Smart Girl Summer

by Kristin Rockaway

From Kristin Rockaway comes a fun, insightful romance about what can happen when life gets off track but you’re willing to go along for the ride.

This summer’s not going as Abby Atkinson planned. A thieving PhD advisor, a screeching halt to her grad program, and zero job offers have left her high and dry. Nothing a little eat, pray, love across the Mediterranean can’t fix, right?

Or eat, pray, tutor, more like. Her dissertation might be dead, but she can still teach. She’ll just have to do it for six weeks on a superyacht with a billionaire and his daughter.

A playboy billionaire, according to the tabloids―but Abby’s not so sure. As big as his bank account is, his heart’s that much bigger, especially when it comes to his daughter. Their strained relationship could use some mending, though, and Abby can help. She was hired to teach junior high math, but she’ll make room in her lesson plans.

Falling for her boss wasn’t part of the plan either, but…

Maybe it’s time she let her heart, not her head, teach her something new.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Summer, Fiction, Chick Lit, Summer Reads

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 23, 2022

About the author

Kristin Rockaway is a native New Yorker and recovering corporate software engineer. After working in the IT industry for far too many years, she finally traded the city for the surf and chased her dreams out to Southern California, where she spends her days happily writing stories instead of code. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, browsing the aisles of her neighborhood bookstores, and trying to catch up on sleep.

Be sure to follow Kristin on BookBub for the latest sales! https://www.bookbub.com/profile/krist...

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this title and cover. Abby is working on a Ph.D. in physics when she learns her advisor has stolen her work, and it’s not something she can “fix.” To take a breath, she takes a job as a math tutor on a yacht sailing through Europe for the summer.

Richard is the owner of the yacht, and his relationship with his daughter has been a little distant since his divorce. This trip may change everything.

I LOVED traveling around the Mediterranean with Abby, Bijou, and Richard and watching them grow and connect. I’m all about the adventure plot, especially when it comes to boating or sailing. Smart Girl summer is easily readable with fun banter. What I appreciated most is that Abby absolutely is a smart and relatable main character. Overall, Smart Girl Summer is a sweet and refreshing love story full of heart.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between 2.5-3.

[Sabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was nice. A good summer read to take to the beach. Didn't expect to like it this much!



Things I liked:

🧡 The story: Liked the plotline and the characters all together made it the book that can be re-read, especially at the time of summer!

🧡The writing: My first read by the author and I'll read more books by her. The writing is nice and so genuine at parts.

🧡The length: It just doesn't stretch. A few moments extra with the lead couple could've just made it perfect!

[⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ Kim ⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Smart Girl Summer will be published on August 23, 2022!

The only 2 redeeming qualities about Smart Girl Summer: the setting is on a super yacht sailing around the Mediterranean and Bijou being the sweet 12-year-old girl she is.

As for our main character, Abby, for a PhD student, she really doesn’t seem to be all as smart as the title lets on. For one, she knew the consequences of seeking romantic relationships with her clients-getting fired from the tutoring agency she works at-and she still fell head over heels for Richard knowing he's an extremely high-profile client who gets a lot of press because of the company he runs and the playboy reputation he has. She makes the equivalent of the shocked Pikachu face meme when their relationship is revealed to the public (and eventually gets fired from the tutoring agency when they catch wind of it) and gets upset with Richard when she damn well knew the consequences going in. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Richard, Abby's love interest (and the father of the student she's tutoring), more definitely could've been done with his character. The only things we really know about him are that he loves his daughter and wants to build a better relationship with her and that he runs a multibillion-dollar company that uses its money for good causes. Other than that, there wasn't really anything else about him that stood out other than that he's a good person and not what the press makes him out to be. With that being said, it made Abby and Richard's relationship seem very surface-level. The romance seemed to come out of nowhere; they had about 2 decent conversations-both were about Bijou and her progress with the tutoring-and suddenly Abby falls head over heels. It didn't seem very believable to me.

I was honestly more interested in the academic scandal than the romance itself because it came out of nowhere. The plotline about Abby's PhD advisor and him committing intellectual theft is pretty serious and something that shouldn't be taken lightly. It can make or break people's careers and reputations in the sphere of academia they're in and I wish there was more said about it in the book. I get that the plot is more about Abby going on vacation for 6 weeks on a superyacht in the Mediterranean Sea and exploring Europe while finding herself and what she really wants to do with her life following the fallout from the scandal, but considering that the reason why she's even on this trip in the first place is because of it so I wish there was more of it in the book.

Besides all of that, 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.

2 stars
—
Trigger warnings: death of a parent, slut shaming

[Leslie D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wolfed this novel down in about a day. It is a really good “escapist” type of “romantic” fiction (romantic fiction is not my favorite genre, but every so often one breaks through!). So major kudos to the author & the narrator of the audiobook. Although this one will not challenge your vocabulary, it IS entertaining, and right now I’ll definitely take that! Adorable fun.

[Tess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, this was a good try!! Picked up this romance set on a super yacht because of my obsession with Below Deck and that aspect of it did not disappoint. Here, we have a PhD student looking to set her life back on track and make some money over the summer by being a tutor for a billionaire's kid as they yacht around Europe over 6 weeks. First of all, how lucky can you possibly BE to get that as a grad school summer job. Right away, my eyes want to start rolling, but I stuck it through.

So, of course, the tutor and the billionaire (who is a playboy in the tabloids?! But he's not really at all!?) start to make eyes at each other. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a fun call back, but every time they are in a scene together, it starts with him saying her name and her saying "the small hairs on the back of my neck stood up." EVERY. TIME. I don't know why that stuck out to me, but unfortunately it does sum up what I felt about this book - it was not anything special and it felt like elementary writing. It just seemed outdated and obvious, but I enjoyed traipsing through Europe on a yacht through the eyes of this naive woman.

[Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I snagged this on Netgalley when it was available as ‘Read Now’ without knowing too much about it. After a quick read of the synopsis, I assumed it would be a single-dad billionaire romance with an idyllic Mediterranean yacht setting. I was pretty much right and, for the most part, I enjoyed it! It was a very easy read and interesting enough to hold my attention. I found myself more interested in the first half than the second half though. Abby, a 4th year Physics PhD who was just wronged by her academic advisor, was a likable main character, and I’m always drawn to STEM heroines. She takes a tutoring job and falls for her student’s hot, high profile father. I really loved Abby and Richard’s pining over each other and thought they had decent chemistry but it just completely fizzled out for me once they actually got around to dating. They mostly bonded over Richard’s relationship with his daughter which was all well and good but didn’t really scream romance. I really loved how Abby encouraged Richard though and helped him be a better father. Despite being a romance, I think the romance was actually my least favorite part of the book. I was most intrigued by the academic scandal and felt the conclusion to that was a bit underwhelming. Aside from some kissing, the romance in this book is closed door. I would classify this more as Women’s fiction. Overall, a decent read but not an entirely memorable one.

Maybe a 3.5?

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much potential!! A fun, billionaire, single Dad travel romance that takes place on a boat around the world as Math PhD student Abby Atkinson spends her summer tutoring a twelve year old girl and falling for her father.

I didn't love the single POV or that it was a closed door romance. The chemistry between the leads just wasn't there for me either. I can handle no on page sex if there's at least some sizzling chemistry but this one just fell flat in my opinion.

I'm usually a big fan of anything narrated by Soneela Nankani but even her voice couldn't save this one. The best part for me was the woman in STEM rep who has to deal with her advisor plagiarizing her work (a very relatable and realistic plot!).

Overall this felt more like a women's fiction book than a romance and was just an okay read for me. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

SMART GIRL SUMMER is such a fun read! As always, Kristin Rockaway’s characters are smart and complex, so I really cared about what happened to Abby, Richard, Bijou, and Coco. The romance felt note-perfect to me, and the lush vacation descriptions gave me serious wanderlust. Exactly the kind of escapism I was looking for!

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t let the summer fade away without sharing 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 with you. I really enjoyed this story - maybe because both my kids went on to get Master’s Degrees, I could somewhat relate to the pressure in Higher Academia. But I think I really just wanted to sail away with Abby in her Mediterranean adventure - how amazing would that be?

Thank you Kristin Rockaway for this gifted copy. I recommend you pick up a copy and escape.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.75/5 Stars

So, this was a light read, but I'm sorry to say it was just average for me. I'm gonna be honest and say that I was hoping for more romance from this novel, instead I got a lukewarm relationship with no spark whatsoever, which was a bit of a bummer.
The glamorous lifestyle and summer vibes were lovely to read about, but that's about it, it didn't go any further than that unfortunately.
Overall this book just wasn't it for me, it just wasn't anything memorable and I will probably forget its story pretty soon.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a picture in my head of how this book would play out. I thought it would be another Billionaire steamy romance added to the never ending pile. Instead, I read a thoughtful, vibrant story with characters I grew to love. I flew through this book, the writing so well done it was far too easy to read this in one sitting.

My biggest criticism is probably the character of Richard - aka our leading man. I just never felt like I actually got a true sense of who he was. It was explained time and time again what type person he was and yet he never came to life for me in the same way Abby and Bijou did.

No spoilers - I love how Abby ended up. It was a refreshing change for a leading lady. Sometimes things come to an end in our life as anticlimactic as the thing that came to and end for her.

I would have liked slightly steamier scenes (not necessarily explicit) to really amp up the passion that was described. I was told their chemistry was passionate rather than being allowed to experience it.

Bijou was charming and wonderful. I usually get annoyed with children in books but Bijou was well written.

Overall I really enjoyed this. It was well written with mostly interesting characters. After reading this, it's safe to say I'm craving a holiday! This would be a perfect beach read.

[Nejla Pluncević Osmanović · Rating 1 out of 5]

The number of times I rolled my eyes is unknown (I counted myself). This book totally lost me on the "Titanic" parts (if you know, you know). Writing just started to hurt at one point. Was it really necessary to repeat the words "billionaire boyfriend" or "VIP" so many times?? The characters are so weakly written and pale, and there is also 0% chemistry in romance.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to get an early copy of Smart Girl Summer as I had read two other books by Kristin Rockaway and really enjoyed them. She is now three for three for great rom coms and I still need to read the ones I missed!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel initially, but I really liked it the whole way through. It was sexy, funny, romantic, and an armchair adventure/virtual vacation. Richard sounds like a dreamboat, to boot. Abby was in a difficult and frustrating situation at school and her mother could be so annoying sometimes. So I definitely felt sympathetic toward her. I like how her summer job/adventure allowed her to think about her life and where it was going. The descriptions made it easy to visualize everyone and everything the entire way through.

I apologize for the short review, but I only have good things to say about this novel and definitely recommend checking it out! (Especially if you're already going through summer vacation withdrawal...)

Movie casting suggestions:

Abby: Kaitlyn Dever

Arpita: Amrit Kaur

Richard: Stephen Amell

Bijou: Madeleine McGraw

Coco: Aitana Rinab Perez

[The Reading Raccoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Smart Girl Summer by Kristin Rockaway

Smart Girl Summer is an adult contemporary romance about a young woman that has to pivot near the end of her doctoral program and finds love along the way.

Abigail Atkinson has just discovered that her PhD advisor has stolen credit for her work and now the university isn’t offering her a summer job. With nothing left to lose she jumps at the chance to tutor a 12 year old billionaire’s daughter aboard a luxury yacht sailing the Mediterranean for the summer. For the first time in years she takes risks, sees the world and builds a relationship with young Bijou and her handsome father. But being seen on the arm of a billionaire brings unwanted attention back at home and she’s still hasn’t resolved her standing at the university.

My absolute favorite part of this novel was the beautiful descriptions of the Mediterranean ports. I loved reading about Abby’s adventures out into the cities and the new things she tried. The romance was a little harder for me to get into. I found Richard “too good to be true” and some of their conversations and interactions were more corny than swoony. I did like how Bijou wasn’t a over the top spoiled brat and instead was just a typical complicated and insecure pre-teen. I do think a lot of readers will appreciate reading about Abby’s struggles in academia and having to switch gears so close to the end and having to find a new purpose.

Overall, this is a chick-lit style contemporary romance with a smart and fun main character. The romance wasn’t quite my thing but I enjoyed the settings and characters.

3.75 stars (rounded to 4)

[rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m going to be brutally honest and just say this was not good. The writing quality is particularly bad, the characters lack substance, and everything felt inauthentic.

For a book about spending a summer on a yacht in Europe, I didn’t get any cute travel vibes or feel like I was there. I could romanticize my kitchen better than this author could with Spain, France, and Italy. Additionally, this felt like reading a YA novel, despite being about a twenty something year old who falls for a billionaire. Unbelievably childish and the romance was laughable.

I’m usually not this harsh, but this was just a waste of time.

