I couldn't put this book down! Even though I had a love hate relationship with this book, mostly because I felt like the love triangle was not necessary or very well developed (Nate felt like he was a background character rather than a love interest), I couldn't put this book down. I love it!
Some of the questions going through my head while reading Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy were: Who was she going to choose? Why was it even a choice? (I loved one of the love interests more 🤭.) How would her father react to discovering she's living with three boys?

All in all even though I didn't love the love triangle this book, it was a great book to unwind with at the end of the day.

Summary: Nineteen-year-old Abbey Bly seizes the chance to study abroad in London, escaping her overbearing rock star father, only to find unexpected romances and scandals.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

A book about a Rockstars Daughter finding herself in England with a Romance aspect... sign me up!

This is the first book I have ever read by Elle Kennedy and it did not disappoint. Usually I'm not into reading about love triangles but this book had me rooting for one man and one man only. Jack had my heart and will continue to have it because he is just adorable.

The fact this book has some historical elements to it as well really intrigued me because it showed how important it is to believe in yourself. And also knowing your worth like come on!

I read at least 80% of this book in one day so It was soooo close to a 5 star read. It just needed to be slightly longer or more drama to happen for me to have it pushed to 5. But a 4.5 star read is amazing for me!

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to review this book!

* 3.5 stars *

- Love triangle
- Mystery subplot

Girl Abroad follows 19yo American Abby on her year abroad in London where she attends Uni. She is determined to find herself away from her overprotective rockstar dad's fame and choose her own path and make her own memories.

When she arrives in London she quickly realises that her housemates are in fact all male (named - Jacky, Leigh and Jamie > see how she got that mixed up?). Abby finds herself attracted to her one housemate - Jack, an Australian rugby player, but then on a night out she locks eyes with bassist Nate who she quickly realises is in a relationship with a friend of a friend. Here the love triangle starts. [No cheating takes place] She can see herself living two different lives with each guy, but neither is willing to commit so the story continues on how Abby ends up with Mr. Right.

Throughout the book there is a mystery subplot that Abby is trying to solve as part of her History class project. She finds a painting and is determined to find out how the woman in the painting relates back to a noble British family. Through solving the mystery is helps her conclude on which guy to pick in the end. I had picked the guy I thought she would end up with from the start, but until the very last chapter I was not sure she would actually end up with him, so it kept me on my toes. Obviously some drama unfolds that makes her question herself and the love interests.

Overall I enjoyed the book! If you are here following reading the off-campus series, this is definitely a different vibe, less spice and perhaps a different direction you would expect from the usual college romance.

But as an expat to England myself, I could appreciate her experience living away from home for the first time.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Okay first things first, I love a book by Elle Kennedy. This was definitely different from her other books that I have read so I did find it a bit slow at the beginning but once I got in to it, wow did it deliver. The love triangle and the several plot twists was not what I was expecting.

I loved the aspect of including the roommates into the book I thought it brought out the characters more and their own individual personalities.

I loved this book! Abbey was a great character and I really enjoyed her journey over the course of the story. Not only do we get to follow her love life but also the mystery she's trying to solve after she bought a painting of a girl at an estate sale.

Abbey is the daughter of a rock star who retired from the lifestyle and became a full time, incredibly over protective father so when Abbey wants to spend a year studying abroad in London, he finds it difficult to let her go. When she arrives in London she realises the three female flatmates she's moving in with are in fact males - Lee, Jamie and Jack (an Aussie). She slots in well with them from the beginning and she's instantly attracted to Jack and him to her, but the only house rule they have is no relationships between flatmates.

One night she meets Nate, who is a bassist in a band and a bartender. Abbey is instantly attracted to him but he's dating a friend of her flatmates so she tries to keep her distance but each time they spend time together it becomes clear there is something between them. But Abbey makes it clear she's not getting in the middle of their relationship. So Nate breaks up with his girlfriend, and immediately runs to Abbey and the decide from the beginning that it's not an exclusive arrangement.

So when Jack comes looking for more, she tells him she's not going to stop seeing Nate. For the next few months she continues to see both men all while trying to find the answer to the mystery woman. Who was she and what was her connection to the high profile Tulley family? I loved following along with the mystery, it was a great storyline in the book and it is fully revealed towards the end of the story which was great.

