mileage may vary but I would have liked a few more moments between Birdy and James at the end.

My favourite aspect of this book was the ensemble of quirky characters we meet. I appreciated the found-family vibe, every side character felt well-rounded and real and I sympathised with them. Getting me to care about so many different characters and have a vivid image of them in my head isn't an easy feat - hats off to Lizzy Dent!

Birdy herself is witty and sharp, she is complex with a complicated and less than rosy past. It was so easy to fall in love with her and root for her success from page one. I especially like that her issues aren't magically fixed by the end of the book, she remains flawed and messy and wonderfully herself.

Overall, The Summer Job is a perfect escapist read with heart, soul and plenty of charm.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.

I think my rating of this book is closer to a 3.5 stars but I don't have the option to rate it that way.

This book is supposed to be a fun read, where the main character, Birdy, assumes the identity of her best friend and goes off to work as a sommelier at a remote Scottish hotel for the summer. I really liked the premise of this book but in actual fact, the main character really rubbed me up the wrong way and I just found her to totally cringe and annoying.

I think if you don't read to deeply into this, it's a fun summer read but if you think about it too much, Birdy's choices were awful and she isn't really held accountable for her actions, as everything turns out alright for her in the end.

The Summer Job follows Elizabeth 'Birdy' Finch as she has found herself in a rut in life. After her best friend, Heather, an up and comming sommelier flakes on a job in a hotel in Scotland, Birdy decides that she is going to go in Heather's place and pretend to be her for the summer. After arriving at the hotel Birdy realizes that the run-down hotel in the highlands might not actually be that run down, it might just be quite posh and people might actually need her to be competent in her job. I struggled with the beginning of this book, I found the main character really hard to read from and a little irritating. She didn't get much better throughout the story either, there were moments that I felt for her and saw that she was trying her best and was truly invested in doing the best job she could for those around her but I just couldn't get past the fact that she was manipulating and lying to those around her and bullshitting her way through a really important job, putting her friend's career on the line. The romance I found difficult to route for because although there was chemistry between the two characters, the love interest was left in the dark for far too long in this book for me to be on board. I did enjoy the antics and humor within this book and the setting was amazing! I really felt like I could have been there at this posh hotel in the Scottish highlands (I wish at the moment in these climates I swear). I adored the food throughout this book and it really had me hungry and in desperate need of a proper restaurant-cooked meal (will be heading for one ASAP after this book).
Overall I had mixed feelings about this one, I loved the concept, the setting, and some of the characters, I just wish some things had played out slightly differently.
3 out of 5 stars.

Loved it,the Scottish setting,the romance and the humour and the way the author told the story,really very very good especially for a debut

The perfect summer read, even if it is summer in Scotland!

In this book we follow Birdy: broke, job-less and floundering. Until her best friend Heather flakes on a summer job offer and Birdy see's her opportunity: how hard could it be to pass as a world class sommelier at a run-down hotel in Scotland?? Except that it's not run down, and she soon realises that she can't screw this up.

This is such a light-hearted, cute romance that really pulls you in and makes you want to be part of the family. The food and wine descriptions are mouth-watering, and the Scottish setting gave this is a real feeling of both adventure and peacefulness. But this book also manages to touch on some tough topics, and really tugs on your heart strings alongside the truly heart-warming loveliness of it all.

A joyful read full of love, romance - and a great deal of fun!

Birdy Finch finds herself in a bit of an impossible situation; with no job and nowhere to live, her best friend Heather is heading out of the country for the summer leaving behind a temporary job in the Scottish Highlands. Something like that would tide Birdy over nicely and let her get her life in order - could she possibly take up the post in Heather's place without anyone realising? Surely it can't be that hard to pretend to be the world-class wine expert that is Heather? And can she keep it up even when she finds herself falling for an attractive Scotsman?

With several thrillers on my list this week, I was more than ready for something a bit lighter and The Summer Job fit the bill perfectly. Birdy is a wonderful character, and I admired her ability to think on her feet and carry out the deception which threw her in at the deep end of a job she knew little - if anything - about. I know I couldn't have carried it off! This is sharp and funny with an undercurrent of love and romance as well as a serious side to the story. With a terrific cast of characters, there is plenty going on at all times and I lapped it up from beginning to end. The descriptions of my home country are really well done, and may do great things for tourism! Definitely an author to keep an eye on, and a novel I'm happy to give 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This book was a slow burner for me, at first I thought the storyline was predictable and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I had seen so many glowing reviews so I decided to stick with it and I started to really love it after around 30%. I was so invested in Birdy and I was really rooting for her! The characters developed and became funny and the writing really made me want to go to loch dorne and meet everyone!

The little twist at the end was completely unexpected and I think it added so much to the storyline. Loved the ending and I would love to read more!

This is not the type of book I would usually pick up but I heard great things about it and decided to give it a try and was so happy I did.

This is the perfect spring/summer book and so fun from start to finish. I loved all of the characters and although you know there has to be a confrontation at some point there is so much fun following this case of identity misappropriation.

I would definitely read more by thus author and found this to be a fun and fast paced rom/com.

I thought this was a great book and really made me laugh. Really easy to read and such a great story.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I loved this - the characters, the setting, the story.
The characters were all so lovable and relatable - it was a lovely escapest read - just what we all need right now!

One sentence synopsis: In need of a change, Birdy spontaneously decides to pretend to be her best friend, Heather, a renowned sommelier, during the summer season at a hotel in rural Scotland.

