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Love Stories: Year Abroad Trilogy #1
London: Kit & Robin
Robin's falling fast for an English guy named Kit Marlin. There are just a few tiny problems: 1) She's living with him and his family in London for the year. 2) He treats her like a sister. 3) He has a gorgeous girlfriend. So she should just get over him and avoid a broken heart, right?
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 12, 2000
About the author
Rachel Hawthorne
30 books1,625 followersaka Jade Parker and also writes with her son as J.A. London
(also writes romance under Lorraine Heath)
Rachel Hawthorne, who also writes as Lorraine Heath and Jade Parker, is the daughter of a British beauty (her mother won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero-who played the Joker on the old Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Herts, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan. She enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.
When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” She writes for both adult and young adult readers. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Americana historicals. Her novels have been recognized with a RITA, Romance Writers of America’s most prestigious award for excellence, a HOLT medallion award honoring outstanding literary fiction, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, five Texas Gold Awards, the Golden Quill Award, the Rising Star Award as well as other awards and recognitions. Her novels have been selections of the Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Club. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today, Waldenbooks, and most recently, the New York Times.
(also writes romance under Lorraine Heath)
Rachel Hawthorne, who also writes as Lorraine Heath and Jade Parker, is the daughter of a British beauty (her mother won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero-who played the Joker on the old Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Herts, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan. She enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.
When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” She writes for both adult and young adult readers. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Americana historicals. Her novels have been recognized with a RITA, Romance Writers of America’s most prestigious award for excellence, a HOLT medallion award honoring outstanding literary fiction, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, five Texas Gold Awards, the Golden Quill Award, the Rising Star Award as well as other awards and recognitions. Her novels have been selections of the Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Club. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today, Waldenbooks, and most recently, the New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 18, 2018
I was very much expecting to dislike this book or at best feel ambivalent towards it. But I’m pleasantly surprised that I liked it quite a bit.
In early 2017 I was behind on my reading challenge and so picked up a few Love Stories books for less than a dollar at my local Hastings (rest in peace) so I could quickly catch up. Then I was dared/made a bet to read an additional 10 and here I am a year later, still trying to read the list me and the other half picked out.
I really didn’t care for the third in the Year Abroad Trilogy, Rome: Antonio & Carrie. But this book, the first in the series, is actually really good. It’s very cute and the characters are much more likable, and probably a little more relatable to the average teen. Robin is our Year Abroad girl who hopes to make her year in London an transformative experience after her hometown crush has utterly crushed her, saying her country farm girl ways are uncouth and annoying as well as embarrassing. But while Robin is busy trying to alter herself, her host brother - yep, her love interest is her host bro who rooms just across the hall; yessss, there’s so formulaic hormone-inducing mishaps - is equally busy trying to convince her that her true self is really rather “smashing”.
What I love about this love story is that the love is really based on friendship first, and the two are constantly building on that foundation while trying to sort out all their other feelings and the usual anxieties and pressures of being a teenager. They’re both so encouraging and supportive of one another just as people and then that paves the way for the romance to really stick and be solid. And for me, as a demisexual, is a huge thing so I really appreciated seeing that friendship dynamic portrayed as an important feature in a romance novel for teens. This book was also just very sweet in so many ways, and Robin’s country colloquialisms were so cute and fun. Side note: I babysit a lot and the little girls just love My Little Pony so I imagined Robin sounded something like Applejack, and that probably added the entertainment value just a bit.
An additional strength and advantage Kit & Robin has over Antonio & Carrie, is that everyone speaks English. And while the majority of the character speak British English, it was much more convincing than Rachel Hawthorne pretending any of her characters in Rome: Antonio & Carrie spoke Italian. As a person who does speak modern Italian, that really bugged me and threw me off when old, 15th century era Italian was sprinkled everywhere and the characters were constantly explaining to the reader - in full sentences - which language they were speaking and at what level. Thankfully, mercifully, that didn’t happen here! I actually get the sense that Hawthorne was actually pretty well-acquainted with British English vernacular and London itself before writing this. Either that or she put in a lot more work and effort into research for this first installment in her trilogy. EDIT: After finally looking up the author, I can now tell you that she WAS well-acquainted with the British English vernacular of the day, being a British woman and all. She was also very familiar with Texas as her father was from there and she spent quite a bit of time going back and forth for family visits and vacations. So yes, this book was much better “researched”.
So basically this is a charming little romance novel for teens that’s a bit dated (published in early 2000), with cute kids trying to be cute with one another and figure out this crazy life. I dug it. And the 171 pages makes for a quick way to add to your reading challenge for the year.
In early 2017 I was behind on my reading challenge and so picked up a few Love Stories books for less than a dollar at my local Hastings (rest in peace) so I could quickly catch up. Then I was dared/made a bet to read an additional 10 and here I am a year later, still trying to read the list me and the other half picked out.
I really didn’t care for the third in the Year Abroad Trilogy, Rome: Antonio & Carrie. But this book, the first in the series, is actually really good. It’s very cute and the characters are much more likable, and probably a little more relatable to the average teen. Robin is our Year Abroad girl who hopes to make her year in London an transformative experience after her hometown crush has utterly crushed her, saying her country farm girl ways are uncouth and annoying as well as embarrassing. But while Robin is busy trying to alter herself, her host brother - yep, her love interest is her host bro who rooms just across the hall; yessss, there’s so formulaic hormone-inducing mishaps - is equally busy trying to convince her that her true self is really rather “smashing”.