I'm hoping this becomes a series by Elle Kennedy, I'd like to see more from the other characters in the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I’ve loved Elle Kennedy ever since I read The Deal so I was super excited to read this when I saw it pop up. At first I was a little uneasy with the whole love triangle thing, but then I remembered what life was like at that age and could relate to Abbey a little more. I’m glad she picked who she did, Her dad was such an awesome character, loved him! Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this read.

I loved this book so much, the characters were all great and Abbey’s side story with her research project was as equally enthralling as the main story line. I felt as confused about the love interests as Abbey herself did! It was also really unpredictable which is not often the case with romance as a genre, 100% recommend Elle Kennedy’s latest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review

LOVED THIS! I am normally not a love triangle reader. Mainly because of the angst and that one person comes out hurt. But in Elle Kennedy I will always trust. Every time I read one of her books I'm drawn into the world and lives of the characters shes created. This book was just like that.

I love love loved this book! This is the 9th Elle Kennedy book that I've read, and its nearing the top of my favourites list. The characters were everything, the banter was top notch and just everything about it had me kicking my legs and screaming like a little girl. I already want to reread! Definitely go and pick this up because you will not be disappointed!

This is about Abbey who decides to spend a semester studying in London. She is meant to live with a group of girls but upon her arrival finds that the girls are actually boys. Normally, I don’t like love triangle romances but this was written so good that I actually loved it. I haven’t really read many of Elle Kennedy books outside of her hockey romances. Jack and Nate were awesome there were times while reading where even I couldn’t choose. I loved the writing and the characters in this. The spice was perfect sometimes you need a little spice written well rather than a lot of spice written badly.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

When Abbey Bly gets the chance to study abroad in London and escape her overprotective 'rock star' dad she takes it... only to realise her roommates are guys, something her dad would never allow. She also can't date them (no matter how attractive they are) because of the past drama with their last roommate. To top it off, there's another guy she's fallen head over heels in insta lust with: a British musician who's already taken AND she's also gone and gotten herself tangled in a scandal of a family from aristocracy.

You know, like every other tourist.


Abbey was incredibly close to being a tolerable FMC. She would complain about how the most interesting stories she had were from her dad's life and then used said stories to make people like her. She spent what felt like a full two pages on how she's 'never going to tell Anyone about who my daddy is' which then preceded to dissolve within 0.02 seconds. And woe is her because everyone is immediately infatuated by her 'completely average looks' that she Never humble brags about. Oh, and then add a sprinkle of having no personality beyond liking libraries/history/old stuff to the extent where she is turned on by them and there you have the recipe to an incredibly annoying FMC.


There were so many opportunities for female friendships but instead we get abbey hating on the girlfriend of one of her love interests because she's fallen into an insta-lust with him. Feminism where? I don't see her. And Amelia completely vanished and only appeared when Abbey snapped her fingers/rubbed the magic lamp to show us just how Nice and Kind and Awesome she was. Celeste was barely there and needed more scenes.


And then there is the love triangle trope which I don't necessarily dislike, but usually do end up wishing death on both love interests. This time it was because both the love interests were so bland. They had no depth apart from being two commitment-phobic men who were both in an instalust/instalove with abbey who then continued to explain to us just how Different they were to each other. It was the same men different font. Jamie would have been a much more interesting love interest than Nate.


And then you get the whole 'it's technically not cheating' and the 'omg haha it's a mystery side plot involving a loving triangle which is kind of a parallel to my current situation' which was so messy and added nothing to the plot.


And the 'whoops all my roommates are guys' wasn't explored as much as it could have been. For an overprotective parent, you would think Abbey would have had to have hidden it more than once, and you maybe would have thought that since it takes up so much space in the synopsis.


So to sum up, everyone was horny and there was not nearly enough angst, but their stupid actions provided entertainment and drama which lead this book to receive 3 stars from myself. It was also fast-paced, easy to read so it could possibly be a good read to escape a slump.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Abbey’ relationship with the hero tugged on my heartstrings and had me crying. Their love was so serene and pure. Loved it.

Abby is more then ready to spend a year abroad studying at Pembridge university. She needs space to make her own decisions and mistakes outside of her father’s shadow. When Abby arrives in London she’s greeted by her roommates turns out they’re not girls like she’d originally thought. Abby can’t help falling for not one but two guys, one of her roommates and a musician with a girlfriend. It’s a mess and making a decision won’t be easy.

