Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

Easy quick read, bestseller vibe but perfect for those days when you just want to zone out

I absolutely loved this book as a chance to take myself to a summer away in the scottish countryside - Birdy is an endearing character who takes a summer job which was offered to her best friend - a fully trained sommelier. I loved watching her navigate a summer filled with embarrasing moments and a summer romance, all whilst trying to be someone else.

An easy read which has a somewhat predictable ending but I enjoyed the portrayal of the characters and the ending didn't put me off. I have a number of friends who would enjoy reading this book - it's a perfect summer read.

I’d like to thank the Lizzy, her publishers and NetGalley for this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

A good story line but I felt the first half was quite slow. However when it took off the second half definitely made up for my doubts at the beginning. Overall I enjoyed it and glad that I stuck with it because it was well worth reading

I thought this was going to be a bright and breezy rom-com but it wasn't and I was pleasantly surprised by it.

To begin with I thought the premise was a bit too unbelievable with untrained Birdy Finch taking up a job as a sommeliar under the identity of her highly-trained best friend Heather. I also found Birdy's lying at the beginning very uncomfortable and a bit anxiety-provoking at times.

However once I learned more about Birdy and saw her work hard to make the best of the situation. I did end up enjoying Lizzy Dent's witty writing style and felt compelled to find out how it would all end.

I loved the Scottish Highlands setting and the characters were well drawn and not too cartoonish (although Tim and his friend were perhaps exceptions to this). The novel also deals with deeper issues, like alcoholism and Birdy's difficult childhood, which stopped the book being too sickly sweet for me.

Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read.

Although the premise of this book was quite far-fetched and difficult to believe, it was still a fun and entertaining read. The Summer Job was a real fish-out-of-water story that takes us to fairly stressful and uncomfortable situations at times. By the end of the book, I had really connected with the main character and was rooting for her to succeed. It had an unusual and original feel that was very different from other books I've read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, advance copy of The Summer Job in exchange for an honest review.

After finishing this book, all you really want to do is, at the very least, visit the wilds of Scotland, and possibly even up sticks and move there, lock, stock and barrel.
With a bubbly, easy-to-read style, nicely descriptive, just the right amount; the food, drinks (there's a lot of alcohol mentioned in this book) and the smell of brine practically jump off the page as Birdy, our protagonist, stumbles her way through the eponymous 'summer job'.
It is a fun ride and you have to smile at her naivety and her sheer stubborn determination as well. However, I found that I got easily frustrated with her along the way and a bit confused by her behaviour.
I know it's good practice to reveal a backstory gradually, sprinkled throughout the story, but this is less essential outside the crime genre, and I would have loved, and empathised with Birdy, far more if I'd known a little more about her, a lot earlier in the narrative. Maybe rearrange a few revelations to help the reader understand.
The horizontal relationship she had with her 'sort of' boyfriend was very well-depicted and the dynamic, very familiar from observing friends and colleagues over the years.
Probably a 3.5 star read for me, but the quality of the writing and the feelgood factor (and that location!) pushes it towards the 4 stars.

Elizabeth ‘Birdy’ Finch has a family she barely speaks to, has had an abundance of jobs but can’t settle down. Her best friend Heather seems to have it all: an inheritance and a fantastic career as a sommelier. Birdy wants to run away from it all and when a chance for a summer job as a sommelier at a luxury Scottish hotel arises, she takes it. Can she pull off a whole summer pretending to be someone she isn’t? I found The Summer Job to be a nice pleasant read. Birdy is a quirky, endearing character and seems to run into nightmare after nightmare. I found this book to be a pleasant read. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin and the author for the chance to review.

An interesting premise for a “chicklit”, this story of Birdy basically taking over her friend’s identity to take a job as a sommelier, the toe curlingly awkwardness of the fish out of water situation really eases to root for Birdy to find her own passion in life. Will make a great summer read, especially for anyone struggling to work out their own path in life like Birdy. I am also very aware of how little I also know about wine now – possibly even less than Birdy…

This book was ok but I did find it abit predictable ( lovely hotel, lovely location, lovely males ) it may be just me but I did find myself easily distracted while reading this book I did finish reading it that is a reason for my star rating

When Birdy Finch imagined running away from her life, running into her best friends wasn’t quite what she thought it would be.

Firstly, her best friend has no idea…

Secondly, Birdy must pull of pretending to be a world-class sommelier at a luxury Scottish resort…

…and finally, she needs to do all that whilst trying not to fall head over heels in love for the first time in her life with a man who thinks she is someone else!


What a brilliant debut novel from Lizzy Dent!

