*3.75*

I really liked this novel, and I have to say it was a lot funnier than what I anticipated.
This book follows Birdy, a young woman who decides to take her best friend Heather's place as a sommelier for a summer job in a wonderful hotel in Scotland.

The premise really drew me, because it is something very original. The author is very good in portraying Birdy intentions and motives, and for that reason I quite (focus on quite) why she did what she did. The only thing I did not particularly liked in this book was just how at the beginning it seemed that Birdy took this opportunity without really thinking about the consequences. And it was like that, at least at a certain extent.
The more I read, the more I actually got to know Birdy's character, and we, as readers, we come to empathize more with her, I think.

I liked the setting of this book a lot. Dent was really good in describing the feel of the Scotland countryside, and I swear that sometimes it felt like I was there with the characters.
Also, all of the people who worked with Birdy at the hotel had such very distinct personalities and distinguished features, I love to read about a cast of characters that find in each other some sort of found family.

The romance in this book was particularly interesting. I don't think it was the main focus of the book, but it was there and it was very good. It was not rushed and I liked how in the end things turned out like they did.
While I think the ending was a bit rushed, I think it was fitting to the story. I really appreciated how the author really focused on Birdy's growth and how she learned to be the best version of herself.
I really admired her strenght and how she tried to do always the best with her abilities.

If you like books with found families, beautiful friendships, and a cute romance, I really recommend this one.

Loved this book, such a funny heart-warming read. I did not want this one to end. A real feel-good rom-com and an absolute must read.

DNF at 8%.

Birdie has run away from her life and is trying out someone else's. That sounds fun right? Unfortunately, I just found the whole premise of someone trying to pretend to a Michelin starred restaurant in a luxury Scottish hotel that you are a world-expert sommelier to be so far-fetched I couldn't get past it. I don't know why I could have accepted someone pretending to be an interior designer but not a sommelier, but there you are.

Obviously my fault for requesting a book with such a preposterous premise, I tried a few times over the last five months to engage with the book but I couldn't get over it.

I was invited to read this book by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

When Birdy's best friend Heather decides to jet off to Spain rather than take the job on her new job as Sommelier, She leaves Birdy to let the hotel know. But Birdy decides to take the job instead. Birdy assumes the job will be easy, but not everything goes to plan.

Elizabeth Finch (Birdy) is a funny and likeable character. This is not my usual type of book but i'm glad i read it.It's set in Loch
dorne in the Scottish Highlands. The characters are well developed and likeable. It's a quirky read with with some laugh out loud moments. Everyone believes that Birdy is Heather Jones, a Sommelier. But Birdy knows nothing about fine wines. But what will happen when they find out she's an imposter? You'll need to read the book to find out!

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #PenguinGeneralUK and the author #LizzyDent for my ARC of #TheSummerJob in exchange for an honest review.

A great summer read. I really enjoyed this book. I loved Elizabeth\Birdy\"Heather's" sense of humour. Some real laugh out loud moments throughout the book. She's a great character with a few issues. It was interesting to read just how much her childhood had affected her as the book went on. The twist in the plot, well I did not see that coming....at all. A solid 4.5 stars from me and I hope to read more from Lizzy Dent in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for giving me an eArc of this book to review.

I had heard about this book from Carrie Hope Fletcher who spoke about an arc she had received on her Youtube channel. I was intrigued by the plot and wanted to see what it was all about.

Birdy doesn't have the most stable life so when her best friend Heather, who happens to be a world-class wine expert, turns down a summer job in the Scotland valleys, Birdy decides to take the job for her.

It took me about 50% into the story to feel somewhat invested in the characters and really understand where the book was going. I enjoyed Lizzy Dent's writing style, it was super quick and easy to get through and I did laugh out loud on some occasions. However for me the characters fell a little flat and overall I found the story very two dimensional. I feel like it could have been flushed out a little better.

I enjoyed the setting of this book and unexpectedly enjoyed the plot of how Birdy came to be living her best friends life, but for me it just all seemed a bit random and the plot never went anywhere that exciting. The big reveal came out of nowhere and did shock me but once again, it felt like an after-thought and nothing had led up to this moment, it was just dropped in for a big reveal. It had no other purpose.

Overall I did have an enjoyable time reading this. Its a great book for when you want to decompress and chill out without thinking too much and have a bit of a laugh and absorb yourself into a story.

An easy to read novel about needing to belong. When Birdy stands in for her friend she had not bargained on the job being a world class wine expert at a Michelin star hotel. She manages to blag her way through with some entertaining adventures along the way. There is a hidden depth to her character which means you can't help but love her. I loved the ending.

There are books you read because you want to be surprised, shocked, thrilled. There are books you read to be astounded at the clever twists and foreshadowing. And then there are books you read, where you know what's going to happen at the end, you know what's going to happen on the way there, but it's the craft you're looking at. These books are my happy place, and this is a great example.

The Scottish landscape is the hero of this book, and that's saying something because I loved the actual characters. But the descriptions of the sea, the hills, the loch - it's all amazing. I very badly want to go and stay there, now. (And I don't usually want to stay places.)

