⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)

Utterly heartwarming and full of festive joy. Lucy Mitchell blends a feel-good romance with adorable canine companions and seasonal sparkle. The characters are charming, and the storyline is as comforting as a mug of hot chocolate. Perfect for fans of lighthearted Christmas reads and anyone who melts at the sight of a dog in a Santa hat.

I was looking for an easy festive read and was drawn to this due to it being set at Christmas and involving a cheeky spaniel. However, it ended up exceeding my expectations and delved into so much more including grief, family dramas, family reunions, secrets and homelessness. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author and I loved it. It’s a fun but heart warming read and I will definitely be checking out her other books.

This book was a good reminder that life isn’t guaranteed tomorrow and that you should live in the moment and cherish them.

The Christmas Dog Sitters by Lucy Mitchell

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Rachel is struggling. She’s navigating the loss of her best friend, she’s left heartbroken by her ex-boyfriend, and she’s recently been made redundant by her employer. So the impending holiday season is the last thing she wants to think about.

Then her rich sister suggests that Rachel dog-sit her spaniel, Humphrey, in her luxurious country house in a quaint village in Surrey. However, Rachel is soon manipulated into caring for her elderly Grandpa Eric, too. Between managing flight-risk Humphrey and rebellious Grandpa Eric, Rachel uncovers family truths, discovers a secretive west wing . . . and must cook Christmas dinner for an entire village.

Amid the chaos, Rachel meets handsome builder Ben. Working at the house, he’s also no stranger to loss, but is willing to re-enter the dating scene—albeit with a six-year-old daughter in tow. Can Rachel and Ben find their way through grief at this tricky time of year? And when a snowstorm threatens to ruin Christmas for everyone, can Rachel and Humphrey bring the community together?

My Opinion

The Christmas Dog Sitters was such a sweet and heart-warming festive book that ultimately shows how a community can all come together when needed. As Rachel has no plans for the festive season, she is left to dog sit for her sister and also look after her grandfather whilst the rest of her family go away for the holidays. Humphrey was a highly entertaining character, with a habit of running away. A great book to read over the festive season.

Rating 4/5

Christmas time theme and a mischievous puppy... what's not to enjoy!! This was such a good read to cuddle up with a blanket while it was cold outside.

I dnfed this book pretty quickly. I wasn't invested in the characters and some of the relationships I wasn't a fan of. I did like the setting though, I was just hoping for a bit more in the story then what I found

Thank you to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book to read. All thoughts are my own.

I loved this read.
Following a tough personal time, Rachel's sister asks her to dog sit Humphrey in the wonderful Hall she shares with her husband.
Fancying a change of scenery and a break from her home, she agrees and then finds she is going to be 'babysitting' her grandad Eric.
Her brother in law leaves a very strict set of rules, which seem unrealistic and she finds that Humphrey is a master escape artist. Her relaxing break is going to be anything but.
I really loved Grandpa Eric and Aunty Bev who are determined to have a good time.
Everyone in the village seems hostile and Rachel wants to find out what is really going on.
The Hall sounded like quite a 'cold' house, very luxurious but hiding secrets.
Rachel collects people she rescues along the way and there are amusing whatsap exchanges amongst the family and it was amusing when Eric, Rachel and Aunty Bev railed back against the other unfair family!

I can't wait to read another book set at the Hall!

Lucy Mitchell's The Christmas Dog Sitters is such a cozy, heartfelt read-perfect for curling up with during the holidays. I loved following Rachel's journey as she navigates a tough year filled with loss and change, only to find herself unexpectedly caring for her sister's mischievous spaniel and her spirited Grandpa Eric in a charming village. Between wrangling these two and facing the chaos of the holidays, she crosses paths with Ben, a kindhearted single dad with his own story of heartbreak. The book beautifully blends humor, warmth, and emotional depth, with just the right touch of festive magic to make it a truly uplifting story. If you enjoy tales of second chances and love amidst the chaos of family, dogs, and snowstorms, this one is a delight!

This was a cute little christmas read. We meet Rachel who agrees to look after her sister's dog over Christmas. Rachel's had a bit of a tough time and she thinks a change of scenery would do her good. However the dog is a nightmare and she finds her sister's husband has left a list of rules as long as her arm. She also finds her grandad being left with her as well whilst her mum and aunt live it up abroad for Christmas. Rachel just gets on with everything in her own way, and finds herself becoming friends with Ben, who is renovating her sister's kitchen!

I enjoyed this book! It was easy to read and the storyline was uncomplicated, although there was a little bit of mystery as to what was going on in the West Wing of the house! The characters were likeable and they all had their own little story to follow as well as Rachel's main story. It wasn't as romantic as I thought it would be, but it was lovely to watch Rachel's friendship with Ben unfold. The star of the show though had to be Humphrey the dog who hot-footed it out of the door at every given opportunity! Set just before and over Christmas, so was wonderfully festive! Would recommend for a light-hearted Christmas read!

I ended up sitting and reading this in one sitting so it's safe to say I had such a fun time with this one. Whilst the story was focused more on womens fiction than the romance itself, the build up to the romance was very sweet and a great contribution to what already was such a delightful read. I really enjoyed our leading lady Rachel, life definitely wasn't on her side, however it was lovely to see her overcome such strong grief and channel that into living a better life for herself. Her family were definitely a bunch to boil your blood, but her Grandpa was a sweetheart and it was fun seeing how try to relive his younger days. I would highly recommend this one, although there are some triggering topics, e.g. grief and toxic family members, this still remained the heart-warming read we all crave during Christmas.

