Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC

A heartwarming and mysterious Christmas novel. I found the dog and the grandfather endearing. I thought our fmc was a bit annoying, but grew used to her. The slight mystery of why her sister and brother in law was to hated in the town was interesting, but not surprising. I liked the relationship between our fmc and the mmc's daughter. And found the fmc and mmc's relationship cute as well.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This book was great! I loved the writing style and I loved the characters and their chemistry. I loved the Christmas vibes. Great book!!

Rachel has lost her best friend, left a relationship, and is having trouble with her job. The holidays are approaching and her sister invites her to stay at her mansion and dog sit Humphrey while she’s away with her husband. Rachel takes her sister up on her offer before she realizes she’ll also be caring for their grandpa. Between the mischievous dog and goofy grandpa, she’s got her work cut out for her!

This book was the perfect mix of family drama, romance, and Christmas with a touch of found family. It was a super cute story with a bit of mystery and was entertaining from start to finish. If you’re looking for something specifically about Christmas, I’d give this one a 3/5 on the Christmas scale.

This audiobook was narrated by Charlie Albers. She did so great for a cozier Christmas story, her accent was such a nice touch to the story!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Lucy Mitchell, and Dreamscape Media for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review. This publishes on September 18th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date raving about this book!

I would give this 3.5 stars rounded up..
It was a cute Christmas story with some comedy! The wild dog and grandpa made the book funny and added an extra layer! The love stories were underdeveloped probably because there was so much focus on the grandpa and dog.

I enjoyed this book so much fun! I chose it solely because it involved a dog and Christmas and I regret nothing! This story brought such cozy small town feels as Rachel and her Grandpa embark on their grand Christmas adventures! It was the perfect mix of charm, eccentric characters,family drama, and silly shenanigans with a dash of romance and mystery thrown in too!

As much as I wanted a fantastic Christmas read in early September, I was bored. Unfortunately, this just didn’t hold my interest. Perhaps it was the narrator and not the actual book itself. I’m not sure. Rachel, 32, lives in London and her life is a mess after the sudden loss of her best friend. Her sister is heading out of town and Rachel heads to Surrey to watch her dog, taking her elderly grandfather with her. I did enjoy the dysfunctional family because doesn’t everyone have their fair share? There were a lot of characters, a lot of deaths and a lot of relationships to keep track of which was confusing. I was hoping this was going to be a cute Hallmark Romance, but it was far from that.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc read!
I chose this book because I saw DOG! The cover is adorable and it was the perfect Hallmark movie in a book with just the right amount of comedy, love story, and spice I needed in a holiday book. It definitely gave me all the Christmas vibes and centered the timeline around events that happen around the holidays. I loved Humphrey’s (the dog) ornery personality and Grandpa was just as ornery and comical. The touch of dealing with grief was very real and raw. The sprinkles of family drama and love story made it a fun, easy read! I really enjoyed this story!

What a wonderfully different and new twist on single heartbroken gal finds herself in a perfect British village at Christmas. Move aside Cameron Diaz and Jude Law, this year Rachel is coming to town and there is a lot to love about all the plot lines in this story. Admittedly, I do think there are a couple story lines that don't necessarily add anything to the overall fun but they definitely don't takeaway so there is absolutely no harm in them being there. I found this book, and the narration, incredibly charming and I kept coming back for more. Definitely as cozy as a fresh cuppa on a cold winters day!

This one was cute! A fun, Hallmark cute. I loved Humphrey, Grandpa and all the secondary characters. Although the family drove me crazy!
Rachel is pet sitting for her dog. She’s still grieving over losing her roommate, so this is a good distraction.
The setting was warm and inviting. Overall, I didn’t love it, but it was an enjoyable Christmas story. I thought the narrator was the perfect voice to bring this story to life. Huge thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for allowing me to listen and review this book.

Very cute Christmas story, putting you in that holiday spirit. But I’m sorry but this was just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2024

The narrator was really distracting for me so I had a hard time coninuouslly staying engaged in the story and would rewind back on some parts.

This book felt goofy and silly and was a great read for a Christmas time romance! This book follows Rachel who to say is down on her luck does not do her situation justice. She's single, living in a horrible apartment, her cat died and oh yeah her best friend and roommate passed away. As Christmas is getting closer and closer her wealthy sister asks her to watch her mischievous dog while she housesits for her. The idea of a relaxing Christmas away sounds appealing but before she knows it this "vacation" starts to feel more and more like an adventure.

What I love about this book is a full array of witty and whimsical characters. They all have such spirit and fight in them that I loved it. It has great depth to the characters and the way they talk about grief is sweet but not too much for a Christmas story. There is so much going on but I love that you get the small town feel while still being an outsider. I really enjoyed this story!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a warm Christmas read. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

This is family drama to it's core. So it gets messy at times. There are good parts too. But it is not a romance. I liked it well enough.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book. I thought it was just okay. Nothing particularly that i didn’t like or anything like that, it was just okay. I loved the setting of England during Christmas time though!

The Christmas Dog Sitters was a great holiday book! The story was very cute and heartwarming, but the narrator was terrible. I wish I had read the book rather than listen to it. She did okay with old people’s voices, but terrible with Rachel, Maddie, Layla, and Ben. I really struggled with listening to the story. I highly recommend reading the book, but don’t bother with the audiobook version!

The Christmas Dog Sitters was all the cozy Christmas feels I could want in an audiobook! I loved listening to this one. Beautiful house, naughty dog, and a touch of found family!

