3.5 STARS

I loved the setting of this one and all the laugh out loud funny moments!

As someone who has no idea what career to pursue this aspect of the story was very relatable haha. I also really liked James and the dash of romance!

Some aspects I did find a little too crazy and therefore annoying but overall it’s an enjoyable, easy read and a lovely story.

This is a story based on a lie but filled with good intentions. This meant that more layers of lies had to be laid down to cover the big one and before too long Birdy finds herself immersed in an alternative reality.

Birdy is feeling a bit down and out. Her best friend, Heather, is following her heart to Italy to chase a guy who could be ‘the one.’ She currently has no fixed abode or a job and she has no idea what to do, moving home is her last resort. When she attends a wine awards event, in place of Heather she soon finds herself down a rabbit warren of lies.

This is how Birdy ends up arriving at Loch Dorn estate as their new Sommelier. Accommodation and food is included so it’s a win win really - a great way to spend summer. Only catch is she knows nothing about wine, they think her name is Heather and the job is way bigger than she expected it would be. She really is in some deep shit.

Somehow she manages to fumble her way through the first few weeks with some minor hiccups and tries to educate herself about wine whenever she finds a spare moment. She has enough confidence and self belief to convincingly pull off her charade. She also enjoys making new friendships with her colleagues and in particular, James.

James is the chef who is truly adorable. Birdy is definitely crushing on him and he is showing signs of feeling the same way. James is the sweetest guy and makes her feel special. He is thoughtful, kind and patient. Birdy could see herself falling for him but is also mindful that she is only there for a small time and the fact that he thinks she’s someone she isn’t. Along the way Birdy realises that what she really wants is a simpler life with genuine people, even if it is not a life she could have imagined before this.

The risk of being caught was constantly on Birdy’s mind and mine through the entire story so I was on edge worrying when/if it would happen :) This is a fun, summer read. Plenty of laugh out loud moments and plenty of anxiety ridden ones too. The secondary characters definitely added to the overall story and I loved the background setting of Scotland.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one.
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I found it difficult to put down, even though I usually cringe when plots prolong the inevitable 'reveal'. The writer just made it so easy to read, with her fast paced tempo and comical banter. Birdy was also such a fun lead, and with the lovely cast in Scotland, it felt like she was home.
I like that James was a lovely person, I don't think there's anything more attractive than that.
The descriptions of the wine, food and landscape had me wanting to get on a plane and visit.
Definitely a book I'll be recommending.

To be honest, I struggled to get into this tale of deception & a new life to start with. But once I got to know Birdy, everything began to fall into place & I really enjoyed it.

This book focuses on the premise of Birdy impersonating her best friend Heather who is a sommelier and decides that she'd rather go to Italy and try to pursue a man who won't dump his girlfriend rather than take a summer job in Scotland.
It was an awesome read from start to finish. So many apt lines and clever writing. Definitely a 5 star read.

A very light read - at times, a little unbelievable, I enjoyed the premise and the outcome, whilst trying to picture exactly where it was set.

Thank you to the publishers and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Birdy Finch is an adorable lead character. She is full of wit, has a strength of character that is brilliant and everybody she meets is charmed by her. After she goes to a hotel in Scotland posing as a sommelier using her best friends professional identity she is forced to brush up on wines to improve her very very limited knowledge. This delightful book is a joy to read with its inventive plot. I loved it.

This started as a jolly light hearted read which I really enjoyed. The main character takes on the identity of her best friend and pretends to be a sommelier for the summer at a “run down” hotel and restaurant in Scotland. However, when she arrives, the hotel has been renovated and relaunched as a high end boutique hotel. The story tells of Birdy’s growth at the hotel, learning of wines and pairings and developing strong relationships with the staff. What the book actually is is a great story of growing up, repairing relationships, realising your passions and finding where you belong.

