There are times when I’ve picked up a YA book and thought that it would be better if the characters are a little older. I don’t know if any book I’ve read before has made such a strong case for why some YA books would be better if the characters were older as this one did.

Sage is a determined individual. She has this plan for her life and nothing is going to distract her from it. Whatever it takes to accomplish it, she’s going to do. Her determination was something else. It was nice to see her be so determined and focused on what she wanted.

What I really struggled with Sage was how her career was progressing. This is what made it feel like it would work a lot better if they were aged up a little bit. Sage acts so professional throughout has had a number of chances to work with people high up in the field she wants to go into that make her feel older than the fresh out of high school 18-year-old.

While she was professional and focused on her work, her relationship with Ryland didn’t feel as mature. It left me in this confusing limbo of everything. They felt more mature in instances and then together they didn’t. While it was a chance for them both to relax and be able to enjoy themselves when they felt they didn’t otherwise have a chance, the background and development wasn’t there for me to really feel that.

The romance is fun. I do think that Sage and Ryland were a good balance for each other, even if sometimes I wasn’t sure I felt the romance or if it was more platonic between them.

Hot Dutch Daydream ended rather abruptly, but overall, it was a quick read. If you could get past the thought that this would be better if they were older, than give it a try and see if it’s something you’ll like. Unfortunately, I just don’t think I vibed with this one.

This book, not necessarily a sequel to 'Hot British Boyfriend', but rather a standalone, was a perfect read. You're transported to Amsterdam as Sage agrees to be an Au Pair for Dr. Reese so she can intern at her lab and get a jump start on her future and college plans. Except there she meets this artsy red-headed boy, none other than her mentor's son who is her total opposite. While trying hard not to fall for him and setting clear boundaries, the lines begin to blur when they strike a deal to help each other and discover they're the perfect match. I loved this book and since the author went to the Netherlands to research for this very book, the descriptions and places visited in the story are wonderfully described to feel like you're actually there. A five-star read.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, so I was glad to get a chance to read Hot Dutch Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce. This one is a fun rom com in a great setting.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Okay so this started out cute, and then like 50% in I started to get so mad at some of these side characters. The MC Sage is trying to work, but the only way she can afford to be there to work as an intern in this lab is to babysit the doctor’s toddler. And she’s tired and messed up something because she’s acclimating to nannying and working and being in a whole other country, and this woman is like “I expect more of you.” Ma’am she’s literally watching your terror of a child right now so you and your husband can work full time and you’re expecting the same results from her from when she was NOT nannying your child? Like maybe a grown adult okay, but she’s a recent graduated HS student government her a break.

Also the doctor is like you can’t date my teenage son who lives with us because it will be a conflict of interest with you helping with this research and I’m using grant money. Except she’s taking advantage of this girl not being able to afford to go to this conference and using her for free labor babysitting?

And then later one of the grad students cancels going to Berlin so she’s like “hey teenage son would you like to come?” Oh so THATS okay to spend grant money on?! 😂

Anyway aside from all that, which was driving me crazy, the romance aspect was cute and the stubborn work is all that matters to me girl falls for the why work when you can make art and be chill dude. It’s cliche but adorable and a quick read, and if you can get over how ridiculous the mom and some of these side characters act, it’s not so bad.

Thank you @harpercollins and @Netgalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you @netgalley & @harpercollins for an eARC of this one! I switched between it and the audiobook! This one was cute! If you enjoy YA definitely give this one a try!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Kristy Boyce for allowing me to read and review this book.

I loved this book. It is hilarious, smart, and so much fun.

This is a reverse grumpy meets sunshine book. The main character is an almost 18-year-old girl who just graduated high school and is working in a lab under a well-known researcher as an intern. Wanting to pursue med school and help find a cure for lung cancer, she is highly academically driven. Never looking twice at a boy, because they are distractions and she can date after college, she has never even had a boyfriend. Everything gets thrown out the window, when the researcher she is interning for and babysitting for's older son comes home unexpectedly for the summer. He has bright red hair, neon shirts, artistic, and highly messy. The complete opposite of our main character.

This is such an amazing read and so well written. If you are looking for a cute romance between opposites and grumpy meets sunshine this is the book for you.

I read “Hot British Boyfriend”, the author’s prior work, and even though this technically wasn’t a sequel but a companion book, I decided to give it a read. I’ve read a lot of travel-romance books, but never one based in Amsterdam. Thanks, NetGalley and HarperTeen for an eARC of the book. I really enjoyed it.

Sage is not easily distracted. She has a plan, and she won’t be swayed. She’ll spend the summer interning in her mentor’s lab in Amsterdam, and then she’ll be ready for college. All she needs to do to pay for the summer is agree to serve as the au pair for Dr. Reese’s three-year-old. But she doesn’t anticipate the surprise arrival of Dr. Reese’s teenage son: Ryland. He’s a spontaneous, flirt, and impulsive—everything Sage isn’t. He’s a talented artist, but he needs someone to keep him focused. And as nannying proves harder than she expected, it turns out she might need help too. The two strike a deal: Sage will stop Ryland from going out with a different girl every day, and he’ll pitch in with his little brother. Spending the summer stuck together is the perfect way to keep distractions to a minimum, right?

I enjoyed Sage as a side character in the prior book and loved that she was getting her own companion book. This book helped flush out her character, and have the reader understand why she felt a little stuck-up/serious in ‘Hot British Boyfriend’. It was good to see Ryland help her loosen up a little bit. I also enjoyed him and loved the artwork shirts he made. I would’ve loved him to make one for me.

I would’ve loved to see more of Amsterdam, but I enjoyed what the book showed us. I did want to find out what happened to the main characters after the summer, like a little Epilogue or short story. But it was still a good book.

Fans of ‘Hot British Boyfriend’, travel romances, and ones that like learning more about a side character should get this book. If you haven’t read the prior book before reading this book, you’ll want to read it when you’re done with this.

Without really knowing I kind of hit it off with this book right away. Sage is a little overachiever nerd like me who wants to sail off into the science world at the tender age of seventeen. But life throws her a curveball when she is in The Netherlands babysitting her mentor’s toddler to pay for her ticker to a big science conference. Because turns out her mentor also has another son who happens to be completely charming and it’s making her question all her harsh rules about love.

Okay, I am all up for forbidden love but man did I *suffer* through it 😩 honestly, I don’t know how I used to read so much YA back in the days without all the second hand embarrassment and cringing.

But I persevered and really liked all the cute aspects of teenage love reflected in the book. I especially adored the setting and all the adventures these guys got into. Makes me happy to be in transported to different places of this wide world.

Cute romcom with fun characters, witty banter, and just the perfect amount of foreign hunk to keep you wanting more!

DNF at 12%. I’ve had this arc since April and I’ve never been able to get into it so I’m officially pulling the plug. It’s probably a good book, it just didn’t grab my attention like I wanted it to. It was an interesting premise, with characters that seemed promising, and I so thoroughly wanted to like it. I’ll probably come back to it when I’m in more of a reading mood - I’ve been in a brutal reading slump for three months - so I might end up liking it.

DNF at 20%

I never DNF…..so. Take that for what it’s worth.

I did enjoy the European setting a lot!
Our main female character was REAL know it all, and I just about couldn’t stand her.

It made pushing through difficult, and since I read to enjoy it, I put it down.

This was super cute. It wasn't overly deep, just a nice fluffy boy-next-door sort of forbidden friends to lovers romance. It was shorter than I expected, but I actually really like the length. It felt complete without getting repetitive or introducing unnecessary conflict.

The toddler Sage was babysitting was adorable and a very realistic small kid. Speaking from experience, his actions and reactions were spot on. I also loved seeing their relationship evolve as she grew used to caring for him and learned to love him.

Artistic but scattered Ryland made an excellent foil for extremely driven and science-minded Sage. They worked really well together and they had a lot of chemistry. I really enjoyed all of their interactions.

I always love books that incorporate art and/or science, as those are some of my main interests, and they were done well here. Both Ryland and Sage were very believable as knowledgeable in their respective fields.

The characters were distinct and didn't blur together at all, and it was good to have other people interacting with Sage and Ryland so the book didn't focus solely on them.

The audiobook narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life and giving them distinct voices. I enjoyed listening.

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for providing an early copy for review.

DNF at 25%. The characters felt one-dimensional, and I wasn’t looking forward to watching the main character fall for a love interest that came across as shallow and unfocused.

This was a fun, YA romcom. I really enjoyed the setting. My favourite scenes were definitely when they were exploring Amsterdam.
I really liked the character arc of Sage, realising that she can let go a little and live her life, as a young person should.
Diederek was super cute and allowed Sage to reflect on how she had been treating Wren.
Ryland was lovely, and I found his art tastes to be modern and amusing, I loved the idea of printed t-shirts.
It was a really fun, quick read.

Ugh, I bloody love a good slow burn romance and this book certainly delivered. It had me on the edge of my seat, and absolutely rooting for our main protagonists. It is the perfect YA, coming of age romance that will leave you swooning.

This book was really fun. I constantly am discovering new books in this genre that I would not have normally gone for by browsing on netgalley and I’m very glad I found this one.

HOLY COW talk about a slow burn romance. This book was super cozy. I liked it. It was cute and you could read it as a stand alone or with British Hot Boyfriend. It is one of those books you need on your shelf as a pallet cleanser after a heavy read.

The quickly distracted Sage is off to intern in Amsterdam before college. Theres a bit of science and then there is a touch of art as two characters meet and intertwine. Theres some hot and cold. Making this slow burn but with it being a quick read you the reader are ok with how it all unfolds. Get ready for this cute book.

In short:
Did I like it? Sure did.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely
Would I read more by this author? Yes, this is book 2 for me.

Fun and flirty YA romance set in Amsterdam. Sage knows exactly what she wants in life (to join the medical field and work to cure cancer), and will not let anything stand in her way. After impressing her mentor, Dr. Reese, the previous summer, Sage is given the golden opportunity to intern with her again this summer, and to present at a conference before even entering college. Dr. Reese flies her over and all she has to do is watch a three year old all summer. What could go wrong? Of course things become much more complicated when Dr. Reese's handsome older son, Ryland comes in to the picture. He's a go with the flow artist type, the exact opposite of Sage's structured personality. Love was never in the cards for Sage, but it might be just what she needs.

I enjoyed this romance all the way through. Sage is extremely driven. You know she can do whatever she puts her mind to. Ryland also has plans, but doesn't know how to avoid distractions. So of course he can help her loosen up and she can help him batten down. Opposites do attract after all. They make for a very sweet young couple, fun to read about. Loved the setting as well, and the descriptions of the various art throughout. Sage's relationship with her sister was a nice little side story too. Shed a few tears when reading about her connection with her father. Would recommend.

This is a slow burn, opposites attract, coming-of-age romance that was really fun. Smart meets art in Amsterdam which was such a great backdrop. This was perfect for summer reading.

Cute teenager romcom when Sage gets to go to Amsterdam to work with her mentor, she’s not expecting to fall for her older son. Sage is set on becoming a researcher to cure cancer and the boys she falls for is very much the opposite of her but the opposites attract?