While romance is not currently listed as a genre on Goodreads, it was listed as a romance when I received an advance audio copy. It is not a romance. A slight whiff? Sure. And from several couples. But a romance? No. So if you are looking for a cute, Christmas-y romance, this is not it.

So, what is this? A book about several people who are kind of lost and finding new paths for themselves. It is also light on Christmas. While it happens in December, it is not super festive.

Now the book. This is one where I feel like my opinion was skewed. Two reasons- 1. being told it was a romance. 2. The narrator.

I'm not mad that this wasn't really a romance. It is about expectations. We were a good 1/3 of the way through it before we met any other characters other than Grandpa. Since I was expecting a romance, I was annoyed that we hadn't had the meet cute yet.

Charlie Albers narrates the audiobook. The problem comes in dialogue. Everyone- especially Rachel's mom- sounds very masculine. And in those scenes, there were multiple characters speaking via the Facetime call. It was not only grating on the ears, it was kind of confusing. I also don't care for Charlie Albers's overall tone.

Also- names. When there is an audiobook, don't do things like name two characters that repeatedly appear something similar. Like Eric and Derek in this one.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.


I do feel like this could be a very enjoyable read. Just do not come in with expectations of a super Christmas-y romance and stick to the print.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice rating: 🌶️/5

Tropes:
Slight suspense
Single parent
Small town
Cozy Christmas
Romantic comedy

First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book was so adorable. 🥰 it is cozy. It’s funny. Not too much of a sob story. The narrator was so good as well. The book had a little thriller vibes too. It was such a fun read. I really enjoyed it and would recommend. Definitely will be watching out for this authors releases!

This is a saw set holiday romance set in the countryside of England, the audiobook narrator has a wonderful accent and is extremely expressive. I immediately felt like I was transported to the small town Rachel & Ben are living in for the holidays.

The main character, Rachel, is so relatable. She is grieving the recent loss of her best friend, her ex-boyfriend broke her heart, AND she has been made redundant at work. WOW no wonder Rachel isn't feeling the holiday cheer.

But she arrives to dog sit her sister's adorable dog & take care of Grandpa Eric, who is a HOOT 🤣 And slowly but surely the holiday cheer and Ben's wooing start to thaw Rachel's heart.

This novel is light and easy, perfect for a holiday romance.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

I continue with my holiday reading with another sweet and heartwarming Christmas romance. In the spirit of full disclosure, it was one simple word in the title that had me adding this to my holiday to-read list. DOG!!! Yep, that’s right, another doggie story. I am such a sucker for a cute story with a great doggie in it, and Humphrey, who seemed to have a sixth sense of people in trouble, was perfect in his role of escape artist extraordinaire!

The book summary pretty much lays out the premise of the whole story. Rachel has had a rough year. Her boyfriend dumped her and shortly thereafter became publicly engaged (I HATE public proposals). Her kitty had a stroke and died, she got laid off, or as they say in the UK, she was made redundant. Good grief! As if getting laid off isn’t bad enough, but then to be called redundant to complete the feeling of being useless. To make matters even worse, her best friend and flatmate, Olivia, the one who was there for her all through the year’s ups and down, is killed while riding her bike.

In an effort to “help” her, Rachel’s What’s App obsessed family (family discussions and decisions are made on numerous What’s App threads) decide that Rachel will be dog sitting for her sister and taking care of Grampa for the holiday since she didn’t have any holiday plans, other than sitting in her apartment grieving amongst the pails of water from her leaky roof. None of this is a spoiler since it’s pretty much how the story started. Grampa, an 80yr old widower, is cared for by his daughter, and Rachel’s aunt, Karen, who treats him like he’s a doddering idiot on his deathbed. Grampa, who is so lonely since the death of his wife 10yrs ago, is determined to have a Christmas adventure before he dies and maybe even fall in love again. LOVE GRAMPA!!!

Most of the story takes place in the little village of Hartbrook that Rachel’s sister, Maddie, lives in with her wealthy husband, Frank, and her (not Frank’s) dog, Humphrey, whose nickname should be Houdini for all the magnificent escapes he has accomplished. Frank, an American and former Hollywood actor, is a bit of a pompous @$$, rude to pretty much everyone: the staff, Maddie’s family as well as the entire village of Hartbrook. Frank is also pestering Maddie to have a baby and she is waffling. Maddie’s home, a mansion with wings, and according to Frank, no one is allowed in the west wing, and they’re also not allowed to leave the property or go into the village, for anything – EVER!. Hmmm…..that’s not suspicious - AT ALL!

Last but not least, and most certainly to make things more interesting, there’s a hunky builder, Ben, working on the new kitchen in the mansion. As if Humphrey and his antics weren’t cute enough already, there is an adorable little girl, Rosie, who is Ben’s daughter, that is best buddies with Humphrey. As it turns out, Ben and Olivia had been buds since college and Olivia even tried to fix them up earlier in the year, but Rachel wasn’t interested. Ben is a widower and his wife, Sophie, was Olivia’s BF back in college.

Yes, this story was the classic Lifetime Christmas love story, but that’s what I wanted and why I picked it. It’s about the only time of year that I’ll watch Lifetime. The character development was good for this quick read. I loved the characterization of Rachel’s family, especially Grampa. The pacing was steady and the storyline was sweet and amusing. The writing was on par for a heartwarming Christmas story. I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.8 that I will be rounding up to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia #TheChristmasDogSitters