The mystery shopper and the hot tub by Helen E Field

Young mum Brooke is a young stay at home mum. Her husband is struggling a little to provide the hot tub Brooke desires and he can’t afford it so he becomes a mystery shopper- then the antics begin with his mysterious trips so he can uphold Brooke’s reputation.

Humorous if a little chauvinistic in parts 3.5/5

This has been on my TBR for several years now, and I can’t seem to make myself finish it. I’m sorry! I’m sure someone will love it, but it just isn’t for me.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A funny women's fiction novel. Love the cover.

Unfortunately, not my type of 'scene'. Reminded me a lot of a certain reality TV show set in Essex, but that program and its vibe has never floated my boat, and this story was just too much that same energy and I couldn't really enjoy it. It's funny, it's light, but it's a specific type of humour that might not work for everyone

I loved the cover and the concept of this book. I just couldn’t get into it. I even liked the female character but it was hard to enjoy the stupidity of the male character.

This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed it, and will be giving the second book in the series a chance too.

Brooke and Dean's relationship in the book starts off me having mixed feelings about it, but has you get to learn more about Brooke it opens your eyes. The fun situations that Dean finds himself in as a mystery shoppers had me laughing and were probably my favorite parts in the book.

Dean and Brooke were high school sweethearts. Dean never has been able to figure out how he netted Brooke, but not one to question his luck, he works deliriously to ensure Brooke does not have to lift a finger and has all the luxuries in life she wants. The problem is, that while Brooke enjoys the luxuries, she is bored out of her mind. As she begins wheedling Dean for a hot tub (that really won't even fit in their backyard), she makes plans to sneakily get her own job. Dean, also secretively, gets a second job as a mysterious shopper that requires him to make up outlandish stories to explain his absences.

Fun read - I love the fact that Dean was the mystery shopper, and I love that Brooke did not turn out to be a spoiled brat who expected Dean to cater to her every whim. Brooke was willing to work, not only for financial gain, but to better herself.

"What happens next" is offered at the end of the story. You get the bonus chapters if you subscribe to Field's newsletter. I'm not sure how I feel about that; but I probably would have subscribed anyway. Now, even after the bonus chapters, I'm left wondering if there will be more Mystery Shopper books.

I really struggled to get into this, I just didn't quite click with the characters. Overall it was a good book but probably not something I would re-read.

I really had the hardest time connecting with the characters. I wanted so badly to like them, but I just couldn't. It fell really flat for me, I ended up DNF-ing around chapter 10 as I just couldn't push myself to endure characters I wasn't enjoying any longer. Not sure if I will come back to this ever as I really felt zero connection to the characters and couldn't care less to see what happens to them by the end.

This book was ok. I wasn't a great fan of the characters. Maybe the author wrote them too well? With current world events I was hoping for something that could take me away from a world where I can't afford things.

A fun lighted hearted read. The hard tees are great, really likeable. Specially Brooke. I’d recommend this to people, it’s a great giggle.

Really enjoyed it and looking forward to the next one.

File under: Not for me.

Despite the charming cover and promising premise, this book never quite lives up to what I expect to get out of supposedly humorous women’s fiction.

The root of the problem is the same one that plagues all failed comedy, which is that if it fails to make you laugh, the story generally doesn’t leave you with much. And that’s unfortunately where I landed with The Mystery Shopper and the Hot Tub, a book that tried to be funny and wasn’t, and lacked much else to recommend it.

The subtler attempts at humor fall flat, and the more dramatic attempts felt shrill and at times obnoxious. There’s a schtick, but we’ve seen it many times and it was never that funny to begin with.

The characters had the potential to be endearing but mostly they were grating. Brooke feels a little like a Becky Bloomwood knockoff, which I wouldn’t have minded except that she just comes off like a bad copy, not an unoriginal but charming version.

The antics of Brooke and Dean just felt too forced and the book felt like a lesser version of many others in the genre.

This was exactly what I needed...a quick, easy, fun read. After a long day, this book had me laughing out loud. I finished it in a day. Full of fun characters with hilarious antics that I couldn't stop reading.

This book has a simple plot but strikes the right balance and doesn't over commit to anything be it comedy, emotional. scenes, arguments etc. You will feel content at the end. I just love that about it.

Brooke is a beautiful stay at home mom who loves her daughter, husband, and obtaining her sophisticated image. Her husband Dean is a hardworking man with traditional values, so when Brooke suggests she gets a job to get a new hot tub she has been looking at, he refuses to let her go into the workforce. In order to make the money for a new hot tub in time for Brooke's 21st birthday, Dean gets a secret job as a Mystery Shopper alongside his office job while Brooke secretly gets a job for herself at a townhouse to buy herself a hot tub. While both try to keep up with their secret jobs, chaotic and humorous events ensue. Although there were some misogynistic undertones to this plot, I still found the book very funny, especially with Deans mystery shopper trips. I couldn’t help but resent Brooke at first for insisting on being viewed as high class and forcing her husband to get stuff for her to uphold her reputation, but as the story progressed and I got to see more of events from her POV I started to get used to her. Overall, I really liked the storyline and thought that it was a good book, I also really liked how the author gave readers a chance to see the start of the second book (especially since the first ended on a major cliffhanger).

A light hearted, fun read. Brooke and Dean, a husband and wife from Essex are the leads in this story. Brooke is a stay at home mum, and she craves a lifestyle full of luxury, which unfortunately her husband Dean doesn't have that kind of income coming in. Both of them take on jobs secretly in the hope of buying a hot tub, and the outcomes to this is truly hilarious.
Dean becomes a mystery shopper, and Brooke starts working in a manor house, both hoping to achieve their goals of affording that much wanted hot tub.
Full of fun characters and a humorous storyline, this book was an enjoyable read.

This was a light, humorous read. The main couple fell into stereotypical Essex couple category; Brooke, the epitome of an Essex girl and her husband Dean. Brooke, a stay-at home mum craves a luxurious lifestyle whereas Dean doesn't have the income to match and therefore, both take on jobs secretly in order to buy a hot tub.
Dean becomes a mystery shopper and what ensues is hilarious. Brooke starts working at a manor house but I really had no idea what her job description actually was. It is through this job, however, that there is a positive aspect in Brooke's character development and we see that she is not as frivolous and air-headed as she was set out to be.
I would gladly read the next books in this series.

Book Review for The Mystery Shopper & The Hot Tub by Helen E. Field
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

This was good fun. I can see why some reviewers have commented on the chauvinism and it is quite off-putting, not really adding anything at all to the book. That said, it’s a funny story based on a barely believable premise, which makes it all the easier to have a laugh about.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not sure what to say about this book, it was okay but a bit stupid in places but it might appeal to other readers but this was not for me.

The mystery Shopper is trying to hard to be a over the top humors story that at times falls flat with the chauvinism that is constantly presented to readers over and over again. The author gives readers a introduction that will help readers understand the reason as to why the characters do what they do.

The story is very much British humor that not many American readers will enjoy. Yet the author is able to create laugh out loud moments, a cast of characters that are a mix and match to the world around people as well as over the top down right silly moments.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of Helen E. Field Thee Mystery shopper and the Hot Tub.

3 1\2 stars