My favorite part of the book was Abby’s research. She decided to look into a girl named Josephine not knowing the scandal she’d uncovered about a noble family. So much drama and I’m really glad we got to find out what really happened to her. I also really enjoyed the cat they rescued, the friend dynamics between the roommates and all the fun dialogue.

“in our final moments, we think of the people we love and what we leave behind. That it’s far too late for regrets”

Onto the not as good, the love triangle trope. It’s fun for a bit Abby gets what’s hers and she’s living her best life. But when feeling start developing a choice has to be made and she keeps putting it off. By the end it infuriated me and low key ruined the last few chapters even though she ended up with the right guy imo.

The writing is great it’s funny, spicy and easy to take in. My rating dropped a bit mainly because of how the love triangle was written.

There aren't many romance books that I would watch if they were turned into movies; however, this is one I would definitely watch. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles, Elle Kennedy did a fantastic job presenting this novel. She is one of the few authors I've read that has actually made this trope work! While I have so many of her books on my shelf, this is actually the first one I've read. I just couldn't put this book down; her writing style was so captivating, and it kept me hooked from beginning to end.

All the characters in this book were well-developed and relatable, which made the love triangle all the more intriguing. They were really entertaining to read about and quite humorous characters at times. I would definitely read any spin-off books about any of the side characters; they were just all amazing.

The romance and spice in this book was simply just *chef's kiss*. You could feel the chemistry between the characters just coming out of the book. I honestly didn't know which couple to root for at times. But I am very pleased with who she chose in the end; he's definitely the man for her.

This book was such a perfect blend of romance, friendship, and mystery. To be honest, I was so engrossed in Abby's research project that I found myself eagerly anticipating each of her discoveries. I just couldn't wait to find out the mystery and story behind the women in the painting.

Overall, Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy was such an easy 5-star novel, and I can't wait to dive into her other novels as soon as possible and see what other unique stories she has in store.

“Is that true? Does your heart always lead you where you’re supposed to be in the end? If so, I wish mine would point me in the right direction already. Jack or Nate. Take your pick, heart.”

Girl Abroad is the latest romance novel from New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy. Our protagonist Abbey moves to London from Nashville for a year studying abroad, moving into the shared house she thinks she’s sharing with four female roommates who turn out to actually all be attractive guys. Abbey then finds herself in a love triangle with one housemate – despite a strict no flatcest rule – and one of their friends – despite him having a girlfriend.
This was my first time reading anything from the author but based on other reviews it appears this isn’t her usual style. The book largely read as a mature YA story with a few spicy scenes thrown in.
I tend to not actually go for the love-triangle trope but something about this book really intrigued me and the trope did end up working quite well, definitely supported by the focus on all three parties not expecting commitment. I was incredibly conflicted for the majority of the book as to which MMC I wanted Abbey to end up with but (being mindful of avoiding spoilers) she did end up making the right choice in my eyes.
I had a real love/hate relationship with Abbey as a protagonist. I liked the banter she had with her flatmates and particularly her relationship with Mr Baxley the librarian (who, aside from their demon pet cat, was my favourite character) but aside from this she felt like a largely two-dimensional character so it was at times difficult to see why she had half of England falling at her feet. Morally it was quite difficult to get on board with her too as she spent half of the book preaching that she wasn’t the kind of girl to steal another girl’s boyfriend but then went and did it anyway, using the technicality that nothing physical happened between them whilst he was still in a relationship.
It did also feel like all of the male characters were quite two dimensional also and based around stereotypes. Jack was a blonde, tanned, muscular Australian rugby player who spent more time shirtless than not, Jamie was a posh playboy and Nate was a free-sprit motorbike-driving musician. They did start to explore Jack and Nate’s characters on a deeper level as their relationships with Abbey blossomed but I would have liked this to have been developed even further. The character I was most disappointed with was Lee who was portrayed as your stereotypical 00s rom-com gay best friend when he had the potential to be so much more than that, had he been better written.
In terms of spice-level this is probably a low 3 out of 5. There are a couple of open-door spicier scenes which are largely well written, but the majority of potentially good spicy scenes, especially involving Jack, had a fade to black which was a shame. It was disappointing that there wasn’t more of an even split of spicy scenes between the two love interests.
I do, however, want to praise the positive portrayal of female pleasure that we have within one of the scenes between Abbey and Nate, one of the male love interests. During a spicier scene, Nate actually asks Abbey “what do you need to come?”, acknowledging that few women can climax from penetration alone and that most will require another form of stimulation. We love respectful lovers like Nate who prioritise their partners pleasure alongside their own and actually understand how the female body works! This was ruined slightly later in the scene when it felt like Abbey mocked him for saying this but this largely felt like a really important portrayal of female pleasure.
I was disappointed with the fact that it felt like the UK university experience hadn’t been very well researched at all, which feels like a fundamental flaw in a book about someone studying abroad in London. In Girl Abroad, Abbey starts her first semester in August when UK university academic years don’t actually start until at least mid-September. There were also language choices which were incorrect, such as use of ‘spring break’ which isn’t a thing in the UK, we have an Easter break. The idea of university students living in Notting Hill was also borderline ridiculous and implied that the author’s only understanding of British life comes from 90s and 00s British romcoms and the Taylor Swift song London Boy. There seemed to be few other references to British culture – aside from a few pub trips – so it just didn’t feel authentic to British student life which was disappointing and a real missed opportunity.
I did largely like the historical mystery element to the novel – as Abbey tries to uncover the identity of the woman in a mysterious painting she picked up at an estate sale, as part of her studies – and the way it mirrored the love triangle Abbey found herself in but at times it felt like it took away from the romance plot.
Overall, this was a largely enjoyable read it just lacked quite a lot of the substance I was craving. Those who want an easy romance read, especially fans of the love triangle trope, will like this book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️/ 5

