Review By Veronica

The Christmas Dog Sitters is a heartwarming and charming love story that is sure to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Favourite Quote:

He turned around and smiled, which set off a fluttery sensation inside my chest. It was quite a smile, full of fun and a hint of mischief. 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Rachel is struggling. She’s navigating the loss of her best friend, she’s left heartbroken by her ex-boyfriend, and she’s 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, he’s also no stranger to loss, but is willing to re-enter the dating scene—albeit 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?

I love charming Christmas romances. They give me so much joy and happiness and make me believe anything is possible during the holiday season. This book was so wonderful. The story is bursting with warmth, and I loved how real all the characters felt. I will be adding this story to my yearly Christmas reading list. 

Lucy hooks her readers in with a pretty emotional first two chapters. The universe seems to have it in for Rachel. Her ex-boyfriend, who was cheating on her, just got engaged, she lost her job, and her best friend and roommate Olivia passed away in a tragic accident. We briefly met Olivia in the prologue, and I instantly fell in love with her character. She had one of those personalities you cannot help but be drawn to. I was blown away by the fact that I was so devastated by the death of a character, especially one that I had only known for a couple of pages. That just shows you how great of a job Lucy did at creating characters that you can connect with. Rachel feels like she has hit rock bottom in her life. When her sister asks her to watch her dog, Humphrey, at her and her husband’s big fancy house in the countryside, Rachel figures a relaxing holiday in the countryside will do her some good. However, what was supposed to be a relaxing holiday turned into a crazy few weeks. Rachel finds herself taking care of her grandpa, who is determined to have an adventurous Christmas. Humphrey is determined to keep on running away from the manor, and Rachel finds herself agreeing to cook dinner for the entire town. I love a story that is bursting with fun, chaotic energy. All the unpredictable antics make for an entertaining read. 

All the characters in this book are absolutely fantastic, and you cannot help but fall in love with them. They all felt real and possessed so much depth. I felt just as invested in their side stories and loved getting to spend time with them. I loved Rachel’s grandpa! His relationship with Rachel was heartwarming, and they had so many beautiful moments. Humphrey was delightfully fun and caused so much mischief. You cannot help but wonder what he would do next.  Everything and everyone worked so beautifully together. Kindness and warmth really does fill every page in this book. There are so many wonderful themes woven throughout this story. You have grief, found family, complicated family dynamics, finding love, and starting over. Rachel’s journey to getting over the death of Olivia was so beautifully done. Rachel finds a journey that Olivia had written about her own journey at getting over grief. As Rachel reads this journey, she follows Olivia’s journey and, in the process, starts to heal. It definitely brought a tear to my eye a time or two.   

The romance in this book was sweet and everything I hoped it would be. Rachel and Ben do not get off on the right foot. Their snarky banter just tickled me pink, and I found myself turning the page to see when they would meet on the page again. That snarky banter quickly turns into a friendship and then eventually something more. I loved how there seemed to be this whole fated-to-meet vibe between Ben and Rachel. Ben was the blind date Olivia was trying to set Rachel up with. This is a charming closed-door romance, which is the way I like my Christmas romances. I liked the chemistry between these two characters and was curious to see how these two characters would get their HEA.

The Christmas Dog Sitters is sure to warm your heart for the Christmas season. 

Thank you, Bloodhound Books, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.