This was a cute and fun YA book. I enjoyed it even though Ellie was extremely obsessed with boys. But that's ok for a YA book. This was a quick read at a little over 300 pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Hot British Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce is a book I am glad that I finally got around to read.

Elle needs a break after embarrassing herself on video throwing herself over a guy who didn’t want her. The solution? Study abroad a semester in Europe. Early on, Elle meets Will, an older real estate lover, who she can’t resist hiding her real self from. But when others start questioning her motives and friendships start to form through the program, is Elle able to resist her hot British boyfriend and all his charms?

I enjoyed the side character friendships that Elle made and the journey she went on throughout the novel. Elle’s quirks reminded me of some interests I still have and how the need to be true to oneself is important. While Elle’s relationship with Will took center stage, there was another relationship of hers that I wanted to come to the center throughout reading. Overall, I am interested in reading other novels that author Kristy Boyce may write.

Thank you Harper Collins Children’s and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

To be honest, this was so adorable and annoying at the same time. Ellie, a determined girl who was humiliated quite badly from her crush flights to Europe to find herself a hot (British) boyfriend. She’s the kind of girl in high school where she’s kind but can be a badass who wants to find love. She’s going on a trip to study but her real goal is to find herself a boy. Then she stumbles across Will, a perfect boy who would be fitted into her image. But she needs more ideas to charm him and that’s when Ellie gets help from a classmate she’s never spoken to, Dev. In exchange, she has to help Dev win someone’s heart in Ellie’s roomate, Sage.

A tumble of romance and lies, the notion of this whole plot is to find love and be happy to make relationships work, but not all things goes the way we want it to . . .

Ellie’s idea was quite cute and the book’s plot was unique. I really thought her developing love for others and herself was amazing and the fact that she overcomes slowly of her humiliation is honourable (If something like that happened to me, I would first find the smallest hole I could find and hide myself there until I die, anyone agree?) Also, I loved her new friends she made while she was ditched by her crush/boyfriend. Dev, he’s so funny and loyal to Ellie. Huan, the human-vitamin that is all goody and hilarious. And Sage, a kind-hearted friend who is quite obsessed with studies and school. Let’s not forget about Will too, the new boyfriend of Ellie . . . I didn’t really support their relationship since Ellie lied a lot to get his attention and sometimes skip school stuff to hang out with him. High School studies are quite important and that fact that she just flew it like nothing made me a bit annoyed.

But overall, a cute romantic (and annoying in a good way) made my day, with me gushing out in front of the book every minute 💞

Ellie is the new kid on the block. Just recently moving to Washington DC from Virginia with her mother, she's still new at school and about to start her senior year. When the most embarrassing event happens in front of everyone from school and is not only captured on video, but plastered all over social media, Ellie just wants to crawl into a hole. When the opportunity of a lifetime pops up that involves literally getting her out of the country, she's all over it and finds herself the newest student to join the study abroad program hosted in none other than the amazing country of England. Shortly after her arrival she joins a few classmates she's just met and they go off to the street markets. That's when it happens. Ellie meets the most amazing British guy, Will. Determined to avoid yet another humiliating rejection, she does all she can to impress Will, including making a deal with Dev, a fellow classmate, to assist her in learning about cricket, one of Will's favorite sports and other subjects that may be of interest. Ellie is so persistent in her plan to be the best girlfriend she can be, and more importantly, to be the girl that Will wants her to be, that she doesn't realize some of the most obvious things that are happening. It all becomes very overwhelming and then it hits her. Is this dream really what she's been longing for?
Thank you to Netgalley, Kristy Boyce, and HarperCollins children's Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a very cute and entertaining young adult rom com. I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy quick read. This would definitely be a good beach book. It was just a fun feel good book that sends a positive message. I would definitely recommend this. I rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

Ellie was a little bit annoying but overall a fun main character! I loved the tiny details of the manor house and all the study abroad tidbits. Will was awful and I can't believe how long their relationship went on. Dev was my favorite overall! I wanted to see some sort of ending for Frank and Huan but maybe a sequel? Quick read that stayed clean and fun.

This was a great YA book and definitely a quick read. I really enjoyed it and loved the adventure and travel.

This was a fun rom com, I really enjoyed how our female MC learnt about herself and how it is okay to be different and not fit the mood of of what people think. I feel this book had great characters and character development. It was a little predictable but this genre tends to be.

It took me a bit to warm up to the main character but after that I enjoyed the story. Gimme all the 80s references and then throw in a London setting to really seal the deal for me. This was a cute fluffy story and exactly what I was looking for.