This book was fantastic. I think the way the author describes Birdy's feelings and how she feels as though she doesn't fit in anywhere is so raw and real. So many people don't know where they belong or what they're passionate about and this causes everyone starts panicking about it at a certain age and the author just portrayed this so well. Some things Birdy did really grated on me and sometimes I did have a few 'why did you do that' moments but I also think she was a lovely character, who really only meant well. Bill was a brilliant addition to the book, drawing Birdy back to her childhood with an alcoholic father and showing us exactly why she feels as though she doesn't belong anywhere. The romance was a nice romance but I found myself wanting a bit more from it, as I feel it was quite minimal. However, the ending of this book was perfect and just what I wanted. I would definitely recommend this book to those who feel as though they're getting nowhere in life and really don't know where they belong because it is quite eye opening. It definitely taught me to start making spontaneous decisions and not overthink it so much and I'm really appreciative of the author for this. This is a brilliant book.

I don't think this book was my cup of tea...it felt really icky to have the whole premise based on a lie. Especially a lie as as big as Birdy's, when she pretends to be her best friend who is an up and coming sommelier with a great reputation. Heather is offered a summer position up in Scotland but decides to go to Italy with her new guy instead. Behind her back, Birdy decides to try her hand at being a sommelier instead, thinking that based on the hotel's website and small wine list that it'll be an easy job for the summer.

So Birdy is such a mess of a character and I really could not get behind her decision to put her best friend's reputation and career at risk. Sure, she puts effort into learning her wines but she's still essentially winging it. The pacing of the plot is also really messed up, with a lot of big events happening in the last 10-15% after a slow build up.

Overall, I think some people will enjoy this book, but for me I need to like the characters more. Even the romance didn't feel convincing to me, mostly because Birdy was pretending to be someone else the whole time.

A small lie (wearing her friend's name badge to an event with free wine) leads to a Birdy Finch finding herself living a lie for an entire summer working in a recently refurbished hotel in the Scottish highlands.

This perfectly pitched, funny and - at times - tender rom-com is a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining read. It has characters you care for that are more complex than they appear at first glance, all of them tussling with some issue from their past, but finding a way through life. That and the excellent descriptions of nature, food and wine make for a book that is both thought provoking and easy to read. The perfect cosy weekend book,.

Have you ever imagined running away from your life?
Well, Birdy didn't imagine it. She actually did it.

Birdy Finch has no job, no purpose and is flat broke. Perhaps the one good thing going for her is Heather – her best friend of twenty-five years. Heather is one of the brightest young wine experts in the country and has been offered a summer job at a luxury-dining boutique property in Scotland. But she has decided to whisk off to Italy instead, with her boyfriend, to decide if he is the one. That leaves Birdy with no place to stay and the responsibility to call and cancel the job on Heather’s behalf.

Yet, somehow, Birdy finds herself taking Heather’s place at the hotel. The trouble is, Birdy knows nothing about wine pairings or being a sommelier nor has she told Heather of this change in plans. Now, Birdy is faking at a job which should be a cakewalk for someone with Heather’s credentials and is falling for the first man she’s ever actually liked who thinks Birdy is someone else.
How far will be too far for Birdy before all hell breaks loose?

This is second novel set in the Hebrides that I’ve read in the last month and I am getting travel pangs once again. The Scottish setting is picturesquely described and includes many rainy walks and foraging for grown-in-the-wild and local produce.

When you don’t have everything figured out and feel like you're lagging behind in the grand scheme of things, this is the pick-me-up you need. A flirty summer read with good food, gorgeous views and vintage wines, this is definitely one madcap adventure you wouldn’t want to miss.

This ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Viking Books UK.
For complete review, visit aquamarineflavours.wordpress.com

An interesting read. I felt a bit conflicted about the Birdie’s deception especially when she started getting closer to James *who was lovely*. Although there were a few funny moments watching her try to bluff her way as a sommelier mostly made me feel anxious. Birdie was a complicated mess but I liked the journey she went on and there were some good supporting characters in this story. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and the descriptions of the Scottish setting, food and wine. Overall worth a read ( 3 ⭐️)

The opening chapters of Lizzy’s novel left me feeling this book was not going to be an exciting, enjoyable read. Nothing could have been further from the truth- once in a little further the story really took off and I’m glad I carried on reading. Birdy went to Scotland pretending to be Heather -her friend, with a wonderful and fascinating outcome. She was funny, unpredictable at times and lovable. A beautifully written and observed novel.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it didn't totally work for me. The entire premise rubbed me up the wrong way to be honest, so I could never sympathise with the main character which makes it difficult to enjoy a contemporary book like this

