I am sorry I could not read this book as the love interest's name is my fathers, that is just too far for me. It did not say it in the blurb or else I would not have picked it up.

This is the perfect summer read! I seriously wish it had of been longer. The main character Abby was so smart and I adored her. I loved the characters and any summertime book that has to do with a boat or sailing I’m sold. I love Kristin Rockaway’s writing style. I’ve been a fan for years and this did not disappoint. This would make a perfect birthday gift for a girlfriend with a summer birthday. I read this on a beach and it was amazing.

Smart Girl Summer was a nice enough read, but wasn't what I was expecting.

I went into it (and the reason I applied) thinking it was a romance book, but I would classify it was women's fiction.

Abby, is a PhD student whose work is stolen by her academic advisor. As a result, she decides to get away for the summer and takes a tutoring job with a single dad, billionaire on a yacht in the Mediterranean.

The chemistry between Abby and Richard just wasn't there for me. Part of the problem is that Richard's character wasn't fully developed. He's a single dad who loves his daughter and wants to build a better relationship with her and that he runs a multi-billion dollar venture capital company that funds good things. That's it. That's all the reader really is clued into. There's not much about his emotions or feelings. I would have been more invested in him and the book if there had been just more of him. The lack of chemistry really took away from the romance.

Abby is a frustrating character. I empathized with her academic difficulties. In fact, this was the strongest part of the book as it aroused the strongest emotions. She is, however, a bit of a whiner and seems unrealistic in her expectations of what a relationship with a famous billionaire entails.

I enjoyed the setting and the visits to various ports on the Mediterranean with Abby, Bijou, Coco, and Richard. It is a good summer book and an easy read, but just didn't hit its mark as a romance.

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!

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.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: August 23, 2022

Abby is a 4th year PhD candidate who finds her scientific work stolen by her advisor and unemployed for the summer. She then lands a possible dream tutoring gig aboard a megayacht in the Mediterranean for 6 weeks. Idyllic, right?

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and all scenes with Bijou, but the closed-door romance fizzled for me—their attraction seems to come out of nowhere and I just didn’t find it that believable (Richard us SO expressive about his feelings). I could only picture Jeff Bezos as Richard (billionaire on a yacht!) and it definitely put a damper on my ability to e

A few other notes…settings on yachts (and billionaires with kids) are very specific. Calling the yacht galley a kitchen really threw me and then Abby goes and puts shoes on while she’s still inside the boat—a big no no. Additionally, I really struggle with the fact that Bijou doesn’t have a nanny. In reality she’d probably have 2 on rotation, or maybe only one now since she’s 12. A billionaire would at least have a travel nanny to watch and entertain her in the hours outside of tutoring and while the dad is working. I was so distracted wondering what this kid is doing during all the down time without a nanny there!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Smart Girl Summer was a book that fell flat for me. I felt that the romance was too surface level, there wasn't much character development for Richard other than the fact that he uses his money and company for good and that he loves his daughter. As for Abby, I felt like she fell in love with Richard after having about 2-3 conversations with him and then was surprised that she ended up on the news and lost her job at the tutoring agency because of how high-profile Richard is. She knew the consequences of her actions going in and yet she still made them. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I wish there was more about the academic scandal between Abby and her academic advisor- I was much more interested in that plotline than the romance in this story. Other than that, I did like the setting of sailing around the Mediterranean Sea and traveling around Europe for a summer- I loved the descriptions of all the cities and the food!

I enjoyed Smart Girl Summer a little more than I expected I would. It's a smarter and less smuttier take on the typical billionaire romance (which I'm a sucker for!)... also this cover is great!

