The Summer Job
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- Create Date：2021-05-26 08:52:22
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Lizzy Dent
- ISBN：0241990513
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Summary
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 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）？
If you're looking to replace that Fleabag sized hole in your life， look no further: you'll laugh at her， you'll cringe with her but ultimately you'll fall in love with Birdy Finch。 For fans of The Flat Share， this is a rom com like you've never seen before， The Summer Job is the hottest read this summer。
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 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）？
If you're looking to replace that Fleabag sized hole in your life， look no further: you'll laugh at her， you'll cringe with her but ultimately you'll fall in love with Birdy Finch。 For fans of The Flat Share， this is a rom com like you've never seen before， The Summer Job is the hottest read this summer。
Reviews
Desiree | Desireesbookcorner
，
I haven’t DNC’s a book in a long time but I couldn’t keep reading this。 I got to 60 percent and quit。 The main character just infuriated me TOO much。Basically， a woman with no experience pretends to be her VERY experienced chef best friend （without her permission） and takes a job fit for an experienced chef without knowing the first thing about wine or food。The whole book is her entitled ass crying and panicking because she ‘didn’t think it would be that hard’ l。 And she tries her best to cram h I haven’t DNC’s a book in a long time but I couldn’t keep reading this。 I got to 60 percent and quit。 The main character just infuriated me TOO much。Basically， a woman with no experience pretends to be her VERY experienced chef best friend （without her permission） and takes a job fit for an experienced chef without knowing the first thing about wine or food。The whole book is her entitled ass crying and panicking because she ‘didn’t think it would be that hard’ l。 And she tries her best to cram her best friends level of experience by studying so she can keep the job。 Then while working there and lying to everyone she falls in love with one of the chefs—whom she’s lying to。 Nope not for me folks。 And I’m counting this toward my yearly goal because I suffered through it for over half。 。。。more
Azanta
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3。5/5 stars for this！ This didn't quite pick up until about 60% of the way through and to be honest， as someone who was born and raised in the United States and as someone who doesn't drink and knows absolutely nothing about wine， it was a little difficult for me to keep up with what was going on but this is truly a story of acceptance and a journey of finding yourself and I found myself eager to follow along with Birdy's adventure once she had shaken off a lot of her confusion and doubt。 It's h 3。5/5 stars for this！ This didn't quite pick up until about 60% of the way through and to be honest， as someone who was born and raised in the United States and as someone who doesn't drink and knows absolutely nothing about wine， it was a little difficult for me to keep up with what was going on but this is truly a story of acceptance and a journey of finding yourself and I found myself eager to follow along with Birdy's adventure once she had shaken off a lot of her confusion and doubt。 It's hard to give this a three-star rating because it truly has nothing to do with the book itself -- it was a result of my own unattachment to the themes of the story but I would recommend this to people who love these kinds of books for sure。 。。。more
Jenny （Bookbookowl）
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RTC
Fi
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Very enjoyable read。 Nicely written characters， you want to see them do well。 Lovely descriptions of rural Scotland。
Carolyn Mary
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It was a good read -- though I absolutely tuned some of it out and still was able to follow the story。 It was a girl pretends to be best friend and falls in love while pretending to be someone else story -- a classic rom com trope and one of my faves。 It didn't wow me but it was fun。 It was a good read -- though I absolutely tuned some of it out and still was able to follow the story。 It was a girl pretends to be best friend and falls in love while pretending to be someone else story -- a classic rom com trope and one of my faves。 It didn't wow me but it was fun。 。。。more
Jill
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Elizabeth Finch has a problem。 She’s lost her job， and her roommate and best friend Heather is going to Italy for the summer with her boyfriend and wants to rent out their apartment。 Elizabeth needs a place to stay all summer， and a job wouldn’t hurt either。 Heather and Elizabeth， known as Birdy by her friends， have known each other since grade school。 Heather lost her parents when she was young， but that left her with the resources to become a sommelier， and she’s worked hard to become respecte Elizabeth Finch has a problem。 She’s lost her job， and her roommate and best friend Heather is going to Italy for the summer with her boyfriend and wants to rent out their apartment。 Elizabeth needs a place to stay all summer， and a job wouldn’t hurt either。 Heather and Elizabeth， known as Birdy by her friends， have known each other since grade school。 Heather lost her parents when she was young， but that left her with the resources to become a sommelier， and she’s worked hard to become respected in the field。 But she hasn’t been able to find the love she has craved。 Birdy hasn’t quite found her passion yet。 She’s bounced from job to job， focusing on having a good time not getting too serious in relationships。 When Heather offers Birdy her tickets to a wine event， Birdy decides to go with her goodtime boyfriend Tim。 She says she’s Heather at the door， and they put on their name tags and enjoy the free booze。 But while there， Birdy meets Irene， the woman who Heather is supposed to be working for all summer。 It’s a sommelier job at a rundown hotel in Scotland， and Heather had already decided to blow off the job and go to Italy instead。 But Birdy sees an opportunity。 She needs a summer job。 She needs a place to stay。 And Irene already thinks she’s Heather。 What would be the harm of going on the Scotland job and being Heather for the summer？ How hard could it be？ But once she gets there， Birdy realizes she’s made a huge mistake。 The hotel is newly renovated and the wine list has greatly expanded since they set up their website。 