Member Reviews
This book is an easy read, it was good from start to finish. The plot is quite predictable but nevertheless i do enjoy a good romance book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read, the writing style is quite easy to understand and most of the characters are likable.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange of my honest review.
As someone who just graduated with her doctorate degree, this was the escapist post-academia recovery book I needed. The perfect mental break and a delicious romance all wrapped up in one.
You had me at this cover and this title! This book was fun and a perfect getaway. The perfect summer read, with the perfect blend of romance and finding yourself.
Favorite Quotes:
“And odds are, even the people who are supposed to be on your side care more about protecting the status quo than standing up for what’s right.”
“I have gelato for lunch because I’m an adult who can make her own decisions.”
Kristin Rockaway and I seem to be interested in the same things (travel, software engineering, southern california beach towns), and often I end up frustrated in her books, because she either takes them in a direction that I'm not quite as interested, or there just isn't "enough" to it.
But this one really worked for me! I really enjoyed the description of the travel, and I'm sure some readers will find the romance to be the part in this book that isn't "enough" .. I think in this case, it fit the story.
Smart Girl Summer was such a fun read. While I felt that the book could use a little more carving out when it came to creating romance and tension between love interests, the story was entertaining cover to cover and had enough moving parts to keep me hooked and rooting for the characters.
While the book was fun and romantic, there were also a lot of amazing takeaways I got from reading it. Abby Atkinson, graduate student and part time professor and tutor, experiences the ultimate betrayal when her PhD advisor steals her research. She is left jobless, alienated, and confused. In comes billionaire Richard, and his daughter, Bijou, along with their mega yacht and an opportunity of a lifetime. Abby finds work tutoring Bijou on the yacht for the summer and grows close to her and Richard. The story isn't just another steamy billionaire plot, but instead explores the hard but important lessons that we learn when we start living for ourselves and not for others. My only wish is that Richard's character was given more time and attention as I didn't find myself as attached to him.
If you're looking for a fun read with lots of adventure, self discovery, funny banter, and of course romance, Smart Girl Summer is the book for you!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really enjoyed this book! It was very well written and I found my self wishing I was on a yacht sailing across the Mediterranean! This book gave off summer vibes which I personally love! The character development across the whole book was done beautifully!
Abby is pursuing her PhD, but after circumstances force her to take a break from school, she finds herself tutoring a billionare's daughter on a chartered yacht. What will her summer abroad hold?
This was a cute, summery read. The adventures were all written in a way that had you packing your bag to go on vacation! Abby’s academia struggles were portrayed so convincingly and had your heart immediately going to her. I loved Bijou’s character! She added some fun banter and color to the story.
I just felt the chemistry between Abby and Richard was a bit flat, unfortunately. And kind of seemed to develop out of no where.
Thank you #Netgalley and the publisher’s for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I picked this one up today because I really wanted a light beachy read. Reading about someone who gets to spend the summer cruising around the Mediterranean for the summer by tutoring a smart, well-adjusted child for twenty hours a week provided some of the escapism I needed. The romance aspect of the book, however, fizzled. The hero had about as much flavor as a saltine cracker and all they ever discussed was his child which makes for the basis of a great parent/tutor relationship but not for a believable romance. I was so much more interested in Abby’s academic woes and even those didn’t give me the payoff I desired. Not a bad read but I wanted more.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Abby is a PhD student who has had her research stolen by her adviser. When the school does nothing about it, and doesn’t give her the summer placement as what she thinks is a punishment, Abby reaches out to a tutoring agency. Her assignment? Tutoring a billionaire’s daughter Monday to Friday for 4 hours, on a yacht on the mediterranean. Perfect escape to figure out her next move in New York.
Kristin Rockaway has always been a must buy author for me and when I saw this book available I jumped on it. Let me tell you it did not disappoint. I read it in one sitting and absolutely loved it. It is a perfect summer read, light and fun with a little bit of a love story. Thank you to Kristin Rockaway, Net Galley and Montlake for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book is a fun escape, but didn't have any real depth. I read it in one sitting on a beach vacation, and that was the best way to read and enjoy this story. Abby, while in a tough position, seemed to make a lot of bad choices, and the romance was very fast and thin. However, the story was entertaining and the scenery the perfect escape!
LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED
I honestly am lost for words about this book! I devored this in a day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you so much
Smart Girl Summer by Kristin Rockaway is a light summery read that makes you want to hop on a plane and head straight to the Mediterranean. The main character of Abby was well written and likeable. Abby, a PhD student has just experienced having her research stolen and is beginning to question her future in academia. Feeling lost and unsure of her next steps she takes a tutoring job, on a yacht, for 6 weeks. The other characters including Bijou, her student, Richard, her billionaire boss and Coco all added well to the plot of the novel. Another enjoyable feature was the description of the different places they travelled and the activities they pursued in each location. Reading the book really makes you want to head out on an adventurous vacation.
Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and the author for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
3.5
i found things a tad slow, which i guess isn’t always a bad thing. after reading some other reviews, it seems my experience was pretty similar to others; the characters felt pretty flat (except for maybe abby), and i would’ve preferred the romantic scenes a little spicier. all of that being said, i found this to be an interesting take on differing power dynamics that i haven’t seen before!
#netgalley
Smart Girl Summer is the perfect quick read.
Kristin's writing is compelling, charming and witty which made this book super easy to read, I finished it in one sitting.
The setting was great and so were the characters, however I was left wanting a little more depth, specially from the love interest.
Overall, this was a fun read, perfect for the Summer holidays.
A beautiful well written love story that will remain in my heart/head for a long time. There is SO MUCH happening here!…
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This romance novel does what it says on the tin. The main character is likeable, her love interest adequately swoon-worthy and the plot unrealistic enough to provide an escape from the real world, but not annoyingly so. The writing style neither distracts from nor adds to the story. While I didn't exactly get a "I can't put this down"-feeling from this book, the story flows easily and I would have probably finished it in one setting, had I had the time.
I was intrigued by the premise. Our hero is a 4th year PhD student who's been wronged by academia - sadly not rare occurrence, but I found it refreshing to have it represented in a romance novel (and, as a PhD student myself, I was curious to see how the author would depict academia. On the whole, I think she's getting it right enough). The book's love interest is the billionaire father of our hero's tutoring student - a cliché waiting to happen, although the story makes it work without too much cringe. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy romance to take their minds off reality for a few blissful hours.
This book pulled me in from the start as the main character is in her fourth year as a PhD student — about the same as me. She’s really struggling and the politics of academia are screwing her over so what better solution than to take the summer off and make money by tutoring instead. In comes a single dad who needs a tutor for his 12-year-old daughter. Did I mention it’s a traveling job that will be on a yacht that he rented for his daughter from the summer because he’s a billionaire? Well it is!
From a smart girl struggling to do what is right, to a cute 12-year-old trying to reconnect with her dad, and maybe a little romance thrown in too, this book is a great read I enjoyed every second of it!
An enjoyable read that could have been better. I really loved reading about the places they traveled to. I thought the author did a wonderful job of painting a picture of their destinations. The relationships are where I was left wanting. I liked the characters but didn't feel a lot of depth from anyone but Abby. Overall an easy read I would take on vacation.
Thank you netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54401862-smart-girl-summer" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Smart Girl Summer" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645719065l/54401862._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54401862-smart-girl-summer">Smart Girl Summer</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15294188.Kristin_Rockaway">Kristin Rockaway</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4650704061">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<br />An enjoyable read that could have been better. I really loved reading about the places they traveled to. I thought the author did a wonderful job of painting a picture of their destinations. The relationships are where I was left wanting. I liked the characters but didn't feel a lot of depth from anyone but Abby. Overall an easy read I would take on vacation. <br /><br />Thank you netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/58275821-alisha-noelle">View all my reviews</a>
4.5 stars.
Abby is a grad student who has had her research stolen and her school are doing nothing to support her, on top of that, they have taken away her summer teaching class which she loves and also pays the bills. She contacts her tutoring agency and gets an assignment for the whole summer, tutoring a billionaire’s daughter for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week…on a yacht around the Mediterranean. This is her hot girl summer to come up with a plan to right the wrongs back in New York. Falling in love with her boss wasn’t part of that plan.
I loved the STEM focus of this book and how that storyline played out. I also loved how her intelligence was part of how attractive she is, it wasn’t all about how she looked. The way the characters are introduced is done so well, the only thing for me is that I felt the relationships were too easy. I felt like regardless of how much Bijou liked her tutor, there should have been some tension there about him starting a new relationship with how tricky her relationship with her dad has been, I feel like this could have added more depth to that relationship. The character development of Richard is incredible and he was my favourite character throughout the book.
Overall, it’s a great storyline about adventures around the Mediterranean and how their forced proximity lead to an initial spark through to a fully blown romance and she still held her own, despite being with a billionaire, bravo!
Smart Girl Summer follows Abby Atkinson a PHD candidate and math tutor whose work has just been stolen from her by her supervisor. In the midst of this career crisis she gets in a once in a lifetime opportunity to go on a cruise of the Mediterranean where she learns to follow her heart instead of her head.
I started out truly and utterly adoring this book. The dialogue felt realistic which is something that I often criticize, and the premise, a college student struggling to find herself in academia felt utterly relatable. And then....well it just sort of dragged on. And it's not like I think it was too terribly long either! The main characters internal conflict just felt very one note and the romance didn't start nearly early enough to make up for that. Speaking of the romance, in addition to starting late it moved far too fast and, to be honest, I felt no chemistry between the two characters.
I do think that this book will find a lot of people it is the perfect fit for. At the end of the day, it is a light summer-y romance about being true to one's self and it strikes a fantastic balance between being realistically introspective and wonderfully comedic.