‘The Summer Job’ by Lizzy Dent

This book isn’t my usual genre, but I’d seen lots of positive things about it on Twitter and fancied a fun, lighter read as a break from my usual crime novels. I did wonder how the main conceit (a woman taking her friend’s highly skilled job) would be sustained over the whole novel and looked forward to losing myself in Birdy’s world.

The novel follows Birdy (Elizabeth Finch) as she steps into her friend’s job in a Scottish restaurant – her friend Heather has run off to Rome with her lover and it seems a shame that a cushy job will be unfilled, so Birdy steps in. It’s far enough away from her life – and disastrous relationship – in London for people to suspect she isn’t Heather, the top class sommelier. Except for the fact that Birdy knows nothing about wine. Things get more complicated when she gets to the restaurant and meets the attractive chef…

Living as an imposter certainly throws a few problems Birdy’s way.

I’ll admit I was sceptical about some of the set-up. I’m not sure who asks their friend to turn down a job offer for them and am not sure you could ever pass as someone else for any length of time with social media so prevalent. However, Dent deals with these hitches well and the book is so cheery and funny that my reservations melted away.

I really enjoyed the Scottish setting, a long way from Birdy’s natural London habitat but gloriously described and written with real love. The restaurant itself was peopled with a lively and believable cast – anyone who has worked in catering or restaurants will recognise some of the types. I particularly loved Roxy, the trainee wine expert who helps Birdy out when her skills as a sommelier are being so sorely tested. It was also hard not to like and feel sorry for Bill, struggling with his own issues but smoothing the way for Birdy when he could.

Birdy herself is likeable and funny – there’s lots of self-deprecating humour that made me laugh and it was easy to feel sympathy for her as she worked hard to overcome her total lack of the specialist knowledge that she had supposedly been hired for. Indeed, her drive to make the best of the situation and not let her friend down made her an appealing character. She comes to really care about the restaurant – although not before a few disasters along the way.

I liked the love interest in the novel, James, although – for me – the central storyline was really Birdy finding her feet and place in the world. That this included a handsome Scottish chef was fine with me, and he came across well – although slightly lacking the warmth and humour of the female characters. Still, it was a romance I felt invested in and definitely preferable to Birdy’s London boyfriend who is just outrageously awful.

I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and engaging book. There’s plenty to keep you reading – even as you wince at Birdy’s faux pas, warm to her colleagues and wonder what on earth Heather is going to make of it all when she finds out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

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Header photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash.