I feel like learn a lot from this book as I didn’t know anything about sommeliers beforehand. I did find myself getting frustrated with the character at times there was also something charming about her naivety and wanting to please others and definitely something that I can see in myself myself. The book was really enjoyable and went quickly and I will definitely pick up more from the offer as it was a really great experience.

This was a nice and enjoyable read. I had a good time while reading it. I loved all the Scottish scenarios and also the wine and food talk🤤
The only thing is that the story was a bit slow and it took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I enjoyed it. I Recommend it if you are looking for a light and fun summer read full of food and Scottish vibes.

Loved the book and the concept, also narration was really good. Very likeable characters but too much swearing let the book down. I get in some cases swear words might be fit for purpose but this book was little overfilled with them. It really didn't work for me and distracted me from enjoying this book fully.

Really enjoyed this audiobook. Fast pace of storyline. Clear and understandable narrator. I would recommend.

I had this as both a written and audible version. Really enjoyed it, an easy listen and quite funny in places. We follow Birdy through her bumbling life, mistake after bad decision, thoroughly likeable though. She finds herself in a situation where she is working in a job that frankly she is unqualified to do! Winging it is an understatement... The storyline was a little far-fetched but isn’t that why we get lost in a book! Light-hearted fun with a bit of romance makes this an ideal summer read.

When this book startes it hit with a bam. It was a great way to start. In the middle it feel a bit flat and then everything ramped up again.



I liked the characters in this book, they were all very different but it worked. Certainly a chalk and cheese moment along the way.



The story of this book was great talk about faking it till you make it. And that is exactly what Birdie did.



The description of the landscapes made me want to go to Scotland to see all the sights.



Enjoyable read. Left open for a follow up.

Great narrator too

I was really excited to read this one but the audiobook just was not working for me so I had to DNF it. The narrator was giving me anxiety feelings, I can't explain it.

I really loved this book, listened to in audio.
It was hilarious and heartwarming and I was immediately invested in the main character Birdie as we followed her summer escapades. If this was a paperback I wouldn’t have been able to put it down. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. 4.5 stars.

Light but also layered, empathetic life-swap romance/comic story.

It's the plot of many a romantic comedy story: the (mostly) unintentional mistaken identity, the decision to simply take over their life to hide a truth, or make a point, or help someone out... or to attempt to have a fresh start.

Birdy hasn't made much of her life so far, and when her friend Heather, head over heels with a new man in another country, offers her an invitation in her stead to attend a swanky event, she jumps at the chance to feel like someone more successful for the evening. It's not all that hard pretending for one evening that she's actually a Master of Wine, it's quite fun.

But then Birdy is offered a job that Heather has turned down, a few months in a Scottish highland hotel, as sommelier/wine expert, as part of their plan to modernise and freshen up their establishment. How hard can it be?

Readers will know the kind of thing to expect - the momentary moral questioning, the identity problems, swotting up on her new expert subject, and of course... the staff Birdy is going to meet and have to live with for weeks and weeks.

As well as the slightly frothy storyline of a woman pretending to be someone else and making mistakes and having little successes along the way, with romantic entanglements ensuing, there are some slightly more weighty issues brought to the surface too - Heather's slightly creepy relationship developing overseas, with Birdy quietly offering support from afar. A staff member with a drink problem. A woman whose lack of achievement gives her a different perspective on the life she is 'borrowing'.

Very easy to listen to, this is perfect material for audiobook and paper. It's a pacey plot that feels like a 90-minute romcom, it has moments of romance and comedy, and you have a few characters you do empathise with. And a hot cook. And some rather interesting moments as Birdy teaches herself about wine.

Light enough for a summer read, but also more memorable than the instantly forgettable typical book this entails.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

If you are looking for an easy light hearted fluff for the brain listen then this is a good one. It’s a bit like a funny romcom. Really liked Birdys character and found her very endearing and where she might mess up she has a heart of gold and isn’t afraid to say what she thinks along with being really witty. Loved Emma Sidi as the narrator as she really added to Birdys character along with the Scottish accents. The pace and flow of the story was perfect along with some antics thrown in. Enjoyed it and it wasn’t unusual for me to burst out laughing on more then one occasion. Sometimes you just need an easy read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that was published on the 15th of April.

I loved this little romantic escape into the world of Birdy Finch. The perfect book to get stuck into on a summer day! I found it so hard to put down. Highly recommend to any rom-com lover like myself!

The Summer Job - Lizzy Dent

I enjoyed the mixture of characters as there were plenty of people to like/love and really quite dislike. I really liked the descriptions within the book as they made me really feel like I was in the story and it provided the perfect bit of escapism. I must admit the spiral of lies that Birdie spun did leave me a little anxious at times but getting to grips with her background gave a great oversight into this. A really witty, easy to read book with depth! Thank you so much NetGalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to really enjoy this story.

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Summer Job. I have been excited about reading (or indeed listening) to this book for ages - it sounded like a tonic from the blurb and something a bit different to the thriller style books I have been reading of late. I am still a bit new to audiobook fiction but they are definitely growing on me. The narrator is glorious and has a very nice voice to listen to. It was easy to tune in and get lost in the world of 'Heather', James, Bill and Irene.