Birdy won’t be able to just show up and fake it。 She can either confess that she’s not really Heather and face the fallout from that， including not having anywhere to live。 Or she can dig deep and learn enough to get by。 Irene likes her， and the bartender Bill is also trying to get her to stay。 And she can’t deny that there is a spark whenever she looks at James， the chef。 Does she stay， and risk having to come clean about not being the sommelier with the impressive resume that they were all expecting， or does she just walk away， maybe giving up the chance to find something meaningful for the first time in her adult life？ The Summer Job is a bittersweet story of a young woman figuring out who she is and who she wants to be。 With sweetness and spice， acidity and a few nutty top notes， this lovely novel is a flavorful reminder of what happens when you discover a part of yourself you never knew was there。 Debut adult novelist Lizzy Dent has taken her experiences in the hospitality industry and given us all a tasting of what it’s like。 And in Scotland to boot。 I really enjoyed The Summer Job。 I thought it was written beautifully， but I will admit to getting a little bogged down in the middle。 I genuinely liked these characters， even Birdy as she was coming in to her own， and to watch her deception grow， knowing the pain that was coming when the truth inevitably comes out， I had a hard time working through my own feelings of hurt and betrayal to forgive her and keep reading her story。 But I did， and that means I can recommend that you do it too。 Fans of Sweetbitter will appreciate the similar themes of hospitality， betrayal， and personal growth。 But you don’t have to care about wine to enjoy The Summer Job。 You can just love a good story with interesting characters， a charming setting， some laughs， some tears， and plenty of good food。 Egalleys for The Summer Job were provided by G。P。 Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley， with many thanks。 。。。more
Tara Alemany
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After the first two chapters， I seriously had to consider whether I even wanted to continue reading。 Billed as a romcom， there is little true comedy （or romance） to go on here。 Birdy Finch is messed up and washed out。 She has one friend in the world and has disowned her family， whom she claims is more messed up than she is。。。 （And that's saying something！）Her best friend Heather is equally lost but still manages to hold a job successfully and build a career （and name） for herself as a sommelier。 After the first two chapters， I seriously had to consider whether I even wanted to continue reading。 Billed as a romcom， there is little true comedy （or romance） to go on here。 Birdy Finch is messed up and washed out。 She has one friend in the world and has disowned her family， whom she claims is more messed up than she is。。。 （And that's saying something！）Her best friend Heather is equally lost but still manages to hold a job successfully and build a career （and name） for herself as a sommelier。 Of course， coming from money and being able to leverage her departed father's name helps。 （Although that raised a lot of questions too since she supposedly learned from her father， who died when Birdy and Heather were still little。）Anyway， Heather decides to run away with Cristian for the summer to see if he might actually leave his girlfriend and "be the one" rather than showing up for a job she's arranged in Scotland。 Despite the potential blow to her reputation （one she's worked hard to build）， she leaves it to Birdy （a known screw-up） to get her out of the job with her reputation intact。 Rather than doing what she promised， Birdy decides to pose as Heather instead。 Despite the fact that she knows nothing about wines （and doesn't even like them！）。 Heather's reputation， be damned！There is so little to actually like about Birdy。 She's a runaway train that wreaks havoc on the lives of those around her。 I pitied her more than I found her funny。 And after a while， you really do want a person like that to get the help they need， not to succeed at pulling the wool over everyone's eye。sI did like the band of misfits she encounters at Loch Dorn but often felt like the things that needed to be addressed were ignored in favor of things of lesser importance。And it felt like every other word was a gratuitous swear that really wasn't necessary。 I did end up finishing the book and there were definitely characters I liked， or at least felt some sympathy for。 But Birdy and Heather weren't at all believable to me。 And other than a shag or two， there was very little actual romance involved。 So， not certain why it's considered a "romcom" when both of the key components of a romcom were sorely lacking。I do appreciate receiving a review copy from the publisher， the author and NetGalley。 。。。more
Lauren
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Look everyone， British rom-coms are where it's at。 Truly - all the best romances I've read in the past few years have come from British authors， from Mhairi McFarlane to This Time Next Year to so many more。 With all of these books， you don't just get a simple meet-cute and typical romance arc - you get complex characters， friendships， and relationships that are real and deep and flawed。 These books might all reel you in with a cute premise， but you stay for the character development and growth。 Look everyone， British rom-coms are where it's at。 Truly - all the best romances I've read in the past few years have come from British authors， from Mhairi McFarlane to This Time Next Year to so many more。 With all of these books， you don't just get a simple meet-cute and typical romance arc - you get complex characters， friendships， and relationships that are real and deep and flawed。 These books might all reel you in with a cute premise， but you stay for the character development and growth。 The Summer Job was no exception to this trend。 The premise is amazing from the very start: Birdy Finch is a directionless thirty-year-old with no career， a resume showing a spattering of unrelated jobs， and in a few weeks， no apartment to speak of。 She's never been successful in work， love， or life， really。 Her best friend is Heather， one of England's most talented and brilliant young sommeliers。 Although Heather found her passion and has excelled at it， she too has a weakness: her desire for love， which results in a penchant for dropping whatever she's doing in pursuit of some guy who eventually turns out to be a deadbeat。 At the start of the book， Heather has done exactly that - she's been hired as a sommelier for a hotel in an old Scottish estate in the middle of nowhere， Loch Dorn。 