I overall enjoyed this read. I love love stories abroad! I didn’t like how boy drive she was, but Ellie’s development in the last half of the book saved this read for me. I did not hate it nor did I love it. It was cute and I loved the side characters. Thank you for letting me read this!

HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is a fun standalone YA novel by Kristy Boyce. At the opening of this book, Waterford Valley High School student Ellie Nichols has an epic yet believable humiliating rejection. The humiliation is compounded when it’s recorded and goes viral online. Thankfully, Ellie has an escape. She’s able to pay her way into a trip the class brainiacs are taking to study in England. For an Anglophile like Ellie this solution is ideal. While in England Ellie gains friends and finds love.

Because HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is told strictly from Ellie’s perspective, who she winds up with at the end remains more of a mystery until then. In addition to being an interesting romcom, HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is a wonderful coming-of-age story. At the opening of this book, Ellie sees herself as ordinary – not more or less. By the end of the book, Ellie broadens her horizons a bit and sees herself in a different perspective. School smarties Sage, Dev, and Huan become her friends – much to everybody’s surprise. Enter English hottie Will. Will is slightly older than Ellie, but without any creep vibe. There are lots of characters who have multiple layers and are not all good or all bad. Will is wealthy, charming, and something of a fantasy for Ellie. With Will she takes on the “Elle” persona and behaves in a way she thinks is her more mature and ideal self. As the story progresses, Ellie sees Will a little more realistically thanks to her new besties. Because the story is told from only Ellie’s perspective, the reader can only guess that her new friend Dev has a crush on her. The “maybe romance” plot twist is sweet and the chemistry between the two characters is on point. I felt as though Ellie became more attracted to Dev as she got a better sense of who she was – largely, I think, because Dev often gently and occasionally not so subtlety urges her to be herself and embrace her positive qualities.

HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is a fun coming-of-age look at making friends and finding love when least expected. Kristy Boyce balances young adult drama with amusing adventures and snappy dialogue. I wouldn’t mind reading a sequel perhaps set during college years. I look forward to reading more from Kristy Boyce in the future.

This is ANOTHER #netgalley ARC and ANOTHER #youngadult book. This just came out in February, so check it out!

After an embarrassing viral video starts circulating about Ellie, she decides to take a last minute spot on a study abroad semester in England. When she meets Will (a hot British guy worthy of her Instagram), she does everything she can think of to impress him - including enlisting Dev to help her. In Ellie’s semester abroad, she learns so much - so why does it feel like the perfect boyfriend might not feel like the perfect boy for her?

This was a cute, fun teen romance. I’d recommend checking it out on audiobook for the fun British accents!

[Reviewing an e-ARC from NetGalley, received in exchange for an honest review]

Ellie just had the most humiliating experience of her entire life at an end of summer party, accidentally thinking her crush was going to ask her out, right before her senior year of high school and is desperate to put as much distance between her and that night as possible. Enter a last minute open slot on her school’s study abroad program in England—and the opportunity to move beyond her embarrassment and find herself the eponymous hot British boyfriend. Ellie does find the perfect boy, but eventually is torn between her relationship with him and the burgeoning friendships she’s made with her classmates.

HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is undoubtedly a fun, light read. While I often was annoyed by Ellie’s reinvention of herself to date Will, the hot British boy in question, it does become a major plot point in how she realizes that her genuine friendships are the more important relationships. The friendships are this book’s crowning glory, though we don’t really get to their depth and importance until much later in the book. A thumbs up for an enjoyable reading experience, though the book overall didn’t blow me away. Probably an additional purchase for YA collections.

If you loved Anna and the French Kiss and are looking for another sweet contemporary romance set abroad, then Hot British Boyfriend may be the perfect book for you! Here are 5 reasons why you should add it to your TBR:

The Armchair Travel
I’ve always wanted to go to England. I was supposed to go in 2020 for the first time, but since travel isn’t recommended right now, taking in the sights and sounds from the safety and comfort of my couch was the next best option. While a good portion of Hot British Boyfriend takes place at school, Ellie and her friends go on trips to London, Bath, and even Venice!

