I adored this book. It was funny, entertaining, and adventurous but with lots of heart and serious topics woven in to make it a well-rounded and heart-warming read. I have to say - there was a bit of a leap of faith going with Birdy on this crazy adventure because while her initial night at the Wine Awards made sense as a funny mistaken identity scenario where she couldn't reveal the truth, her decision to take that to the next level seemed a bit far-fetched. But once you went with it, I was giggling and smiling through her adventure. Her character and sarcastic humor are fantastic, though I was sometimes frustrated by her impressive ability to self-sabotage. But she was also deeply relatable with her desire to fit in and rise to the occasion when others were counting on her. I loved seeing her grow and transform through the book as she came to care about Loch Dorn and her coworkers so deeply. Each of the characters added something important to the story - Irene giving Birdy motivation and a desire to impress, Russell's pressure and stress, Bill's humor and friendship (but also real world problems to be dealt with), and James' kindness and that romantic tension, and even Tim helping us realize how much better off Birdy would be at Loch Dorn. They way they all came together to shape Birdy's adventure was well done, and the plot twist about Heather's real motivation for initially taking the job at Loch Dorn was a clever way to change how we'd expected the big reveal about Birdy's actions would go. If you're looking for a highly entertaining, sweet summer read to whisk you away to the Scottish countryside, I absolutely recommend!

Thank you to Putnam & Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book i exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

This book is lighter on romance than I was expecting. It focuses more on friendship and self-development. We follow Birdy as she impersonates her friend as a sommelier at a summer job.

My first issue is that I didn’t particularly like Birdy. The world at the restaurant is charming, but I found myself skimming through things looking for some action. The romance also didn’t do much for me - the love interest James is nice, but there wasn’t much buildup. Birdy spends so much time thinking James is only interested because she’s the only one around that I found myself believing her.

The ending is cute and I liked how it was resolved. Maybe a good beach read but there are also better “light” books out there.

I struggled with The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent. Here's what I loved: the writing, the descriptions of the characters, setting, food -- all were wonderful. Here's where I struggled: the premise of the book felt so far off that I had a hard time believing it. Usually I am good and suspending disbelief, but I just couldn't with this one. Birdy really frustrated me and maybe I needed it to move a little more quickly to better understand her?

More like 3 and ½ Stars!

A huge thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for my advanced copies of this book!

It was good!

The Summer Job was a fun, easy summer read and just what I needed.

Things I Enjoyed-

* The friendship between Birdy and Heather- I loved that they had a true long lasting friendship and seemed as though they would do anything for each other.

* The Concept- Initially I loved the idea of Birdy taking over Heather's life and just winging it. It was fun.

*The Setting- Summertime in Scotland? Sign me up!

*The Characters- I enjoyed them all!

Why This Wasn't a 5 Star-

*Birdy- As the book went on I found myself annoyed with her and her choices. There were so many chances for her to do the right thing in multiple situations. I wanted to shake her.

*The Romance- I didn't care for it.

Overall- I'm glad I read this book and I would recommend it to other readers. I'll be passing my copy to a coworker. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

I got about 30-40% into this book, and I decided to quit. I just can’t with the main character. The whole premise of the book, her pretending to be her best friend for a job and hiding it from said friend is just messed up. How can you do that to your friend? And Birdy is such a mess of a person in general. She makes one stupid mistake after another. Get your shit together, girl! Plus, the author takes cheap shots at Americans, acting like we are all classless idiots. No thanks. I don’t think I will be picking up anything else from this author.

Bottom Line: Pass

**I received a copy of The Summer Job from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Just the summer rom-com I was looking for! Delicious, smart, funny story happening in Scotland wine country about love, adventure and self discovery. The characters had a good depth and made the story more interesting. Perfect summer blend.

Thank you G.P.Putnam via Netgalley for the arc.

Birdy (Elizabeth Finch) is a lost soul, bouncing from job to job, flat to flat, with no real purpose or drive. Her best friend Heather is a well known sommelier with a job lined up for the summer in Scotland. When Heather finds "true love" and decides to head to Italy for the summer and abandons her job, Birdy says she will take care of it for her. Birdy ultimately forgets to call and cancel for Heather, next thing we know we are following Birdy to Scotland as she pretends to be Heather.
Birdy thinks it won't be a big deal, isn't it just a run down hotel in rural Scotland? She is proven wrong on her first day. Throughout the summer we watch Birdy/"Heather" discover her personal strength and drive. We watch her stumble time and time again, but we also watch as she truly starts to figure out who she is as a person and how she can overcome her past.
This book was a bit of a surprise for me. The first couple of chapters I didn't think I would enjoy the characters or the plot. As I continued to read I realized it was much more than a shared identity or rom com theme. I enjoyed the way the author moved the themes along, how she engaged the characters and the relationships she built with each one. And the ending was definitely a surprised! This was a fairly quick read for me and I would recommend to friends and family.

The Summer Job is a fascinating story based in the hospitality industry.

Heather and Birdy are two best friends from a young age. Heather is living a glamorous as a wine sommelier. Birdy has floundered through her 20s with no direction in sight. At the last minute, Heather decides she isn't going to take a job at a remote hotel as the sommelier. Birdy offers to let the hotel know that Heather will not be taking the job after all. But in a moment of pure panic, Birdy decide to go and pretend to be Heather. Sounds simple, right? Not so simple.

There begins a summer that Birdy could never have imagined. Things spiral out of control while Birdy discovers a feeling of belonging and sense of self. The band of misfits become somewhat of the family that Birdy has always craved.