Ellie has an incredibly embarrassing moment turn viral, and she decides the only way to save face is to run off to a study abroad program in England. As an anglophile, Ellie and her mother rush to jump at the chance and she's more focused on the sights she'll visit and the possibility of meeting a cute British boy. When she does end up meeting a cute guy, her classes seem to move to the back of her mind, as well as her new friends. But is this guy all she really wants him to be?

While Ellie seemed particularly shallow at the beginning of the story, it was great to see her grow, recognize her own potential, and be herself in front of other people. I like how her relationship with Dev came about organically and slowly, and allowed Ellie to realize her own self while falling in love with another person. It was also really cool to see a fairly accurate, albeit high-achieving version, of a study abroad program!

Overall, a well-crafted story about study abroad and being true to yourself. An additional purchase, though.

Loved the book! Big fan of books that involve traveling. I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of the relationships both romantically and platonically.

Good and easy teen read. I wish I had adventures like this as a teen. The story starts fairly slow but it’s worth a read

I would like thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this book. Ellie Nichols has been publicly humiliated by the guy she has a crush on and her best friend at a party. When an opportunity comes available to study abroad in England, she begs her mom to go. When she gets there, her romantic life takes a turn. She meets a British boy, Will, who thinks she's in college. Then there's Dev, who is a classmate. Does she fall in love with someone that she can't be herself with or someone that she feels most like her true self with? Read to find out. I enjoyed the story Kristy Boyce wrote. The characters were easy to like. I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was hoping this would be a cute Hallmark movie-style book, but I ended up DNFing at 10%. Ellie was overly concerned with boys, and while teenage girls tend to be boy-crazy, it felt like too much for a book. I also did not enjoy Will's character. He seemed overly naive while opinionated and I couldn't connect with him in the beginning. Maybe that was the point, but I wanted him to be more loveable earlier in the story. This might work for some high school students, but I could not get into it.

Was this a great piece of writing? Maybe not. Was it fun and enjoyable if you just got with the story? YES. A little fluffy, like cotton candy? Yes, totally enjoyable and easy and perfect for when you can't focus to hard on complicated plots. All the feels adorable.

4/5⭐️ to Hot British Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce! Huge thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an egalley to review!
If you want a fun, fluffy summer read with a super cute romance & ALL the British vibes, this is the book for you! After a majorly embarrassing moment in front of her crush and pretty well the whole school, Ellie escapes to England in a high school study abroad program. Ellie also has one major goal: find a hot British boyfriend so that everyone will forget about the travesty of the incident. She immerses herself in her new school and her new city, and it’s exciting! We get so many great travelling scenes around England! And what do we know, but on her first weekend, she meets a very good looking, very British boy who seems to like her back! I thought they had a very good connection from the start. I thought most of their scenes together very super cute, especially when he is showing off his country to her! Spoiler 🚨 I found it quite refreshing and even satisfying that these two weren’t ultimately endgame with the book. It made sense for them as characters, and with how life actually works! Furthermore, I so enjoyed he endgame relationship and how Ellie and he eventually came together. On the other hand, there were a couple side romantic relationships I also got invested in and enjoyed. Finally, I wanted to talk about the school & Ellie’s classmates. The school setting was super fun & aesthetic with the old architecture, garden, and brick! And the small group of students we got to know alongside Ellie became a sort of found family, and encouraged each other throughout the book. They had fun adventures together, studied together, but also called each other out where they needed to change. They made the book!
Did Hot British Boyfriend have a be-all-end-all relationship? No. Was it super deep or profound? No. But was it super fun & enjoyable? Heck yes!!! Please check out this book!

This book was a fun escape to the UK. All of the UK vibes were so fun and made me want to hop on a plane to London. However, I was expecting a more high school mature book, but Ellie felt like she was still in middle school. There were times I thought it was a little cringey, simply because of the way the character was acting. She was so boy crazy that she didn't really have any other redeemable qualities. If you can look over the characters and just enjoy being at a UK boarding school, like i did, you may find it a more enjoyable reading experience.

"Hot British Boyfriend" by Kristy Boyce is a warm, fluffy YA romance set in the British study abroad program of every Anglophile's dreams. The MC is relatable and layered with unconventional interests and goals and her journey to love and accept herself is even more fulfilling than the well-plotted and dynamic made for each other style romance within the book.

**3.5 Stars**

I really liked the actual romance in the story, between two people who never expected it. The characters start as friends, both crushing on other people and team up to help the other and end up learning they have feelings for each other. It was the perfect way for a romance to bloom, slow and real and I really enjoyed the slow burn.