I wasn’t sure when I began reading whether I was going to like Birdy, and thought my dislike of the main protagonist would hamper my enjoyment of the whole story. I felt it hard to believe a grown woman would think it ok to play so fast and loose with her best friends career simply on the whim of needing a place to stay. However, as the reader gets to know her back story and discover her character progression it is easy to take a shine to this clumsy, misguided, go-lucky girl.

I would find it hard to put this book into a specific genre as there were several themes. There was comedy, friendship and romance but also alcoholism, child abuse and loneliness. For me the resounding feeling was of personal growth. How somebody selfish can realise the error of their ways and strive to be better and make amends. Dent manages to convey this message in such a light-hearted way that this novel still falls effortlessly into the beach read category.

There was only one part that irked me slightly and that was, what I felt to be, a bit of a plot hole.Of which I won’t go into the details off, as I refuse to post spoilers in my reviews.

All in all, this book had some hilarious moments cleverly intertwined with more serious topics all set against the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish scenery.

An effortless read filled with a likeable and relatable cast.

The Summer Job is the first novel by Australian-born author, Lizzy Dent. Elizabeth Finch (Birdy to her close friends) is, without any knowledge at all of wine, posing as a sommelier for the summer in a newly-renovated exclusive boutique hotel in western Scotland. It was actually her best friend, Heather Jones’s job; it was meant to be a run-down family hotel with a tiny wine-list in a seldom-visited backwater; and it was supposed to have been cancelled. But here she is.

And after a shaky start, during which she makes numerous faux pas, Birdy, er, Heather is now getting a handle on the whole thing. She’s pretty well memorised the Wine List and, with the help of a very cluey apprentice wine waitress, managing to pair with the weird and wonderful dishes the Michelin-starred chef/supermodel foists on his sous-chef. And Birdy can’t walk out if the going gets tough: she has to make it work, or it will blow back and ruin her best friend’s reputation. And kill their friendship.

Tiny complications: the Loch Dorn Estate’s bar manager, Bill, seems to have a drinking problem; Birdy still hasn’t confessed to Heather what she’s doing; she is constantly terrified that a customer will call her bluff and expose her for the fraud she is; the dreaded restaurant reviewer is due for a visit; and, Birdy is seriously crushing on the sous-chef, James, a genuinely wonderful person to whom none of her boyfriends could ever compare; so, nothing too serious.

Before Dent gives the reader a satisfying, if not entirely unpredictable, resolution, there are event successes and disasters, a sweet romance not assisted by the surprise appearance by an obnoxious ex, newly family connections and, of course, a dramatic exposé of true identities. With a gorgeous setting, a cast of both appealing and annoying characters, a good helping of humour and plenty of witty dialogue, this is a very entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Penguin UK

"Birdy" Finch's best friend Heather flies to Italy in pursuit of romance. She leaves it to Birdy to put off the Scottish hotel she'd been about to take up a summer job at. Lacking somewhere to stay, Birdy decides to impersonate Heather. The trouble is Heather is a top class sommelier and Birdy very much isn't....

I struggled to get into this book at first, it took ages to finish the first quarter, but then it picked up and I quickly got to the end. A light romcom with a somewhat twisty ending and a fair few "oh no" moments. The West Coast setting is well described and it's quite an interesting read about hospitality.

I usually love a romantic comedy, but all the characters in this book just annoyed me to no end.

Birdy Finch comes across as pathetic and needy with few redeeming qualities, this does not change throughout the entire narrative and just gets a bit old hat after a while. The fact that she has no experience and fools anyone that she is a 'sommelier' is really only the tip of the iceberg of the reasons I did no enjoy this book.

The 'hotel in the Scotland' ends up being a sort of "last chance saloon" for a cast of misfits, but none of them end up being particularly interesting. The vaguely redeeming quality is the "hot chef" she falls in love with and the descriptions of his house/to be restaurant in a beautiful bay.

Just not for me. No character development of frankly bland annoying characters to start with, ridiculous plot that wasn't funny.

**Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Birdy Finch is stumbling through life. Unlike her best friend Heather who is practically gliding through it. So when the opportunity to spend a summer pretending to be Heather arises Birdy jumps at the chance. As someone who is used to blagging her way through life - Birdy is pretty sure that winging it for three months will be a doddle so she sets off to Scotland as an out of work temp ready to pose as a world class sommelier. What could possibly go wrong?
When I first started this book I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it. It felt a bit ‘cringe’ as Birdy arrived in Scotland & first posed as her best friend. However after that initial section I was hooked. I loved watching Birdy’s character develop slowly through the book. It was such as easy read I found myself picking it up whenever I could. It was funny and warm and I can’t wait to read future books from Lizzy Dent.

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
Publishers:Penguin General Uk, Fig Tree,Hampshire Hamilton, Viking.
Publication Date: 15 April 2021

No Spoilers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this debut from Lizzie Dent. It combined light hearted escapism with underlying serious themes which combined, gave us a unique main character in Birdy Finch. I chuckled throughout and snorted out loud a few times. The book also made me want to visit remote parts of Scotland, stay in Country Hotels and drink the best wine I can. I will certainly look forward to reading future work by this author. A real tonic.
I’d like to thank the author, publishers and NetGalley for this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Birdy Finch is kinda stuck in a bit of a rut. No family that she feels worthwhile being around, no decent. boyfriend, and not even a proper job to keep her going. All she has is her best friend Heather, and even she is leaving her, for a chance at happiness, for a while, at least.
With no place to live, and nothing else she can do, other than give in and go back to her parents, Birdy decides to pretend to be her friend for a summer, taking up a job she was offered, in the depths of Scotland. No one will know, right?
Except Heather is a sommelier and a very good one at that, and the place she was meant to be working is a hotel restaurant with aspirations of their first Michelin star...
Armed with the knowledge that there is red, white and rosé, oh, and bubbles, too, Birdy finds herself plunged deep into the world of wine and hospitality, far removed from her brief experience as a barmaid.
Oh, and what's the chances that while she is pretending to be someone else, she meets someone who could be the love of her life, but he doesn't even know who she really is?
The Summer Job is chock full of fantastic characters, and Birdy's situation, though a tad unrealistic, is hilarious, at times, heart-rending at others.
The descriptions of the lochs and scenery around the hotel take you right there. I could almost smell the fish at the port!
You know she's going to get found out. That's a given, isn't it? But the little twist at the end makes for a fresh reveal!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found it a little difficult to get into this book at the start as the idea of someone trying to pass herself off as a sommelier seemed too far fetched. However as I read on I became more invested in Birdy and her efforts to do the right thing in Heather’s place and not let her friend down. The descriptions of the Scottish scenery were lovely and the romance was gentle and not too predictable.

Thank you for running a Caboodle Firsts giveaway for The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent with Caboodle from National Book Tokens.

I absolutely loved The Summer Job, particularly due to how relatable Birdy was, and because of the supporting cast of interesting and varied characters.

I worked in hospitality briefly in my late teens/early twenties many years ago, and this book took me back to those days, when working in a pub made me part of a tight knit team, and humour was used to defuse most situations and get through the hard work.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of Scotland, and at times felt like I was there. In fact, that was probably one of the best things about this book - feeling like I was travelling, because I badly needed an escapist read.

Birdy was an intriguing and fallible character, and I found her pattern of getting into scrapes endearing. However, while she thinks of those things as failures, what I took away from it was that she kept trying, until she found her place in the world. I really enjoyed her relationship with James too, and there was real honesty in the writing, and the emotions we can struggle with at the beginning of a romance, especially when we don’t feel we’ re good enough.

The Summer Job was confidently written, entirely readable, and had the perfect ending. I’m looking forward to Lizzy’s next book.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have given The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent five out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our main character, Elizabeth Finch aka Birdy, is a funny, charming and very charismatic lady. Birdy is around thirty years old and is having a hard time finding a successful pathway, almost as though she is at a complete standstill. Unlike her best friend, Heather, who is an accomplished, passionate sommelier. Heather has been offered a new summer job at a hotel in Scotland to be their sommelier however, when she decides to follow her “boyfriend” to Italy instead of taking the job offer she asks Birdy to ring up the hotel to decline the job offer. Although Birdy has agreed that she will ring the hotel, she ends up forgetting to do so and instead decides to take Heather’s place and accept the sommelier job even though she is completely inexperienced when it comes to having advanced knowledge of winery. I absolutely adored Birdy’s character throughout this book despite some of the poor choices she decides to make.

This was a brilliantly, fun and light-hearted read. The plot was a breath of fresh air which I didn’t realise I was in desperate need of. Lizzy Dent’s writing style was compelling, her characters were well-developed and I loved the twist Dent surprises us with. I had some ideas what the twist might turn be in this book however, I hadn’t guessed correctly which made my overall experience of reading this book even better.

If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud, funny, romantic yet sad all-in-one book, I would definitely suggest to pick up The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent when it is released. Looking online, this book is expected to be published on 15th April 2021 and I can’t wait for you all to get your hands on this hilarious, yet heart-warming novel.