It’s Relatable
I often laugh at how dramatic I was in high school – everything felt so high-stakes and even the slightest inconvenience felt like it was world-ending. So when Ellie was rejected in an embarrassingly public way and decided to flee the country, I completely related to it. After all, who hasn’t wanted an opportunity to reinvent themselves?

The Relationships
The side characters in Hot British Boyfriend were delightful, and they all had such distinct, vibrant personalities. I especially enjoyed watching Ellie and her roommate, Sage, become friends; on paper, they couldn’t be more different, but a shared love of pretty stationery is the catalyst to a truly supportive friendship.

Fairy Gardens
I had never heard of a fairy garden before reading Hot British Boyfriend, but now I absolutely need to see one in person. It’s such a fun, whimsical, and unique hobby for Ellie to have, and I loved how it was a driving force for key moments throughout the story (including the meet-cute with Will).

Ultimately, Hot British Boyfriend is about embracing who you are.
At the start of Hot British Boyfriend, Ellie is desperate to show that she is doing Absolutely Fine after the very public rejection. She gets caught up in finding validation through Instagram likes, and completely changes her interests just to keep the attention of a very attractive British boy. After making a few mistakes and receiving some very solid advice from her friends, she learns to recognize her own self-worth and to embrace what makes her different.

When I read the synopsis for this book, I started recognizing many parallels between this story and my own life. While I was never publicly rejected and forced to flee the country to avoid embarrassment, I did study abroad in England for a semester where I met my hot British boyfriend. I was really intrigued to see how this story tackled the studying abroad experience and overall British-culture.

This book was a solid YA contemporary. I will admit that I'm straying more towards enjoying NA or Adult contemporaries nowadays. However, really good YA contemporaries still find their way into my heart. This was one of those. I do think part of that was due to the fact that I did study abroad so I did understand British references and I could relate to the experience of exploring a new country. The other part was just that our narrator was so fun to read from.

I've seen some people say that the narrator was cringey or unrelatable but when I think back to my high school days, I realize that I was just as cringey. High schoolers, in general, tend to do a lot of things that adults thing are cringey. But in terms of writing an actual, relatable high schooler, I think this book did a pretty good job.

The romance was pretty cute. I do think there was a bit of quick progression with it, but seeing as my boyfriend and I got together less than three weeks after meeting each other, I can't really criticize that bit too much. I also liked the friendships outside of the romance that Ellie formed with people while on her trip. I am a sucker for a good cast of characters and I did really enjoy a lot of them.

Having been to England many times now, I do think that I understood some of the references more than an average reader would. In that way, I felt like I was let in on an inside secret. However, I do think some of the culture or traveling scenes could have been a bit more descriptive for those who might not know much about British culture themselves.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were many times I was laughing out loud and I really enjoyed seeing Ellie grow as a character. I want to thank TBR and Beyond Tours and HarperTeen for having me on this tour!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for allowing me this eARC!
I really liked the book, and could not wait to read it hoping for an unseen plot. However, I was slightly disappointed.
Ellie as an individual lacked the character development I would’ve liked to have seen. Granted, she definitely improved throughout the book, it was unfortunately overshadowed by the incessant talk of Will and her inability to see things (specifically her emotions, and the goodwill of the other characters) clearly. She was, as some would put it “boy-obsessed”. It was the same thing with Will. He felt very two-dimensional. I think Will was not given enough character development and it at times almost makes him seem rude and unconcerned about Ellie's feelings. He was wasting opportunities presented to him and had nothing really going for him. Ellie’s friend group at the academy was really what held the book together. Sage’s passion for medicine, Devs’ interests in the tiny things, and Ellie with her quirks and their need to hide it was very well written.
I went into this book with higher expectations because of how many books are very similar in plot and found it quite lacking. The plot is slightly overdone, however, I was ultimately appreciative of the surprising twist that I found at the end. Overall the book was well written and interesting, however, it was slow-paced and I could not engross myself in it completely.