Although this book had romantic elements i wouldnt fully say its a romance more of a family based woman’s fiction book - nevertheless an absolutely fantastic and heartwarming read perfect for Christmas

Absolutely adorable holiday read! Perfect for the dog loving, hallmark movie watching readers! So sweet!

This is told in the single POV, and it embraced the topics of grief, healing, and second chances!

Rating: 3 stars!

A heartfelt Christmas romance book? Whats not to love? Except that wasnt what this really was.. I felt like I finished the book knowing more about the family dog and weird husband then I did about the "budding romance" in the book. All the components for a 5 star were there, but it just felt flat to me.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Mitchell is a long time favourite of mine, so of course I was overjoyed to be accepted for an arc of this book, and I can wholeheartedly tell you it did not disappoint!
An array of delightful characters, a heart warming storyline that you simply want to lose yourself within.... its a gorgeous, cosy festive read that I will be recommending highly!

This was a really cute Christmas book. It's sweet and clean and Hallmark-like. I liked the characters and relationships - the family ones were more important than the romantic one, which was refreshing. The extended family was entertainingly realistic. And there was a dog, always a plus.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Mitchell, and Bloodhound Books for this eARC.

The Christmas Dog Sitters is a heartwarming and charming love story that is sure to get you into the Christmas spirit.

I love charming Christmas romances. They give me so much joy and happiness and make me believe anything is possible during the holiday season. This book was so wonderful. The story is bursting with warmth, and I loved how real all the characters felt. I will be adding this story to my yearly Christmas reading list.

Lucy hooks her readers in with a pretty emotional first two chapters. The universe seems to have it in for Rachel. Her ex-boyfriend, who was cheating on her, just got engaged, she lost her job, and her best friend and roommate Olivia passed away in a tragic accident. We briefly met Olivia in the prologue, and I instantly fell in love with her character. She had one of those personalities you cannot help but be drawn to. I was blown away by the fact that I was so devasted by the death of a character, especially one that I had only known for a couple of pages. That just shows you how great of a job Lucy did at creating characters that you can connect with. Rachel feels like she has hit rock bottom in her life. When her sister asks her to watch her dog, Humphrey, at her and her husband’s big fancy house in the countryside, Rachel figures a relaxing holiday in the countryside will do her some good. However, what was supposed to be a relaxing holiday turned into a crazy few weeks. Rachel finds herself taking care of her grandpa, who is determined to have an adventurous Christmas. Humphrey is determined to keep on running away from the manor, and Rachel finds herself agreeing to cook dinner for the entire town. I love a story that is bursting with fun, chaotic energy. All the unpredictable antics make for an entertaining read.

All the characters in this book are absolutely fantastic, and you cannot help but fall in love with them. All the characters felt real and possessed so much depth. I felt just as invested in their side stories and loved getting to spend time with them. I loved Rachel’s grandpa! His relationship with Rachel was heartwarming, and they had so many beautiful moments. Humphrey was delightfully fun and caused so much mischief. You cannot help but wonder what he would do next. Everything and everyone worked so beautifully together. Kindness and warmth really does fill every page in this book. There are so many wonderful themes woven throughout this story. You have grief, found family, complicated family dynamics, finding love, and starting over. Rachel’s journey to getting over the death of Olivia was so beautifully done. Rachel finds a journey that Olivia had written about her own journey at getting over grief. As Rachel reads this journey, she follows Olivia’s journey and, in the process, starts to heal. It definitely brought a tear to my eye a time or two.

The romance in this book was sweet and everything I hoped it would be. Rachel and Ben do not get off on the right foot. Their snarky banter just tickled me pink, and I found myself turning the page to see when they would meet on the page again. That snarky banter quickly turns into a friendship and then eventually something more. I loved how there seemed to be this whole fated-to-meet vibe between Ben and Rachel. Ben was the blind date Olivia was trying to set Rachel up with. This is a charming closed-door romance, which is the way I like my Christmas romances. I liked the chemistry between these two characters and was curious to see how these two characters would get their HEA.

The Christmas Dog Sitters is sure to warm your heart for the Christmas season.

I enjoyed this book which had a cosy, fluffy feel to it, although the story was a bit far-fetched.
Enjoyable and easy-reading.

Rachel is going through a pretty rough time. Her last relationship had cheated on her, she’s been made redundant, her flat is falling apart. Rachel’s also struggling with the loss of her best friend (/roomate). Rachel’s been tricked into dog & grandpa sitting over the Christmas holidays for her sister at her house while it’s also being renovated by builders. Her meddling family and a cheeky dog keep her on her toes.

🐶 Builder MMC
🐶Finding herself FMC
🐶 A heart warming grandpa/ granddaughter duo
🐶 An adorable mischievous brown spaniel
🐶 Meddling family
🐶 Clean romance
🐶 Found family
Thank you to Bloodhound books &Netgallery for the ARC!

It took a little while to really appreciate the story. The characters were crazy, kind hearted and often a little sad. It really was an uplifting Christmas read, which I really enjoyed.