Whenever I see that a book is set in Scotland, I'm always eager to read - Scotland is my heart home! I always like to read a debut to get a feel for the authors writing, and this is Lizzy Dent's debut adult novel.

If you could choose to pretend to be someone else, would you? That is exactly what Elizabeth "Birdy" Finch does when her best friend Heather - a world class sommelier - decides to spend the summer in Italy with her new boyfriend, and Birdy takes on Heather's job in a failing Scottish hotel. Only one catch - Heather has no idea! But neither does anyone else (except Birdy's no-good booty call)...

The story is full of mishaps and misadventures with plenty of laugh out loud moments and an abundance of likeable, relatable characters. I could absolutely picture the setting in my head too; Dent's descriptions of the hotel and its surroundings were great (having been a visitor to the west coast helped too!).

I did find it dragged a little in places so found it hard to keep reading at points, but the wine knowledge I've gained may be helpful in future! 😆 I had my doubts about how the ending was going to pan out, but it all played out well.

A really enjoyable summer read!

A well written, easy read, about two best friends who support each other through their challenging lives, until one summer when one goes to Italy and the other decides to pretend to be the other and take her job at a Scottish Lodge as a sommelier. A fish out of water tale, soon Birdy realises there is more to wine than just drinking it, she wonders if she can pull this off. There are some very funny scenes as tries hard to blag her way through this job, then some really touching scenes as she begins to like her colleagues and works hard to succeed. There is a side story of a slow burn attraction to the Chef, who is miles better that the disaster boyfriend she left behind in London. The ending was reassuringly predictable, whilst also having emotional notes about addiction, identity and what makes a family. Really enjoyable book about running away to Scotland, where there are NO midges, after 845 days in lockdown aren't we all dreaming about that?

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite a fun book and I didn’t really know what to expect when I started it. It was definitely a wild ride and I spent a lot of my reading time nervous about Birdy being found out. Although her plan to pretend to be her friend Heather, a trained sommelier, was a bit off the wall, this was quite entertaining. I did find it slightly predictable once the plot got going, but that’s normal in romance novels. I loved the characters in this one and found them a fun and eclectic bunch! It was enjoyable but not a favourite of mine.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

🍷 BOOK REVIEW 🍷

Synopsis: Warning: this is not your typical rom com. Have you ever imagined running away from your life? Well Birdy Finch didn't just imagine it. She did it. Which might've been an error. And the life she's run into? Her best friend, Heather's. The only problem is, she hasn't told Heather. Actually there are a few other problems... Can Birdy carry off a summer pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)? And can she stop herself from falling for the first man she's ever actually liked (but who thinks she's someone else)?

Review: Wow! What an incredible debut novel! Lizzy sent brings a refreshing change to the chick lit genre with an astounding amount of depth to a rare trope. I absolutely adored the MC and loved the humour. I also really identified with her insecurities. By the end of this book I couldn’t put it down, and binge read it for the most part. I will say though that the first 25% or so is quite laggy and it does take some effort to get into the interesting storyline, but trust me it is totally worth it! I was fully invested emotionally in this book and felt my heart pounding in my chest when the MC’s drama is inevitably unraveled. Honestly this book is just so so good!

My sincerest thanks to @netgalley @lizzy.dent and @penguinrandomhouse for a copy of this book in exchange for my review

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[content warning for gaslighting, alcoholism, infidelity, and death of a parent]

#bookreview #thesummerjob #bookstagram #fiction #romancenovel #chicklit #adultfiction #bibliophile #bookaddict #readingcommunity #igreads #netgalley #goodreads #audiobooks #debutnovel #bookaesthetic #booklover #readersofinstagram #romcomnovel #aussiebookstagrammer

A funny, sweet, romantic, and heartwarming story. You cannot help but to love Birdie and her quirky ways!. Defo worth a read!

I absolutely loved this!

Lizzy Dent has crafted a perfect character in Birdy - she is funny, relatable and real! This is such a fun read, littered with numerous other characters who really bring the story to life. I enjoyed how there was a romance storyline but it wasn't the sole purpose of the book, Dent got the balance just right!

Friendship and family (in all its shapes and forms) is the centre of this book. Birdy and Heather have such a strong foundation and it's clear to see to the reader despite heather not featuring too much in the book. It's also lovely to see the characters grow and come into their own by the end of the book without it being cliche!

