At first I was confused as to why a Christmas/Holiday book was being released in September...then I read it and I understand why. If you have one of THOSE families, trying to read this in November or December will drive you insane. This was the epitome of a cozy holiday read. Low stakes, loveable characters, and one naughty dog are a recipe for a good time. I wasn't the world's biggest fan of the narrator, but that's a personal preference. This will be at the top of my rec list for holiday TBRs!

Such a cutie festive book! More focus on Rachel finding herself than romance but lovely nonetheless.

Adorable supporting characters like the grandpa and of course Humphrey!

Thanks NetGalley for the ALC!

3.5🌟 The Christmas Dog Sitters by Lucy Mitchell is a slow burn Contemporary Romance.
Rachel and Grandpa are dog sitting for her sister Maddie and Maddie’s husband Frank Baxter. Humphrey the dog is mischievous, but a good boy. No one in town seems to like the Baxter’s. Rachel and Ben find out they have something in common , their relationship is very slooow going.
A festive and light holiday read.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A heart warming Christmas gem! Toss a mischievous grandpa, wild aunt, and a naughty dog, with a grieving Rachel dealing with a dysfunctional family, into a little town, and get a chaotic Christmas!
Full of humor, unexpected plot twists, and romance author Lucy Mitchell doesn't disappoint in this novel!

As most Christmas rom-coms, The Christmas Dog Sitters has a happy, predictable resolution, something that I enjoy very much, and love anticipating throughout my reading. It is an enjoyable and comforting story for the holiday season.

However, the story was kinda going in all directions at once and dealt with way too many subplots and themes. And while it can be interesting to follow numerous characters whose stories intersect, the issue here is that some of them were just not that interesting, the best example of that being that whole family drama and endless phone calls between Rachel and her mother.

⛄️ Christmas vibes : 2/5 Almost nonexistant. I know they did the sledge thing, and there was the Christmas recital, but there was so many things happening all around that I didn't feel it.

🎧 Audiobook : 2/5 I feel like the narrator overdid it in the dialogues : Between the horrible voice she did for Rachel's mother, the seven year old who spoke like a toddler ("Humfweyyyyyy") and the grand-father who sounded like a cartoon character ("Beuuuuh-ring it onnnnnnn !") ... Please stop.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Now this was everything I usually don’t love done so well that I want to read it again! I struggle to read things like when people go through grief because of the mood it puts me in but the way they wrote this was so hopeful, and I feel like there’s some great things in here that can help so many people without triggering. I don’t usually read a Christmas story because they tend to have generic plots but this was far from that, it had a great plot that was mysterious and romantic but also fun and included so many great moments with everyone in the book. The characters are adorable especially grandad Eric, the writing was funny, descriptive and enjoyable and just very well done. I will recommend this as a have to read for Christmas… or year round if you’re feeling like you need some help with grief or hope.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 29th September and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of October.

This story is more than the general fiction/romance it is listed as. It’s about a very dysfunctional family, love. loss, money, what happens when one child is not the “golden one” and ultimately a story of a woman taking control of her life and standing up for herself. Rachel has always done any and everything she can to feel even a tiny bit of love and respect from her mother. She is the subject of many “what’s app” text chains about what a loser and disappointment she is. When the golden child and the rest of the family need her to dog sit, she agrees as it is what she does. She is grieving the loss of the best friend she ever had, her job and just feeling so very lost. Not everything is what it seems and she and her Grandpa go to the golden child’s house to find a list of restrictive rules, a village filled with people who hate them and so very many questions about her sister's relationship with her truly heinous husband. It’s a sweet story that is filled with love, humor and most importantly about learning to stand up for yourself and being your own advocate. You cannot make anyone love you until you love, respect and stand up for yourself. There is also a truly goofy dog that has a penchant for running away and saving those who need it most. So many secrets, betrayals and ultimately a love filled happily ever after for Rachel and Grandpa. Uprated to 4 from what would have been a 3.5 rating if half stars were available.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I think this book was more about a woman finding her place in the world than romance. This surprised me because the cover looks like a straight up romance. It seemed like a lot of book passed before there was any hint of a coming relationship. And once there was some in the plotline, it still didn't feel much like a romance.

