Member Reviews
This book has been my most recent obsession. I thoroughly enjoy this book. It was fast paced, fluffy, and exactly what i needed to break up my SJM reread. Finished it the day before release and the next day I worked I handsold every copy. Immediately ordered more in. I love this book and am being so annoying about it.
Girl Abroad is the story of Abby Bly, 19 yo daughter of a rock star, who takes off for London in an effort to break free of the life than she's being living and hoping to chart her course away from the prying eyes of her father.
I love a new adult story for all of the adventure and chaos we get from our MC and Girl Abroad serves up plenty of that. There's a love triangle, an exciting setting, and of course, lots of questionable choices.
I saw some criticism of Abby, saying that she's indecisive and ridiculous, but of course she is. She's a privileged 19 year old. Most 19 year old's are absurd and make terrible choices. I found that pretty believable.
This was a fun, quick paced read with some spice (definitely not YA).
Great to break up any reading slumps or days where you're looking for something light and easy to read.
Girl Abroad is the first novel that I have read by Elle Kennedy and it won’t be the last. I loved getting to know Abbey and the rest of her roommates and friends. My favorite characters were Jamie, Jack, and Abbey and I loved how close they got to each other and how they had each other’s back. Girl Abroad is about a young woman named Abbey who finds herself in a bit of a pickle, a love triangle while in a new country no less. Will she pick Jack or Nate, read Girl Abroad to find out.
I loved Girl Abroad and wish that it was just the beginning of a new series, because I don’t want it to be over yet. The characters were so well developed and relatable, that I felt like I really knew them. I just wish that she was able to make a decision sooner about who she wanted to be with. I highly recommend Girl Abroad to anyone who loves romances.
I absolutely love Elle Kennedy and this new London setting is such good fun. The little bit of romantic intrigue, history, and high- class hi jinx is just what we needed!
First, a big thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC of Elle Kennedy’s "Girl Abroad" – “New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy brings her signature angst, drama, and humour to a new standalone romance.”
“Girl Abroad” is a slight detour from what we have come to expect from Elle Kennedy. “Girl Abroad” is more of a coming-of-age story, imagine What a Girl Wants, Emily in Paris, and New Girl coming together. The romance wasn’t the center of this story, I love the mystery of the research project that Abbey undertakes in this story. Love triangles are not my favorite trope, I was truly crushed by the Clockwork Angel series by Cassandra Clare way too young and have since sworn off love triangles. But this story was done really well. I love to see more of the English Culture accurately represented in this story, some of the slang and other nuisance we a slight miss for me.
I found that Abbey was a likable main character, who truly grows and has a meaningful journey of self-discovery who gets to be independent. Elle Kennedy crafts a narrative that’s full of London charm.
Thank you, NG and Bloom Books, for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
Absolute perfection! I loved everything about this book. I can’t wait to share my full thoughts and review on this one! I love anything Brit themed and I loved a girl out in the world funding herself. I can see this as a movie abt show the possibilities are endless. The writing was great, the characters were great. One of my favorite books I’ve read in a long while.
I love Elle Kennedy but have not read anything outside of her hockey romances. I was a little skeptical when i started this that it wasn't going to be for me. However, I was shocked by how much I liked this. I didn't anticipate that the romance triangle was going to last nearly as long as it did but overall I enjoyed that I wasn't sure who she would end up with. I found the non romantic side characters in this book so engaging - I really adored Lee in particular. This was a fun read and I would recommend it to quite a few romance readers I know!
quick read but nothing i haven't seen from elle kennedy. i am a sucker for books set in london but i feel like there wasn't much of that besides abbey's love of notting hill
Girl Abroad was an easy read, entertaining, and not what I expected from Elle Kennedy. The story is about a young girl finding her independence and self-discovery from her overbearing father. Abbey travels to London for a year at University. The surprises begin quickly and the drama unfolds from there.
I enjoyed reading the story, but I was looking for more of the angst, chemistry and heat the author is known for. Abbey’s coming of age and figuring out her part in this life was the main focus, but there are other pieces and parts that take away from this focus.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.
Not your typical Elle Kennedy novel. A fun read of love triangles both new and old, an ex rock star helicopter dad and his daughter trying to live her own life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing the ARC.
I love coming of age stories and this book is no exception.
Abbey Bly is doing a year abroad in London, much to her overprotective former rockstar father's chagrin. Determined to come out from under his shadow and live her live her life on her terms, we get a whirlwind of a year for Abbey, as she works to uncover a historical mystery, develops feelings for two different boys, and gets caught up in London's High Society.
Let me just say that I love Elle Kennedy's writing. I've enjoyed every book of hers I've read and this is no different. I love how this book, despite having the main character caught in a love triangle, focused more on her figuring herself out as opposed to which boy she would pick. Additionally, I was very much intrigued by the historical mystery subplot that she was investigating, because it mirrored her own life. As she uncovered more about the mystery, she discovered more about herself in the process.