This book follows Birdy Finch, a self-confessed failure, especially when compared to her best friend and wine expert, Heather Jones. When Heather decides to up and visit Italy with her new boyfriend, Birdy decides to step into the summer job Heather had lined up: she moves to Scotland to become a sommelier, despite having no knowledge of wine

Birdy was such an unlikable protagonist imo and I never warmed to her. I get that she was supposed to be crass and have had a difficult childhood, but I didn't like her at all. I thought the whole set up of her lying and pretending to be her best friend was awful and made me so uncomfortable, I cannot be doing with liars. Sections of this book also really exacerbated my anxiety when she's floundering and trying to blag her way through being a sommelier, did not enjoy

My observation of the love interest: reading his thoughts on and passion for food and cooking reminded me of Remy the rat from Ratatouille. Also there was zero chemistry between him and Birdy and I didn't buy their connection at all

This book just made me feel a bit yick for many reasons, the characters and the general plot just didn't work for me at any point. I also think it's gross to see someone starting a romantic and sexual relationship with a person while they're lying about who they. That aspect just didn't sit right with me at all. I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book, onto the next adult contemporary romance I guess

TW: reference to past child abuse/neglect, reference to parent death (not MC), alcohol abuse

Really really liked this book. An easy read that I wanted to keep picking up. I liked the ditsy Birdy and felt an affinity with her. Her escapades made me chuckle and I was willing her to succeed at the British wine dinner. I loved the development of the friendships and the great supporting characters - especially Bill, Irene and Roxi. - and the description of the places. I also didn’t see the ending coming!

Wow, this was completely unexpected! I went into this expecting a cute & fluffy romance, but it packs a bit of an emotional punch. I liked Birdie, but she does make a massive error of judgement, which is the premise for the whole story. As she struggles to pretend to be Heather, we see how her past has caused her to act the way she does. I thought the supporting cast were great, especially James. There are some absolutely great lines that Birdie says, and they made me laugh so hard! I've worked for a small hotel in a similar financial situation to this, and thought that the pressure that a renovation/rebranding and all the stress to prove yourselves to locals & industry people was well portrayed.

Birdy Finch doesn’t know where her life is headed. Her best friend Heather seems to have things sorted – she’s an expert sommelier and has been building her career for years. So when Heather turns down a job in Scotland to try and find true love in Italy, Birdy finds herself stepping in, pretending to be Heather and pretending to know far more about wine than she actually does (it’s made with grapes, right?) There weren’t as many laugh out loud moments in this novel as I’d expected from how it is pitched, but I enjoyed the slow-paced romance. Most of all, I loved Birdy’s own story of finding herself and her place in the world and how it didn’t shy away from difficult topics like alcoholism and difficult family relationships. The Scottish setting had me dreaming of beautiful lochs and I loved the food and drink descriptions.

'The Summer Job' by Lizzy Dent on the surface seems like another 'fish out of water' romance. But it was SO much more than this. Birdy certainly finds romance but her journey is a pleasure to read on many different levels. This is a story of self-discovery, finding a purpose, finding a sense of worth after childhood mistreatment and trauma and allowing yourself to be loved. There are tough moments, particularly when dealing with the themes of alcoholism and gaslighting, but Dent keeps her characters real, sympathetic and a joy to follow across the summer at Loch Dorn.

We see Birdy take a job in Scotland, faking her way into it using her friend Heather's name and impressive credentials. The focus on Birdy trying to fulfil the role of wine impresario and sommelier in the fancy restaurant brought moments of genuine humour along with pride at the way Birdy uses the opportunity to learn and grow as a person. Additionally, her spark with James is really sweet and adds another level to the experience without drawing from the main focus being Birdy and her love of self.

Overall, this book was a pleasant surprise. Dent has crafted something multi-faceted which allows her character to be flawed and grow but never unlikeable (except maybe horrific Russell!). I look forward to reading anything Dent writes in future. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a totally gorgeous read, loved every page, some wonderful charecters and a lovely story, can't recommend enough, bit upset I've finished it so quickly