There was also the dog sitting element. That was the whole set up to allow everything else in the book to happen but that part seemed to lack something for me too. Every time the dog ran off, his Lassie instincts kicked in and he was saving some one. That was great, but it felt underdeveloped too. I don't know what more I wanted exactly but something.

I loved the Grandpa and even the crazy aunt that came to the manor house (I can't remember names), but the rest of the family was the dysfunctional mess that made everyone's life more difficult. Part of that was Rachel's own fault for allowing them, particularly her mother, to have such a large say in her life. I get why she did. But they were so annoying. And that was what the story was really about. How to deal effectively with a dysfunctional family and how to find joy in one's life. Both sisters had to figure out how to do it. I wasn't all that keen on the sister's choices but even that wasn't surprising given what her mother and aunts were like.

It took me a little minute to get used to the narrator's accent since she was apparently from a different area of England than most of the narrators I've listened to but once I got used to it, I enjoyed her work.

Overall, I would say that there are interesting story elements in this book and it held my attention to see how it was going to play out but I wouldn't call this a sweet and fluffy Christmas romance.

Potential triggers: Grief, marital problems
Sex: marital affairs, resulting pregnancy, innuendo
Language: some
Violence: no

Rachel is having a hard time lately. Her best friend died, her boyfriend left her for someone else, she was let go at work, and her ceiling is leaking so badly her living room could be a pool. For Christmas she was asked to dog sit for her sister in there huge house in the country. Her family also decided she was the best option to take care of her grandpa so to her sister’s house they both go. I’ve literally never hated somebody’s mom more than I hate this girls mom. Her whole family is questionable actually. Grandpa and the dog are both trouble, neither one is behaving well.
This is a sweet and funny little Christmas story that is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. I liked that it wasn’t just about romance but also about the mystery surrounding the town and her brother in law. The different layers in the book were unique and unexpected. Much more than just a fluffy romance book. The audio book was done nicely and the narrator was fun to listen to. Overall a great read.

The Christmas Dog sitters by Lucy Mitchell
Contemporary chick lit holiday story. Light romance. Cute dog. England location.
Rachel is struggling with the death of her best friend, a recent breakup, and being let go from her job. When her rich sister calls and asks her to dog sit in her fancy house for a few weeks over the holidays, Rachel’s all in. Grandpa Eric is put into Rachel’s care and goes with her. They’ve been told to stay out of the local town and out of the west wing of the house. No one likes the brother-in-law but they will decide which of his strict rules to follow. When Humphrey runs out there door and disappears out of the yard, into town they go searching for him. Everyone in town is very nice. Until they find out they are relatives of Rachel. Then the townspeople turn cold. Ben, the remodeling contractor of the kitchen, and his six year-old daughter who the dog befriended, makes the whole situation a little easier for Rachel. Grandpa Eric seems to love chaos and Rachel chases after him. How is he her responsibility again?
It’s a holiday unlikely to be forgotten. Where’d the dog run off to now?

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Charlie Albers (female). The performance is done in an English London accent and is entertaining and can hold your attention. There are unique voices for the two main characters and several secondary voices, although it felt a little muddled near the end with a child sounding almost exactly like a grandmother. But that was the exception. For the bulk of the recoding, the emotions came through clearly such as the exasperation with the dog Humphrey, each time he ran out of the house. Grandpa Eric sounded exactly like a grandpa should.
I did listen to this recording at my preferred speed of 1.5 which more closely matches my reading speed as well as conversational comfort.

A holiday feel good story to remind yourself of family, kindness, and to live a good life while you can. Happy and satisfying ending, after laughing at Grandpa Eric and the rest of the family antics.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Dreamscape Media.

I absolutely ADORED this one!!

Christmas themed ✔️
Lovable Dog in the cast ✔️
CRAZY family antics ✔️
Made me LOL on MULTIPLE occasions ✔️

What else can you possibly ask for??

🛑🛑. Brief outline of the book is coming, so if you don’t want to know, stop here! 🛑🛑

Rachel is having a HARD time…

She lost her job.
Her boyfriend broke up with her on Christmas.
And, on top of all else, she lost her best friend…in a senseless accident.

She’s desperately trying to piece her life back together again…but it’s not really working…
Her other friends are there for her too, but no one else is like Olivia. They truly had a special bond…

So, as Christmas is once again approaching, her (CRAZY) family makes plans for her…without even speaking to her! 😮😮

Additionally, her sister (who recently got married to a very wealthy man) also made plans for her to house sit and dog sit for her while she and the new hubby are away for Christmas!

And trust me when I say that this is JUST THE BEGINNING!

Oh, and Humphrey, the dog, is an escape artist! And, the biggest, most lovable creature on the planet. ❤️

This was such a sweet story with wonderful characters who you just can’t help but fall in love with!

And Grandpa? I want to marry him myself!!
And Rachel? Well, her heart is just HUGE!

4 big Christmasy 🎄🎄⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎄🎄 for me!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! **** This one comes out TODAY, 9/19/24, so look 👀 for it on shelves now! ****

#TheChristmasDogSitters by #LucyMitchell and narrated nicely by #CharlieAlbers.

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
Insta @ #BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine.

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, and click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

Cute book.
With the antics of the pup and grandpa, added to the love story of our main characters, this book was a great listen.

Festive and Heartwarming.

Rachel is grieving the loss of her best friend, has left her cheating boyfriend, and has been dismissed from her job. It’s the holiday season and with Christmas coming up everyone has plans for vacation except her, so her rich sister suggests Rachel come dog sit her spaniel while she’s gone. Add to her existing troubles, she’s been tasked with looking after her 80 year old grandfather who’s got a bit of a wild side, and the spaniel seems intent on running away every 20 mins. But amidst all the chaos, Rachel meets widower Ben who’s a builder working on the house also processing through his own grief.

This had all the festive feels. Small town, at Christmas time. The grandpa had me laughing with his need to seek adventure and instigating Rachel to let loose and have fun. While the dog seems to get loose more often than we’d like, is he really misbehaving or is he doing a good job of being found at the right place and the right time? I couldn’t stand Rachel’s parents, maybe it’s just me, but Rachel was way too much of a pushover and I kept wanting to shake her to stand up for herself. I immediately picked up on who Ben was when he was introduced and kept rooting for them. I think they complimented each other and the romance was well built up.

This was a wonderful Christmas romance. This was my first book I've read by Lucy Mitchell and will not be the last. It had a small town vibe, as well as family drama. It also dealt with the grief of losing a friend. All of this and shenanigans, and very sly dog.

Thank-you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced listener copy. The narrator, Charlie Albers does a great job, and was a pleasure to listen to. I highly recommend that you add this book to your holiday reading list, it is heartwarming and swoony.

Loved this! It was very cute meet-cute. I loved the characters and the naughty dog who turned out to be an amazing hero to many! The story was fun, a little bit sad, but overall felt real. It was healing for everyone and we got more than one cute couple out of it!

Very cute romance story that gets you right in the mood for the holidays. Puts me in the mind of the Christmas hallmark movies that we all love! Great work!

Thank you @Dreamscapes_Media for an Audio ARC of this book!

A quick and easy holiday themed listen with characters that I found to be very relatable. I always love a story where the dog plays a role and Humphrey is truly the unsung hero in this one 😊. I also enjoyed Auntie Bev's vibe and the idea of "happy pennies."

For readers looking for a finding yourself, never too late novel with holiday themes, K-9 supporting character, a huggable Grandfather, and other likeable characters. The negative for me was that the storyline didn't quite grip me at a deeper level, but would be a great pallet cleanser book.

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!