Such a fun book and loved reading it. The characters were great and the storyline kept you guessing as to how it would all turn out and whether it would all blow up in Birdy's face! Will look out for more by this author.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a complimentary eARC for review purposes*

This is a very cute book. It is fun and light-hearted.
I ended up reading it in one sitting but it didn't blow me away.

Some heavier topics were touched upon but it didn't delve deep into anything, leaving it feeling like an afterthought.

If you love a good romcom book then this is definitely the one for you. Lizzy Dent has brought something to this book in my opinion. Others are comparing it to The Flatshare and finding it lacking. What I am going to say to you is go into this book not thinking that, it will be compared to other books but in my opinion it is of the same genre as the Flatshare but a completely different book entirely.

The Summer Job is about a young(ish) female MC who isn’t and hasn’t for the most of their life had a good one. Elizabeth “Birdy” Finch hasn’t had the best upbringing and this has impacted how she is as an adult. This is heartbreaking in itself and would say that this would for some constitute a trigger warning, especially as Birdy opens up more as we follow her journey through the book. Birdy when it comes down to it has always wanted to be loved and wanted, not made to feel that she has done something wrong which she has felt by her parents. One who is an alcoholic (father) and her mother chastising and brushing it under the carpet and minimising what is happening.

Birdy however I found was a delightful character. At the beginning she is definitely on a downward spiral of chaos, her partner Tim is also not the best influence. When the opportunity comes up that she can escape her life and pretend to be someone else, her best friend Heather she takes the opportunity in both hands and runs, literally to the other end of the United Kingdom to Scotland. She is way out of her depth BUT this is what is magic in this book she pulls up her big girl knickers and wants to improve herself and has fun along the way.

So Birdy flies off (hope you like the pun) to Scotland and pretend to be her friend Heather, who accepted a job at Loch Dern a Scottish Hotel as a Sommelier, problem is Heather has fallen in love again and decided to take off to Italy with said love interest. Birdy then caught between a rock and a hard place when she attended an event as Heather meets her new boos who is excited for her to start – sucked into it by not wanting to let her down Birdy does what anyone would do she pretends to be someone she isn’t.

The mishaps in the books are funny, the way Birdy is trying to learn about all the wine in the list and to pair what wine with what food is a struggle but she tries. I also learnt a bit here as didn’t realise how much a Sommelier had to know! The other characters including hunky Chef James, are brilliant and add extra depth to the book, and the interactions between all the characters were brilliant. Each brought their own wit and bit of spark to the book which made it that much more enjoyable to me. I loved the interaction between Anis and Birdy. There may also be a steamy scene in there as well for those of you who enjoy a bit of a romp between the pages!

The book has some strong subjects throughout as well, with talk about alcoholism – this is shown through two characters in the book. There is also mention of drugs, and which I felt is the main topic emotional and mental abuse from a parent to a child, child neglect and endangerment. This theme is not the main focus but it is strongly implied throughout the book in regards to Birdy. I think Birdy learns more about herself and knows at the end what she needs to do to move on.

Overall I loved this book. There is deep themes, fun laughter, friendship that grows into something more and a little bit of smut which I love to see in a book. I adored all of the characters, ok not Tim but as I always assay of an author gets me to hate a character they have done their job properly! The book is about self discovery and allowing yourself to see the failures that you have and that you can improve yourself, and that you need to find that inner strength to make it happen. Lizzy Dent is definitely an author to watch out for in the future and she will become one of my auto buy authors.

I found the beginning of this story took a little bit if getting in to, Birdy seemed a bit of a mess and chaotic, but as I got in to a few chapters I could see there was actually a lot to her character and things slotted in to place.
Many of the characters in this book are superbly written; Irene, James, Roxy, Anis etc all brought a richness to the plot. I suppose if anything we don't really get to know the "real" Heather too much but that is understandable given the story.
There were some highly entertaining moments balanced out by serious topics and stunningly beautiful Scottish scenery.
I know nothing about wines (I think Birdy had more knowledge than me) so some of those passages lacked meaning to me but I could grasp still the essence of what was happening so all is not lost even if you don't know your Chablis from your Chardonnay.
It's charming, emotional and entertaining in ways that I wasn't expecting, definitely a recommended read for this Spring

A fun and mostly lighthearted read.
I loved the setting in rural Scotland and the descriptions of the countryside were lovely. I really liked the premise of the book, fake identity, but I didn’t warm to the main character enough to feel happy with the ending.
I absolutely loved the side characters and would have liked to have seen more of the relationship between Birdy and James.