But she also wants to chase after her latest crush， an elusive Spaniard named Cristian。 She decides to forego the job and go after romance， and Birdy volunteers to call the hotel and tell them that Heather isn't coming。 But one thing leads to another， and， after pretending to be Heather （with her consent） at the British Wine Awards and running into the manager at Loch Dorn。。。Birdy decides that she's going to pretend to be Heather for this summer posting。 It's some old stuffy hotel in the middle of nowhere and she's done a million waitressing jobs。 How hard could it be？ When she arrives， she realizes that this situation is not at all what she expected。 The hotel is in the middle of renovations to update， modernize， and glamorize the place。 They've hired a Michelin-star winning head chef to direct a new menu， and they're expecting top performance from one of the best sommeliers in the country。 Birdy soon realizes she's way in over her head and has to figure something out， through her natural humor， effervescence， and a bit of hard work。Birdy is a lovable main character， despite or perhaps because of her flaws。 Sometimes I wanted to hit my head against the wall with how stupid she could be， but she always manages to do something to save herself。 Her struggles are very real， and despite putting herself in a bad situation， you feel for her。 I truly loved the romance in this book。 The chemistry between Birdy and her love interest was off the charts， and you really end up rooting for them。 However， as is the pitfall with so many romcoms with a premise like this or any premise based on deception， you know that the other shoe has to drop sometime。 You just pray that the reveal and reparations will be smooth and easy - and I think this book did a good job of not drawing it out， but also not being unrealistically fast and simple for the level of deception that Birdy almost pulled off。 I really enjoyed this - it was a quick and cute read， with much more depth than you'd expect from a typical romcom。 Thank you to GP Putnam for the ARC via Netgalley！ 。。。more
FabBookLife
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⛱ The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent Who doesn’t love a good story about friendship & finding yourself？ Birdy realizes she is way over her head pretending to be her sommelier BFF at a resort in the Scottish Highlands。 All she wanted was a fresh start， and an enjoyable summer with amazing food and wine。 I really enjoyed this one！ I loved reading about all of the food/wine pairings， mouth watering 😋 Overall review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars Thank you to NetGalley & G。P。 Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy in excha ⛱ The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent Who doesn’t love a good story about friendship & finding yourself？ Birdy realizes she is way over her head pretending to be her sommelier BFF at a resort in the Scottish Highlands。 All she wanted was a fresh start， and an enjoyable summer with amazing food and wine。 I really enjoyed this one！ I loved reading about all of the food/wine pairings， mouth watering 😋 Overall review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars Thank you to NetGalley & G。P。 Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。For more reviews， follow my bookstagram @fablifebook 。。。more
Em
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One of my romance reading goals in 2021 is to search out new authors to try via NetGalley。 So far it's been a mixed bag。 Unfortunately， I don't think Lizzy Dent is for me - or maybe it's just this story。 Either way， despite positive reviews here， I will not be returning to this author。And confession time: I didn't and won't finish it， but I fully intend to tell you why。Problem 1: The premise。The premise of the story - that a young girl （Birdy Finch） runs away from her life and pretends to be som One of my romance reading goals in 2021 is to search out new authors to try via NetGalley。 So far it's been a mixed bag。 Unfortunately， I don't think Lizzy Dent is for me - or maybe it's just this story。 Either way， despite positive reviews here， I will not be returning to this author。And confession time: I didn't and won't finish it， but I fully intend to tell you why。Problem 1: The premise。The premise of the story - that a young girl （Birdy Finch） runs away from her life and pretends to be someone she isn't - is。。。fine？ I mean， TBH， who does that？ None of the moms/friends in my life， but since this is a fictional romance novel， I guess we’re supposed to just go along with it。 For funsies。 Unfortunately， our runner has a history of poor decision making， an inability to hold onto a job， and she's impersonating someone who has none of these problematic issues in her life。 Her best friend （only friend） since childhood。 Hold up， we've arrived at problem number 2。Problem 2: Why would you do this to your best friend？Nope， she isn't impersonating someone insignificant。 She's pretending to be her ONLY friend， Heather。 Heather who has forgiven her for a zillion misdeeds。 Heather who has essentially funded Birdy's life since she can't hold a job or keep an apartment or even a sublet and/or save money。 Heather who is a successful， aspiring sommelier following in her well-known and well regarded father's footsteps。 Heather who trusted Birdy to contact her employer and let them know she wasn't going to show up in Scotland for a job she agreed to take because she's running away to Italy to be with a total loser who already has a girlfriend。 “I think I’m in love with Cristian，” she said as her mouth curved into a nervous smile。“Oh，” I replied， trying to sound buoyant as my heart sank。“I know， I know。” She was blushing and grinning， and I wanted to break something in half。 Not him。 Cristian， the coked-up shoe guy。“Really？” I said， bracing myself。 “The cobbler？”“The shoe designer—Cristian， yes，” she said， sighing。 “Anyway， I’m going to Rome for the summer with him， to see if it can be a thing。”That explains the bikinis。“He’s going to break up with his girlfriend，” she said quickly。 To reassure me， I suppose。 And then she took a deep breath。 “Birdy， I think I might 。 。 。 I mean I think we might be in love。 I think this is it。” Uh oh reader。 We've stumbled onto problem number 3 haven’t we？ Problem 3: Your best friend might be just as big a loser as you are。Following this ridiculous exchange， Birdy asks how Heather’s planning to let the Scotland hotel job people know she’s quitting。 And instead of calling， or doing the 20’something thing and just sending a fucking email （right？！）