"Smart Girl Summer" by Kristin Rockaway follows Abby Atkinson's unexpected journey from academia to tutoring on a superyacht. Amidst navigating a turbulent career setback and an unconventional teaching gig, Abby finds herself unexpectedly drawn to her billionaire employer. Rockaway weaves a tale of summer escapades, personal growth, and unexpected romance against the backdrop of Mediterranean seas, making it a refreshing and engaging read for those craving a blend of adventure and heartwarming moments.

My thoughts: this was a cute rom-com. I enjoyed all the characters. It was a fun quick summer read!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me - it just felt too prescriptive, rather than ebbing and flowing like normal life. I didn't feel the chemistry in this and didn't love their dynamics at times.

Hilarious!!!Great book. I enjoyed Reading it. The characters and plot were interesting life like and easy to connect with.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Soooo this book wasn't it. I thought that I was going to read something light but yet messy at the same time. But this book was boring as hell. I truly tried to read it but I had to stop so many times. It just wasn't it for me. I enjoy reading about messy characters, but this main character was jut annoying and too messy.

I enjoyed this a lot as a lighthearted, fun book to read on a slow day. Abby was extremely relatable and lovely as fmc, I had a nice time reading this. Definitely would recommend.

The premise of this was so fun and I was super excited to read it! Unfortunately it kind of fell flat for me. The European cities and descriptions of super yacht stops make the book! Otherwise, the whole love story aspect just didn't do it for me. It felt mostly forced and followed the nanny marries dad trope so much there was nothing interesting about it. It wasn't bad, but nothing extraordinary.

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Kristin Rockaway. 🧡

This book was fun but overall I didn’t love it. I have loved this authors previous books tho so I was excited for this one. I did like it though!

This was okay, not great. I'm glad I tried it but it's not one that will stick with me. I've liked her past novels but this one didn't really work for me.

This was a fun read, I liked all the descriptions of the European cities where the super yacht stops. The issues with grad school were gone over again and again. I’m giving it 3 stars because the romance felt kind of forced and expected.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

A quick, fun, beach read for the summer! I enjoyed this, especially because it wasn't too heavy. I easily got invested in Abby's story, and I loved that she was SMART!!!!! Emphasis on the smart. The chemistry between the characters was great too.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I did like the setting and feeling like I was traveling through Europe with Abby, Bijou, Coco, and Richard-eating good food, going cliff jumping, exploring sea caves, and going to exclusive nightclubs-it was a good summer vibes book, but the romance wasn't it for me.

I wish there was more plotline developed with her academic life and the tension between her academic advisor.

What do you do when life isn't quite going as planned and you don't know how to get back on track? That's Abby's problem as she, out of desperation, accepts a job tutoring a 7th grader on a yacht for the summer. What could go wrong...right?

The cover first grabbed my attention and I love the colors used and the artwork. It reminded me of beloved books from my time growing up in the 90s. I also really loved the setting/locations and the story. However, with the exception of Bijou, I can't say I loved the characters. I didn't believe the chemistry between Abby and Richard and for a "smart girl", Abby sure didn't make smart choices. "Hey, let's blow up my entire career tutoring rich kids for BANK because a billionaire looked at me and smiled!"

So I definitely enjoyed this book, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't scream at the page more than once over Abby's actions.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I DNF'd this book at about 35%. The premise had sounded incredible, but I was not interested in the plot one bit, the main character was unbelievably annoying, and if I had to read the phrase "strong, smart, badass woman" verbatim one more time, I was going to riot.

If you need something light in between dark reads this Halloween season then Smart Girl Summer will fit the bill. Also, I'm not ready yet for winter so travelling with Abby to sunny Europe really lifted my mood. The travel and sightseeing in the story was well written and I felt like I was on holiday too.
Abby is a nice character but she has a lot to deal with at university when her mentor steals her research and takes credit for it. I was hoping that Abby wouldn't let him get away with it and I was a bit disheartened with her when she kept saying she wanted to quit and to let it go. I wanted her to back and raise hell about it.
Richard's daughter, Bijou was a really nice child. I was expecting a spoilt, bratty preteen but she proved to be a source of humour and I liked the way she bonded with Abby and tried to enjoy her time with her dad.
Richard was perfectly pleasant and kind but a bit dull as we don't see him doing very much.
I found the budding romance to be lacklustre. Abby and Richard got on well as friends and touring around together but I didn't see any real build up of attraction or sexual tension between the two. More time spent on cute scenes of them together to develop their mutual crush would have enhanced my enjoyment of their romance.
In saying this, I found the book very entertaining, lighthearted and difficult to put down.

Abby is a PhD student who got screwed over by her superior. Strongly advised to 'take some time away from campus', she accepts a six-week tutoring job teaching maths to the tween daughter of a billionaire playboy on board a yacht in the Mediterranean. Abby is looking forward to enjoying the sun and the luxury, and is fully intending to use her time away from NYC wisely. But then she starts falling for billionaire Richard, who seems to be less of a playboy than the gossip magazines had led her to think.

This was a fun, cute, fast read. The perfect book to enjoy at the side of the pool on a hot day, or inside on the couch when it's raining and you need something to whisk you away from the doom and gloom. It's a closed-door romance, which I'm not that fussed about, although I do tend to prefer open-door romance more.

Kids in romance novels are hit-or-miss for me, but this one was definitely a hit. Abby initially helps Richard bond with his daughter Bijou, and Abby also spends quite a lot of one-on-one time with Bijou. Romances that involve single parents usually fail to find the perfect amount of page time for the kids involved, but this one hit the mark pretty perfectly.

There were a few elements that worked less well for me. Abby falls for Richard quite quickly, despite having a clause in her contract with the tutoring agency that she's not allowed to date the clients. For such a smart woman, that's quite a dumb thing to do. The story also dragged a little in some places, and at the end it seemed like the author wasn't quite sure how to end the story. But those are just minor gripes.

Abby Atkinson always had a plan, to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a physics professor at a prestigious university. On track for her PhD and tutoring on the side, Abby is now in her late twenties and finds herself completely lost. Her deceiving advisor stole all of her hard work, years of research now lost and hopes of attaining her goals shattered. The company she tutors for in Manhattan has a last minute request for the summer. A well paid job teaching math to the twelve year old daughter of a very wealthy man on his very fancy super yacht. Without too many other options and her bank account rather low, Abby sends off a quick yes and she’s on the next flight to Europe. Abby has been in school for so long she never questioned her path, never thought any other options existed. Traveling abroad for the first time is both luxurious and eye opening. It’s time to admit she really enjoys teaching and her instant chemistry with the unexpectedly down to earth billionaire is a breath of fresh air. Enjoyed every moment of this sailing romance adventure where a young woman gives herself a chance to follow her heart and put aside the expectations of others.

Smart Girl Summer was a refreshing read for me as someone who typically delves into worlds that are much darker, more complicated, and gritty. Kristin Rockaway's writing was funny, engaging, and instilled that sense of romantic yearning in me that is most closely associated with a new crush. It is the epitome of the perfect beach read—you can dive into the pages as you work on your tan, all while hiding your growing smile under a beautiful, wide-brimmed hat.

I found this book exhilarating and entertaining. This is the first book of Rockaway's that I've read, but I'd happily read more by this wonderful author.

Amen to this book. LADIES use this as a guide for what you SHOULD or SHOULDN'T do with your summer. Very well written and spectacular. Would highly recommend to everyone, especially The Summer I Turned fans.