I felt Birdy was too quick to come up with excuses for her actions and really if she had done all that she did would her friends forgive her so easily.

There were a few deeper topics touched on such as mental health (only at the very end which felt like an afterthought) and alcohol abuse.

All in all I enjoyed this but it didn’t blow me away.

This was perfect lockdown reading, lighthearted, with romance and fun. I really grew to like the characters and read this over just 2 evenings. I’d definitely recommend this

The author gradually introduced the characters at a nice easy pace. I found my self becoming fond of them all apart from Russell, who was not a person you would even remotely become fond of.

This is a nice romance, one that has you feeling nervous, relaxed and constantly wondering how on earth ‘Birdy’ was going to get herself out of this mess that she has created.

The story is constructed in such a way that I feel I could easily read it again later and still enjoy it.

This book would make a very good situation comedy if it was televised: it's a complete blast, packed with humour, wit and colourful characters. Given the title, I imagined it being set in some warm holiday destination like Spain or Greece, but instead we are transported to the Western Highlands which brings a unique perspective. It's light-hearted and easy to get into so ideal to take on holiday, but otherwise brilliant escapism and a great antidote to the current Covid lockdown. A very enjoyable, satisfying read.

Birdy Finch (Elizabeth) has a family but not an inheritance, and nor a steady job. Her friend, Heather, a trained sommelier, seems to have everything she doesn't have. She occasionally poses as Heather to paries or concerts that Heather can't attend. But when Heather decides to not take up a job in Scotland and instead go to Europe with her boyfriend, Birdy decides to be Heather and live her life. She know nothing about wines, she has a lot of responsibilities and she also seems to be falling for a handsome man who knows her as — well — Heather!

What I enjoyed :
The food scenes! Lots of cooking, setting up tables, wine talk, memorising wines. Quite a lovely vacation read because the laid back life made me crave a holiday trip and some reading on sunny days. The book also deals with heavier topics of alcoholism and neglect.

What I didn't enjoy:
This is marketed as the next The Flatshare — don't think so. It isn't as funny or lively but it does tell a good story. Readers should go into the book expecting a good story, and not with a bias that it will be like The Flatshare. I also wish this was edited to a shorter length — which definitely would've made it a crisper read — because some scenes did not contribute to the plot or character development

I fell head over heels! The setting was enchanting, but it was the twisting plot with so many near disasters and the slow burn live story that kept me reading into the early hours. Will appeal to fans of Beach Read.

A witty, relatable romance about an everyday woman who is trying to find her footing in life.

Birdy's life is kind of at a standstill. She doesn't have a job or a proper partner, and her bestfriend Heather who was supposed to move to Scotland to start a new job as Sommelier, heads to Italy instead to explore an obviously failing relationship.

Birdy has one job; pretend to be Heather and call the run-down Hotel where she was supposed to work for the summer and make up an excuse to get her out of it. But with no where to stay, Birdy decides to go to the hotel and play Heather's role as Sommelier. How hard can that be? She has waitressing experience and Heather would never need to know if Birdy does a good enough job.

But getting to the hotel, Birdy realizes that it's a newly renovated, fancy hotel, rather than the rundown disaster Heather thought it was. Complete with a Michelin star Chef and gourmet dining, Birdy's role as Sommelier is so much harder than she had anticipated.

To make things worse, Birdy starts liking the staff, who are counting on her to do a good job to lift up the standard and revenue of the hotel. Especially sweet, handsome James, who she cannot help being attracted to, and not just because of the delicious food he is constantly cooking.

The Summer Job will make you cringe at every one of Birdy's attempts at self-sabotage, and hope that she will do the right thing in the end, whatever that may be.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for this ARC.

3.5☆ A Witty Read, with a sprinkling of Romance!

The Summer Job is a feel-good, light hearted, at times Poignant and fun read.

Birdy is fed up with her life, with no job and no potential abode, so when she finds herself accidentally in Scotland pretending to be her best friend and working as their new sommelier in which she has absolutely no clue about! Not only is she way out of her comfort zone. It might actually turn out to be the best thing she's ever done!
As long as she can fake it long enough to make it work!

The Summer Job was a fairly quick, Poignant and witty read, with a sprinkling of romance, some mishaps and drama, and some laugh out loud moments. Overall an enjoyable and entertaining read.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were relatable and the storyline was different and kept me wanting to read more.