I have posted my review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

"Girl Abroad" by Elle Kennedy presents the coming-of-age journey of 19-year-old Abbey, venturing to London for a transformative study abroad experience. Struggling against the constraints of her overbearing rockstar father, Abbey finds herself in a flat full of charming, off-limits boys. The narrative weaves a love triangle with her rugby-playing roommate and a brooding musician, entangling Abbey in both romantic and scandalous pursuits. While the book is an easy read with engaging parallels between Abbey's life and her research on a high nobility family, it falls short of being a favorite Elle Kennedy work. Despite relatable themes of independence and complex father-daughter dynamics, the cringe-worthy moments and slow pacing dim the overall experience. For some readers, it may deliver, but personally, it lacks the spark found in Kennedy's other works.

Received as an ARC in return for my honest review

🩵 Romcom
🩵 Rugby player
🩵 Bass guitarist
🩵 Love triangle
🩵 Found family

Growing up in the shadow of a famous father must be tough, so young Abbie takes it upon herself to move to London and live her best life abroad at University. Only it all goes a bit Pete Tong when the flat she thinks she has with 3 other girls turns out to be 3 guys…..oh what a shame!

I loved Abbie as a character and the way she navigated discovering her own identity outside of her Dad’s circle.

Love triangles aren’t usually my cup of tea but Elle makes it work well in this case, I was hooked from start to finish.

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and Piatkus for giving me a digital arc of this book.

I had really high hopes for this book as I love Elle Kennedy’s other work and, as a Brit, I was excited for a story set in the UK. Unfortunately, this book was almost impossible for me to finish due to the language used in the book by the “British” characters. Terms like “flat iron”, “vanity” and “fall” are simply not used in the UK and are recognisably American. Additionally, we do not take “general education classes” at university (they are also not offered for exchange students).

The plot was bubbly and Abbey was a relatable character but unfortunately it seems that Kennedy did not do her research for this book or hire a British editor/proof reader.

Such a fun story, gave me Emily in Paris vibes.

Abby is looking for her own adventure so she apply to study abroad as a way to escape her overbearing and protective famous father .

First oops is she’s accidentally rooming with 3 guys second oops is finding herself in a love triangle. ( not my fav trope ).

Something that makes or breaks a book for me are the side character , yet again Elle has brought to life so excellent character that you can’t help wanting to know there story.

If you looking for a spicy romance, excellent banter, coming of age , found family , pick this book up

This was a fun and easy read, although a little difficult to get into as I am more familiar with the Off Campus and Briar U series', which have different vibes. I am also not a major fan of the love triangle trope, so I did struggle with that section of the book. Overall though, this is an enjoyable read for the appropriate reader.