Blog Tour: The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

Today I'm excited to be taking part in the blog tour for the fabulous The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent! 

Thanks to Ellie at Viking Books for the lovely proof copy!

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)?

Review

I really enjoyed this book. It's a real laugh-out-loud romcom, exactly the kind of read that I'm craving at the moment. Birdy is an interesting lead character - I've seen comparisons between her and Bridget Jones and it's easy to see why. She's flawed but very likable, down on her luck in both her career and her love life. So she seizes the opportunity for an adventure, and finds herself in quite the predicament. Expecting a ramshackle B&B in the middle of nowhere Birdy is stunned to find out that the hotel is quite the opposite, and so faking it as a sommelier is going to be a lot trickier than she first thought. As someone with zero wine knowledge I actually learnt quite a lot, and I was rooting for Birdy to succeed. 

The other characters all add something to the story, and all have their own tales to tell. My favourite of course was James. He's an absolute sweetheart and I suspect I'll have to fight other readers for him. I loved the camaraderie between the hotel staff, and the author's own experience in the hotel industry shines through as the team readies itself for the busy summer season. 

The real star of this story for me was its setting. I can't think of anywhere else I would rather be right now than the Scottish Highlands. The rugged landscape, the imposing hills and sparkling lochs. It's all so well described that I could picture it vividly, and I loved the scenes where Birdy went foraging and fly fishing.

Warm and witty, The Summer Job is a fun, uplifting read. 

Be sure to follow the Blog Tour for more content on this brilliant book!