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

Five Christmas Spirit Stars

I'm just going to start with the fact that Frank is the biggest asshole I've read about in a while. I wanted to climb into the book and throat punch this stupid, arrogant, entitled POS, MFer. I don't care what anyone says, he's an asshole because he likes to be an asshole.

Rachel is without work at the moment and so her family decides to take advantage of the fact. Her sister asks her to dog sit for her while she is out of town over Christmas. This isn't a big deal, Rachel is happy to help her sister. The advantage taking comes in when her mother decides that she is taking her 80 year old grandfather with her to keep an eye on him too so Rachel's aunt can have a break. Oh, BTW, the dog is an escape artist and the grandpa has decided he's in for some adventure!

This was a pretty fun read! Poor Rachel is put through it by the dog and grandpa. Her mother is almost as horrible as Frank, her aunt too. Grandpa definitely gets his with for adventure with a heavy side of chaos. Along the way love is found, independence is gained, and happily ever after is had!

I definitely enjoyed this book, it was a cute hallmark Christmas movie in a book. The plot was fun, over the top, and had a Hallmark style conclusion. My main complain is about Frank, even by the conclusion of the story I never felt like him being a horrible person was really addressed. There were a few other plot holes where something occurred and was mentioned multiple times- but the why and/or the how were missing. That being said I don’t think it ruined the story by any means, though the story could’ve been better!

Thank you NetGalley for the adorable ARC. This was a light and cute Christmas story with a dog at it's center.

I found this book to be quite dull. Rachel was a mess and a push over. Her family other than her grandfather were quite awful to her. Her sister redeemed herself in the end but I didn’t like one character. I hate to be negative but the narrator’s voice could be described as screeching to me at some points in the book. I feel on edge listening the whole time. Thank you to NetGalley and dreamscape media for this free advanced copy . I am leaving this review voluntarily

This is a cute story. I related to the characters and their stories. I was my mothers caretaker so I related to this book. The ending was sweet.

I honestly feel a little duped by the book. This cover and the blurb make you think it's going to be a cute holiday romcom but it's not - I repeat - NOT a romance. The MMC that is supposed to be the love interest is not even on the page until after 30%!

This book is like a cheesy hallmark movie in book form but extra chaotic. Multiple deaths at the beginning left me very confused as to who and what we were grieving. There was such a chance to explore mutual grief but there is none of that.

Our FMC goes to her sister and brother in law's giant estate to dog sit with her grandfather. The dog runs off multiple times to save the day, the grandfather falls in love with another senior at a dance, the cleaning lady reconnects with her long lost dad, multiple people are in messy relationships.

It just missed the mark for me. Too much going on rather than just focusing on it being a romance.

Audio notes - the narrator was a bit too over the top and over acting for me at times which took me out of the story as well.

I did receive the ALC from NetGalley in exchange for this review. Thanks to NetGalley!

Thank you netgalley, dreamscape media and Lucy Mitchell for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

To say this book relatable regarding family is an understatement.
The numerous WhatsApp chats talking about members of the family and judgmental and snarky comments from family.
It all just hits very close to home.

I don’t know if because of this I couldn’t actually like the story because all it just felt similar to my own world.

The story lacked something and it wasn’t gripping me.

It was ok and that’s all I can really say.
Would I recommend? Yes if it’s a free read for something to pass time.
Would I pay it? No I wouldn’t.

3⭐️⭐️⭐️

Narrator: The narrator was an excellent choice for this book. She brought the main character (and side characters) to life and gave each of them their own voice. She did a wonderful job telling the story.

Story: This story was not quite what I expected, but in a good way. There were a few moments in the book I didn't see coming, but it only made the story better. I enjoyed the fate element found through this story as well as our main character's growth. She is still processing the loss of her best friend and through this story we see her heal and grow to the person she wishes to be.