Set in Scotland and Reading about the scenery has made me want to visit a.loch. Would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading and will be purchasing a copy for my nan.

A fresh, amusing debut novel. It was full of descriptions of delicious food and wines and It made me want to re explore Scotland with time beside a loch and to visit Skye. This is a book for someone who doesn't know quite what to do in life, or has done stupid things and wants to find her place on Life's treadmill. The descriptions of Birdy, James, Heather, Bill, all resonate with the author who has worked in hospitality, so could draw on her experiences and weave these stories into a brilliant novel.

This was not what I expected and exactly what I expected at the same time! A lovely, light-hearted romp.

My only problem was Birdy didn't act like it was her 'dream job' , regardless, this book made me chuckle. Not the best book I've ever read, but was a lovely escape from reality.

I have just finished this lovely light hearted book, I devoured it in 2 sittings. It was a lovely easy, fun, read. A nice happy place book.
Thank you.

Fun and flirty, The Summer Job is the perfect summer holiday read!

This is a lighthearted rom-com, focusing on Birdy, a woman who is down on her luck and struggling to find her calling in life. When a chance opportunity arises for Birdy to impersonate her best friend Heather and bag herself a job at a remote Scottish hotel and restaurant, she jumps in headfirst and soon finds herself in too deep. With Heather's professional reputation, Birdy's fledgeling relationship, and the future of the entire hotel hanging in the balance, can Birdy manage to turn things around and pull off the impossible?

Birdy is a funny and likeable - if rather misguided - character. She is fresh and unapologetically herself, which is ironic considering that she is pretending to be someone else! Running from a troubled childhood and trying her best to make something of her life, Birdy is relatable and charmingly flawed.

The other staff working in the hotel and restaurant make for an eclectic mix, yet each adds to the story in his or her own way. From motherly Irene to eager Roxy, each character adds a richness to the plot and makes for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

As the story progresses and Birdy becomes deeper and deeper entrenched in her case of mistaken identity, things start to feel a little on edge. It's easy to feel empathetic towards Birdy for the situation she has found herself in, yet the plot does start to get a little far-fetched at times. The latter part of the book felt quite rushed and there is a big plot twist at the end. However, this is a fun read for the most part if you are prepared to not take it too seriously!

The Summer Job is funny, quirky and sure to put a smile on your face!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for providing me with an e-ARC of The Summer Job to review. All opinions are my own.

Our main character, who has absolutely no knowledge about wine, takes up a job as a sommelier in a Scottish luxury hotel, pretending to be her best friend – an actual professional sommelier. Birdy has to navigate this job as it turns out to not be what she expected and has to hope to god she doesn’t get caught, while also falling in love.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I definitely enjoyed reading it. It was fun to read, with a cast of great side characters and a beautiful scenic setting, and I even liked the romance too. However, the whole thing seemed a bit too far-fetched to me. In what world would someone knowingly commit identity fraud in such a high-end job without being A- found out, and B - disciplined after? The story ends with a time jump of a few months later and everything is just fine? No consequences? Not even that jackass of a Head Chef/Owner pressed charges for identity fraud. That definitely tore me out of the story and I honestly didn’t find the ending enjoyable because of it.

Everything else I liked though -
- The writing was great
- Beautiful setting and Scottish scenery (Is it just me or are more and more stories being set in Scotland these days?)
- The side characters had a lot of depth,
- and there is surprisingly a lot of emotional weight to characters’ actions.

And Lizzy Dent definitely knows how to write a character you’re supposed to hate. I’m looking at you, Tim.

Overall, it was a good book and I definitely recommend you pick it up if this is your kind of thing.

I received this eBook on @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite possibly one of the funniest books I have read in a while!! After reading the synopsis, and starting the book, I was anxious that it would all go wrong and not be a fun and lighthearted read, but thankfully I had nothing to worry about! Apparently I sniggered constantly while reading it 🤭

I loved the concept of the book, although yes I said it was hilarious, it was such a multi-faceted read (which you will need to read to find out).

The ending was completely different to how I expected but I loved it. My best friend also gets called Bird / Birdy so I instantly took a liking to Elizabeth.

I would love to continue Heather and Birdy’s adventure and know what happened next. I fell they could get in all sorts of mischief.

Definitely recommend this book. Fans of Marian Keys and Beth O’Leary will love this also!

This was a lovely light hearted book. It was a lovely read, betting to know the character, and about her life growing and getting better for her. A nice happy place book.