Thought this book was a sweet quick read. Didn't have as much substance as I would like, but is a feel good Christmas read.

The Christmas Dog Sitters by Lucy Mitchell is the first book I've read from the author. Once again, I'm so so thankful to have come across another author I enjoy! The book is certainly a feel-good holiday story full of humor, some family dysfunction, and romance.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Rachel (the female main character) and her grandfather as they travel to Rachel's sisters small town to house-sit and dog sit over the holidays. Having been more or less pawned off on Rachel by other family members, I appreciated the fact she was happy about the situation. And my goodness - Grandpa's shenanigans were so fun to read! May we all possess his positivity and passion as we grow and age!

If Christmas in a small town wasn't enough enjoyment, it also had a clever little dog whom was seemingly mischievous; it had townsfolk who gave a less than thrilled reception when learning who Rachel's brother-in-law was; and it included a single dad who crosses paths with Rachel.

If you still have room on your 'MUST READ Christmas Stories' shelf, this has to be added! I recommend grabbing a fuzzy blanket, plenty of pillows, a coffee/tea/hot cocoa, and settle in!

What could be better than a Christmas romance? A Christmas romance with dogs, of course!! This was such a sweet and heartwarming story. Perfect for the holiday season. I loved it!!

The Christmas Dog Sitters by Lucy Mitchell is a delightful holiday novel that mixes mystery, romance, and heartwarming family dynamics. One of the true highlights of the story is Grandpa Eric—he’s a wonderfully endearing character who brings both wisdom and humor. His bond with his granddaughter is a shining part of the book, giving readers a cozy sense of intergenerational friendship that’s both touching and authentic.

The story also delivers a fun mix of lovable, quirky characters and a well-paced mystery, which keeps the plot engaging. Of course, the adorable and mischievous dog adds an extra layer of charm, leading to laugh-out-loud moments as he stirs up trouble.

The romance subplot is light yet sweet, and the audiobook narration by Charlie Albers truly enhances the experience. Albers brings warmth and a lovely accent to the characters, adding depth and character to the listening experience. If you’re looking for a cozy, feel-good holiday read with a dash of mystery and a lot of heart, The Christmas Dog Sitters is a great choice!

"The Christmas Dogsitters" by Lucy Mitchell is an absolute delight that perfectly balances heartwarming moments with laugh-out-loud comedy.

After losing her job, her boyfriend, and most devastatingly, her roommate and best friend, Rachel is struggling to find her footing. Her large, WhatsApp-obsessed family is scattered across the country, but an opportunity arises when her sister needs someone to watch her dog Humphrey in her Surrey village home.

What starts as a simple dog-sitting arrangement quickly becomes complicated when Rachel's mother and aunt decide that Grandpa Eric should join her. As if managing an escape-artist dog and her grandfather weren't enough, Rachel must also contend with ongoing kitchen renovations and her brother-in-law's mysterious instructions to avoid both the village and the house's West wing. Meanwhile, her sister's strange behavior adds another layer of worry to Rachel's growing concerns.

Humphrey's frequent escapes turn out to be more than just mischief—each time he runs off, he leads Rachel exactly where she needs to be. Through these adventures, Rachel discovers hidden family secrets, finds her voice against her overbearing relatives, and realizes that her best friend's influence continues to guide her, even in absence.

While the novel tackles themes of loss and family dynamics, Mitchell masterfully weaves in comedic moments that will have readers laughing out loud. The result is a heartfelt story about healing, family bonds, and finding courage in unexpected places.

I can't wait to recommend this charming book to everyone I know! Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an advance copy. The audio version's narration perfectly captured the story's warmth and humor.

The Christmas Dog Sitters
By Lucy Mitchell
Narrated by Charlie Albers
4 ⭐️

This is a cute Christmas romance. It is very sweet and held my attention well. There are themes of grief, starting over, the power of kindness, family dynamics - both positive and negative, and spice free romance. The audiobook is well done and was a pleasant listen. I’d recommend this as a cozy Christmas closed door romance read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Mitchell, and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC.

This was definitely a sweet Christmas romance comedy! I enjoyed the message of found family and going on a journey of self discovery.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the performance.