Hot British Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce was an entertaining and light read. After Ellie faces a humiliating experience that is broadcast all over social media, she participates in a school experience abroad to put some distance between herself and her peers with the goal of enjoying her time abroad and possibly finding herself a hot British boyfriend. The characters in this novel read, appropriately, like teenagers. At times, Ellie's choices and inability to see situations for what they were could be frustrating; however, I felt this was very realistic when thinking about the characters as teenagers and understanding that they may still be a bit immature. Some of my favorite aspects of this novel were the growth of Ellie's character over the course of the story as she was able to discover her own interests, develop confidence, and become more engaged in the academic aspect of school. I also loved the friendships Ellie was able to develop in the study abroad program. I wish that Ellie had come to her realizations a little sooner so that I was able to enjoy their happiness for a little longer. I would definitely recommend this title for the YA or high school audience.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley which did not affect the contents of my review. All opinions are honest and my own.

I received this YA book as an ARC from NetGalley. I loved this book and would recommend it to any of my teenage students because it encourages figuring out who you really are through travel and taking chances. The romance is great and the development of the characters together is perfect. It is completely relatable for teenagers, showing the dangers of social media and the advantages of real, solid friendships and relationships. Can’t wait to share this with students!

I enjoyed this book and would recommend to young YA readers. Sometimes I struggled with a love triangle trope - and I did at first, but about halfway through the book I was drawn into the sweet relationship (not to spoil anything!). I loved the main character's desire to travel, her spontaneity and how she grew through the book.

Friendships and finding the strength to believe in yourself take center stage in this adorable, binge-worthy YA romance.

So first things first: I’m a little biased when it comes to this book because I’m an Art Historian. I saw so much of myself in Dev’s journey and this book made me desperately miss my musty classrooms, 20 page papers (yes really) and study abroad trips.

So to all my follow art history nerds: Dev will 1000% steal your heart and remind you of why you spend hours pouring over old books and talking your friends to death while wandering through museums.

If nothing else appeals to you about this book, it’s still worth reading for Dev’s growing love for art history.

Moving on: I’m having a very hard organizing my thoughts for this review because there are just so many things I loved about this book. So apologies in advance for the disorganization.

Anyways, if you’re here for a hot British boyfriend, you’ll find two in these pages and even with their faults they’re still pretty great. Will maybe every stereotype of a hot British boyfriend but we’ve all wanted one at one time or another (or girlfriend in my case). Frank meanwhile, our other hot British boyfriend, is pretty great too with his punk rock vibe and supportive personality.

The full cast of characters that Boyce creates in these pages are diverse, and have amazing layer of depth. Some are more developed than others, but given that this books is only written from Ellie’s perspective, that’s to be expected. I loved learning more about the characters as the book progressed and I want a sequel just to see where life takes them.

Other than the art history, what I loved most about this book was seeing the characters work through what they want in life. It’s their senior year and that means college is right around the corner. We have Sage, who knows what she wants to do and why; Dev how knows what his family expects, but wants something different; Huan who has to decide if the plan he’s made will actually make him happy; and Ellie, who doesn’t know what she wants to do or if she even wants to go to college.

While readers may not have experienced all of these for themselves, it was fantastic to see the different experiences many high schoolers go through represented here.

This book reminded me so much of what high school, college and even grad school were like for me and it was comforting to be reminded that so many people go through similar experiences. This book may be set in high school but it could easily have been in college or graduate school.

Ellie’s journey in particular I think will speak to a lot of readers. Ellie enters this book unsure of her ability to go to college or even find a passion in life. She leaves knowing that she could go to college if she wanted to and that even if others find your passion silly, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it.

