Why the Follow Up Was Even Better Than the First

 

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As promised, today I'll be reviewing Hot Dutch Daydream by Kristy Boyce, which is a follow up to Boyce's debut novel, Hot British Boyfriend. However, even though it's a follow up on one of the character's from the first book in the series, you can totally read Hot Dutch Daydream on its own without having read Hot British Boyfriend.

In fact, if you aren't into series, then I would highly recommend reading this one as a stand alone. While I loved Ellie's story in Hot British Boyfriend I actually loved Sage's story in this novel even more. Though the novel started out a little slower for me than Ellie's story did, it didn't take long for me to be hooked once the love interest Ryland enters the picture. In this book Sage has agreed to come to Amsterdam and to work for her mentor Dr. Reese who she interned for when she was studying abroad in England. But this time, Sage will not be working in the lab. Instead, she's agreed to babysit Dr. Reese's three-year-old son, Diederik for the summer in exchange for Dr. Reese paying for Sage to fly overseas and present a poster of her earlier research work at a conference in Berlin, Germany. At first, things do not go well for Sage. While she's a natural in the realm of science and research, she's not so much when it comes to minding an active toddler. Not to mention babysitting one in a foreign city, Amsterdam, who speaks little English. It was fun watching the always in control Sage, who always has a plan and loves to color coordinate her weekly planner, meet her match in more ways than one. She soon finds herself in over her head when the evenings roll around and she is exhausted, but still needs to put in her work for the research team and prepare her poster for her big conference presentation. Her plans get even more thrown out of whack when Ryland, Dr. Reese's older son, returns home unexpectedly for the summer from his backpacking trip. On the surface, Ryland seems just as much the opposite of Sage as her best friend Ellie is with his go with the flow attitude to life. However, as the two get to know one another, it becomes apparent that they might have more in common than they thought. Where Sage is passionate about pursuing her career as a medical doctor and cancer researcher, Ryland is equally as passionate about pursuing a career as an artist. It is equally evident early on from his teasing and flirting that Ryland might also be passionate about pursuing Sage as well. But a conversation with Dr. Reese, once she realizes her oldest son has come back home, makes it clear that if Sage wants to continue working for her, being anything other than friends with Ryland is out of the question.

One of the things I loved most about this book was how Boyce helps Sage learn to balance her life as a character. In the beginning she is very much the in control, reserved and driven Sage from Hot British Boyfriend. But her summer job as nanny to Diederik while still trying to cover her responsibilities as Dr. Reese's intern force her to adjust and for the first time, accept help when it is offered by Ryland. The fun twist comes into it when we realize the proposition he offers Sage to help him stay focused so he can enter an important art competition is also a ploy to get to know her better. The friendship that blossoms between them is fun to read! Ryland helps Sage, but he also provides her with companionship and a sense of calm and peace that she hasn't managed to find in ages. The way they interact and the way Sage discovers how well they balance each other out is sweet, while also being funny. Plus, I cannot state enough how much I love Ryland. He's creative and smart and so incredibly clever and without giving too much away, the way he compares Sage to a cat in one scene in the book is priceless. Of course, problems ensue when Sage eventually realizes her attachment to Ryland is too strong for her to resist being more than friends. But again, this moment shows us Sage's resilience when she decides to reassess her life and what she truly wants out of it. Also, the comparison between her parents' relationship to hers with Ryland that we learn about later in the novel is so bittersweet, because it shows that not only has Ryland helped Sage find balance in her life, he's also helped her open up about her dad and finally start healing some from his loss for the first time in the years since he died. 

All in all, I gave Hot Dutch Daydream 5 out 5 stars where, while I really enjoyed Hot British Boyfriend, it was only a 4 out of 5 stars for me. Of course, if you are a fan of books by Jenna Evans Welch or other rom-com writers of young adult fiction, I highly recommend your read both books in this series. Also, by clicking on the title for either of these books or by clicking on the store name below, you can purchase a copy from an independent bookseller of books for children and teens Blue Marble Books based in Ft. Thomas, KY. As will often be the case this year, I will try to help showcase independent booksellers in my home state whenever possible. But if you are interested in purchasing used books online, I can also recommend Better World Books as purchasing books from them also supports getting books in the hands of children around the world. As always, feel free to leave a comment here about any YA rom-coms you love and can highly recommend. 

Next month, I will be reviewing some fantasies for YA/NA readers and upper middle grade/YA readers. The first book I'll be reviewing for May will be Keeper of Scarlet Petals by a A. N. Skye, which is a NetGalley ARC provided by Aethon Books and is an upper YA or New Adult (NA) fantasy. My other read and review for May will be The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, and a book I've been meaning to read for a long time as a fantasy writer for kids and teens myself. I'm really looking forward to sharing my thoughts on both with you next month so stay tuned!