I'd definitely recommend it to fans of The Switch by Beth O'Leary.

This book isn't my usual genre, but I'd seen lots of positive things about it on Twitter and fancied a fun, lighter read as a break from my usual crime novels. I did wonder how the main conceit (a woman taking her friend's highly skilled job) would be sustained over the whole novel and looked forward to losing myself in Birdy's world.

The novel follows Birdy (Elizabeth Finch) as she steps into her friend's job in a Scottish restaurant - her friend Heather has run off to Rome with her lover and it seems a shame that a cushy job will be unfilled, so Birdy steps in. It's far enough away from her life - and disastrous relationship - in London for people to suspect she isn't Heather, the top class sommelier. Except for the fact that Birdy knows nothing about wine. Things get more complicated when she gets to the restaurant and meets the attractive chef...

Living as an imposter certainly throws a few problems Birdy's way.

I'll admit I was sceptical about some of the set-up. I'm not sure who asks their friend to turn down a job offer for them and am not sure you could ever pass as someone else for any length of time with social media so prevalent. However, Dent deals with these hitches well and the book is so cheery and funny that my reservations melted away.

I really enjoyed the Scottish setting, a long way from Birdy's natural London habitat but gloriously described and written with real love. The restaurant itself was peopled with a lively and believable cast - anyone who has worked in catering or restaurants will recognise some of the types. I particularly loved Roxy, the trainee wine expert who helps Birdy out when her skills as a sommelier are being so sorely tested. It was also hard not to like and feel sorry for Bill, struggling with his own issues but smoothing the way for Birdy when he could.

Birdy herself is likeable and funny - there's lots of self-deprecating humour that made me laugh and it was easy to feel sympathy for her as she worked hard to overcome her total lack of the specialist knowledge that she had supposedly been hired for. Indeed, her drive to make the best of the situation and not let her friend down made her an appealing character. She comes to really care about the restaurant - although not before a few disasters along the way.

I liked the love interest in the novel, James, although - for me - the central storyline was really Birdy finding her feet and place in the world. That this included a handsome Scottish chef was fine with me, and he came across well - although slightly lacking the warmth and humour of the female characters. Still, it was a romance I felt invested in and definitely preferable to Birdy's London boyfriend who is just outrageously awful.

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and engaging book. There's plenty to keep you reading - even as you wince at Birdy's faux pas, warm to her colleagues and wonder what on earth Heather is going to make of it all when she finds out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer Job is a classy modern rom-com starring Birdy, one of the most entertaining and endearing narrators I’ve encountered in a long while. Set in an idyllic Scottish country hotel (imagine an upmarket version of Fawlty Towers), it has that classic ‘can’t put it down’ escapism, but with a witty sharp edge, rather than a ‘cosy’ feel.

Very enjoyable. It definitely leaves the reader wanting to hear more about the characters in the future.

Many thanks to Viking, to Ms Dent and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel.

If you are looking for a fun summer read, in a beautiful setting, with a sprinkling of romance and a fabulous cast of supporting characters, then look no further than The Summer Job.

When her friend Heather opts not to take up the job of sommelier at a Scottish hotel, Birdy, who is stumbling through life struggling to find her way, decides to impersonate her friend and take the job. The only problem - she knows nothing about wine and the sleepy hotel she expected turns out to be aiming for fine dining, with a wine list to match. There's plenty of humour as we follow Birdy's misadventures as she attempts to fake it - add in the fact she finds herself falling for James, a chef at the hotel, and her pretend life as Heather becomes ever more complicated. Dent adds some depth to a flawed but hugely likeable character as we find out how much a difficult upbringing has impacted Birdy's life.

Its an impressive debut and perfect escapism that will make you smile.

Elizabeth 'Birdy' Finch is drifting with no real purpose in life. Due to a chain of events, she ends up assuming her best friend's identity as a sommelier in what she thought was a small, dated hotel in Scotland. Unfortunately she knows nothing about wines and the hotel is trying to relaunch itself as an exclusive boutique place.

It's fair to say Birdy is a bit of a mess but a relatable, down to earth one which made the book for me. The background of her childhood explained a lot and I felt like the ending gave her some sort of closure. I really enjoyed the book - it was a lot of fun but also poignant.

An unfortunate side effect of reading it is I now really want to eat a lot of food and visit Scotland!