I did love the characters, too. With one noticeable exception, everyone means well, even if they don't always go about things the right way. It's great when you have a work group like that, and it makes the novel so much fun to read.

This is just fun. It's like a hug, or a warm blanket on a cold night. I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to reading Lizzy's next novel.

Some areas may have been a little cliché, or needed more suspension of belief, but I utterly loved this story. I loved the imagery of the Scottish countryside, the camraderie between "Heather" and her colleagues, and the love story woven throughout the book.

This seems at the start as a gentle and light contemporary, but there's much more to the story. It deals with issues such as bereavement, parental abuse, and alcoholism, and all of these are dealt with tactfully – and really well.

A light hearted role swap for a friend - what could go wrong?! It doesn't help that the role Birdy has swapped with her friend Heather, to Heather's ignorance, is that of a renowned wine sommelier in a restaurant in Scotland that is trying to reinvent itself! Birdy was supposed to cancel the job for Heather but instead, takes her place! For someone who knows nothing about wine, it is quite challenging!
I love the concept and the additional characters add humour to the tale. It's an easy read and doesn't need much thought about it.
My only negative is that I didn't feel invested in Birdy. I didn't like her and I found her constant swearing too much which is why I have rated this 3 stars.

DNF - thank you to the publisher for my advanced copy. This book had a great concept of a summer romancing in a grand hotel in scotland but fell flat due to the annoying narrator who was literally one of the worst people I’ve ever read about. Manipulative, lying, untrustworthy and just generally icky as a person I couldn’t continue to read about her.

The Summer Job is a light amusing read with a cast of eclectic characters and an almost improbable plot,
which involves the main character Birdy,Finch decide to take a sommelier job in place of her best friend.

Birdy and Heather are both thirty somethings who have not managed to escape their disappointing childhoods and uncaring parents and as such live together trying to find their own happiness. Birdy flits from job to job with a hopeless boyfriend only interested in a casual relationship at best and Heather thinks she has found love with a man who won’t leave his girlfriend. Heather is a sommelier and is offered a job at a remote Scottish hotel but chooses to follow the useless boyfriend overseas. Birdy says she will call and make Heathers excuses but decides she will instead travel north to become Heather.

The pitfalls and close scrapes that ensure are amusing if a little unbelievable but Birdy as a character is fabulous. I willed for her to learn about fine wines and triumph, but of course this was not to be. I did not warm to the character of Heather, even as the story came full circle as to why the job had been considered originally and the ought that if this had been the case then Heather would have definitely taken the job on.

A good read though and thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

If there is one thing this book has taught me, it’s that everyone needs a Birdy Finch in their life – she’s absolutely fabulous!

This book really is the perfect bit of escapism and I didn’t want it to end. Initially I thought it was going to be a little over the top with some of the situations she was going to end up in but it wasn’t at all. Everything felt believable, nothing was exaggerated or felt like ‘slapstick’ comedy.

Despite me shaking my head at some of the decisions Birdy made I couldn’t help but root for her. I wanted to see her succeed and the characters who help her along the way were equally as brilliant. They each have their own issues but all come together as one little family. I felt like I was a part of that family which is one of the reasons I didn’t want it to end.

Whilst this is your classic rom-com I also loved how it dealt with some deeper issues such as alcoholism. The author handled it so well with the perfect mix of sensitivity and a splash of Birdy humour.

Overall this really is such a wonderful, feel good read that will have you belly laughing, swooning and just generally feeling great. Your job this Summer….to read The Summer Job!!

I enjoyed this book right from the start. I really liked the style of writing. The observations of the main character made me smile and I warmed to her straight away. If you are looking for a light interesting read then this is for you. I highly recommend it. Thank you #netgalley

Lizzy Dent's lovely rom-com turned out to have more depth than I expected, it features 31 year old Elizabeth 'Birdy' Finch, with an alcoholic father and disengaged mother, not the most stable, reliable, secure or loving home, all issues that have dogged her into her adult life. She has had a wide range of jobs, many of which she has blagged her way into, only to not last long in any of them, and she is in kind of a relationship with the unsuitable Tim, more a convenience, he has drug issues, is outrageous and 'fun'. It's fair to say she has self esteem problems, she has failed to find long term employment, and has felt no calling towards any particular career, but she does have a natural confidence and is blessed with an outgoing personality. Her best friend since primary school, Heather, is the complete opposite, she went to boarding school, has established a successful career as a world class sommelier and, against all the odds, their friendship has survived and thrived.

Heather has her own issues, one of which is she desperately seeks love often in the most unlikely places, currently a man promising to break up with his girlfriend, she is planning to go to Italy with him. As a result, Heather is unable to take up a summer job she had accepted at Loch Dorn Hotel in Scotland and leaves it to Birdy to let them know. Big mistake. A homeless and impoverished Birdy decides to impersonate Heather, expecting a run down place that will allow her to pull off the role of sommelier, only to find a upmarket and exclusive place with big ambitions. It is clear that Birdy is in way over her head, she knows well nigh nothing about wines, and to exacerbate matters she is falling for the chef, so unlike the men she is familiar with, he is decent, deliberate, calm and kind, and he seems to like her too. Is Birdy going to crash and burn and lose everything and everyone that has come to mean so much to her, including Heather?

