This was such a fun, lightheaded and enjoyable read. Contemporary and relatable in so many ways, yet managed to cover some serious topics in a way that prevented it becoming too heavy, without trivialising it. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to all my friends.

TW:
Alcoholism, adultery, parent death, gaslighting, theft

This was well written but I really could not get past the central premise. I found it unforgivable of the main character to steal her friend's identity and it became increasingly unbelievable that she would betray this friend (whom she professes to care about) for so long.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sin rating: ❌

Heather is off venturing in Rome with her terrible new beau and her cash-stranded BFF Elizabeth uses her identity to pick up a job in Scotland on her behalf as a sommelier. Except Elizabeth knows nothing about wine and Heather isn’t always available for a quick phone call. Lies generate more lies and Elizabeth ends up in a sticky web she struggles to get out of intact.

I really enjoyed the story! It was a sweet and fluffy story, very different from the usual rom com and terribly gripping. It was very easy to feel involved in the story and at one point I was so scared about what was going to happen that I stopped reading!

Elizabeth’s character really elevates the read: she’s funny, clumsy, charismatic and between the lines of this comedy, the author also addresses deeper topics: alcoholism, child neglect, abusive relationships...

My only regret? Some of the lies! Much of the drama could have been easily avoided if Elizabeth spoke to Heather, I’m sure she would have been fine about her friend taking her identity for a job since it’s something they used to do a lot.

Overall, a very good surprise, perfect for summer!!

The Summer Job delivered on some of the aspects I adore in books – a Scottish setting, great characters and couple chemistry, all with the added extra of wine. The main character, Birdy (Elizabeth) was something of a mess, but she was an endearing mess that you couldn’t help but like.

The story was wrapped around the concept of lies and those lies getting deeper and complex, until it’s too much. That complexity was wonderfully offset by Birdy’s bright and hopeful nature, James the chef and a cast of characters in the gorgeous Loch Doon hotel.

Having spent a lot of time in the highlands, I have to say Lizzy Dent conjured a setting that really worked, I could envisage the Loch, the wildness and the people so well. I want to go and stay there, taste the wine and maybe nibble the chef… I mean his food!

I so enjoyed the context of the life of a sommelier, it’s not something I’ve seen in contemporary fiction and I was pretty consumed by the idea. This story built on lies took the inevitable down turn and it was pretty hard to observe the crash but I continued to love and believe in Birdy.

The Summer Job was a refreshing, funny and wonderful read that will transport you to the highlands and immerse you in great characters. I think it’s the perfect read for summer and I can’t wait for others to read this.

Thank you to Viking Books for the early review copy.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I loved it. Romantic, laugh out loud story. I would say a great summer read but it’s a great anytime read!

I know it’s the middle of winter but I was so delighted to receive this from the publisher I went ahead with it! I’m so glad I did because it’s a great read that gives you all the feels. Our character Birdy is kind of struggling with life a bit. She has problematic parents and is really quite alone except for a great BFF. I don’t want to give much away as I went into this blind and I think that’s why I grew to love these characters and the quirky Loch Dorn hotel so much. A really talented writer of this genre. Would love to read more!

Review also sent to Amazon, Facebook, goodreads, Instagram.

Birdy’ or real name Elizabeth Finch is at the crossroads of her life. She has never held a job for long and the rest of her life is in utter chaos. The only things positive is being friends with her best friend Heather who has it all. She has loving parent an inheritance and she is a trained Sommelier. So, when Heather asks her to ring up a hotel where is working over the summer to tell her she is not coming. As Heather decides to go to Italy with her boyfriend. Birdy decides to take the job in her place and pretend to be Heather even though she doesn’t know the difference from a Pinot grigio to a Merlot. The job is only supposed to be in a small-town hotel in Scotland. But when she gets there the hotel is different as can be. The good side is there is a dashing good looking chef that can help her on her way.
The Summer job is an emotional, but fun read that I really enjoyed and will be great in summertime when you are relaxing in the sun or just want to escape. It had an engaging storyline and characters, especially Birdy when she first started working as Sommelier and her reaction to the customers and how she juggled her day trying to learn the different wines and her relationship with Heather. It was quite funny. The descriptions of Loch Dorn in Scotland sounded beautiful and motivated me to see if there was a place but its fictional. This is a great read who wants a bit of a laugh and a good romance too. 5 stars from me.