I think a lot of readers will also relate to Ellie’s struggle to believe in herself, and her desire to hide herself out of fear of being rejected. So often there are things in life we don’t pursue because we don’t believe those things worth the effort, or we do not want to be judged by others. It was amazing seeing that here.

This book is perfect for young adults as they begin to question their future after high school or college. It fits real fears we all have in between friendships, cute dates and European adventures. It’s the perfect binge read and will leave you feeling seen and full of hope.

Initial Thoughts

I was super excited to read this book and even more excited that my stop was on Valentine’s Day. This is sounded like a super cute rom-com and I don’t read enough of those!

Some Things I Liked

80s music references. I love 80s music and anyone who references A-ha! and Take on Me is an author I’d read again. I loved that Ellie was quirky and fun, even in those moments where she was pretending to be Elle.
Coming of age story. It’s not often that I read a true coming of age story (mostly because I feel like I can’t relate to youths these days 😂) but I really enjoyed this one. Ellie is more of an old soul and I really enjoyed her journey from something embarrassing to finding her crew.
All things British. As a self-declared Anglophile, I loved all the references to London, Jane Austen, tea, and history. I thought it made a great backdrop to the story.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

Ellie was kind of a ditz at times and I was SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATED when she didn’t see through Will immediately. Essentially, I found her shallow at times and naive (which sometimes can be expected with YA heroines). But, my criticism is that she annoyed me with her inability to see a good thing right in front of her. Characters of any age can frustrate me for this reason.

Series Value

I don’t know if I’d say there’s series value here but there is definitely spin off value. I really liked the side characters and I’d be interested to know more about them. Sage seems like she’d be an interesting character to read more about.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It was a cute, quick, rom-com to snuggle up with on the couch on Valentine’s Day. I’d definitely keep reading Kristy Boyce’s future books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Again, But Better by Christine Riccio – if you enjoyed the study abroad and “clean slate” vibes of this book, try this standalone debut by Christine Riccio.
The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor – if you enjoyed the Jane Austen references as well as a character who can’t see the good things she has right in front of her, try this standalone rom-com.

Honestly I couldn't get through this. Ellie, the main character irritated me right from the start. She's boy crazy, and doesn't seem to have a high opinion of herself. She lies about little things : her name, what she likes, etc. She's more concerned about how things look than how things really are. I don't know if she eventually finds herself in the end, but I really can't be bothered to find out.

If you like:

YA Romance
Traveling
British Adventures
Then this is the book for you!

I may have a slight problem when it comes to British guys, so naturally when I first say the title of this book, it was a natural “I have to have this book” type of situation.

This book is exactly what I needed right now with everything going on in life! It allowed me to travel around parts of Europe, learn about art and some of the culture, and of course experience romance!

“I hold up a shirt – I like my men the way I like my tea. Hot and British. – to show the group when something in my peripheral vision catches my attention. To my abject horror, two extremely cute guys are staring at me,

Nope, not me. At the shirt I’m hold.

I was surprised with the way that this book played out so much that I lost track of time on several occasions after reading!

Ellie found herself in an awkward situation after she found herself as the laughingstock of the school when a moment at one of her classmate’s party blew up all over Instagram, so Ellie finds a way to escape all of it for a while by going on a trip to England to study abroad.

While on her trip, she becomes friends with students from her school that she wouldn’t normally talk to and helps guide her into this new world of academics.

“Dev keeps making stupid faces and Huan tickles me so that I’m laughing blur in the photos instead of smiling and normal. After a moment’s hesitation, I post one anyway. I may look like a dork, but at least I’m a joyful dork surrounded by awesome people.

Through out the story we see Ellie’s character grow as she spends time away from America and kind of on her own. It’s not always the big in you face type changes that makes the biggest difference but sometimes it’s things like self worth that has the biggest impact, and Ellie realizes that as she spends time with this cute British guy, Will, who is the picture of British.

