What a life! Abbey Bly really was living every girl’s dream. Semester abroad and living the best London experience with multiple drop-dead gorgeous men just fawning after her.
Elle Kennedy’s writing is such a guilty pleasure and I enjoyed this one for sure! I was also not sure who Abbey was going to pick at the end but I’m glad she made the right choice in my opinion. This was a bit different from the sports romance I’m used to from Elle Kennedy but was a fun read nevertheless!

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Book group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC! I loved this book from start to finish, it was one of my favourite Elle Kennedy reads. I loved the characters in this book and the realism of the living situations. And I absolutely loved the historical conspiracies within it. It was like a mini story within a story. 4 star read for me.

This definitely had a different vibe to Elle Kennedy's other books. I think that this was ok, it didn't sweep me away but it wasn't bad by any stretch. I feel as though there was something missing that I can't quite out my finger on.

I have read and loved some of Elle Kennedy's other books, such as the Off-Campus series, but I think Girl Abroad is now my favourite from her!

It's a really cute and fun coming of age story, that follows Abbey as she tries to venture out on her own for the first time and figure out who she is away from her father's limelight. She moves to London for a study year abroad and ends up rooming with three boys, Lee, Jamie and Jack. I loved the friendships in this book, they grew really nicely and banter between them was fun and believable.

I really loved the mystery element to the story too. I couldn't put the book down, I desperately needed to know what happened to the mysterious Josephine and the Tulley brothers! I did enjoy how the love triangle between Josephine and the Tulley brothers mirrored Abbey's own struggles with a love triangle between Jack and Nate. I am not usually a fan of love triangles as I think it's usually clear who they'll end up with, but this one did have me doubting myself a couple of times!

Girl Abroad is packed with tension, romance, friendship, intrigue, mystery and a tad of hot hot hot spice- the perfect combination for an exciting new contemporary coming of age novel! A must read.

I really wanted to love this one. It has all the hallmarks for a great new adult romance, with a heroine who's a little bit naive and sheltered finding herself and exploring a vibrant city and somehow finding romance too. It could have been sweet and wholesome and demonstrate a love for London too, and really showcase a city I'm really fond of. However, overall I found it to be filled with too much teenage drama, love triangles, and writing that seemed quite jarring compared to the content. It's quite spicy, yet the writing feels quite YA, almost as though the author didn't quite know where to fit her story around her characters.

Abbey is an interesting character is many regards. She's a rich kid, sheltered from a lot of the realities of life, thinking everything she's every achieved or done is on thr back of her dad as success, and going to London is an eye opener. However it all just felt a little far fetched. Suddenly she's surrounded by all these hot men stereotypes who fall over themselves for her. I cringed every time a so called British guy said 'luv'. FYI not all British guys are chimney sweeps. And the London I wanted to see come alive on the page never materialised either.

A quick read, but one without any real substance and some quite obvious tropes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

This book reminded me so much of an early 2000s teen romcom. It felt written to be adapted to a tv show or film.

I don’t think Elle Kennedy did enough research on British university’s considering this is where the book takes place. Classes (known as lectures in the uk) started in august in this book, whereas they actually start late September/early October in the uk. There was also mentions of spring break, which is not a part of the uk academic year. Two characters also go to Sydney for a week, which is a 20+ hour flight and is not a realistic place to go to for just a week. These minor details just made the book unrealistic to me.

I also think there was too much going on in this book. A mystery, plus a love triangle, as well as some side plots, just confused me as a reader. One of the two main elements should have been focused on as when both love interests declared their love for the FMC, it didn’t feel real.

This was definitely different to what I was expecting. I’ve read a good handful of books from this author now (off campus series + Avalon Bay series) and enjoyed them all but they were all super similar in tone I felt, so that’s exactly what I thought this one would be but it was so different…

This was such a different vibe, I liked it but it’s just very different to her other books.

I liked the whole rock star’s daughter thing and I really, really loved the second storyline that was running through it about the mystery that the main character was trying to solve and to be honest I thought that was going to be my least favourite part of the book when it started but it ended up being the part I liked the best.

I wasn’t super fussed about the romance/love triangle element of the story which I was kinda disappointed about as that’s what I was looking forward to the most.

I think this is definitely one to give a go if you love the love triangle troupe and a story with dual storylines!

From the blurb -
When nineteen-year-old Abbey Bly gets the opportunity to study abroad for a year in London, it’s the perfect chance to finally slip out from under the thumb of her beloved but overbearing retired rock star father. She’s ready to be free, to discover herself - but first off, to meet the girls she’s rooming with. That is, until she arrives at her gorgeous new flat to discover those roommates are actually all boys. Charming, funny, insufferably attractive boys. And off-limits, with a rule against fraternizing between housemates after unwanted drama with the previous girl.

Abbey has never considered herself a rulebreaker. But soon, she’s lying to her father about her living situation and falling for not one, but two men she can’t have: her rugby-player roommate and a broody musician with a girlfriend. Not to mention, her research for school has gotten her tangled in a deeply hidden scandal of a high nobility family, surrounding her in secrets on all sides.