， these two concoct a whole fake story about Heather and a stabbing （I’m not even going to put the quote in this review because THE CONVERSATION ISN’T FUNNY IT’S RIDICULOUS AND ABSURD。 AND OH MY GOD I THOUGHT IT WOULDN’T GET WORSE THAN THIS BUT - SPOILER ALERT- BIRDY ISN’T EVEN IN SCOTLAND FAKING HEATHER’S LIFE YET。） Moving on。 So， they concoct this dumb and not funny story and somehow Birdy gets nominated to tell it。 Because Heather can’t be bothered to quit。 Even though she totally has her shit together， and she’s a successful and aspiring and amazing sommelier and FFS。 Obv， Ms。 Dent， she isn’t。 Fortunately for this story， Birdy （who’s proven she’s super reliable and responsible。） is up to the task and has ALL THE PLANS to do the quitting。 Except then she shows up to a wine event as super sommelier Heather （who’s currently running away to Italy） with a guy she fucks around with sometimes but who doesn’t respect her but he’s fun or something？ [I do not get this character or understand why he is in this book。] But back to the event and the fake-Heathering。 At the wine event Birdy meets Heather’s future employer。 The future employer who somehow doesn’t actually know Heather at all even though I THOUGHT SHE WAS AND UP AND COMING SOMMELIER AND THE DAUGHTER OF A FAMOUS SOMMELIER AND AT SOME POINT SOMEONE INTERVIEWED HER AND DOESN’T SHE GO TO SHIT LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME？ BUT FOR SOME REASON NO ONE KNOWS WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE HER SOCIAL MEDIA PICTURE IS A CAT。 The whole cat picture thing was Birdy’s brilliant idea that has something to do with keeping a low profile。 Whatever。 Birdy and her boy toy manage to get totally wasted， fool absolutely no one with their wine knowledge， knock over a display of vintage crystal and then bolt。 Future boss thinks it's funny。 And obv Birdy can’t quit now！ She’s met the boss！ OH NO。Problem 4: Birdy arrives in Scotland and everyone is expecting a person who looks like a cat and they laugh and shrug it off everytime she fucks up a wine selection EVEN THOUGH SHE IS AN UP AND COMING SOMMELIER WITH A TERRIFIC REPUTATION and the boss thinks Birdy is just great and the sous chef keeps giving her soulmate eyes and Birdy SHOULD READ UP ON WINES but always falls asleep just when it’s study time and the HOT Michelin starred chef somehow can’t recognize someone faking wine knowledge。Wow！ I think the problem is longer than my explanation why it’s a problem。 So。 I’ll just leave that there for you。Convenient solution to Problem #4: Italy boytoy asked Heather to keep a low profile because he’s a cheating shoe designing coked up sleazebag， so no one knows anything about Heather except she looks like a cat in her profile picture。 BIRDING IS WINNING。Problem 5: Let’s go ahead and insult the American readers （FYI: THAT’S ME MS。 DENT）Because Birdy doesn’t know much about wine - aside from how much it takes to get wasted at professional events that you attend pretending to be your super great gal-pal Heather， she doesn’t actually know what to recommend to guests at the super fancy restaurant she’s been hired to work at。 But since the guests are Americans - and therefore BIG FUCKING MORONS - she offers them Chardonnay。 With ice。 “I’m having the guinea fowl， with a glass of white，” a Very Confident American Tourist had said。 “Which would you recommend？”“Oh gosh， I hate recommending wines，” I’d joked， scanning the list in a panic。He chuckled。 “Sounds to me like you’re in the wrong business。”“Quite，” I quickly replied， grinning， as a memory of Heather complaining about how Americans only ever drink bloody Chardonnay flashed before me。“Take the Chardonnay，” I said firmly。“Oh， I love Chardonnay，” his partner said in one of those perfect little Texan accents。 “Can I have an ice cube in that？” SIDE NOTE Ms。 Dent: I ALSO LIVE IN TEXAS。 We’re basically stupid cavemen here。Problem 5: Birdy’s inconvenient attraction to the sous chef and self-image issues。The sous chef - who I am assuming is also the man she falls in love with， is nice to her。 WHAT？！ He calls her a breath of fresh air。 Because she’s sucked at wine recommendations and it’s been super funny to witness your sommelier joke about not actually knowing what she’s doing。 Um。 Okay。 So then we get this bizarre personal reflection which doesn’t come off quite like the author thinks it does because Birdy is DELUSIONAL and a THIEF。 I don’t know about the cunt part and it’s not my favorite insult， but I can see how the roommate arrived at this point based on knowing Birdy for barely 5 chapters of this book。I’ve been called many things in my life， but this is the first time I’ve ever been called a breath of fresh air。 My mum used to call me boisterous。 My dad called me a little attention seeker。 My first flatmate， an uptight cow who worked in HR， called me a lying， thieving little cunt because she thought I stole her MAC makeup pen。 （I borrowed it and lost it， so I technically didn’t steal it， but either way， she couldn’t have known it was me。） I’ve been called a fucking loser enough times for it to feel normal。 Heather mostly calls me wonderful， but then I have always saved the best of myself for Heather。I look over at James and my heart flutters。We both reach for the champagne。 He gets there first and I deliberately “accidentally” touch his fingers。 I can’t help myself。 Even I can’t have misread the signals。 Plus， I’m this fancy protégée sommelier， and everybody knows newness is eighty percent of attraction。 Surely I am fanciable in this scenario？I try to push the thought out of my head， suddenly embarrassed。 Oh， Birdy。 I’M EMBARRASSED FOR YOU！ You’re still stuck in this book！I can’t with this。 Everything about the character suggests some， if not all， of these things are true ~ and why would I want to read about her？ Newsflash: I don’t。The Summer Job is dumb and not funny and painful。 。。。more
Christy