I will say that I was feeling incredibly frustrated by both love interests throughout the book. I had to temper myself and remember that they were young and in their early 20s, and genuinely just as lost as the main character was in their lives. While we don't get to see much of their individual reconciliations, I do believe the choice Abbey made was the correct one.
Another great book from Kennedy.
I'm a big Elle Kennedy fan but this latest YA slow burn love triangle set in England was a bit of a hard sell for me.
Abbey is the daughter of a famous musician and is sick of always being in his shadow. When she travels to London to study abroad her roommate plans fall through and she ends up staying with a houseful of boys only to find herself falling for one of them and developing feelings for another who already has a girlfriend.
The forbidden romance trope abounds in this book, however I didn't love the way Abbey couldn't make up her mind between the two guys - dating both at one point. There was an interesting side story involving researching a distant relative but overall this was a tad too long in my opinion with a predictable (and disappointing) third act break up.
Recommended for fans of Emily in Paris and people who don't mind a sex positive FMC who has no shame about dating two guys at once. Personally this one wasn't for me but parts of it I did enjoy a lot. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Steam level: open door, some graphic details
I love everything Elle Kennedy, so I jumped into this book really excited especially with the book description. I was pleasantly surprised by this book after finishing it. I enjoyed the characters and them individually. Did I necessarily enjoy them altogether? Not really.
The characters felt so much younger than they were based on their reactions sometimes, and at times I found them immature with their decisions and choices. It was really cringe worthy and tough to read in spots. Not my favourite Elle book but interesting to pick up and read.
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book!
I really enjoyed the actual plot of Girl Abroad. Abbey researching what happened to Josephine and that paralleling her current life. I LOVED the friends/found family feeling of the Jamie, Jack and Lee. The fact that they hadn’t known each other very long but would do anything to keep each other safe.
Ultimately, this book fell a little flat for me. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing either. I felt like the actual story of Abbey being in London and discovering herself and her passion were good. I didn’t enjoy the romance aspect of this book. It felt like there wasn’t enough time to really dig in to either of the boys. I wish it was just a little longer to get a little more of the romance building.
Overall it was a quick and easy read.
3.5 stars!
Let me start with what I liked... I love a book set in London or anywhere in the UK. I liked the idea of getting out of her father's shadow and discovering herself! Now, when her 3 roommates turned out to be boys, not girls, I was super excited! I think this book had lots of potential for next level banter and pining!
I think I would have liked this book more if I didn't go into it with preconceived notions of Elle's off-campus series! I have loved everything I've read from her so far. I was expecting banter and wit and a lot of spice, and this just wasn't it. This book moved rather slowly for me and I found myself skipping over side plots to get back to the romance. Love triangles are not my thing, I often find them cringy and unrealistic. I did find myself continuing to read to figure out who she chose
Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy is a delightful journey of self discovery and love during Abbey Bly’s year abroad in London that promises freedom from her overbearing father's shadow. Abbey struggles to navigate forbidden attraction with her quest for independence, as she grapples with breaking rules, falling for two irresistible men, and uncovering hidden truths. With its witty dialogue and romantic tension, Girl Abroad is a must read for anyone craving a fun and entertaining escape.
This needs to be a Netflix movie IMMEDIATELY!
It is such a different vibe from Elle’s hockey romance books but it was so much fun to read. Elle Kennedy hit it out of the park, as per usual, and gave us some new book boyfriends to drool over.
Normally, I’m not a fan of love triangles but the way Elle wove this one so beautifully. I truly found myself stuck between both men! Honestly, I don’t blame Abbey at all for how torn she was cause, girl SAME. (I really loved how realistic this love triangle was compared to other books I have read that just overdramatize them.
Elle had me so invested in her journey of finding her own identity while also becoming embroiled in British society scandals.
My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute and fast read. The love triangle in the present as well as the one in the past that the main character is trying to solve for her school project really keep the story moving quickly.
Even as I sort of find myself aging out of Kennedy's books I still find myself enjoying them and not being able to resist them. This was very sweet and I so enjoyed the new setting we found here. I am not personally a huge fan of love triangles but I see their place and this one didn't end up bothering me anyway. Easy to read and recommend, perfect travel or vacation read!
Abbey is the daughter of a rock star. But she always aspired to a calmer life, far from the paparazzi.
She has the opportunity to study for a year in London: a year away from her father who is a little too protective, with the eyes of the spotlight always turned in her direction, a year to discover a city steeped in history and live her own adventures. .
She plans to share an apartment with 3 roommates. But when she arrives there, she realizes that the names she thought were feminine are in fact those of 3 beautiful English men. She decides to stay anyway, but does not mention this slight detail to her father. Especially since one of the roommates is very to her liking...
I liked that this novel was not just a romance, but also an investigation into the past to discover an unknown woman in a portrait. A woman who apparently also faced the same problem as Abbey, namely finding herself in a love triangle. So of course, she went to London to experience things, but inevitably the moment of choice comes...
I embraced the story despite the love triangle, because that is clearly not my favorite type of trope. But Elle Kennedy makes every dialogue tasty, and Abbey's quest for identity is quite inspiring.