Lizzy Dent has written a solid debut novel. I will be watching for future works from her.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

The Summer Job was an interesting read, but one that I felt suffered from a lack of direction. It was funny at times, yet deeply sad at others, and also frustrating during some scenes. I wish there was more of a depth to the characters; some of the interactions or explanations for emotions felt surface-level. My attention was definitely captured during this book because I hoped the author was going to give me more to work with, but at the end it just fell flat for me. It was an okay fiction read, but I wish it had more direction or a solidified genre, instead of trying to intertwine several different themes that didn't always work together.

I was so looking forward to this summer read! I saved it up for my first vacation in years. Unfortunately the implausibility of the premise of the book left me disappointed.

Elizabeth Finch (aka Birdy) is floating through life. She doesn't speak to her parents, barely holds jobs, has a terrible boyfriend who really isn't much of a boyfriend at all. Her best friend Heather however has an amazing career as a rising sommelier. Heather doesn't have parents, and is hopelessly looking for love. In doing so she asks Birdy to attend an event for her, and oh by the way, please send my regrets to a job offer I accepted for the summer while I run off to follow my boyfriend (who still hasn't broken up with his actual girlfriend).

Of course Birdy ends up taking the summer job after running into her new boss at the wine event. Birdy knows nothing about wine, food, or working in a restaurant, but she studies hard, leaches off of her coworkers knowledge, and gets by. Of course it ends up a mess, complete with her falling for the head chef.

I wish I could rate it higher, but Birdy is a doof, and Heather is a flake, making them unlikable, and terrible liars. Overall 2.5 stars, rounded to 3.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I lovedddd this book and found myself laughing out loud many times. Birdy's story has some deeper elements and I really adored her humor. There was wit, angst, and some super sweet moments and it's everything I enjoy in a rom com! The cover is really bright and cheery too!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Interesting plot. Delightful characters though it took awhile for me to like them.
Seemed to be very slow moving yet kept my attention. I was sad when it was over.

I guzzled this book down like a bottle of rosé! super charming, funny, and surprisingly tender.
Birdy find herself without a place to live and no job to speak of when her best friend ditches her summer job as a sommelier in Scotland and jets off to Italy with a new boyfriend. Birdy, thinking it’ll be an easy job and a place to stay, decides to impersonate Heather and spend the summer plying guest with wine at a run down hotel.
But on arrival she finds she’s not working at a dinky Scottish hotel, but a revamped, high class establishment. Safe to say, she’s in way over her head.
It’s a complete shit show from the start, but with enough charm to fool even the most snobbish of wine connoisseurs, Birdy manages to patch together a life for herself at Loch Dorn.
The Summer Job is funny, cringe-inducing (there were moments I had to sit it down and take a deep breath because Birdy was giving me stress hives), and has warming as a heavy handed pour of chardonnay. I can’t wait to read more for Lizzy Dent!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Putnam for the e-arc!

A solid summer read that reminded me of The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living for its small town charm.

The premise of The Summer Job is reminiscent of The School of Rock plot or any impersonatation scheme. It is never a good idea to make your main character a liar off the bat and the compelling reasoning is only revealed much later. Too late for redemption? Perhaps for some, but what I found initially generic and frivolous grew on me much Birdy's appreciation for all things Scottish. There is contemplative mindfulness mixed in with the silly and I enjoyed Birdy's journey.

This book was an absolute delight and I’m surprised I’m not seeing more of it on Bookstagram! I mean, who doesn’t want to read a book about wine? 🍷 While Birdy is a hot mess, she’s quirky and lovable and I was rooting for her the whole time. She’s also hilarious - her voice reminded me a bit of Lillian from Nothing to See Here and I laughed out loud a lot. The author’s clear knowledge of the hospitality industry and the level of detail she incorporated is what really brought the book to life for me - I felt like I was there (and I want to go there!). The whole cast of characters was great - you really got to know everyone working at the hotel. While labeled as a romance, this book was so much more - it’s about growing up and figuring out who you are in this world. I also loved that Birdy is in her 30’s - it’s a good reminder that it’s normal to not have every aspect of life figured out while you’re young.

I highly recommend The Summer Job, especially for fans of Younger (secrets about identity) and Outlander (takes place in the Scottish Highlands). I don’t think the Goodreads rating is doing this one justice at all, I liked it so much!

I absolutely loved Birdie (ahem, Heather)! She was so endearing and funny - the life of the party with a snappy comeback in a tense situation.
The setting was beautiful and so realistic, I felt as if I was right there. The details of wine, food & hospitality were very interesting.
Every character was well rounded,
the author dealt with different personalities both compassionately and realistically.
I was rooting for Birdie throughout the book and I felt I knew her personally.
Perhaps Lizzy Dent is a lot like Birdie herself?
Anyway, I will be sure to look for the next book from this author!

I enjoyed learning about all the wine and being in the countryside of Scotland in book. The scene was set beautifully.

I dont feel this exactly worked for me. The love interest seemed forced. I strongly dislike the aspect of lying. I was hoping the main character would have come clean much earlier.

Overall, this wasn't a win for me. I did finish this novel and enjoyed the ending.

3 stars.

"The Summer Job" is a great summer read. The premise is obviously ridiculous--the thought that you could pass you as a Sommelier is obviously ridiculous, but It didn't stop me from enjoying the book. If you have worked in a restaurant, I suspect you will really enjoy this read. It's a lighter version of "Sweet Bitter."

What is wrong with me? This book has it all. I can not get into it though. I have no idea why I am so disinterested. At this point, I will not be finishing this novel. I do not feel that rating this book a one or two star is fair....I did not finish it.