So, this seems to be an unpopular opinion but I didn't love The Summer Job as much as everyone else. While I agree with reviewers that suggest it's the perfect easy beach read (hello idyllic Scottish setting), I didn't feel a connection with Birdy. To me, she was a one-dimensional character and I thought the book would have been improved if there was more development of her character and back story. Readers only see snippets of her tumultuous childhood, which clearly had an impact on the person she is today.

And while I always like a story with a romance element, I didn't feel the chemistry between this pair. Once again, I wanted more. Finally, there was a bombshell dropped at the end, which to me just became another underdeveloped storyline. In saying that, I seem to be in the minority here. So if you're in need of a fun, no steam summer read (and don't mind a book with swearing), you'll probably enjoy The Summer Job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I know I'm in the minority here but I didn't like this one. I felt like the characters were all pretty 2 dimensional and the story just didn't go anywhere.

Lovely story. Interesting concept of someone taking on someone else’s identity. I learnt a lot about wine and I really want to visit Scotland after reading this book.

Elizabeth 'Birdy' Finch is best friends with successful sommelier Heather. When Heather decides to run off to Italy with her latest love interest, she asks Birdy to get her out of the remote Scottish hotel job she was about to start. In a case of mistaken identity, Birdy ends up pretending to be her best friend at said hotel, and faking it as a world-class wine expert!

I LOVED this book, and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would! It was lighthearted and comical but also tackled some big social issues (alcohol abuse, adultery) without feeling like a box-ticking exercise.

I thought Birdy was the perfect protagonist. She's naturally funny and a bit clumsy, but she's also very down-to-earth which makes her incredibly likeable. I loved reading about the various ways she got out of doing her job - she reminded me a lot of Bridget Jones!

I thought it was very original to base the book around the job of a sommelier... in fact it reignited my interest in the wine industry so much I ended up buying a book all about it and booking myself on a vineyard tour! 😆

I was expecting a predictable ending, but it had a little twist that I didn't see coming. Possibly a little far fetched, but not enough to alter my opinion on the book overall. Bravo Lizzie Dent 👏 I thoroughly enjoyed your debut!

I loved the premise of the book and although I wanted to hate Birdy for being a mess, she was a likeable character. I really enjoyed her relationship with James and the drama with Tim turning up at the hotel made me cringe! It was a very quick, fun read on the surface with some deeper sadder undertones and I will definitely recommend!

Laugh out loud romance

Birdy`s friend Heather is a sommelier who is offered a job for the summer in a run down hotel in Scotland, instead she runs off to Italy with her boyfriend.
How hard can it be to taste and recommend wine Birdy thought as she accepts the job offer pretending to be Heather, only on her arrival she finds the hotel has been modernised and has a Michelin star chef, what else can go wrong for her?
Will she survive the summer?
This book is full humour and I love the description of the Scottish highlands.
Definitively recommend this for a good laugh.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

This definitely seems to be one of Bookstagram’s most talked about books at the moment, so I was really excited to read it! ⁣Sometimes all you need is an easy read that you can fly through and that gives you a few laughs.
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The Summer Job is the light, fun and easy read that everyone should have on their shelves. The best way I can describe it is a mix between The Flatshare and Ghosts. It has the light heartedness and laugh out loud moments of both books but there are some deep messages within the story as well.
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From the outset, The Summer Job sounds like it will be constant laughs at the expense of poor Birdy. Not only does she take a job that she is not qualified for, she is pretending to be someone else! What could go wrong?! But there is a lot more depth to the story. We quickly learn that many of the characters are dealing with their own personal demons. From personal loss, to fear of commitment (in any sense), to troubled childhoods, to the inner battle many fight on what their path should be and what their goals in life should be.
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The characters in the book are excellent. They all have their own distinct back story that helps shape the deep and shallow nuances of what is a lovely story. They’re really personable and you just want to hug Irene, have a laugh with Bill and get to know James. ⁣I won't lie, I did find Birdy a little annoying and self centred at times but that's how she is meant to come across, so it just shows how well the characters are depicted.

The writing is super accessible but equally strong in how it transports you from London to the high hills and vast landscape of the Scottish coast. You can imagine yourself standing by the loch, surrounded by nature’s very best. Honestly, after reading this I really want to go to Scotland and book a vineyard trip in France or Italy!
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I won’t say much more but this is a book I think anyone would enjoy. The ending is predictable but you’ll fly through it and enjoy it. It brings you to the beautiful wilderness of Scotland, immerses you in the fascinating world of wine and also introduces you to some characters that you would love to meet in real life. ⁣It addresses so many things that we all face on a daily basis and reassures the reader that we are not alone.
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I think the cover would have been better if there was a wine bottle or something related to wine. It's only a small detail but the lobster in the suitcase is so random haha!

A big thank you to NetGalley for letting me read it before it is released this Thursday!

Warning: if you read this book you will immediately want to travel to the West coast of Scotland!

Birdy is directionless, stumbling her way through life. So when the chance to get away and be someone else for the Summer presents itself she thinks why not?

I really enjoyed this book and while I found it an easy read it also touched on some pretty powerful subjects and the impact your childhood can have on your adult self.

It did give me wanderlust, I have visited the West coast of Scotland before and the descriptions of the loch, mountains, scenery, and even the weather had me wanting to go back!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I was really looking forward to this book but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I really struggled to get into it as I found the premise a bit unbelievable and then when I did get into it, I found the main character to be selfish, she had no concern for those around her who she could hurt and badly damage their reputation.
I liked the scene descriptions and adored James but just felt bad for him.