This was a cute Christmas read that felt like a Hallmark movie in a book! You have your city girl going to the small town for the holiday season who has to watch over her grandfather. There was a fun cast of side characters and a fun side plot of love for the grandfather. I loved the connection that brought the two characters together. The ending caught me a little by surprise in a good way! Overall, a fun quick read for the holiday season!

The Christmas Dog Sitters was a mostly light-hearted Hallmark type read/listen with some family drama and secrets thrown in. The story centers around Rachel, whose life is a bit of a mess, and her stay with her sister's dog and Grandpa Eric during the Christmas season. Rachel's family is necessarily unlikeable except for her aunt and grandfather. Grandpa Eric was probably my favorite character - a spitfire, feisty man! There are quite a lot of characters and subplots to keep up which caused the overall flow and pace of the book to feel more complicated than necessary. I did not predict the twist at the end, and I found it rushed but otherwise satisfying. The love story was such a small part near the end of the book, and I had hoped for more throughout.

Overall, a solid, average book earning 3 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Lucy Mitchell for an audio ARC in exchange for my review.

A perfect listen while cooking or cleaning. The narrator’s voice was sweet and fitting. Love? Check. Sister drama? Check. Cute guy? Check. Even Cuter dog ? Yes. Perfect for fans of Sophia Kinsella.

The Christmas Dog Sitters By Lucy Mitchell

Rachel doesn’t get the Christmas that she wanted but she got the exact Christmas she needed.

Mourning the loss of her friend Rachel is floundering and she goes to take care of her sisters huge home and her sister's dog over the holidays and it seems like a great escape. She ends up looking after her grandad and he was my favorite! Eric didn’t let his age stand in the way of having some fun!

Don’t get me started on the real star of the book… Humphrey the dog! The book was super sonic cute in a lot of areas and dealt with grief on a really deep and relatable level.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4 stars

Can I just say I love the fact that she was “stuck” with her grandpa for the holiday. The elderly make such great characters and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved how it built up and had a bit of mystery too. The main character was so loveable and sweet I can see why the town loved her. Plus a little star doggy too!

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

I picked this book for it's cover and title and I was surprised by how deep and thoughtful it was. I thought it would be a laugh a minute book but instead got a deeply moving, thought provoking story. I will search out more by this author.

Trigger warning- Her best friend does die unexpectedly in this book.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Charlie Albers, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Rachel’s life is in shambles—she’s grieving her best friend, heartbroken over her ex, and out of a job. Dog-sitting her sister’s spaniel in a picturesque Surrey village seemed like a break, but she soon gets roped into looking after their unpredictable Grandpa Eric too. Between managing Grandpa, the runaway dog, uncovering family secrets, and cooking Christmas dinner for an entire village, Rachel’s got a lot on her plate. She also meets Ben, a charming builder who’s grieving too, but despite that, romance takes a back seat.

I went in expecting a light holiday romcom, but it’s not quite that. The love interest appears late, and the story felt more like a chaotic Hallmark movie with a lot going on—multiple deaths, messy relationships, and too many subplots to juggle. I found myself wishing for more focus, especially on the romance or exploring the grief themes in a deeper way.

The narration was a bit too dramatic for me, which made it hard to stay connected. Overall, this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media 📚🎧🐾

The Christmas Dog Sitters is a crazy romcom Christmas story by Lucy Mitchell. Rachel Reed has had three major blows in the past few years: the tragic death of her best friend Olivia, the breakup with her cheating ex fiancé Sam, and being made redundant at her job. Struggling with finding her way, her wealthy sister Maddie asks Rachel to come to her country home in Surrey for the holidays to house sit and dog sit her mischievous spaniel Humphrey while she and her film star/producer husband Frank Baxter spend the holidays in Malibu. Maybe just getting away for the holidays will help Rachel out of her slump.

Then, her mother and Aunt Karen decide that Rachel should also be entrusted with her octogenarian Grandpa Eric while they and their husbands spend the holidays at their home in Tenerife. Rachel is quite fond of Grandpa Eric but has been led to believe he is frail and slipping, anything but the truth.

