3.5ā
GenreĀ ~ contemporary fiction
SettingĀ ~ England
Publication dateĀ ~ September 19, 2024
PublisherĀ ~ Dreamscape Media
Est Page CountĀ ~ 292 (44 chapters)
Audio lengthĀ ~ 9 hours 3 minutes
NarratorĀ ~ Charlie Albers
POVĀ ~ single 1st
FeaturingĀ ~ Christmastime, small town, single dad, slow burn, no steamage
Rachel and Grandpa Eric are house and dog sitting for her sister, Maddie and brother in law, Frank. Theyāre in a posh town, but itās a small town where hardly anyone likes The Baxters. I donāt blame the town one bit after meeting him.
Humphrey the dog is quite mischievous, but also a do-gooder. At first I was like canāt they get a handle on this dog and keep him from running away, but then when heās helpful all my thoughts on that go out the window.
The romance between Rachel and Ben is a slow burn and doesnāt happen until much later in the book. They didnāt get off on the right foot, but eventually they grew to care for each other. I loved the ālinkā that brought them together.
I didn’t particularly care for Rachel all the much, or her mother and aunts for that matter. Actually there’s a whole crew of unlikable characters, with only a handful of nice ones.
This is more about Rachel’s journey of figuring her life out after losing her BFF and her job, and spending time with grandpa (my favorite part). Grandpa was great and I loved their bond. Always up for an adventure and just trying to live out the rest of his life how he wants.
Overall, there were some heartwarming moments amidst the chaos in this snowy Christmasy read.
Narration notes:
She did fine. She differentiated her voices well for an array of characters.
Add to your never ending TBRĀ ~ goodreads
Iād love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.
Book blurb:
Rachel is struggling. Sheās navigating the loss of her best friend, sheās left heartbroken by her ex-boyfriend, and sheās recently been made redundant by her employer. So the impending holiday season is the last thing she wants to think about.
Then her rich sister suggests that Rachel dog-sit her spaniel, Humphrey, in her luxurious country house in a quaint village in Surrey. However, Rachel is soon manipulated into caring for her elderly Grandpa Eric, too. Between managing flight-risk Humphrey and rebellious Grandpa Eric, Rachel uncovers family truths, discovers a secretive west wing . . . and must cook Christmas dinner for an entire village.
Amid the chaos, Rachel meets handsome builder Ben. Working at the house, heās also no stranger to loss, but is willing to re-enter the dating sceneāalbeit with a six-year-old daughter in tow. Can Rachel and Ben find their way through grief at this tricky time of year? And when a snowstorm threatens to ruin Christmas for everyone, can Rachel and Humphrey bring the community together?
The Christmas Dog Sitters is more than a heartwarming, festive comedyāitās a story of love and loss, and finding your own path, from the bestselling author of The Car Share.
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