“He brushes his fingers through my hair. I suck in a breath as he leans closer. Then our lips meet and I melt the car with the heat that explodes through my body. I’ve never felt anything so wonderful in my life.

As Ellie continues to spend time with Will who gives her so much, she finds herself in situations that has her questioning where her loyalties lie, and it will make it near impossible for you to put the book down!

Book Review 😍

Hot British Boyfriend by @kristylboyce is a Romantic Comedy which starts with a girl who faces a public rejection from her crush and unable to hide from it she tries to flee from it to England where she joins a bunch of friends and her only aim to find a Smart Handsome British Boyfriend , but when she finds that one perfect british bf, is she sure he is the one or her heart is longing for someone else ? is what takes course into the story 😍

Well firstly book felt really refreshing , its very happy one, different and really a cute rom-com , Though at times you find yourself to yell at the female protagonist and knock some sense into her mind where she always thinks boys as future , you tend to realise that’s the age she is in 🤓 You will fall in love with another beautiful character in the book who happens to be the roommate of the female protagonist, she is love 😍😍 and ofcourse the male protagonist being the smartest talented nerd who is cute as well in many ways 😍

Overall i would say its quite an enjoyable read 😍😍

Rating 4/5

3 1/2 Stars

Ellie was publicly humiliated due to a misunderstanding at a high school party which leaves her wanting nothing more than to disappear. So she heads to England because it's as far as she can possibly go. I have to hand it to her, I would go to the other side of the world as well. Although she is there to study.

It is there that she meets Will and both have a crush on one another. I don't think I would say it was instant love but there was certainly something there. Ellie kind of reminded me of my sister at that age and her boy craziness. I will say that all in all this is a good read but I didn't connect enough with it to say I just had to read it. That said, if YA Romance is your jam then this is certainly the book for you.

This book is the absolute cutest!! Major Anna and the French Kiss vibes!

*I received a physical copy of this book on a tour for @tbrbeyondtours over on Instagram (click here to visit their website and to find the tour giveaway!) and click here to find my full post on my Bookstagram - ps it’s a mini-review and a journal spread that I LOVE! Go check it out!!*

“I don’t have time to tutor you on how to date a British boy. Plus, that’s my worst subject.”

Goodreads synopsis:

After a horrifying public rejection by her crush, Ellie Nichols does what any girl would do: she flees the country. To be more precise, she joins her high school’s study abroad trip to England. While most of her classmates are there to take honors courses and pad their college applications, Ellie is on a quest to rebuild her reputation and self-confidence. And nothing is more of a confidence booster than getting a hot British boyfriend.

When Ellie meets Will, a gorgeous and charming Brit, she vows to avoid making the same mistakes as she did with the last guy she liked. Which is why she strikes up a bargain with Dev, an overachieving classmate who she’s never clicked with, but who does seem to know a lot about the things Will is interested in—if he helps her win over her crush, then she’ll help him win over his.

But even as Ellie embarks on a whirlwind romance, one that takes her on adventures to some of England’s most beautiful places, she still needs to figure out if this is actually the answer to all her problems…and whether the perfect boyfriend is actually the perfect boy for her.

Ok so I loved this book. For so many adorable little reasons. So I’ll start where I typically do: the romance.

It is absolutely the CUTEST. Disclaimer, it is kind of a love triangle if you’re sworn against those (and YES this is my third book in a row with a love triangle, what in the world??). However, it’s a really interesting love triangle. The end result is obvious pretty early on - in all honesty, it’s pretty obvious in the synopsis. But the love triangle works with the main character’s development as she discovers herself and what her worth is in a relationship, and the alternate love interest isn’t a bad guy, he’s just not right for her. It has a little more depth than the typical triangle, and I didn’t hate it 🤷. In fact, the cute slow-burn moments are PERFECT! All the lil feels!