The characters are such a great mix and entertaining listening to throughout the story. We have the overprotective, controlling mom and aunt, the cool aunt, the perfect sister, and an adventurous grandfather who just wants to find love. There are wonderful side characters as well and I enjoyed watching the relationships grow throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Some books are hits, and some are just misses, and unfortunately, this one was the latter for me.

When Rachel's sister is going away with her new husband on a 3-week vacation, she asks her to come to their English manor to dog-sit their misbehaved dog Humphrey. Her family insists she takes her aging grandfather to care for while she's there. She's been struggling to cope with the death of her best friend and roommate, and her love life has been in shambles as well. This may just be the holiday season that will change everything.

I may have been in the wrong space to read this one, but it felt like a pretty bad Hallmark movie. A lot of the conflict was incredibly high drama, some of which was recycled several times, which bothered me (how many times are we supposed to be interested with the dog running away? Like, maybe two? Not four, five, six...I lost count). I was really looking forward to the romance, but that storyline might have been my least favorite of them all. I didn't feel like there was a lot of support there to justify a lot of what happened. Ben seemed to do a 180 personality-wise, and why? Just so he could be the 'grumpy' half of grumpy/sunshine? That's how it seemed to me. Her family was pretty wretched, except her grandfather. Also, the audiobook narrator didn't help with the over-the-top drama. Some of the voices were exaggerated to the point of silliness in some cases (Fiona comes to mind).

I did like the grief plotlines. It integrated a lot of the characters together in a common feeling and tangle the relationships up a little bit. That was the part of this book that shined the brightest for me.

If you really like goofy high-drama stories, you might enjoy it. In my opinion, there are far better holiday stories to invest your time into.

I did get an advanced listening copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this warm-hearted and uplifting story of people dealing with grief and change. Naughty dog Humphrey and Grandpa Eric were highlights for me with their unapologetic decisions to grab opportunities. This different kind of Christmas story has some implausible storylines but is still an enjoyable and uplifting tale. Narrator Charlie Albers contributes to the pacing, humor and friendly feel. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

First off, thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced copy. This was a fun Christmasy read to get you in the spirit. The idea of the story was good: friend is struggling with best friends death and needs to get away for awhile to recoup and relax. This book is written from a single POV from Rachel's perspective. I liked how the story embraced the themes of grief and healing and second chances. Even though we had the humor from grandpa and the dog, I would have loved more from Rachel and Ben. Their overall relationship development was lacking intrigue, detail, and more romance. Overall, it was a good book that got the holiday spirit moving. I'm always looking for new authors to read and I will look into more of Lucy Mitchell's books.

There were a few characters that played a role in this book: the FMC Rachel, the MMC Ben, the dog Humphrey, grandpa, sister, and sister's husband.

Rachel (FMC): She's invited to stay at her sister's house over Christmas break to dog sit Humprey with grandpa. When she gets there, she suspects something is up with her sister's husband and is determined to figure out what it is. She runs into Ben while there and finds out that he was supposed to be her blind date before her best friend passed away. She rejects him multiple times until the end.

Ben (MMC): He's the builder at the sister's house. He is a widower and has a young daughter that is 7 years old. He slowly falls for Rachel and does everything in his power to prove to her that he is all in with her even though she rebukes some of his attempts.

Grandpa (support character): He is by far my favorite character. He was humorous, lovable, and just wants to find someone to share the rest of his life with.

Sister/Sister's husband: At the beginning, sister seems like a pushover who goes along with whatever she's told to do. Then by the end, she comes back and has grown a spine and stands up for herself. The husband is a horrible human being. He doesn't like his wife, wants a kid with her but wants it to live half a year in London and half a year in California with separate parents, and makes his wife stay in a completely different wing of the house than him.

