Review: The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

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Author: Lizzy Dent
Edition: eARC
Publisher: Viking (April 15, 2021)
Genre: Romance

Synopsis

Have you ever imagined running away from your life?

Well Birdy Finch didn’t just imagine it. She did it. Which might’ve been an error. And the life she’s run into? Her best friend, Heather’s.

The only problem is, she hasn’t told Heather. Actually there are a few other problems…

Can Birdy carry off a summer at a luxury Scottish hotel pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)?

And can she stop herself from falling for the first man she’s ever actually liked (but who thinks she’s someone else)?

My thoughts

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The Summer Job is a funny and heartwarming story of mistaken identities, wine and finding a place where you belong. I’ve been dipping my toes into more romance recently and was excited by the premise of this; mistaken identity mischief? That just sounded like a great time and it did not disappoint!

Plot and Pacing

I have to admit, this book gave me visceral flashbacks to my very brief and stressful stint working in hospitality. Birdy’s anxiety was palpable on the page and unfortunately relatable (even though I have never had to pretend I was someone else). But that personal connection just made me root for her more throughout the book!

Despite knowing nothing about wine, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to tag along with Birdy trying to figure it all out. Dent’s writing is snappy and made me do the weird laugh-snort thing multiple times. And who knows, I might even have learned a thing or two!

My only real issue with the pacing is that the ending moved a little too quickly for my taste. This is where your mileage may vary but I would have liked a few more moments between Birdy and James at the end.

Characters

My favourite aspect of this book was the ensemble of quirky characters we meet. I appreciated the found-family vibe, every side character felt well-rounded and real and I sympathised with them. Getting me to care about so many different characters and have a vivid image of them in my head isn’t an easy feat – hats off to Lizzy Dent!

Birdy herself is witty and sharp, she is complex with a complicated and less than rosy past. It was so easy to fall in love with her and root for her success from page one. I especially like that her issues aren’t magically fixed by the end of the book, she remains flawed and messy and wonderfully herself.

Overall, The Summer Job is a perfect escapist read with heart, soul and plenty of charm.

This book is for you if…

…you are looking for a fun read with a relatable and flawed main character
…you enjoy books that are about something very specific (like being a (fake) sommelier) but also about something very relatable (finding family/a place to belong)