I also adored the friendships in the story, they were so sweet and wonderful and exactly how friendships should be! The main character has no real friends at the start of the story and she ends up getting the three best real friends she could have hoped for, found in the most unexpected of places and with people she never gave a second thought to before. There are lessons to learn here, I am sure, and I appreciated the bonds.

I will say that the main character drove me absolutely bonkers. The story starts out with the most awkward encounter ever, legit I cringed for her and wanted to intervene, and then the rest of the book is her basically trying to get a hot British boyfriend to put on social media to show that she is totally fine after her terrible debacle. But here she is, having the most amazing opportunity ever in a new country with real friends, and she blows it to obsess over a boy who may be pretty but she has zero in common with. I wanted to shake her a little (ok sometimes a lot- especially when she blew off said amazing friends to hang out with blah boyfriend) whenever she made stupid choices. I understand her motivation but could not get behind her actions- which made me think I might be too old to connect to this book (which makes since due to the fact I am in my 30s and this is a YA romance)- this is very much targeted to young teen girls whose social media and boyfriend status mean more than anything else. I will admit I wanted to stop reading before I got halfway through since I was so frustrated but I powered on and she did grow as a person- it was just a slow painful process.

Overall I think the book was ok, I did appreciate the character growth, it just took a long slow route to get there. I think this would be a great read for a younger audience, especially those who love all things romance and slow burn.

"Good. I need more friends."

I think we've all been there, honestly. There's one point in most people's lives where they develop this kind of silly obsession with the idea of finding a relationship. For many of us, this desire to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend or really just...anyone we'd like to kiss is kind of a right of passage. For me, personally, it was fueled by an overabundance of media that told me relationships were the one thing in life we ought to shoot for, that they would make me happy.

But that's not all there is to life.

"When exactly did I discover that...?"

Ironically, my coming to the realization that finding <em>love</em> wasn't the number one goal to make within my life came from meeting the love of my life. But, I think it's worth noting that self-actualization can be sparked from anywhere. And recognizing the inherently flawed outlook that if we just find that one person we'll be happy sets the stage for finding happiness through more than just a relationship.

There are other friendships to consider and personal goals to hold high within ourselves. And, if we happen to have someone alongside us to partake in our journeys, that's great. But the journey isn't in finding that one.

As much as a number of people who reviewed this book cited their distaste for it as directly resulting from the main character's obsession with finding a boyfriend, I can't help but think it's a shame that so many had that as their reasoning for leaving the book behind. And, don't get me wrong, I hate that idea as much as the next person. And, if this had been the whole focus of the novel I would have been right there with them.

But, I think it's worth noting that this really isn't the core message of the novel.

""But I liked getting lost with you."
Getting lost wasn't the part of tonight that I liked the most, though. It was the feeling of being found."

Gosh, now don't get me wrong. This book isn't perfect. I certainly don't see myself purchasing it or reading the whole thing again. And the title does a huge disservice to the truths I think Kristy Boyce actually wanted to impart. Hot British Boyfriend really isn't about the boyfriend. Nor is it about the search for love or the end romance. What this book's really about is finding yourself and realizing your purpose.

And while I don't love Ellie's purpose, I do love that she was able to embrace herself in order to find it.

So, this is a teen rom-com. Obviously, our main character Ellie finds a boy in the end. But the important thing to recognize is that he's not all that she finds. In fact, the titular moment in this novel comes from the moments that Ellie is able to recognize the truths of what she needs. And no, that's not a boyfriend. Instead, it's a friendship, companions who help her be her true self. It's having more than one person to turn to in moments of turmoil. It's having a plan for her future.

I don't love this book, but I love its message enough to say that we need more books like this.

"You are awesome as you are, with or without a boy in your life."

Hot British Boyfriend is not perfect, but it does a few things right. I do think that the message could have been driven home a little better and I don't care for how boring I found the moments of Ellie's self-actualization outside of her relationships. But, I loved that she was able to develop some pretty fantastic friendships.

I also appreciate the fact that I was able to laugh while reading this.

On the diversity front, I'll say that a fair attempt was made? I didn't particularly care for the fact that the Indian culture was represented by Chicken Tikka Masala--but, this was included in the part where the rich white family was eating the food, so maybe it was an unfinished commentary? Still, Boyce had an Indian character who could have existed as a foil to the rich white boy's vision of Indian food...so, missed opportunity?

Eh, I don't feel great about that one, to be honest.

Overall, there are some good things in this book that made it worth reading. And I'm happy that I did.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.