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I feel like I've been starting a lot of reviews this way lately but。。。 I really wanted to like this book。 I really did。 Emily Henry has been talking it up so much on her Insta， I thought I would love it。 I really did。 I think Dent is a good writer and she had a great idea。 The picture she paints of the Scottish Highlands had me nostalgic for vacations taken and vacations cancelled as a result of the Pandemic。 I really thought I was there。 And I adored most of the characters at Loch Dorn: James， I feel like I've been starting a lot of reviews this way lately but。。。 I really wanted to like this book。 I really did。 Emily Henry has been talking it up so much on her Insta， I thought I would love it。 I really did。 I think Dent is a good writer and she had a great idea。 The picture she paints of the Scottish Highlands had me nostalgic for vacations taken and vacations cancelled as a result of the Pandemic。 I really thought I was there。 And I adored most of the characters at Loch Dorn: James， Irene， Bill， Anis， Roxy。。。 All of them were unique and brought their own qualities to the table， rounding out the setting and story。 I just could never get on board with the main character。 I didn't LIKE being inside Birdy's head。 Sure， I should've expected some deceit， since the entire premise is based on the main character lying。 However， it would've been easier to swallow the deception if the main character was likeable。 The only redeeming thing about Birdy was around page 115 when she finally decided she needed to get her shit together and do something different。 And here's the thing。。。 I understand that childhood trauma and neglect have made Birdy the way she is。 Totally get that。 But I don't think Dent dug into that deeply enough to make me empathize with her （does this make me a horrible person？）。All in all， it was good， but I couldn't get past how much I didn't like Birdy from the very first chapter， and while I kept hoping it would get better， it never really did。 2。5 stars rounded up。 I'll read Dent again thought， provided that her plot isn't just focused around deceit。 Like I said， I really think it was well-written and she does a great job painting pictures。 No beef with the author-- beef with the main character， which just meant that The Summer Job just wasn't for me。 。。。more
Shel
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Thank you Netgalley & GP Putnam for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback。 I really wanted to love this book because it has everything that I love: wine， food， Scotland and hot Scottish dudes but this book fell a little flat for me。 First off， Birdy is kind of a shit person。 Even though the author tries to redeem her there are 10，000 opportunities when she could’ve done the right thing。 Secondly， in the middle the book kind of drags and I found myself forcing myself to keep readin Thank you Netgalley & GP Putnam for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback。 I really wanted to love this book because it has everything that I love: wine， food， Scotland and hot Scottish dudes but this book fell a little flat for me。 First off， Birdy is kind of a shit person。 Even though the author tries to redeem her there are 10，000 opportunities when she could’ve done the right thing。 Secondly， in the middle the book kind of drags and I found myself forcing myself to keep reading。 I’ll give it 3 stars because I did find Lizzy Dent’s writing to be good and humorous but other than that this book was a miss for me。 。。。more
Jaclyn Brande
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Thank you to NetGalley， Putnam， and Lizzy Dent for providing me with a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 Birdy is meandering aimlessly through her thirties。 She hops from one job to another， barely scraping by and struggling to keep a roof over her head。 She gets occasional tastes of luxury from her best friend， Heather， a sommelier who allows Birdy to pretend to be her at fancy galas and events that Heather doesn’t feel like attending。 When Birdy gets the chance to pretend to be Heather for Thank you to NetGalley， Putnam， and Lizzy Dent for providing me with a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 Birdy is meandering aimlessly through her thirties。 She hops from one job to another， barely scraping by and struggling to keep a roof over her head。 She gets occasional tastes of luxury from her best friend， Heather， a sommelier who allows Birdy to pretend to be her at fancy galas and events that Heather doesn’t feel like attending。 When Birdy gets the chance to pretend to be Heather for a whole summer at a run-down hotel in Scotland， she jumps at the chance for free food， wine， and accommodation。 After all， how hard could it possibly be？I loved this book！ I was expecting something surface level and rom com-y， but this one had surprising depth。 Top Notes: comedy of errors as Birdy flubs her way through the role of a sommelier， her ‘will they or won’t they’ flirtation with the hot chef， JamesBody: Birdy’s quest to find some direction and meaning in her life as she learns to apply herself and get out of her own way， very interesting side storylines with all of the secondary characters that gives the plot a very robust and full-bodied feel （see what I’m doing here？）， an awesome nod to and accurate portrayal of the world of hospitality Finish: a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t feel too perfect， warm fuzzies 。。。more
Jaclyn
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I spent too long being frustrated and annoyed by Birdy secretly taking her best friend’s job offer as a sommelier and doing nothing to actually learn about wine。 And quite a bit of disbelief needs to be suspended and a lot of coincidence believed just to accept the very premise of the book。 She won me over but it took a long time and many silly jokes。 The food stuff is great and the Sweetbitter comparison makes some sense。 At times it reminded be of Bridget Jones’s Diary。 The romance was solid。 I spent too long being frustrated and annoyed by Birdy secretly taking her best friend’s job offer as a sommelier and doing nothing to actually learn about wine。 And quite a bit of disbelief needs to be suspended and a lot of coincidence believed just to accept the very premise of the book。 She won me over but it took a long time and many silly jokes。 The food stuff is great and the Sweetbitter comparison makes some sense。 At times it reminded be of Bridget Jones’s Diary。 The romance was solid。 And the class commentary was unexpected and welcome。 So this book had its moments but I need a more solid foundation。 。。。more
Ann
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I really enjoyed Lizzie Dent’s latest novel， The Summer Job。 Her characters are down-to-earth and enjoyable， the setting is beautifully described and easily imagined and the theme of love， family and community is interwoven throughout the book。 Our heroine， Birdy， is living a rather large lie that seems only moments away from being discovered。 Throughout a wonderful summer in Scotland， while living with this lie， she finds the life she has always wanted and the sense of belonging that she has al I really enjoyed Lizzie Dent’s latest novel， The Summer Job。 Her characters are down-to-earth and enjoyable， the setting is beautifully described and easily imagined and the theme of love， family and community is interwoven throughout the book。 Our heroine， Birdy， is living a rather large lie that seems only moments away from being discovered。 Throughout a wonderful summer in Scotland， while living with this lie， she finds the life she has always wanted and the sense of belonging that she has always yearned for。 But， what will happen when everyone discovers her misconceptions？ Ms。 Dent writes a lovely story of finding oneself and discovering one’s destiny after learning some of life’s toughest lessons。 Thank you NetGalley for an advanced eCopy of this fun and entertaining read。 。。。more