The storyline was good fun, a little predictable but I think that is to be expected with this style of read. That by no means takes away from the story, it was perfect escapism and a delight to listen to in the lighter mornings and evenings as I commuted in and out of work. I was rooting for Birdie/Heather and really willed her to make good decisions and salvage what she could of her summer job but often she chickened out or found an excuse not to. I loved the earnestness of James, he was written as an absolute delight and one of the best characters. Bill is more complex and I liked how there was a bit of a serious side mixed in with the charade of Birdie/Heather. This helped it step away a little more from the usual style of books in this genre and gave it more oomph.

Overall I would recommend The Summer Job for a summer read (well, anytime of year really but if you are a seasonal reader then best to get it now) - light but with a bit of backbone.

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 would be strongly recommending this book to my best friends this summer!

I had previously read the ARC for The Summer Job, but found this audiobook brought more to the characters than when I had read it myself. Such a good write and read!

The Summer Job is a perfect, light-hearted summer read. With nothing going right for her Birdie makes the decision to assume her best friend Heather’s Identity for the summer and work a job in Scotland. The plus side- it includes free bed and board for the summer. The downside- Heather is a world class sommelier and Birdie doesn’t know the first thing about wine... what could go wrong.

As someone who doesn't know much about wine and chooses what to drink based on what’s on offer in the supermarket I found some of Birdie’s comments when learning the wine list hilarious.... “tastes like bread... wankers”. So true to life if you were a novice thrown into the role.

Overall a nice read with some chuckles along the way.

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

The Summer Job is thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy set in a posh hotel in Scotland. Warm and lighthearted , this novel is bursting with believable characters and a story that trots along at just the right pace. (I hate how some books in this genre seem to drag on towards the end)
I loved Birdy, I loved the story and I loved all the delicious food & wine references too!
I also really enjoyed this narration by Emma Sid. She did a fantastic job of bringing all the characters and their different voices/accents to life.
The Summer Job is a perfect Summer Read and one I highly recommend.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a story of a girl and her best friend, family, relationships and growing up, The majority of the story is set on the West coast of Scotland at a new luxury hotel. You are immediately thrown into the plot. I never quite grew to like the characters very much as they seemed to be a little indulgent or self-loathing, and I couldn’t connect much with them. Overall, it was a decent story with some predictable twists.

This book was so wonderful and the ending was so uplifting. The idea that just being you for a while and that is enough was really something I needed to hear so that made it even better for me.

The characters were so lovely and I just found myself absolutely in love with Bridy from the very start of the story, she was funny and sweet and just a bit of a disaster. And honestly, disaster characters are most often my favourite ones. Everyone at the hotel in Scotland were just absolutely incredible and I think that they all added so much to the story, not just in who they were but also in what they taught Bridy. James as a love interest was so dreamy and perfect for Birdy too and the romance aspect was just incredible and I loved how it all ended. And of course, Heather was lovely and I am so glad that she got what she needed at the end of the book too, in fact, I think her ending was possibly the most satisfying for me.

The plot was also absolutely wonderful and I loved how Birdy had to face obstacle after obstacle as she tried to be her best friend. I loved all the silly mistakes she made and I felt like she truly was narrating it all to a friend as she wanted to do the entire story. It all came together so perfectly and omg that third act conflict was dramatic and I didn't see it coming! I loved how it tied up several loose ends while giving space for the resolution to come in the following chapters. It was just so good and I honestly can imagine myself re-reading this in the future.

The writing was amazing. I could really imagine the hotel and the Scottish landscape and it made me so homesick for Edinburgh. I just loved Lizzie Dent's writing and cannot wait to see what else she comes out with. The narration too was just absolutely incredible and I could really picture every character and I loved all the distinct voices for them. The narrator did a really great job with this story!

What if you had to pretend to be your best friend so she can run away and be with her boyfriend for the summer? Sounds like a pretty easy task, right?
What if you also had to pretend to be a world-class sommelier in order to take the fancy-smancy job at a Hotel in Scotland?

Now, this is where things get a little harder. Or do they get even better?

However Birdy Finch had no choice but to impersonate her best friend because she’s the greatest friend ever, but the almost flawless plan doesn’t seem so easy anymore when Birdy realises that she has to know her wine. Like for real.

Birdy is such a great character with an A class personality— she’s funny, and blunt and reminds me so much of one of my own friends when it comes to decision making— after all, they say “Great minds, drink alike”.

I had requested the audiobook of this book, and I am so glad I did. The narrator, Emma Sidi, did such an amazing job narrating this book. She would change the pitch of her voice and even her accent according to which character was speaking. At this point you don’t even need a cast of characters— just call . It almost makes you feel like you’re listening to a close friend telling you about their crazy adventure— and I hung onto every single word. Birdy would probably say “Sip happens” (I had to add another wine pun)

“The Summer Job” by Lizzy Dent will definitely be a solid recommendation from me for those looking for a the perfect summer read— you know those books that included in “summer reading list” that recommend you books to read during a day out at the beach, or picnic at the park— this is definitely one of them.

3 stars

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam - G.P. Putnam’s Sons & NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book.