1.5⭐️

[Jenna (readinginjennaland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby Atkinson is a PhD student working with an advisor. When she finds out the advisor has stolen her idea and research and publishing as his own. When she goes to the boss he doesn't believe her. She reaches out to her tutoring job asking for anything for the summer. When she's offered a tutoring job on a yacht in the Mediterranean sea. Yes, please.

This was a fun read. I could not put the book down it kept me engaged. I loved the traveling and really enjoyed the book. I'm excited to read the rest of the author's books.

[Em (semi-hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half of my time spent contemplating, is he a man or a dog?

“cute little half smile”
“His cute hand gestures.”
“he looks up, his expression is so raw and so wounded”

I disliked this book so much not only because it was a cheap ripoff off of Broken French but also the characters were so bland, the romance was lacklustre, character’s arc and growth inexistent and pacing extremely awful.

It hurts so much when you’re excited to read something only to end up sorely disappointed

[Tanvi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was boring :( I loved the cover and the premise and surprisingly didn't hate the main character. But the plot was boring and so predictable, and there was maybe -3% chemistry between her and the main guy. I know like three things about him: he loves the girl (I finished this book three hours ago and I've already forgotten her name, ugh), he's a father, and he's oh-so-misunderstood by the media. Redeeming factors: Coco, Arpita, and some valid academia criticism.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

PhD student Abby takes a break from school after her trusted professor takes ownership of he research, and takes on a 6 week tutoring assignment aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean. This is her summer to put things in perspective and get the adventure she has not been able to have. Seeing sights, making new friends, trying new things have all been amazing. But, falling for her boss? Now, that’s something she didn’t expect.

The perfect vacation book because a) it took place in summer and b) it was definitely a travel experience. The story was written in Abby’s POV, and wasn’t a huge fan of her voice, but I did love the father-daughter relationship that got built through the story, and how Abby played into it. The sense of adventure, taking risks and conquering fears. Following dreams versus meeting goals was also a nice perspective.

[Maria Bator · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was alright but if I were to brief you on the plot I wouldn’t know what to say since not much actually happens. Yet what you think will happen happens in like week and a half. And there is this weird scene about Titanic the film? Idk I was really excited and was expecting something different.

[Katrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5! 🌺

[Leith Devine · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Stephanie]

DNF

[Dominika Mikołajczyk]

😬

[Oliwia Potocka · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Read for a bookclub*

This is probably the most boring book I've ever read

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby is a smart girl. She's in her fourth year in the PhD physics program in New York when she realizes her advisor has stolen her research work and there is no way to prove it. She goes to the head of the department but it's a man's world and they protect their own Left with no other thing to do than to take some time to think about her next move she decides to take a position as a math tutor. The catch is she will be tutoring on a luxurious yacht going around Europe for six weeks. What better way to take some space?
Richard yates is a billionaire that has little relationship with his daughter. He decides to take her around Europe for the summer at the bequest of his ex-wife. Since she failed math, Richard must hire a Tutor and so Abby gets the job. When the two meet Abby is convinced that Richard is just another billionaire that works all the time and cares little for his daughter. But as she sees the interactions between the two, she starts to see his differently. Could Abby have a crush on her billionaire boss?
This book was fun and so entertaining. The places they visited in Europe and the descriptions Of the adventures they go on were so true to life that you almost feel like you are there with them. I highly recommend this book to any one who enjoy a fun, carefree romance.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Smart Girl Summer by Kristin Rockaway is an enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the storyline, it held my attention from start to end, I loved hearing about all the wonderful sites they visited and the food Abby enjoyed. I think what I loved most about this book was it reminded me of my dream to one day visit Europe, to walk amongst the people, enjoy an expresso or two and just live in the moment. Sigh ... one day.



In closing, after reading Smart Girl Summer in one sitting, I wished we had gotten a few chapters from Richard's POV. I feel I would have formed a better understanding what made him the person he was and see/feel his growing attraction then love for Abby.

Smart Girl Summer is a entertaining and enjoyable read.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

[Jen | jenreadsx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel

I really enjoyed Smart Girl Summer! In my mind I thought it would be like other billionaire romances but it was quite different! It wasn’t steamy or heavy but a very light read.

Abby and Bijou were great characters! Abby was relatable in her thought process and had good morals. I did wish we learnt more about Richard, I feel like we didn’t get much depth or emotion from him. Their relationship came too easy.

I would recommend this for those looking for a light, easy read. Maybe a holiday or weekend novel

[ana (ananascanread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.