Great setting and premise, but unfortunately the characters just didn't connect for me: Birdy seemed ruthless, lazy and unintelligent - I couldn't relate to her or root for her, which is such a shame. The romance took quite a long time to get started, by which point I was less invested than I'd like to be.

This book is such a tonic! I seem to have been reading some heavier books and more non fiction lately, and The Summer Job was the perfect antidote. You know when you just click with a book? I loved everything about this one - the characters, the plot and the setting - and I whizzed through it in just a few days.

Birdy is something of a lovable disaster, totally relatable and I found myself really hoping things would go her way. I warmed to several of the supporting characters just as much and I fully admit I now want to run away to Scotland, wear a wax jacket and go foraging near a beautiful loch!

The Summer Job made me laugh, it made me cringe and it totally stressed me out at times when Birdy’s ill-formed plans started to unravel. It’s a good dose of fun with some real emotions woven through it and is a gorgeous feel good tribute to Scotland, friendship, falling in love and finding oneself.

Thanks to @netgalley and @vikingbooksuk for the opportunity to read this one. It’s out today, 15 April, and you really *need* it in your life!

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

Birdy Finch wants a break from her life where it feels like everything is going wrong one after the other… In a spur of the moment decision she decides to pretend to be her best friend (a world class wine expert no less) and escapes to Scotland to work in a refurbished hotel. When she arrives at the hotel she realises that this job is much harder than she realised as she knows absolutely nothing about wine!

The story follows Birdy as she settles into life in Scotland and honestly, she is such an incredible character! At first she seems very superficial but you go on such a journey getting to know her and how things in her past have affected how she acts today.

I absolutely loved the fact that the story was set in Scotland and I always get a bit too excited when a book mentions a place that I have visited myself…

This is honestly the definition of a summer holiday read and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something to pick up as a wholesome, easy read!

CW// alcohol abuse, toxic relationship

This has been sitting on my shelf for a while and I put off reading it because I wanted to wait until closer to the summer but then as the time came I found myself in a massive reading slump and just couldn't find the motivation to get through it but that's definitely a reflection on me right now and not on the book itself! It took me a while to get into and at the beginning, a lot of the characters blended together a bit but as the story progressed I found I actually enjoyed it a lot and all of the characters were actually important to the story. I really enjoyed the conclusion and it actually took me by surprise which was a nice change. Generally, just a lovely read which had I been in a better reading mood at the time might have had a bigger impact on me.

At its heart, this is a story of two friends, both trying to find their identity in a world that has put them through varying degrees of hardship. The trials and tribulations of friendship, family, and identity theft!

It is a sweet, heartwarming read. Seeing how Birdy grows and evolves, is positively uplifting. Irene is such a sweet lady and James is a gentleman! The characterisation is great because the characters I like, I adore. The same can be said for the characters that I love to hate - like Tim & Russel.

I look forward to rereading this one because I think I’ll prefer it the second time around. Given that Birdy is pretending to be a renowned sommelier, it is sure enough to say that her cover will be blown at some point. As the story snowballed and this inevitable doom grew closer, I was so STRESSED. For the majority of the book, I found myself on edge, unable to relax because I feared for the characters. I prefer sudden plot twists that don’t allow me to overthink too much before they happen. My preoccupation with the impending revelation that ‘Heather’ was ‘Birdy’ meant I couldn’t fully invest in the romance of the book. Romance is secondary to the overall plot but I look forward to being able to soak it up more when rereading.

I don’t think the book is intended to be as stress-inducing as it was for me, but it is certainly an enthralling read. I was wholly invested throughout the entire reading experience. My stress is a credit to the vibrant characters and engaging storyline. A book that manages to make the reader as invested in it as I was with this one, is a great book. I look forward to reading it again, safe in the knowledge that everything will be ok.

The book deals with some important issues too, such as family drama, excessive drinking, unhealthy relationships. This is coupled with healthy relationships and finding your way out of both a midlife crisis and an identity crisis (both literally and metaphorically!).

Vibrant, charming & witty.

A huge thanks to the publisher and author for my ARC which I received through Netgalley. #ADgifted

The perfect summer read that I wish I have read somewhere warm by the pool!

I really, really liked this book. I loved it had some layers to it and it wasn’t solely centred around a holiday romance trope. If food, wine, warm, local community and picturesque Scottish setting excite you, this book will be right up your street!

