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susannavs's review
2.0
2.5 Eh... It was okay... I get that there would be no story without things going wrong... But... Jenny's supposed to be a Super Housesitter, and just TOO much goes wrong. A few things (the manuscript) I could handle, but some things (the ripped painting) were too much.
klndonnelly's review against another edition
3.0
A little hard to get into and I never really loved the heroine, but eventually the story sucked me in and I could not put it down. Great sunburn read, you won't know time has passed at all.
beth_sfield's review against another edition
3.0
This was a surprisingly long book to read. The plot is full of twists (some of them rather unexpected), but they often felt unrealistic - especially at the beginning of the novel (which are obviously there to build up the tension).
The characters are typical of those for this type of genre - both the male character of Euan and the female character of Jenny - as well as the development of the relationship between them. My favourite character though was definitely Gunter, the dog. Despite being an animal, his characterisation is brilliant by Walker - you can really imagine his cheeky, crazy nature.
I felt this novel improved and became more engaging as it went on (it didn't grab me initially). However, I absolutely loved the 'To Do' lists at the start of each chapter, and how they changed according to different events - I thought it was very clever.
Review first published on my blog: http://downtherabbbithole.wordpress.com
The characters are typical of those for this type of genre - both the male character of Euan and the female character of Jenny - as well as the development of the relationship between them. My favourite character though was definitely Gunter, the dog. Despite being an animal, his characterisation is brilliant by Walker - you can really imagine his cheeky, crazy nature.
I felt this novel improved and became more engaging as it went on (it didn't grab me initially). However, I absolutely loved the 'To Do' lists at the start of each chapter, and how they changed according to different events - I thought it was very clever.
Review first published on my blog: http://downtherabbbithole.wordpress.com
scottiesandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
“You can’t take on forever love, it’s like trying to hit on widowed Heathcliff. We all know Cathy’s dead, but he’ll never pin any other woman against a craggy outcrop for more than instant gratification while her ghosts still singing Kate Bush songs at his window.”
I have owned this book for many years and added it to my reading challenge in 2020 just to get it off my shelf (don’t be offended dear author I have about 200 books waiting patiently to be picked up too). When I read the title and saw the cover I just expected another rom-com type book about some gal down on her luck who finds a bad boy and makes him a good boy. I didn’t expect so much depth and feeling!
Jenny is a 40 something divorcee, who spent over 20 years of her life devoted to a man that never gave her the time of day. She sat at home being the good, perfect, loving wife whilst Robin screwed his way through his semesters students under his wife’s very nose. When Robin finally leaves, Jenny is lost and becomes a prudish, uptight woman who needs everything in neat and tidy order just to get by.
That is until a house-sitting job for two very famous writers changes her perspective on life and potentially love. With a sex- crazed, mischievous gun dog thrown into the mix, Jenny starts to grow and heal from the marriage that left her in tatters.
I thought this was going to be a hard book to get into; but instead ended up reading it in two sittings. It totally took me off guard and I felt like I needed to know more instantly as i finished each chapter. It was so much darker and naughty in places than I thought it would be, but so relatable if you come from any family that has suffered through a really messy divorce. When Jenny reveals all about her time stuck in her marriage with Robin it all feels so raw and honest, I couldn’t help but feel some of her heartache too. The comparisons between her ex-husband and the dog were a bit weird though!
This book wasn’t all doom, gloom and heartache though! There are literally spit-your-tea out laugh out loud moments throughout! Most notably involving date night with roger, dim sum and a chocolate gu pot!
Honestly one of the best novels in the “chick lit” genre I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
I have owned this book for many years and added it to my reading challenge in 2020 just to get it off my shelf (don’t be offended dear author I have about 200 books waiting patiently to be picked up too). When I read the title and saw the cover I just expected another rom-com type book about some gal down on her luck who finds a bad boy and makes him a good boy. I didn’t expect so much depth and feeling!
Jenny is a 40 something divorcee, who spent over 20 years of her life devoted to a man that never gave her the time of day. She sat at home being the good, perfect, loving wife whilst Robin screwed his way through his semesters students under his wife’s very nose. When Robin finally leaves, Jenny is lost and becomes a prudish, uptight woman who needs everything in neat and tidy order just to get by.
That is until a house-sitting job for two very famous writers changes her perspective on life and potentially love. With a sex- crazed, mischievous gun dog thrown into the mix, Jenny starts to grow and heal from the marriage that left her in tatters.
I thought this was going to be a hard book to get into; but instead ended up reading it in two sittings. It totally took me off guard and I felt like I needed to know more instantly as i finished each chapter. It was so much darker and naughty in places than I thought it would be, but so relatable if you come from any family that has suffered through a really messy divorce. When Jenny reveals all about her time stuck in her marriage with Robin it all feels so raw and honest, I couldn’t help but feel some of her heartache too. The comparisons between her ex-husband and the dog were a bit weird though!
This book wasn’t all doom, gloom and heartache though! There are literally spit-your-tea out laugh out loud moments throughout! Most notably involving date night with roger, dim sum and a chocolate gu pot!
Honestly one of the best novels in the “chick lit” genre I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
dozylocal's review
4.0
3.5 stars
Second book in the row where it was totally not what I expected (fluffy romance) based on the cover.
There was romance.
There was some comedy.
There was heart-break and a happy ending.
And there were some scenes where I wondered how in the world anyone would ever get a job as a house-sitter again if that happened in real life...
All that said, I found the characters well written and a little on the gritty side. There was more real emotion than in your usual fluff. There is a dog - a dog I am relieved is not my responsibility - but I like dogs.
Basic overview: Relatively recently divorced mother of twins who are about to start college, gets a two week job house-sitting a mansion (and Gunter the gun-dog) owned by a couple who are both authors while they go off on a romantic get-away. Things go wrong, there is a case of mistaken identity, one things leads to another, and at some point there is also a lot of crying. Through all this, Jenny learns to love herself again.
Second book in the row where it was totally not what I expected (fluffy romance) based on the cover.
There was romance.
There was some comedy.
There was heart-break and a happy ending.
And there were some scenes where I wondered how in the world anyone would ever get a job as a house-sitter again if that happened in real life...
All that said, I found the characters well written and a little on the gritty side. There was more real emotion than in your usual fluff. There is a dog - a dog I am relieved is not my responsibility - but I like dogs.
Basic overview: Relatively recently divorced mother of twins who are about to start college, gets a two week job house-sitting a mansion (and Gunter the gun-dog) owned by a couple who are both authors while they go off on a romantic get-away. Things go wrong, there is a case of mistaken identity, one things leads to another, and at some point there is also a lot of crying. Through all this, Jenny learns to love herself again.
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