What a joyous romp of a book! A smorgasbord of quirky characters from the expat matriarch controlling her family via WhatsApp and video calls from her sun lounger, to her "perfect" daughter Maddie, married to ex Hollywood actor turned business tycoon to her younger "disappointment" of a daughter left to look after her elderly grandfather for Christmas whilst dog sitting at Maddie's palatial country mansion. However,all is not as it seems in Maddie 's perfect world and chaos ensues when the Dogsitters take over gathering other miscreants en route including a tipsy auntie and sacked cleaner complete with baby. However the star of the book for me is Humphrey (aka Humph-Wee)the dog . He has magical powers which lead him to where he is most needed by the hapless humans around him. Thankfully he is also an accomplished escape artist and so can take off at will . I genuinely didn't want this book to end and would love a follow up !

This is a heartwarming festive comedy that explores themes of love, loss, and new beginnings. The story centers on unexpected connections, furry friends, and the magic of the holiday season, capturing the emotional journey of characters who find comfort and healing through companionship. Mitchell skillfully blends humor, warmth, and heartfelt moments, creating a cozy and uplifting atmosphere. The characters’ experiences of love, second chances, and personal growth resonate deeply with readers. Set against a festive backdrop, the novel is filled with delightful moments of connection and the joy of new beginnings. With its mix of humor, heart, and Christmas magic, this is a perfect holiday read. It's an inspiring tale that celebrates love, friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a feel-good story that captures the essence of the holiday season.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun Christmas read. Humphrey the dog brought so much charm and added plenty of lighthearted adventures to the story. Rachel’s relationship with her grandpa was heartwarming and made me miss my own grandpa dearly. While the story leans more heavily on family drama than the romance, I still felt connected to the romantic elements and found myself rooting for the couple throughout. I hope Lucy writes books about Maddie and Layla in the future—I’d definitely pick them up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. When it rains, it pours, and sometimes everything happens seemingly all at once. And for our protagonist, it also coincides with the holidays. And in the typical Hallmark/Lifetime holiday movie way, she finds herself falling in love and finding hope after all.

Ohh, what isn't there to love about this!! There's the madcap adventures of a rebellious Grandpa and naughty Spaniel Humphrey, family dysfunction, mysteries of a forbidden West Wing, and a hunky builder thrown in for good measure too!
It made me laugh, and it made me cry as it also deals sensitively with loneliness and grief as Rachel navigates the putting back together after the loss of her best friend..festive happenings, discovery, friendship and love will find you as soon as you open up this treat of a book.

The reason I wanted to read this story was I'm a pet sitter and I got a kick out of the title and wanted to know how it would tie into the plot, it was cute and funny.
I really enjoyed the Christmas part of the story with Rachel showing what Christmas spirit is all about and helping those who needed help, even if it meant getting in trouble with her brother-in-law. I loved the clairvoyant dog Humphrey, who seem to know when someone was in trouble and would run to their rescue even if he was called a bad dog. He wasn't. I loved Grandpa Eric he was so funny and kind and reminded me of my dad who was sweet too. I absolutely loved, loved Aunt Bev who didn't listen to any of her noisy sisters advise and did what she thought was the right thing to do. I did like Rachel sister Maddie, first because she was the catalyst that help Rachel move on but also because she also didn't allow someone else to run her love life. And finally, I loved the funny and cute relationship that was developing between Ben and Rachel who started off on the wrong foot but finally found there way to each other and how their best friend Olivera finally got them together , so romantic.

The one part of the story that made me nuts was how Rachel's Mom and Aunt talked to Rachel, if ever someone talked to me like that I would have hung up on them. I know that they started part of the plot, but if they were left out of the rest of the story it would have been just find by me.

I want to Thank Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this terrific Christmas story.

A cosy Christmas romcom that follows Rachel who is saddened by the recent loss of her friend, that is asked to relocate to her Sister’s mansion for the holidays to look after her dog while she’s abroad.
Rachel and her hilarious Grandfather ‘go large’’, find love, bring the town together and reassess their lives through a series of events throughout the book.
Loved the relationship between the characters and character development.

I like this authors books as they write about relatable issues and real people within their books and the characters are engaging and the author always injects humour into their writing even when writing about serious or sensitive issues.

This was a heartwarming read about second chances and making new friends and navigating grief and difficult family relationships and love and loss.

Humphrey the dog really came into his own as well with his mischievous antics and loved the community feel of this story to a perfect pick me up and feel good read.

I would love a sequel to this to see how the characters lives and new ventures pan out.