In her first days there, Rachel loses Humphrey several times always to find him helping someone somehow, Grandpa Eric proves to be a bit of a roguish character, and the young housekeeper and her infant son are discovered to have hit hard times and are homeless until Rachel offers them shelter in the manor house.

The town, according to Frank, has been horrid to them and he pretty much orders Rachel and Grandpa Eric to stay away from the people there. But that all goes awry when Rachel not only uses her artistic talents to help in the nativity play but also uses her culinary skills to make it a merry Christmas for all.

This is a delightful story but if you look more deeply it has some underlying serious issues. Told with humor and heart, I very much enjoyed this story and I do recommend it!

I wasn't able to get into this one, first off due to the narrator she was getting on my nerves and second the story was kind of going in all directions and it just wasn't holding my attention. I had to DNF this one.

Two dog sitters
Firstly, I would like to say that my favorite character in this entire book is grandpa. I would buy this book just for the grandpa scenes.
Secondly, I thought this was going to be a full on a romance book and what it actually turns out to be is a family mystery with a little romance on the side with some comedy sprinkled in.
This is a super sweet Christmas story I definitely recommend!!

I really enjoyed The Christmas Dog Sitters, it was so much more than I was expecting. Rachel is at a crossroads in her life. She is trying to get over her ex-boyfriend, she has lost her job and she is dealing with grief after the loss of her best friend. Her mother and other relatives are in Spain for Christmas and her sister and her husband are going to the US. She is going to be dog sitting her sister's dog, so it is only natural that she look after grandpa as well. Sounds simple, but it is anything but.

I absolutely loved this story. Rachel is an amazing character. She is looking after Humphrey the dog, who seems to disappear at the drop of a hat. She is dealing with a kitchen remodel and her elderly Grandpa Eric. Throw in a handsome contractor and a sweet daughter and you have all the makings of a sappy story, but this is anything but. Rachel has to deal with almost everyone in the village hating her brother-in-law, so in turn her and her grandpa. She worms her way into the hearts of a few, and then ends up inviting everyone to the manor house when there is a power cut on Christmas. Grandpa Eric, is not the frail old man that Rachel has been led to believe. He was a hoot and at one point goes missing. There is also a romance in the works for him. This book has humor, scary moments, a dog that seems to know who and when someone needs help, judgmental people, really dysfunctional family and more. I loved Humphrey, he stole the book for me. This is a fun story, but it deals with a lot of issues, selfishness and money being one of them. I loved this story and highly recommend it. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Charlie Albers. She does a wonderful job with the voices and I almost thought there was more than one narrator. Her storytelling is wonderful and drew me right into this story.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the book. This was a very cute Christmas story. I enjoyed all the characters, and if you are looking for a good fast Christmas read, you will like this book. It is a little bit far-fetched, but for being a Christmas romcom, it was very cute and enjoyable.

Thank you to Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook of ‘The Christmas Dog Sitters,’ by Lucy Mitchell. This was such a heartwarming and enjoyable read, perfect for getting into the holiday spirit!

Rachel’s life is in shambles: her best friend Olivia has passed away, her apartment ceiling is leaking, her boyfriend just broke up with her, and her sister Maddie is stuck in a terrible relationship. To make things worse, Maddie and her husband decide to take a vacation, leaving Rachel with the task of dog-sitting their naughty, misbehaving dog, Humphrey, for three weeks. As if dealing with Humphrey in her sister’s grand, empty manner wasn’t bad enough, her family decides via their "WhatsUp" group chat that Grandpa Eric will also be staying with her. Of course, Aunt Karen sends a strict list of rules for both of them to follow.

While coping with all of this, Rachel discovers a novel about how to get over losing someone hidden under Olivia’s mattress. Inspired by the book and guided by her wise grandfather's advice, Rachel embarks on a journey of self-discovery. As she spends time with Grandpa Eric, she starts to find her own voice and make decisions that could lead to a new path in life.

But will this chaotic holiday bring Rachel a chance at rekindling an old flame (whom she ghosted) or finding new love in the midst of the madness? Find out in ‘The Christmas Dog Sitters,’ a feel-good holiday adventure full of laughter, family, and a little romance!