I think the audio affected my enjoyment of this book. Rachel’s family was obnoxious, which was definitely the point, but the voicing of them was over the top and off putting for me. The rest of the story was a cozy, English village setting at Christmas with Hallmark vibes and a touch of mystery. I’m not a lover of the Hallmark stories so this one was just okay for me. If you love those stories and are looking for a Christmasy read, this might be a good option for you.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

3.5⭐
Genre ~ contemporary fiction
Setting ~ England
Publication date ~ September 19, 2024
Publisher ~ Dreamscape Media
Est Page Count ~ 292 (44 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 3 minutes
Narrator ~ Charlie Albers
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ Christmastime, small town, single dad, slow burn, no steamage

Rachel and Grandpa Eric are house and dog sitting for her sister, Maddie and brother in law, Frank. They’re in a posh town, but it’s a small town where hardly anyone likes The Baxters. I don’t blame the town one bit after meeting him.

Humphrey the dog is quite mischievous, but also a do-gooder. At first I was like can’t they get a handle on this dog and keep him from running away, but then when he’s helpful all my thoughts on that go out the window.

The romance between Rachel and Ben is a slow burn and doesn’t happen until much later in the book. They didn’t get off on the right foot, but eventually they grew to care for each other. I loved the ‘link’ that brought them together.

I didn't particularly care for Rachel all the much, or her mother and aunts for that matter. Actually there's a whole crew of unlikable characters, with only a handful of nice ones.

This is more about Rachel's journey of figuring her life out after losing her BFF and her job, and spending time with grandpa (my favorite part). Grandpa was great and I loved their bond. Always up for an adventure and just trying to live out the rest of his life how he wants.

Overall, there were some heartwarming moments amidst the chaos in this snowy Christmasy read.

Narration notes:
She did fine. She differentiated her voices well for an array of characters.

Thank you Lucy Mitchell and Dreamscape for a copy of the audiobook.

This book was very cute. I really enjoyed listening as the narrator did a fantastic job. The only thing I did not care for was that Rosie does not sound like a 7 year old. More like a 4-5 year old. Other than that the narrators voices were perfect.

I enjoyed the story with Rachel finding herself and love. I enjoyed her finding her backbone and sticking up for herself. If she didn't, I was about to! Ha.

I am not a fan of cheating tropes so that would be my one turn off. However , it was very small part and not main. Otherwise a great book.

This was a cute, fun holiday read. The title is a bit misleading, as the FMC was only taking care of her sister’s dog while she was away for the holiday. The romance was a slow burn and fun to watch unfold. I felt her grandfather stole the show though. He was hilarious!

3.5

This is a review of the audiobook version of this story which, unfortunately, does tarnish my impression of the book. Part of that was the narrator trying to do all these voices for the millions of characters in the story.

It is a typical rural British Christmas story. If you’ve read any of them, you probably know the recipe and the class of literature this story contains, though they don’t take place in Scotland, Cornwall, or other more popular locales.

Rachel lives in London and at 32, is, to put it nicely, a bit of a mess. It seems like too much, and it really is, but I liked that she was experiencing real life. I can relate to times when many things weren’t working for me and I was at an age when I (and typically most people) assumes one will have it all together and be the grownups we thought we would be.

Rachel goes to a village in rural Surrey. She will be taking care of the dog of her sister, who is married to a an American business Mogul and former actor, and lives in a big manor house. Her husband is pretty much an ass to the highest degree.

Rachel is there with her grandfather for three weeks over Christmas and people keep piling on. Meanwhile, the dog seems out of control but is really helping to rescue people, in more ways than one. Rachel is also karmically introduced to a man with a bit of a rough start, but there’s promise. The village, which really isn’t the biggest fan of Rachel‘s brother-in-law, is won over by Rachel and her grandfather with their down-to-earth, generous personalities.

There’s a lot going on here, but the book has some interesting themes. I’ve never wanted to scream “Stop the video chats and use the phone!” more. However, there is some interesting threads about loss, grief, and moving on; helping others; and making fresh starts at any age. For that alone, it’s a cute read if this is your kind of thing. I would probably stick to reading the book yourself though, as some of the voices in particular annoyed me and I had to listen at an increased speed to expedite things.

Thank you to Lucy Mitchell, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.