“‘I liked getting lost with you.’
Getting lost wasn’t the part of tonight that I liked the most, though. It was the feeling of being found.”

I also loved all the characters; in that way, it reminded me a lot of Anna and the French Kiss (aka the best YA contemporary romance and you can’t convince me differently). There’s a great friend group that develops between Ellie and three other students on the trip, who help her find herself and see her own potential. I really loved their dynamic, and my Enneagram 6 soul cringed when she hung out with her boyfriend instead of them ahaha. Plus, the travel vibes! The book mainly takes place in England on a school trip, which is amazing in itself, but they visit various other places in Europe, and the travel vibes are perfect! It hyped me up for my own trip to Europe this summer!

Overall, this book isn’t perfect, and I can’t claim that it’s the most philosophical book I’ve ever read, but there are still themes to learn from and great characters, character development, romance, and settings to fall in love with! I highly recommend this book if you love books with travel and/or cute, easy-to-read romances with a lil depth!





If you enjoyed this review, you can friend me here on Goodreads and follow my Bookstagram/Pinterest/Twitter @ashton_reads. Thanks for reading!

Hot British Boyfriend was such a fun and endearing read. Reading this definitely made me regret not studying abroad while I was still in school. The story starts off with an immediate scandal that catches your attention and then in the next few pages, we are already on the way to England with Ellie, where she begins her romantic adventure. The plot of the book overall held my attention and there were many interesting characters besides the main character Ellie. The friends she makes while on the trip, Huan, Dev, and Sage really grew on me as I read the book. They're the kind of people that I hoped I was in high school. Friendly and wanting to make sure everyone felt included. The way that Boyce wrote the characters was also great. Ellie's friends weren't immediately her friends and that felt more realistic than some of the friendships I had read in books recently. They slowly incorporated her into their friendship circle and every time any of them interacted with her or each other it made me smile. The romance in this book wasn't as heavy as I thought it was going to be, which is not a bad thing at all! Ellie did get on my nerves in some of the romantic situations because she didn't realize how much of a catch she was, but I love that she slowly began to find and love herself by the end of the book.

If you liked Again, but Better by Christina Riccio I would definitely recommend this book. It was a fun and quick read and it gave me all the friendship and romantic scenes I needed.

Let me start off with how much I love this cover! I feel that it fits the tone of the book very well. I liked the friendship dynamic and friend group in this book. They all felt like they could be real people that I'd like to meet. They're very academically focused, which is something I appreciate a lot. Unfortunately I liked the side characters more than the main character Ellie. At many points I was shaking my head at her decisions and thinking "look at what's in front of you!" The romance suffered a bit because of this but when we did get to it I found it to be cute. Something I did like about Ellie was her interesting hobby of making fairy gardens. Which is something I've never heard of before but now I will definitely be looking into now! I liked the atmosphere of London and the travelling aspect of the plot. The writing was quick and easy to follow and made for a fast read. We also had a lot of Jane Austen references!

Overall it was a very cute and fluffy read. I think a younger YA audience would enjoy this even more. I gave this book a 3.5/5 Stars.

Readers who enjoy young adult romances should find Kristy Boyce’s debut entertaining. Boyce introduces a fun and eclectic cast of characters with a wide variety of tastes and interesting pursuits beyond the academic. While the story generally focuses on the protagonist, Ellie, Boyce explores themes of identity, truthfulness, and the ability to develop one’s sense of self through new experiences that support favorite pastimes and pursuits among all of her characters.

Some readers may take fault with Boyce’s portrayal of Ellie, however. There’s a constant reinforcement that she’s unable to academically measure up to the rest of her peers—as the story is told from Ellie’s point of view, this reinforcement is understandable, since it represents how Ellie views herself. However, even when she does begin to develop her self-confidence amongst her peers, some readers might be surprised by the narrative’s lack of change in tone by the novel’s end. Some readers might not readily notice this, but it’s apparent with a close read.