Susan
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Birdy promised her childhood friend， Heather， that she would call and resign from the summer job that Heather accepted at a Scottish hotel。 It's not the first time she's pretended to be Heather。 But she meets Heather's would-be boss， Irene， at an event， and takes a shine to her。 Moreover， with Heather going to Italy with her latest boyfriend， Birdy is not only unemployed but essentially homeless。 She checks out the hotel's lackluster website and decides she can pretend to be a sommelier for a fe Birdy promised her childhood friend， Heather， that she would call and resign from the summer job that Heather accepted at a Scottish hotel。 It's not the first time she's pretended to be Heather。 But she meets Heather's would-be boss， Irene， at an event， and takes a shine to her。 Moreover， with Heather going to Italy with her latest boyfriend， Birdy is not only unemployed but essentially homeless。 She checks out the hotel's lackluster website and decides she can pretend to be a sommelier for a few months。What she doesn't realize is that the hotel is in the final stages of a major redo and Irene was counting on a well-respected sommelier like Heather to bolster its reputation。 The other thing she didn't expect was how quickly she would become invested in making the hotel a success。Author Lizzy Dent has created a host of characters the reader will care about， particularly Birdy and James。 Birdy has a history of getting herself into predicaments that her charm and humor help her extricate herself from， but has she taken on more than she can manage this time？ This is an excellent escapist read， with lots of good laughs and cringey moments。 #TheSummerJob #NetGalley 。。。more
Maggie
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Utterly hilarious and so fun！ You couldn't help but root for Birdy through all of her blunders。 Be prepared to hear your stomach growl from the fabulous food descriptions， though！ Utterly hilarious and so fun！ You couldn't help but root for Birdy through all of her blunders。 Be prepared to hear your stomach growl from the fabulous food descriptions， though！ 。。。more
Carrie
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This book had me giggling out loud the whole way through。 The tone is so upbeat。 The vibe is so very romcom。 The main character Birdy is cheeky and self-deprecating。 The magical setting in the Scottish Highlands and the quirky misfits at Loch Dorn are delightful。 And I was swooning over the quiet but confident James。 I didn’t want this book to end。 One question remains…will Brett the vet eventually get his own book？
Rachel Shaw
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Birdy takes on a summer job in Scotland with a borrowed resume， a move that is equal parts opportunistic and foolish。 The Summer Job contains heaps of humorous phrases like， “only mildly ostentatious，” that made me giggle。 I was immediately struck by the superb ambient descriptions， both sensory and physical。 （Do not even get me started on the mouth-watering breakdown of food and wine。） There are also a host of astute observations of human behavior and motives that added dimension to a simplisti Birdy takes on a summer job in Scotland with a borrowed resume， a move that is equal parts opportunistic and foolish。 The Summer Job contains heaps of humorous phrases like， “only mildly ostentatious，” that made me giggle。 I was immediately struck by the superb ambient descriptions， both sensory and physical。 （Do not even get me started on the mouth-watering breakdown of food and wine。） There are also a host of astute observations of human behavior and motives that added dimension to a simplistic plot。 Because the entire premise of the story revolves around a colossal lie， much of the book is anxiety-inducing。 The protagonist has very real personal challenges， but her troubled backstory was not enough to excuse her excessively bad judgment and unparalleled selfishness。 I struggled to get through this one。 The overall writing and scene-setting were some of the best I have read in a contemporary romance novel （feels more like general fiction） and I am intrigued to see what Lizzy Dent writes in the future。 My aversion to this story boils down to my intense dislike of the main character。 Her idiocy and self-destructive tendencies knew no bounds and I felt sorry for everyone else in the story。 Plot – 4Writing & Editing – 4Character Development – 3Personal Bias – 2Final Score: 3。25 。。。more
Nicole
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Ok。 I finished it。 A bit of a trainwreck， but it seems like it was meant to be？ I didn’t dislike it as much as I thought I would at the beginning。 Not sure how I feel about the resolution， though there is character development。
Sherwood Smith
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A romance， but despite the cover I would not call it a romcom。Birdy is slobbing through life， working crap jobs and hooking up with crap relationships。 When Heather， her wealthy， privileged bestie， bails on her job as a sommelier at a hotel and leaves town， Birdy attends a fancy wine event using Heather’s guest pass， which causes an identity mix-up。 This leads to Birdy deciding to take Heather’s job—as Heather。 Even though she doesn’t know squat about being a sommelier。 She meets a hot chef and A romance， but despite the cover I would not call it a romcom。Birdy is slobbing through life， working crap jobs and hooking up with crap relationships。 When Heather， her wealthy， privileged bestie， bails on her job as a sommelier at a hotel and leaves town， Birdy attends a fancy wine event using Heather’s guest pass， which causes an identity mix-up。 This leads to Birdy deciding to take Heather’s job—as Heather。 Even though she doesn’t know squat about being a sommelier。 She meets a hot chef and likes him 。 。 。 and the story is on！The writing was nifty and the characters interesting and complex。 But most complex was Birdy， who was a bit of a snob， sneering at styles and people she thought uncool by her definition， which she sort of implied was a universal。 Not cool。 And that is not， by far， the worst of her actions。The fact that she didn’t know anything about being a sommelier and kept having to fake it was too much like my anxiety dreams。 I thought I’d deal with it if she set out to learn， but other things （including Birdy herself） got in the way。What kept me going was James。 He’s the kind of hero I like best—calm， complex， good at something interesting， which makes him interesting。 Hot。 That kept me glued to the pages until the surprise twists， and then I couldn’t put the book down。I loved the descriptions of Scotland—couldn’t get enough of those， and I loved the romance。 Though it started out as a fitful read， the story eventually grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go。Copy provided by NetGalley 。。。more
Sonja
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Great story， quick and light read， would recommend。 I didn't love the whole steal someone's identity， everything eventually gets discovered， etc。 It's been done too many times。 However， this one had heart and soul and the character's back stories made the journey more enjoyable than expected。 Great story， quick and light read， would recommend。 I didn't love the whole steal someone's identity， everything eventually gets discovered， etc。 It's been done too many times。 However， this one had heart and soul and the character's back stories made the journey more enjoyable than expected。 。。。more
Erin
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Thanks to G。P。 Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for an advanced copy of The Summer Job。 This book immediately transferred me to the west coast of Scotland。 I loved the descriptions and it made me think of where we stayed in the area visiting Eilean Donan Castle on our honeymoon in Scotland and how beautiful it was。 This was a funny book with well written characters。 As the author states inthe end， this book was a love letter to her time in Scotland！What can go wrong when you pretend to be your best f Thanks to G。P。 Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for an advanced copy of The Summer Job。 This book immediately transferred me to the west coast of Scotland。 I loved the descriptions and it made me think of where we stayed in the area visiting Eilean Donan Castle on our honeymoon in Scotland and how beautiful it was。 This was a funny book with well written characters。 As the author states inthe end， this book was a love letter to her time in Scotland！What can go wrong when you pretend to be your best friend who is a sommelier at a small Scottish hotel/restaurant for the summer？ Especially when you know nothing about wine and your best friend doesn't know you are doing it。。。 I lived seeing Birdy find herself and the scenes in the beginning when she was trying to pass herself as a sommelier。 The way the restaurant is described and the great characters you feel as if you're there working alongside them all。 This was a great book and recommend for the trip it takes you to Scotland！ 。。。more
Chelsey Saatkamp
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“You cannot hope to debut the perfect vintage if you do not take the time to grow and nurture and love。”The Gist: Birdy is unemployed and aimless， with no idea what to do with her life。 So when Birdy’s best friend Heather， a world-renowned sommelier， turns down a job at a Scottish hotel， Birdy decides to take her identity and try the job out for herself。 My Thoughts: This is the third book I’ve read this year where the heroine runs away to Scotland to get a second chance at life。 I feel like the “You cannot hope to debut the perfect vintage if you do not take the time to grow and nurture and love。”The Gist: Birdy is unemployed and aimless， with no idea what to do with her life。 So when Birdy’s best friend Heather， a world-renowned sommelier， turns down a job at a Scottish hotel， Birdy decides to take her identity and try the job out for herself。 My Thoughts: This is the third book I’ve read this year where the heroine runs away to Scotland to get a second chance at life。 I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something！！！！Swapped identity stories always stress me out， because I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop。 But I really loved this one。 It was funny， yes， but it had a lot more depth than I was expecting。 Birdy is a troubled soul， just looking for a sense of purpose and belonging， and I really felt for her even when I was shaking my head at all her mistakes and lies。 I appreciated that Birdy taking on this new job she knew nothing about wasn’t effortless。 She had to put in a ton of effort to even sort-of pass it off， and people were suspicious the whole time。 And when it’s finally discovered， the consequences were realistic。 There were some little writing style quirks that irked me a bit， but overall this is a perfect summer beach read for when you’re looking for something fun but with heart。 You’ll also learn a lot about wine and food！ Don’t read on an empty stomach。 Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brittany Zimmerman
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Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for the arc of this book。 All opinions are my own！ This was so much fun！ I have been having such a stressful few weeks with work， but every time I picked up this book it made me laugh and made me feel。 Birdy was such a fantastic main character！ Her demeanor and actions made this book so interesting and incredibly fun to read。 I couldn’t wait to keep reading。 It did take me a minute to get into it， but once so did it went by so quick！ The way Birdy went a Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for the arc of this book。 All opinions are my own！ This was so much fun！ I have been having such a stressful few weeks with work， but every time I picked up this book it made me laugh and made me feel。 Birdy was such a fantastic main character！ Her demeanor and actions made this book so interesting and incredibly fun to read。 I couldn’t wait to keep reading。 It did take me a minute to get into it， but once so did it went by so quick！ The way Birdy went about trying to be a Sommelier was priceless。 She was charming， sweet & made me want more。 The idea behind this book is incredible！ I truly enjoyed it， minus the bit it took me to get into and connect with it。 Definitely worth the read！ The romance was great and the comedy was top notch！ 。。。more
Eva vs The World 🌎
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3。5 stars， rounded up。
Gwendolyn