*ARC from Netgalley ✨

What was so fun about this book is the merging of several unique genres including romance, friendship fiction, mystery and women’s fiction but all within the umbrella of New Adult. After all, at its core, this is a coming of age story about a young woman navigating her way through the world with newfound independence.

While love triangles are, admittedly, not my favorite trope, I had a clear preference in this one and as a result, that preference gave me a rooting interest. At a certain point I was racing to the end, desperate to know what would become of our MCs. I felt so personally invested in my favorite pairing and would not accept any other resolution. Thankfully things worked out as I had hoped.

With strong themes of friendship, a steamy romance scene or two (okay maybe more 😉) and that feeling of fresh adulthood and all the wonderful experiences that go along with that, Elle Kennedy has the perfect recipe for a fun new romance series. I do not know if this is set to be a series, but boy do I sure hope it is.

Read if you like:
•coming of age stories
•UK setting
•love triangles
•strong friendships
•underlying mysteries

I'm not usually for love triangles but it's Elle Kennedy so as I love her writing, I had to give this book a go!

Writing wise, it's easy to read, fast paced, very captivating from the very first chapter. I loved the adventures that our main heroine gets herself into, I liked the male characters/house mates that she by accident ends up living with.

This book was definitely a good palette cleanser, in between the romance books that I was reading.

The reason it wasn't 5 stars, if the stereotypes around London and the UK, also the use of American slang by non American characters. It just didn't read as well and didn't make the story as unique and believable as it could have been.

I loved the past paceness, the flow of the book, the emotions and laughter that I always get from any of the Elle Kennedy books.

Girl Abroad was fast paced, easy read and as someone who has read Elle Kennedy books before I love her writing style, so this book was a win before I picked it up - Yes it is different from her usual hockey romances but this was still a great fun read! (cant say I loved this one more than the hockey ones though!)

I didn't really love the 'love triangle' trope, but I don't like them in any book not just this one, I felt like I would have liked it more if there was just one love interest and the characters relationship developed more (wont spoil with who I was rooting for!) Dating two guys at once really isn't something I love reading about either.

Loved that it was set in the UK, but what did not make sense was non-American characters using American Slag - I could count on my one hand how many times I've heard Fall used instead of Autumn in the whole of my 37 years of being Welsh, surely Elles British publishing team would have picked up on this?

Over All a solid 3.5 rounded down to 3

Thank you to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As I read about the incredible and great experience of a 19-year-old girl going abroad for a year to study and discover a history mystery, I found her journey truly captivating. Her adventures painted a vivid picture of enthusiasm, and it felt like her excitement leaped off the pages. Being the daughter of a famous singer added an interesting layer to her reflections on navigating life.

The surprise of living with guys instead of girls brought a playful twist to the story. I admired her carefree attitude and how she embraced the unknown, bringing a joyful spirit to the narrative. The love triangle added a mix of emotions that kept me engaged throughout.

As I reached the end, there was a satisfying feeling, like the conclusion of an enjoyable journey. Her story, filled with laughter, discovery, and a bit of romance, left me with a happy vibe, enjoying the energetic flow of each chapter.

**Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review**

3.75 ☆

As always with Elle Kennedy's books I'm excited to read about a cute and steamy romance, generally involving sports as a background. When I saw this book on Netgalley, I knew I wanted to request it immediately, and knowing it was a very different premise than other books I'd read by the author enticed me even more.

In this book, we follow Abbey Bly, daughter of a famous former rocker, who's about to leave for a year on exchange across the pond, leaving the comfort and bubble of her sheltered life for the first time. But as soon as she arrives in London, small trouble arises and her adventure starts.

I really enjoyed this book, I cannot say otherwise and devoured it honestly. The mystery part of this book was what I liked the most, trying alongside Abbey to piece together the story of her subject for a research paper, and being surprised at almost every turn it took. This is something I hadn't seen in the books I'd read by Elle Kennedy so I'm glad she decided to go in that direction for the story.

Regarding the romance as this is still a focal part of the story... I was not fond of it. Bear with me. The thing is there were two love interests, and one of them I felt no connection to myself or between him and Abbey, only fascination. The second one I sensed the chemistry with, but that is all, I didn't feel there was enough there in terms of intellectual or personality compatibility kind of? In the end I was happy with what happened in the romance department, but I'd liked to have more interesting and compatible love interests for Abbey.

Talking about characters, I must say I loved Lee and Jamie and was sad to not see more of the latter. They were delightful as the British would say, and some of my favourite characters of the whole book, who I would have loved to see more of !! Finally I'd like to make a special mention to Mr. Baxley and Sophie whom I enjoyed reading about also and their interactions with Abbey!

In the end it was a very enjoyable read and I'm hoping the author will write more stories with the same types of side quests and mystery.

Overall this was a really cute read! It gave perfect 90s rom com vibes, and would make such a fun movie. Abbey - clueless American in London - was a little naive earlier on in the book, but I really enjoyed her character development.