Very refreshing to not have a super cheesy happy ending and even though the premise itself may appear a little far fetched, I appreciated the way in which it was executed. I felt that it added a layer of tension and anticipation that kept me turning pages.

AND it’s always an added bonus when I’m very much into the chemistry between the two love interests, which I definitely was.

I will be strongly recommending this book to all my best friends this summer!

The Summer Job is a vibrant story with a standout main character. Birdy is the opposite of her successful wine expert friend, Heather. When Heather can't take her Summer job as a wine expert in Scotland, Birdy decides to. Nothing is as she expects, most especially the luxury hotel, but Birdy carries on undaunted.

This story is written in a way that engages the senses. It's easy to visualise Birdy's humorous antics, and the dialogue is humorous and witty. There are friendships and romance but also guilt that these are based on a lie. This story has many poignant moments which make the reader empathise with the main character, but the overriding ethos is uplifting.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK - Viking in return for an honest review.

Have you ever wished you could be someone else? That is exactly the situation that our central character Birdy Finch finds herself in after her best friend Heather asks her to decline a job she's been offered as a wine expert at a Scottish hotel. Instead because of circumstances she finds herself in, Birdy decides to step into Heather's shoes and take on the job herself. How hard can it be?

From the outset I found myself wondering how she ever thought she could get away with it, pulling the wool over the eyes of her new colleagues with her extensive wine knowledge when she doesn't know a Riesling from a Chardonnay. But also at what risk to Heather's professional reputation? If everything falls apart then it's not only her life up in smoke but also that of her best friend Heather who knows nothing about what Birdy is doing.

No sooner had she arrived then Birdy realises that this won't be quite as simple to blag her way through as she had hoped, her wine for dummies book isn't going to cut it to convince everyone that she knows what wine to pair with the mouth-watering dishes being prepared in the kitchen. I literally cringed at some of the circumstances she finds herself in, who knew that opening a champagne bottle could cause such an injury... only Birdy could!

The more I learned of Birdy's background, the more I began to understand her and her desire to fit in even if I felt her impulsive actions were completely reckless. She hasn't exactly had an easy life but it's about time that she grew up and stopped flitting through life from one situation to another. Is this the Summer that she finally finds herself?

I loved the setting, a luxury hotel in the Scottish countryside. It definitely sounded like the place I would love to escape to right now after the year we've had. There's nothing better than being able to go for a leisurely walk during then return for a tasty meal cooked by someone else.

Overall The Summer Job is the perfect escapism read although it wasn't all light-hearted as there were also some heavier themes featured as well.

Elizabeth Finch named Birdy by her best friend is completely lost. She finds it hard to commit to a job or boyfriend, therefore she hooks up with Tim for some fun and non-serious relationship.
Her best friend, Heather, on the other hand, a trained sommelier, has got an inheritance left from her father and seems to know exactly what she wants.... well, not always. She, too, has a fault- she always falls for the wrong guy thinking it is love.
It all changes when Birdy takes a job offer instead of Heather and pretends to be her, but does not have the faintest idea about wine. Then James appears... secrets get even deeper...

I loved this book and on each page, I really wanted to see what would happen next.

Beautifully woven novel and great for snuggling under a blanket.

Thank you#netgalley, #lizzydent, and publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

This book is a total breath of fresh air. It has food, wine, a beautiful Scottish setting, romance, laughter, and a great big heart. I really loved it!

I mean, where do I even start with the questionable decision-making skills of Birdy Finch?! Heading off to Scotland to pose as a world-class sommelier who also happens to be your best friend, without telling her?? Her boyfriend, Tim..? 🤮 And there are plenty of other missteps along the way, for sure.

But, you know, you sort of can’t be mad with her because, ironically, she kind of can’t help being completely herself the whole time. The amazing cast of characters at the hotel accept Birdy into their fold despite some near-disasters and even though she is absolutely not what they were expecting. Chef James was a particular favourite of mine – I wouldn’t mind a few cooking lessons from him!

I have to admit that I was a bit sceptical that there could possibly be a happy ending considering the complete pickle Birdy had gotten herself into. But I was definitely hoping there would be! Because I just loved her and because who doesn’t love a happily ever after?!

The Summer Job is such a fun, uplifting read, which I would definitely recommend! With thanks to Viking for gifting me a digital copy to review.