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Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review。Sometimes you just know。 As in， just reading the first few pages， you KNOW that you love the way an author writes。 I was drawn in right away into Elizabeth "Birdy" Finch's wacky personality and view of the world。 Birdy has essentially hit rock bottom， unlike her successful Sommelier BFF， Heather。 She is sarcastic， insecure， an underachiever and has significant attachment issues。 Her saving grace is that she is charmi Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review。Sometimes you just know。 As in， just reading the first few pages， you KNOW that you love the way an author writes。 I was drawn in right away into Elizabeth "Birdy" Finch's wacky personality and view of the world。 Birdy has essentially hit rock bottom， unlike her successful Sommelier BFF， Heather。 She is sarcastic， insecure， an underachiever and has significant attachment issues。 Her saving grace is that she is charming and hilarious。 With no job or living arrangement， a drunken whim takes her to Scotland to pose as "Heather" in the summer position her BFF abandoned。 Quickly realizing that she is in over her head and that for the first time， her selfishness has consequences， Birdy has to put in the work to do the right thing。 The cast of characters is so well developed that you can't help but become invested in them all。 The writing and incredible imagery brings the Highland Scottish hotel to life and makes you want to book your next vacation。 I really loved that book also has depth and deals with some family issues， alcoholism， feeling alone in the world and making bad choices because you don't believe in yourself。 But it is also a tale about choosing your own "family"， finding yourself， starting over， true friendships and a sweet romance。 I really enjoyed every minute of this book and am jealous of readers who get to start it for the first time！ 。。。more
Sandra
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The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent is a deceptively fun and light book perfect for a beach read， but touches on so many important issues along the way。Birdy was very irritating at the beginning as I really couldn't understand some of the things she did and people she had in her life。 But as the story unraveled deep and hidden stories and experiences began to emerge and we finally found the real Birdy。 On one hand she is a flighty and immature young woman who does stupid and reckless things but on the The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent is a deceptively fun and light book perfect for a beach read， but touches on so many important issues along the way。Birdy was very irritating at the beginning as I really couldn't understand some of the things she did and people she had in her life。 But as the story unraveled deep and hidden stories and experiences began to emerge and we finally found the real Birdy。 On one hand she is a flighty and immature young woman who does stupid and reckless things but on the other she is so much more。 There are some great characters in this book， real stars and there are some that are so unlovable and irritating I had a hard time tolerating them。 The romance is fulfilling and fun and the book provides that good feeling that we expect from this types of books。 。。。more
Katie
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Thanks for the gifted book， Putnam Books！THE SUMMER JOB is a witty novel by Lizzy Dent。 A book that will make a perfect beach read。 What if you could be someone else？ Just for the summer… Birdy has made the choice - or is it a mistake？ - by taking over her best friend Heather’s job without her knowledge as a sommelier at a highland Scottish hotel。 The only thing is she knows nothing about wine！Why you will love this book:🍷It’s not your typical rom-com。 Birdy is not your typical leading lady Thanks for the gifted book， Putnam Books！THE SUMMER JOB is a witty novel by Lizzy Dent。 A book that will make a perfect beach read。 What if you could be someone else？ Just for the summer… Birdy has made the choice - or is it a mistake？ - by taking over her best friend Heather’s job without her knowledge as a sommelier at a highland Scottish hotel。 The only thing is she knows nothing about wine！Why you will love this book:🍷It’s not your typical rom-com。 Birdy is not your typical leading lady， but you are rooting for her and she is fantastic narrator！🍷Lizzy Dent has a wonderful writing style that draws you completely into the story。 It feels like you are watching a movie。 I can only hope one day it will be！🍷Hot， Scottish chef。 Do I need to elaborate？🍷To die for descriptions of delicious food。 I’ve never been so hungry reading a book！🍷Witty banter that was a joy to read。THE SUMMER JOB surprised me。 I expected a silly story， but got a romcom that I truly enjoyed with substance and fantastic characters。 It makes you feel good and reinforces your faith in people。 Definitely recommend you checking it out！Content Warning: alcoholism 。。。more
Bridget
，
The Summer Job is an impressive and thoroughly enjoyable début。 When Heather opts not to take up a job offer for a sommelier at a Scottish hotel， 31-year-old Elizabeth 'Birdy' Finch， who is currently struggling to find her way through life， decides to pass herself off as her friend and take the job。 However， Birdy knows nothing about wine and the sleepy Loch Dorn Hotel she was expecting turns out to be a grand Gothic affair aiming to provide a fine dining experience for guests， with a wine list The Summer Job is an impressive and thoroughly enjoyable début。 When Heather opts not to take up a job offer for a sommelier at a Scottish hotel， 31-year-old Elizabeth 'Birdy' Finch， who is currently struggling to find her way through life， decides to pass herself off as her friend and take the job。 However， Birdy knows nothing about wine and the sleepy Loch Dorn Hotel she was expecting turns out to be a grand Gothic affair aiming to provide a fine dining experience for guests， with a wine list to match。 When she falls for James， the chef she realises she is in way over her head。Lizzy Dent's fun tale gives the reader a wonderful Scottish setting。 Along with a fantastic crowd of characters I enjoyed its themes of friendship， starting over and the strong sense of community。 Energetic and amusing Birdy is central to the heartwarming story， though the contributions from Irene （her boss and mum to James） and Roxy， a waitress， were also invaluable。 The Summer Job is divine， engaging， escapist reading that many will find appealing。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin General UK/ Viking via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Summer Job
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Summer Job&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Summer Job&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0