Abby is a physics PhD student, and has just found out that her advisor stole all the research for her dissertation and published it under his own name, leaving her to start all over again with a new topic. And as punishment for accusing him of academic theft and bringing it to the attention of the department head, she's been passed over for a summer teaching position - a position she relies on to pay the bills. So she's forced to load up her schedule with a summer of tutoring NYC's rich kids, instead of taking her roommate's suggestion to have a 'hot girl summer' full of travelling and having flings. But when she's presented with the opportunity to travel *while* tutoring aboard a luxury yacht around the Mediterranean with a billionaire and his daughter, she might be getting the best of both. She's barely travelled in her life, so this is an opportunity to see part of the world on someone else's dime while also making some really good money. But she wasn't expecting to land in the middle of a strained father-daughter relationship - he's been portrayed in the media as a playboy billionaire with a gruff and standoffish attitude who neglects his daughter. What she finds is an awkward nerdy single dad who's doing the best he can to reconnect with his daughter. She certainly didn't expect to fall in love with Richard - she can't resist his charm, good looks, and pure heart. But as easily as their relationship is accepted by those closest to them, the media has so much more to say and they don't take it easy on them, and there's left at odds with how to deal with the fallout.

Abby is a physics PhD candidate who has just had her research stolen by a professor who did not credit her on the publication. She goes to the administration, who don't side with her and instead punish her with no TA position. So in order to make some money and decide what to do next she takes a 5 week tutoring job on a yacht for the daughter of a single father billionaire. Sparks fly and things get complicated but will chemistry prevail?

This one was not a hit for me, the best part was Bijou the young girl being tutored, and the dreamlike destinations and activities. The chemistry between the characters was not there for me, nor was any sort of connection with the characters.

This was a “Read Now” arc, and it picked my interest as I usually live most of Montlake’s titles.

The stem heroine is so high now on almost every romance and adds a single dad, billionaire male character, what more can you want from a romance story?

I actually needed much more. The heroine might be well read and smart In her career wise, but daily interaction of situations, not so much in my opinion. And I think that's kinda realistic sometimes.

The romance story starts as a slow burn and what brings them to the actual dating and more, it is definitely building up to some high expectations. But unfortunately those expectations aren't really met for me. Closed door scenes and some felt quite forced on the reader.

Overall, this might be a great woman fiction story with a dash of romance that some readers will enjoy, but it is nothing memorable for me, unfortunately.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

i honestly though i was going to like it a bit more considering the blurb and the cover was right up my alley but i guess it just was not for me.. i can see why some people may like this but it just wasnt for me - but i am looking forward to see what else the author has in store! i feel like she has potential, but it just wasnt all put onto this book.

Abby gets burned by her grad school mentor who takes credit for all her research. She ends up snagging a job tutoring a billionaire’s daughter in math as they cruise the Mediterranean. Tough gig huh?
Except Abby quickly compromises on her parameters and gets involved with Richard. When the internet goes crazy over their relationship Abby may have lost it all.
I liked Abby. I did think it was inappropriate for her to get involved with her employer. I liked that she stuck to her guns about realizing where her passion really was career wise. I loved all the descriptions along the cruise itinerary.
Maybe I need to look into private tutoring for the rich???

Abby as a main character was fun. The premise of Abby spending a summer tutoring was really fun and refreshing. Who hasn't heard horror stories in academia? The relationship that Abby had with Bijou (the girl she tutored), was rather sweet and I'm glad that it was separate from Abby's eventual relationship with Richard (Bijou's father).

The eventual press coverage of Abby and Richard's relationship exposure felt very real and I did like the conflict that was caused by it. I think generally that most billionaire romances skip over media or outside influences and is was refreshing to see how Abby's life was negatively affected by it.

I definitely recommend this book for a light summer read. It's fun and while not completely relatable the core feeling of not knowing what to do with your life is very relatable.

4/5⭐️

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was entretainig but it wasn´t as extraordinary as I thought it would be.
First of all, what bothered me the most was how fast the relationship between the protagonist and the love interest developed, and while I really liked the couple dynamic they have, it just kept bothering me the timing of it all. Second of all, I hated that she kept calling the love interest a billionaire, I mean, we get it, the story develops in a GIGANTIC YACHT, we don´t need you to clarify he is a billionaire ecvery time you address him. And last but not least, I kind of was hoping for a more women empowerment ¿kind of book, which we get a little, but at one point in the story the protagonist can only talk about the love iinterest, what I think I´m trying to say is that a was hoping for a women empowerment story with a little romance in it, not a romance story with a little women empowerment in it.
Besides that, the book was really entertaining and easy to read, it is a summer book and it really takes you to the places the protagonist is in, I would say is a good book if what you want is something to pass your time reading when you have nothing to do, in other words, the perfect summer book.

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)

I believe this was my first time reading Rockaway, and I liked her writing style. That said, this book just did not work for me. I have no issue with a person wrestling with challenges in academia, and whether that's even where her heart really wants to be. I don't have a problem with a billionaire boss and falling for him while you tutor his kid (actually, I sorta do, but I signed on to read a billionaire romance so that parts on me). What I do have a problem with is that for a "Smart" girl summer, the main character did not seem particularly bright. She consistently wallows in indecision, makes poor choices, and doesn't seem all that prepared for the world or even that intelligent to begin with. Our hero was pretty delightfully painted as an anti-billionaire billionaire, but he did not have much dimension. The best part of the book was definitely the twelve-year-old tutee, Bijou, who was actually brilliantly written. But as for the main characters and even the two female friends, they felt like cardboard cutouts rather than real people, and the slut-shaming from the supposed best friend made me recoil even further.

I would give it three and a half stars, but I lost count of the number of times our heroine could tell her love entered the room by the hair on the back of her neck standing up- so three stars it is. Not a terrible book, and great depictions of beautiful places on the Mediterranean, but this just didn't work for me.

I assumed it would be more romantic with an idyllic Mediterranean setting. It was a quick and easy read but fell a little short of my expectations.

I love reading about STEM heroines, but I found this one too predictable which made her feel a little annoying. The initial excitement of Abby falling for her tutees' father was excitingly written but then, once they started dating, it seemed to fizzle out a little. The boned well over Richard’s daughter which was lovely but not particularly romantic, though Abby does help him to become a better father.

I found the plot of a PhD student being wronged and then finding an amazing job for the summer (instantly it seemed) a little too convenient and unbelievable but good for her. The tutor and the billionaire falling in love were too predictable too. Every time he speaks to her, she says the hairs stood on the back of her neck which got a bit tiring as well.

However, I did really enjoy the scenery and the idea of spending six weeks traipsing around Europe on a yacht. This wasn’t the book for me but would suit someone who loves predictable light romances which are a little cliché.

thank for this arc. while this was fun and fresh, i just have to say that i don't appreciate how they used a term popularized by meg thee stallion, a black woman, and did not give her any credits.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I've read this author before and I did enjoy this book for the most part. Either it was very similar in plot to another book I loved or there were a few things I felt the author could have expanded upon.

Abby Atkinson is a 4th year PhD physics when her whole research was stolen by her advisor without any proof to back up her claims. For someone so smart as the book title suggests, Abby not being able to defend her work as hers seems a plot device to get her on Richard Vale's rented yacht in the Mediterranean as a math tutor for his 12 year old daughter Bijou. So Abigail takes the job and flies to Barcelona to meet the yacht and the occupants- Richard, Bijou, Coco the assistant and the yacht crew.

I admired Abby's independent nature with traveling and getting out of her comfort zone with adventures, to help encourage Bijou and her dad connect. Unfortunately being a child of divorce with the tabloids is not easy. The romance with Richard was a little difficult to believe. There is definitely a slow burn, and once they do become intimate it's a fade to black situation.

It was an unrealistic ending maybe but a happy one in terms of Abby deciding to pursue teaching over finishing her PhD, even though I wanted her to stick it to the guy who stole her work. I liked the side characters, Arpita and Coco. I enjoyed traveling vicariously through Abby as well. 3.25/5☆