I always have mixed feelings about love triangles - they can be incredible when devastating, but this one didn’t hit me as hard, and really it just felt like she enjoyed both men at the same time and didn’t want to choose 😂 (fair)

Whilst I did like both Jack & Nate, it took a while for the romance to get going… and at about 60% it really felt like neither guy actually liked Abbey all that much, nor wanted to commit! This is always a problem for me, I love a book when the man is 👏🏼 obsessed 👏🏼

Also as a Brit, I found the extreme stereotyping of life in the UK a bit much. I’m not saying it’s entirely inaccurate, and probably wouldn’t bother non-British readers… but it’s often cringey to read!

So whilst I did have a lot of fun reading this, I didn’t love it as much as many of Elle’s hockey romances!

My rating: 3.5

I’m just going to start off by saying that I’ve never been disappointed by anything that Elle Kennedy has written. And Girl Abroad is no different!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Abbey Bly seizes the opportunity to study for year in England for two reasons:
1. To get out of the shadow of her rockstar father Gunner Bly
2. To make some of her own memories
She’s really excited to move in with a group of girls and house share for the year. But when she arrives she realises her housemates are not the girls she thought they were. In fact… they’re boys…

Should Abbey tell her father and risk being dragged back to America, or does she go along with letting him believe shes sharing with three girls. That’s the first problem Abbey faces, throughout the story there is a lot more! She definitely gets the excitement she was looking for.

I really enjoyed this book and I absolutely loved the dynamics and relationships Abbey built with the three boys. I know this is a standalone story, but I wouldn’t be upset if a sequel did come out?

Thank you Netgalley, Ellen Kennedy and Bloom Books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Girl Abroad is out now and I would definitely recommend getting your hands on it!

Girl Abroad follows Abbey, a famous
musicians daughter from the US on her year abroad in London. She unexpectedly ends up in a house with three boys, a love triangle and a centuries old mystery to be solved.

We had two main plots - one which was Abbey finding herself, straying from her overprotecting father (and in the process developing a better relationship with him), and trying to understand her feeling for the two main love interests Nate and Jack. And the other which revolved around an unsolved mystery involving lords, maids and another love triangle.

I have never been a fan of love triangles and this book confirmed why - I think the entire thing is unfair on almost all parties, an aspect which Abbey definitely played into and I just can’t get behind either romance because you clearly can’t love two people in that same way at the same time. I felt almost no connection to her love for either of them, and it seemed at times that she didn’t either. Honestly, I preferred her relationship with her best friend Lee.

Abbey came across as quite selfish, calling her upbringing a prison, barely speaking to her best friend from home, entertaining another woman’s boyfriend etc. so I wasn’t particularly sympathetic when she couldn’t choose between these two guys.

Overall, it was an easy read but one that I didn’t love, for both the disingenuous characters and lack of plot.

Elle Kennedy e never disappoint
And this set in London was my top standalone she’s ever written 😍

We all know who I was rooting for from page 1

Abby investigation was so cool to follow

Thankyou very much for the Opportunity to review this book. Elle Kennedy has done it again! This romance made me swoon… I loved how it was set in the uk and found the humour very funny. The plot was addictive and I was constantly wondering who Abbey was going to pick right up until the very end. I would encourage everyone to read this that loves romance and wants a cute palette cleanser.

Girl Abroad was fantastic and I absolutely loved it, it had a completely different vibe to Kennedy’s other romance but it was so much fun! It was fun, adventurous, had a love triangle (which I am not a big fan of but she chose the correct one 👀) , a mysterious historical tale that I was desperate for Abbey solve and makes you want to travel and throw yourself out of your comfort zone. All in all lots of fun and a perfect read this Galentine’s Day! ♥️🩷

As someone who doesn’t usually like love triangles, I really enjoyed this one. Elle Kennedy just knows how to turn something messy into something fun, amazing, and, to be honest, realistic. I think this book captures something that today’s generation can relate to 100%. As a fan of Elle since the day I read the Off-Campus series, I just love her work and writing.

Abbey wants freedom - freedom to explore, to grow, to make her own mistakes, and to be herself. Even though she loves her dad, sometimes she feels lost within the stories of her famous father. Now that Abbey is in London, she is ready to explore. Upon landing, she discovers her flatmates are males, but she goes with it and develops a bond with the charming, funny, insufferably attractive boys over time. Abbey also finds herself falling for not one, but two men she can't have: her rugby-player roommate and a broody musician with a girlfriend. And not to mention, her research for school has gotten her tangled in a deeply hidden scandal of a high nobility family, surrounding her in secrets on all sides.

This book is about Abbey’s journey of finding herself in this mayhem and finding her love. And as always, the writing is amazing. I love the banter, the first kiss, the character arcs, the tension buildup, and most importantly, the underlying message of finding yourself. This book felt like a movie, and I was sucked in! If you are looking for a light and fun book with a love triangle, pick this one up!

Another Elle Kennedy book that I adored. Abby is living it up in London trying to get away from her famous Dad. Any book set in London always makes me happy anyway, but turning up to all male roommates was just hilarity in book form. I know love triangles are the DOOM of romance, but what girl in her right mind who is single and spending 1 year in a foreign country could resist these guys?? I cannot wait for my next Kennedy read.