HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is a fun standalone YA novel by Kristy Boyce. At the opening of this book, Waterford Valley High School student Ellie Nichols has an epic yet believable humiliating rejection. The humiliation is compounded when it’s recorded and goes viral online. Thankfully, Ellie has an escape. She’s able to pay her way into a trip the class brainiacs are taking to study in England. For an Anglophile like Ellie this solution is ideal. While in England Ellie gains friends and finds love.

Because HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is told strictly from Ellie’s perspective, who she winds up with at the end remains more of a mystery until then. In addition to being an interesting romcom, HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is a wonderful coming-of-age story. At the opening of this book, