I will pick up Kristin Rockaway's books on author alone. It started with her first novel, How to Hack a Heartbreak, and since then, I've been hooked. As someone who often takes issue with the romance genre, I find Rockaway's novels surprisingly refreshing as they typically feature strong female leads with vibrant lives and stimulating careers. As a former IT professional, it makes sense that Rockaway inserts a bit of her former life into her new line of work - writing novels!

Smart Girl Summer is no exception. This romance is a perfect summer beach read, as it features our protagonist Abby Atkinson sailing around Europe on a luxurious yacht, visiting beautiful, exciting locales … and falling for her boss! When Abby decides to take a summer off from her physics PhD program after her adviser steals her research, she takes a job tutoring a billionaire's daughter in middle school math. A job tutoring aboard a sumptuous yacht while sailing the Mediterranean, that is! Abby has big plans to truly enjoy herself while seeing the world, but what she didn't plan on was feeling attracted to Richard Vale, playboy billionaire and father of her young tutee. Abby has a strict moral code when it comes to work, and she wants to keep things purely professional between her and Richard, but it becomes increasingly difficult the more she gets to know him. Things are rapidly heating up this summer - will Abby be able to resist the temptation?

Smart Girl Summer mixes work and play in a delightful way that is sure to please. This travel-laden novel will be savored by anyone with a hint of wanderlust, and will compel readers to research all of the places Abby travels to on her "smart girl summer." And speaking of smart girls, this book features an independent, focused woman pursuing a STEAM career, which is not often seen in romance novels. The romance of this book is the story's weakest part, but I didn't mind that so much considering the other aspects of the book were vivid and engaging. I just felt like Abby and Richard's relationship came out of left field, and was more of the insta-love variety than something that was true and long-lasting. Additionally, when it came to trouble in paradise, Abby seemed to lose some of her "smarts" and resorted to typical female tropes, making assumptions and pouting instead of approaching the issues reasonable and with common sense.

Recommended to fans of Ali Hazelwood, Smart Girl Summer is a frolicking foray into a summer of love and living it up!

SMART GIRL SUMMER tells the story of Abby, a fourth year PhD student whose research has been stolen and published without crediting her, and her subsequent summer of figuring out what it is she wants from life. Through a rare strike of luck, she lands a maths tutoring position for a billionaire's daughter, which takes her on a six-week cruise of the Mediterranean - not a bad place to figure out your life, right?

I'm a sucker for stories about people in higher education, especially romances. The day-to-day lives are so cerebral, I love when stories break this up with the high emotions of falling in love. I liked the travel romance-y aspect of SMART GIRL SUMMER and how it instantly put me in a holiday mood. However, my biggest quarrel with the story was that I didn't feel like I could grasp Richard, the love interest. His characterisation stayed too much at the surface for me, which is why I never fully got into their relationship. Additionally, I felt like the book featured too many travel situations (mainly in the beginning) of Abby being on her own somewhere, but nothing all that much happening. It would've been fine if we'd gotten some insight into her working through the academic betrayal she's just gone through, but mostly it's Abby trying to talk to random people or thinking about how lucky she is to get to travel. Both of those are fine of course, but they didn't feel like they were moving the story forward and consequently felt a little repetitive.

Overall, I mostly enjoyed my read of SMART GIRL SUMMER but the book unfortunately didn't blow me away despite it's promising premise.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I liked how easy this book was to read. The travel and locations were beautiful and idyllic. The plot was pretty standard, and the extra characters, Coco, Bijou and Arpita were fun and gave Abby a chance to talk about her feelings.
The only issue I suppose, was that Richard and Abby's relationship wasn't as angsty as I'd like. We didn't really get to see them get to know each other very well.
3.5 stars.

Smart Girl Summer is such a refreshing read and perfect for summer.

I thought this book would be another steamy billionaire x employee romance but it was completely different from what I imagined. It was a very light read.

What I love about the story is that the plot doesn’t center around romance. It’s also about self discovery and overcoming the hard things that life throw at us when we are on that journey.

I loved the chemistry between the characters. I enjoyed how Richard and His daughter grew their relationship and how Abby had a hand in it. Abby is very smart and tend to overreact a lot which I very relate to. I understand the struggle of doing something that you don’t believe in just to make others proud of you. I admire her character.

The descriptions of the places they’ve visited and the adventures they had were almost true to life that I felt like I’m there with them.

I would’ve enjoyed some steamier scenes. The only issue I had is I wished that we learned more about Richard’s character.

An easy, enjoyable read. The book is about Abby, whose life starts not going to plan when her advisor steals her PhD and the academic world closes in leaving her on the outside and unable to get a job. So instead Abby has a summer of private tutoring in the Mediterranean on a Billionaire's yacht. The rest of the story was predictable but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book at all. A perfect summer read.

*3.5 stars*

This was a fun, summery novel with a hint of romance! I really enjoyed the main character, Abby, and seeing her messily try to navigate a fork in the road for herself felt very real. While I was reading, I wasn't sure how things would wrap up at all, which felt true to life :) However, I enjoyed how each piece of the puzzle (her PhD, her personal passions, her romance, her friendships) came together in the end, especially because a few of the twists were unpredictable. The book had a nice overall "message" (that wasn't too heavy-handed) around pursuing what truly makes us happy and listening to the--sometimes quiet--voice that reminds us of our dreams. Definitely would recommend for an easy beach read, or just some beautiful European vacation escapism!

Smart Girl Summer is about realising that success is about happiness and not external validation. I love how Abby allowed herself to make mistakes and learn from them. I loved her relationship with Bijou and how we finally got to see a daughter/son of the love interest that doesn't hate the main character and is mean to them as we often see. Overall, this was a good read for the summer, and it will make you add tons of places to your bucket list. I highly recommend giving it a read!

This was a quick read. Although I didn’t love it, I did enjoy it and continued to read. I liked the characters.

Ayyyyy, you can teach and old dog new tricks. I wish this had an earlier release date as it's such a wonderful beachy book, I hope it becomes a classic.

loved this perfect summer romance read! really enjoyed the setting of sites across the mediterranean and the love story intertwined. 4.5/5 stars

I really liked this book. I’ll admit that I’m not usually into rich, hot dad books but this one felt different. I was big fan that the MC was in a science program and loved that she solved her own problems. While I wish there was more of a connection between the MC and her love interest, it still felt realistic and I like how the characters grew throughout the story. It was an easy and interesting read that I would recommend others check out.


Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

This book was a fun treat! I loved it! It was a good reset after I read a heavier book. It kept me flipping pages well past my bedtime!!

Smart Girl Summer follows Abby, a grad student, who has hit a major road block on her way to getting her PhD. This setback forces Abby to revaluate her life and future. Her tutoring agency becomes her saving grace and offers her the opportunity to not only get away from it all (a six week trip through the Mediterranean on a yacht) - but to become a long-term tutor for a wealthy client and hopefully help her sort out her future.

The client is Richard. A billionaire, single dad, rumored to be a major playboy. What Abby discovers is that Richard isn't the playboy womanizer the tabloids make him out to be. All he wants is to build a better relationship with his daughter, Bijou.

Abby can't help but fall for him but when it's time for her to rejoin the real world she needs to figure out if sacrificing her privacy is worth a very publicized life with Richard.

Overall, this was a quick and fun read! It's a perfect summer reader. If you want a story about self discovery, the close proximity trope, and a strong and equally smart character like Abby, then look no further!

There isn't any spice but there are sweet and romantic moments throughout the book that add to the overall plot and character development for both Abby and Richard.

This was okay. That's the only way I could describe this book. There was nothing memorable or something to note about it. Honestly, I really can't remember any details about the book. It was overall 'meh'. Not bad, just okay.

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.

Really quick summer read. I could have used a couple more scenes to develop the relationship between the couple; through banter, another date, or even a little dose of steam. It was just missing one of those moments to really make me swoon. Loved the yacht setting!

Plot: I really liked it! The descriptions of the locations where they went was really cool. And I loved the romance!

Characters: Abby was a great lead, and I really liked reading about her discovering what she wanted in life. Her romance with Richard was wonderful! And I liked all the supporting characters as well!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This is a perfect summer read, and also just a awesome romance novel to read anytime of year. I absolutely loved it! Overall, I would definitely recommend it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book is an easy read, it was good from start to finish. The plot is quite predictable but nevertheless i do enjoy a good romance book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read, the writing style is quite easy to understand and most of the characters are likable.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange of my honest review.

As someone who just graduated with her doctorate degree, this was the escapist post-academia recovery book I needed. The perfect mental break and a delicious romance all wrapped up in one.

You had me at this cover and this title! This book was fun and a perfect getaway. The perfect summer read, with the perfect blend of romance and finding yourself.

Favorite Quotes:
“And odds are, even the people who are supposed to be on your side care more about protecting the status quo than standing up for what’s right.”

“I have gelato for lunch because I’m an adult who can make her own decisions.”