Hilariously heart-warming is how'd I'd describe The Summer Job

When Birdy's friend Heather decides to go to Italy with her (not so brilliant) boyfriend Cristian, Birdy accidentally o purpose takes on the job role of sommelier that her friend was about to start.

The trouble with that - a) she's not Heather b) she is definitely not a sommelier

But Birdy is a woman with spunk and determination so carries on regardless.

What happens after that is like an episode in a soap opera. Drama, romance and everything in-between, the fear of being caught. I could just imagine the beats of the end of Eastenders playing at certain moments.

This is an uplifting novel filled with wit and emotion, written in a way that lifts your heart as you read.

One to look forward to in 2021

This is one of the most heartwarming books I’ve read this year. It just made me feel super happy! It has funny moments, it has romance, it has friendships, it is just an all round enjoyable experience and was a nice lighthearted read in these crazy times!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great summer read! Birdy pretends to be Heather so Heather can go off to Italy in search of true love. What could go wrong? A sommelier position in Scotland and a woman who knows nothing about wine..... :)

You will laugh out loud reading this book, and even though you shouldn't, you will root for Birdy to succeed, because she will grab your heart!

Birdy’s best friend Heather has turned down a job as a sommelier in a Scottish hotel, for her true love in Italy. Birdy decides to pretend to be Heather and go to Scotland in her place, she knows very little about wine .. how hard can it be!!!

The hotel which she expected to be run down, is a luxury 2 star Michelin paradise with a very extensive wine list.

I found myself laughing out loud at Birdy’s antics as she tries to fool everyone that she is a sommelier. There are lighthearted moments but it also deals with friendship, love and trust in a beautifully written way.

I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read.. Birdy is a quirky, likeable character.. She pretends to be her friend, Heather, who is an esteemed sommelier. and takes her summer position at a Scottish hotel in her place. I was rooting for Birdy to succeed. After a rocky start, she works hard to learn about wine and becomes a valued member of the hotel team. Love blossoms between Birdy and James, the chef,, but she can't get too involved while she is pretending to be someone wlse. As well as Birdy's story, I became invested in the success or failure of the hotel.

The book was engaging from beginning to end and I look forward to reading more by this author;.

LOVED IT! A great story about a "ramshackle family hotel.....trying so desperately to be grander and more magnificent than it was....filled with imperfect people, all muddling along together with their ridiculous flaws and gigantic hearts". But, it was totally main character, Elizabeth Finch or Birdy to her friends, that made this for me. She's a wonderfully boisterous, attention-seeking, risk-taking, sarcastic gobshite or a thirty-one year old girl "lacking in credentials and experience".

But, mostly she's hilarious as this quote shows where Birdy is about to finally get it on with James: "I stink. I haven't had a shower and I'm still wearing yesterday's knickers. Oh, and in this light, I'd better warn you, there will be some disappointments." Or "Sorry, James, I'm a total mess. I'd like to say it gets better than this, but it really doesn't." She's also totally relatable. I could particularly relate to this one: "No one in history has moaned about bosses as much as me....Almost every boss I've ever had has fallen short in every conceivable way." Its written in the first person with plenty of random musings about anything and everything.

Well written an funny, I couldn’t put it down.

Not my usual sort of book but it really grabbed my attention.

The concept is fresh and and makes for an interesting read.