What I love about this love story is that the love is really based on friendship first, and the two are constantly building on that foundation while trying to sort out all their other feelings and the usual anxieties and pressures of being a teenager. They’re both so encouraging and supportive of one another just as people and then that paves the way for the romance to really stick and be solid. And for me, as a demisexual, is a huge thing so I really appreciated seeing that friendship dynamic portrayed as an important feature in a romance novel for teens. This book was also just very sweet in so many ways, and Robin’s country colloquialisms were so cute and fun. Side note: I babysit a lot and the little girls just love My Little Pony so I imagined Robin sounded something like Applejack, and that probably added the entertainment value just a bit.
An additional strength and advantage Kit & Robin has over Antonio & Carrie, is that everyone speaks English. And while the majority of the character speak British English, it was much more convincing than Rachel Hawthorne pretending any of her characters in Rome: Antonio & Carrie spoke Italian. As a person who does speak modern Italian, that really bugged me and threw me off when old, 15th century era Italian was sprinkled everywhere and the characters were constantly explaining to the reader - in full sentences - which language they were speaking and at what level. Thankfully, mercifully, that didn’t happen here! I actually get the sense that Hawthorne was actually pretty well-acquainted with British English vernacular and London itself before writing this. Either that or she put in a lot more work and effort into research for this first installment in her trilogy. EDIT: After finally looking up the author, I can now tell you that she WAS well-acquainted with the British English vernacular of the day, being a British woman and all. She was also very familiar with Texas as her father was from there and she spent quite a bit of time going back and forth for family visits and vacations. So yes, this book was much better “researched”.
So basically this is a charming little romance novel for teens that’s a bit dated (published in early 2000), with cute kids trying to be cute with one another and figure out this crazy life. I dug it. And the 171 pages makes for a quick way to add to your reading challenge for the year.
March 31, 2011
First off, let me say that I would never, ever be able to be a foreign exchange student for an entire year. Even in England, the language is incredibly different from that of America. My best friend was born in England and laughs at my naïveté. I was constantly asking her to define the many British terms.
Reading about the authentic British language and traditions was really fascinating for me. I've never left the United States, so this novel was as close as I've ever come to touring London. My only complaint was that I had to tour the city with Robin.
Robin's character drove me crazy. She causes so many problems for herself simply because she is stubborn and ridiculous. She tries to hide her Texan accent so she won't seem like a hillbilly, but she ends up looking like a fool. If she would have spoken up and just been herself, Robin could have avoided many of her sticky situations.
Kit, on the other hand, was adorable. His sweet ways and sportiveness won me over when he first picked Robin up at the airport. His cute character and British ways pretty much made the book for me. Overall, I'd say give this book a try if you're interested in foreign exchange programs or England, but don't expect to find much character depth or an intense story.
Reading about the authentic British language and traditions was really fascinating for me. I've never left the United States, so this novel was as close as I've ever come to touring London. My only complaint was that I had to tour the city with Robin.
Robin's character drove me crazy. She causes so many problems for herself simply because she is stubborn and ridiculous. She tries to hide her Texan accent so she won't seem like a hillbilly, but she ends up looking like a fool. If she would have spoken up and just been herself, Robin could have avoided many of her sticky situations.
Kit, on the other hand, was adorable. His sweet ways and sportiveness won me over when he first picked Robin up at the airport. His cute character and British ways pretty much made the book for me. Overall, I'd say give this book a try if you're interested in foreign exchange programs or England, but don't expect to find much character depth or an intense story.
June 18, 2019
This was a re-read for me. I first read this when I was a teenager and getting into romance books. Now read this as I’m a wife and mother I find this as just okay romance. I enjoyed the short read and reminiscing to when I read as a teenager. But my reading level has changed drastically from this book. This is a good starter romance book for young teenagers wanting to get into romance.
June 2, 2025
Read this with my friends 20-24 years ago.. 2000-2004 (can’t remember) but we shared 1-copy amongst all of us and enjoyed the trilogy! Fun times!! Now, 24 years later.. planning to re-read it to recall the stories!
May 30, 2018
Such a cute book! Loved the characters! A perfect way to start summer break! :)
January 12, 2019
Read this in high school and had a sudden urge to read the whole Year Abroad series again. Such a simple, formulaic book but back then it worked. I was 12, so...
In other news, can’t believe I still have my copy. Thanks Ma for never throwing stuff out.
In other news, can’t believe I still have my copy. Thanks Ma for never throwing stuff out.
December 21, 2008
My favorite out of the three
but then again i like england better than parris or rome
but then again i like england better than parris or rome
February 17, 2009
Read this a long time ago. I think in middle school. The paris one was cuter than this one.
July 30, 2010
So adorible! I loved it!
Read
July 28, 2011love this, so cute. probably my favorite year abroad book
October 9, 2013
I loved these books when I was a kid! I could read an entire book in one day and would take 8 or 9 out at a time from the library. Ohh Kit and Robin...
March 31, 2014
I LOVE ALL THE "Study Abroad" mini series in this series. I couldn't chose a favorite!
September 13, 2014
Cute storie!
October 31, 2014
I thought this was such a cute book. I really enjoyed reading it. This is such a great series. I read them during High School. I loved the plot and characters of this story.
September 26, 2010
I've been to London! FYI a British boy would call soccer "Football"
October 19, 2018
This series is amazing. :D
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews