Not every guest at your B&B is the same…

Synopsis

Yorkshire lass and dental receptionist Janet Jackson has just taken a big risk. Using all her savings, she’s turned her spacious garage into a Bed and Breakfast, slapped a sign on it and without any experience at all, is now awaiting her very first guests.

With a moody teenage daughter and a crazy sister to contend with she’s already got her work cut out. The trouble she soon discovers, is that guests have undesirable habits, annoying pets and endless demands. ‘Is it bloody worth it?’ she asks herself a dozen times a day. Janet gradually learns her trade – but not without being tested to her limits. The question is: will she come through the experience with her bank balance, cottage and her sanity intact? 

Hugely entertaining but a word of warning: if ever you’ve thought of running a B&B, read this hilarious debut novel first– you might want to think again!

My review

Janet Jackson is a dental receptionist and has absolutely nothing in common with her more famous namesake. They don’t even live in the same continent, as the famous one lives in the States while this one lives in Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Janet has just turned her garage into a Break & Breakfast, a dream she always had, and also it’s a way to become more independent.
But beside her dream of running a B&B she has absolutely zero experience and needs the help of her teenage daughter Chloe and Janet’s sister Maureen. Quickly Janet realizes that running a B&B is not as easy at it seems, and each guest behaves differently. And Janet finds herself going from one crisis to another, and not all B&B – related… 

I live in an apartment myself, but even if I were living in a bigger house and would have the possibility to run a B&B, I would never do it.
First of all, I wouldn’t have the patience, second, I wouldn’t trust a full 100% my guests and in the end it would be just a matter of time before I would start screaming at the guests.
But of course there are people who are actually capable of running it smoothly. 

What I liked about this book is that we see how Janet and her family get ready to start her new business, but that we also see that there is just so much more to take care of than just offering literally a bed and breakfast in the morning.

I admired Janet’s courage to start the business, and the efforts she has put in the place and is still putting in it, to make it as comfortable as possible for her guests.
We see how some things go smoothly, as there are wonderful guests, but also how things can go wrong when guests are not appreciating the place they are staying in.
And slowly we see how Janet manages to find her own house rules that guests need to follow. Running a new business is learning while running it and it though trial and error that it can be a success. 

And that also applies in Janet’s life beside running the B&B (which isn’t a real B&B as she quickly dismisses the Breakfast – part).
Janet is the kind of person who cares about her loved ones deeply, and wants to help out as much as she can.
But the more we got to know Janet, the more ‘alarm bells’ started to go off in my mind. She does everything with the right intention, but I also saw how she did things just to please people even if things went too far. 

I love my sibling deeply, but if I would have a sister like Maureen, well, I would have slapped her several times. And I for sure would have made Chloe clear that that are rules to be followed and that they are not to be bend…
And even her relationship with Peter isn’t an all loved – up one.. 

However, slowly we see Janet grow in the story. She learns that she cannot please everyone, family or guests, but that she has to follow her own feeling.
I admired her when she stood up against her own sister, demanding to contribute more in the household, but also how Janet refused to let her ex – husband just stay in her house too and just raid the fridge etc.
But even when she finally stands up for herself, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t look out for those around her.
She still helps them the best way she can, but now it’s without losing herself in the process. 

I enjoyed reading this book, as I sympathized with Janet, and slowly saw her growing up and allowing herself to be herself and even speak up.
The variety of guests showed that you never know what people will rent your place, and it was hilarious to see how it went from one extreme into the total opposite. Some guests were infuriating with their behaviour, while other ones were quick in making me like them. 

If there is only one remark I can give, is that while slowly we see Janet getting everything back on track, and I was ready (and very curious) for the next guests to arrive, I realized I had reached the end. But isn’t being disappointed because you wanted to read more of this book, a good sign?