Dent gives us a wonderful Scottish location in which she sets her entertaining and fun rom-com, and a wide range of great characters, from the lovely and compassionate Irene, the irresistable waitress Roxy who idolises Birdy, to Bill, the alcoholic bartender. It is Birdy who holds centre stage, having to work hard to get any semblence of wine expertise, with a talent for making people laugh and putting them at ease, illustrated beautifully in the promotion of British wines at the wine society event. She is faced with having to take a closer look at who she is, discovering she wants to belong, she fits in perfectly with the staff, and for the first time ever, she wants love, something she had never believed in. This is perfect escapist reading, engaging and with a fabulous location that will appeal to many readers. Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.

I absolutely loved this book!

The initial premise of someone 'pretending to be their best mate'. At first it seems like a harmless thing despite the glaring career differences between the two. But it morphed into something so much bigger and deeper!

I loved that the end wasn't rushed. Some books have a big reveal then cut to 12 months later. But this book gave me enough time to feel everything and be happy enough to let the story go.

The characters were colourful and vibrant without it feeling forced. And the Scottish setting was simply magical!

I really hope this leads to a series because I feel like there's alot more to tell.

First impressions of The Summer Job are a lighthearted, fun read about an impulsive and carefree character that takes a new job under false identity and highly underqualified for. Hi-jinx ensues! (sometimes a little too much for my taste)

And this book is funny, with some great laugh out loud moments. But underneath the surface it also deals with friendship, love, trust and a search for somewhere (and the people) to belong to.
Tough subjects like alcoholism, mental abuse and child neglect are dealt with, giving some seriousness to the story. The author managed to weave these into a lighthearted read with success.

The star of the show for me, were the fabulous cast of characters. A strong and determined main character, a great gang of secondary characters in the hotel staff, and a really lovely romantic interest.

A fun read with just the right amount realness to prevent it from being too sweet.

3.5 stars
Birdy Finch has just found out that her best friend Heather is following her heart to Italy and it means that Birdy has to move, a bit worrisome when she has no place to go and no job. Heather has just taken a new job as a sommelier in a country hotel and is now embarrassed she has to tell them she doesn’t want it. Birdy offers to let them know but instead she takes the job and pretends she is Heather. Trouble is she knows nothing about wine and she has to keep this a secret from Heather and everyone else.....really, how hard can it be?
I was looking for a light fun read and while this ticked most of the boxes, I found it lost me in the first part of the book as I really couldn’t warm to Birdy. I found her very self centred and mouthy but as the story progressed and you came to meet the other characters, Birdy herself grew too.
So by the end I was so hoping everything would work out for everyone and the hotel. Glad I kept reading as I could have easily put it aside in the earlier chapters when Birdy was frustrating me so much.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent is an amusing book perfect for a sunny afternoon, and a very impressive debut.
Birdy Finch has borrowed her best friend' s identity and decided to run away from her life and her responsibilities. Surely she can blag her way through a couple of months of work in a small Scottish hotel, how difficult can it be? As it turns out, a lot harder than she ever imagined - the hotel has been refurbished and relaunched as a luxury destination under the auspices of a celebrity chef and restauranteur , and Birdy's friend Heather has been hired as an expert sommelier. When Heather decides to follow her new boyfriend to Paris instead of spending the Summer in dreary Scotland, Birdy sees it as her chance , but the pressures of hiding her real identity while also bluffing her way through an overly extensive wine list soon start to pile on, and a budding romance with a fellow staff member only complicates things even further.
I really enjoyed the setting of this book, it felt like a realistic behind the scenes glimpse of working in the hospitality industry, and it made me really want to visit Scotland at some point in the future when travel is a possibility again. The characters are easy to relate to , and despite her somewhat dubious actions I found myself really rooting for Birdy to succeed.
Anyone who craves a holiday but can't get away could do a lot worse that settle down with this book, and perhaps a nice glass of wine, and let the author transport them to Scotland for a couple of hours.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

‘The Summer Job’ starts off as a slow burner. I think Birdy’s character takes a bit to warm to since she’s committing identity fraud by pretending to be her best friend, Heather and is a little all over the place. I was very skeptical of her when she kept putting off learning all the wines which in turn was affecting her job as sommelier (which I now know what it means). So she was a little difficult to sit with. But putting that all aside, about mid-way through, I began to appreciate the escapism this book provided. Just reading about the Scottish landscapes, the restaurant quality food and the comfort of the hotel made me long to be on holiday again! Before I knew it, I was rooting for Birdy and the hotel to do well. And then the twists came, which although I have to admit seemed a little rushed towards the end, was very intriguing. I couldn’t put the book down.

Overall, it’s a lovely easy summer-y read. I was actually pleasantly surprised with how it turned out considering how unsure I was at the beginning. It’s a really good getaway book!