I enjoyed this book and it made me smile a lot. Two friends, one going places and the other staying stagnant but almost happily so. A job comes up for Heather at, what she thought was a rather run down hotel in Scotland – she is a sommelier. Boy meets girl and she decides to spend the summer with him and ask her friend Birdy is ring the hotel and make an excuse about not turning up. Birdy with nothing else to do decided to take on the role of Heather and go to the hotel with no wine knowledge whatsoever. Birdy manages to keep up the pretence but with a lot of hard work and fibs. She suddenly realises that she has found her calling and is very happy getting to know the staff of the hotel. Then Heather comes back from Italy early and then the truth comes out. At first Heather is crazy mad but she forgives Birdy and life runs smoothly especially as there is a man involved for Birdy. A lovely story with a lovely ending

I went into this book hoping to read a light rom com that would cheer me up but instead got a book that tries too hard and fails. I don’t know if it was just me failing to get British humor or if it was the book itself but all it managed to make me was a bit more melancholy and sad for the characters, especially Birdie. The romance also failed to evoke any strong feelings in me. It was over all just meh.
Rating: 2.5

The summer job is about this girl, Birdy, who on a dare pretends to be her best friend and takes the summer job that was offered to her.
Birdy is a really problematic girl and doesn't believe in herself anymore, she's bit difficult to like but you still grow fond of her and as for me I saw a bit of myself in her.
It took me a while to really get into this novel, but I enjoyed it in the end and I'd say it's definitely worth reading if, like Birdy and myself, you sometimes feel lost and don't know where you life is going.

Elizabeth or Birdy as she is known to her friends, found herself in a predicament, she doesn't have a job, she doesn't have a place to stay, since her best friend and roomate, Heather is off to Italy for the summer and has to rent the appartment.

When an opportunity to work for the whole summer at a Scottish hotel as a sommelier presents itself, she takes it. The problem is, the job was her roommate's and has to pretend to be her in order to make it work, the thing the only experience she has with wine is from drinking it.

She soon realizes that in order to pull it off and keep her friend's reputation intact she has to work harder than ever and do a fast course in wines.

The hotel and it's people are becoming her friends and the more she cares about them and her job the more guilty she feels. She can't be herself and she definitely can't start a relationship with the cute, sweet chef while he thinks she is Heather.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I understood how Birdy found herself in a very difficult situation due to a misunderstanding and even if pretending to be someone else, isn't right, she did the best she could. The romance was especially sweet and made me want to see more of it. The people of the hotel created a beautiful environment and it made me care about them and their stories. The book has a number of lovely pictures of Scotland which adds a unique tone to the story.

*I received an ARC from the publisher.

So much charm, and lighthearted-wit that I fell in love with the characters and binge-read this in 2 days. Nothing ever goes right for Birdy but she has tons of personality and boldness and this seems to get her through her directionless life. A drunken evening and a crazy idea, and she finds herself impersonating her best friend at a renovated, luxury Scottish hotel. By the time she realises she has completely underestimated the situation, she is in too deep and cant turn back. Plus she is falling for the handsome chef who will not take her lies lightly. And don't even think about how her best friend will view the betrayal.

There is so much to love about the book. Lovely full funny characters that come to life and whom you want to befriend. Gorgeous descriptions of the Scottish lochs and countryside. Impending disaster that is just a chapter away. Deliciously slow building physical attraction, that feels natural and real. And surprisingly deep back-stories that give insight into the different characters and their choices. Romcom at its best.

This book would be a perfect cheesy chick-flick. The writing wasn’t spectacular but the plot was fast-paced enough to keep me turning pages.

Elizabeth (or Birdy, as she’s known by friends) steals her best friend’s summer job as a sommelier (wine expert) while that best friend, Heather (the real sommelier), goes on an Italian fling.

In a very predictable way, Birdy quickly fits in perfectly at the Scottish Inn, falls in love with the job, and the staff, but by then she’s wrapped up in this hectic tangle of false identity and lies.

My enthusiasm for this book was actually quite similar to that of Birdy’s in the bedroom. Spoiler alert: “let’s watch Netflix instead.”

It really would make a great movie, but as a book, I just wanted to rush to the finish.

Favourite quote:

“It’s that deep, ever-present voice telling me that if he’s interested in me, there has to be something wrong with him.”

The Summer Job will be out on 15th April 2021, thank you Penguin UK and NetGalley for the arc.