This book didn't start well, infact I very almost DNF'd it. So glad I didn't. It was really good. A lot of characters and story threads to keep track of but it worked. Would love for it to be a series and know how life pans out.

Thank you NetGalley & Bloodhound Books for allowing me access to this e-book!
The Christmas Dog Sitters is a delightful holiday read that put a smile on my face! It deals with heartwarming moments balanced with the bittersweet realities of love and loss. The story follows Rachel, who is grappling with the loss of her best friend, a painful breakup, and a sudden job redundancy—all just as the holiday season looms. When her sister persuades her to dog-sit in a quaint Surrey village, Rachel finds herself not only looking after an energetic spaniel, Humphrey, but also her rebellious Grandpa Eric.
The story takes a romantic turn when Rachel meets Ben, a charming builder with a young daughter, who is also dealing with his own past losses. Their budding relationship, set against the backdrop of the festive season, is both tender and realistic, as they navigate their way through grief and healing.
I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a holiday romance with some really heartwarming moments!

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved the idea of a small town where everybody knew each other’s business for better or for worse. Though this story is filled with meddling family, a dog who always runs off (as a pet-sitter myself, this is my nightmare), and an awful brother-in-law, this story is also filled with the loveliest grandfather who yearns for adventure, the same dog mentioned before who actually is an angel-in-disguise, and learning boundaries and investing in community. This was a wonderful story about understanding your grief and trusting your true instincts within a small British town that definitely gives me reminiscence of Star Hollow.

A story about a woman trying to move past the grief of the sudden loss of her best friend. She finds herself dog sitting for her sister and her famous husband with her grandfather and chaos ensues. I enjoyed the story. No big shocks, but a sweet story for the most part.

I am a animal lover so give me a book with dogs in it and I am sold. The Christmas Dog Sitters did not disappoint!

There’s a lot going on in this festive pick-yourself-up- after- a-disaster romance. There’s a big cast of characters but if you can keep trap of them this is the perfect Christmas read. And Humphrey the dog is just perfect !

What a highly entertaining read! The entire cast of characters were fun and I loved the festive atmosphere. I definitely connected with Rachel big time plus - can't go wrong with dogs!

I raced through this delightful Christmas story with a cast of great characters. I loved it all, It left me feeling all warm and fuzzy with the romance and I loved the way all the threads tied up nicely for a satisfying ending. Fantastic.

I do not give 5 stars lightly. I really enjoyed this book! The characters were fun and there was just a bit of “ mystery” to keep you turning the pages. I am not generally one who likes a diary read in a book but this one was not elaborate and drove the main character’s path towards finding herself. Great book! Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

A different story. Family trying to help not !!! I loved the what’s app group and Aunt Karen and her looking after of her father - that hit a note . The grandfather was a character and Humphrey the dog was fantastic. I am struggling to review but a great Saturday afternoon read. A neat ending. Read it .

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for this ARC.

Rachel is having a bad year. Her boyfriend cheated on her, her best friend Olivia has died in a car accident and she still grieves heavily for her, she has lost her job and her flat ceiling is leaking. To say she isn't looking forward to a lonely Christmas is an understatement.

Then her sister Maddie, newlywed to rich and rude ex-actor Frank, asks her to dogsit her boisterous chocolate-coloured spaniel Humphrey at her palatial mansion in Surrey over Christmas, and somehow her feisty Grandpa Eric is thrown in for free in a dodgy 2 for 1 deal. Rachel loves her Grandpa but with both Humphrey and Eric a flight risk, Rachel dreads the daily WhatsApp check-up calls from her opinionated and overbearing mother in Spain where she is holidaying with part of the big family.

There is such a huge cast that a glossary would have been helpful. We have muscular Ben the Builder and his cute daughter Rosie, firecracker Aunty Bev, shy cleaner Layla and her baby son, Rachel's friends back in London plus various community members from the village. The house fills with more and more people, Grandpa Eric falls in love and cute Humphrey escapes all the time, but only because he's helping people. Who's a good boy? Yes, you are! Yes, you ARE.

Rachel, when she's not kissing Ben or running after Humphrey, tries to solve the mystery of the locked-up west wing of the house and why Frank is so hated in the village, gets involved with a Nativity play, and offers to cook Christmas dinner for the whole village after a power cut.

And breathe.

Despite tackling grief and how to overcome loss, this is a fun, festive and uplifting read about second chances and starting over, with great characters and a cosy setting. The cover and title are just lovely. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars

4.5 stars
This is an entertaining, fun, good read. Rachel and Ben are interesting, relatable, intriguing, complex, wounded, strong, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. These two are fun to spend time with. The secondary characters – from Eric to Humphries – added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.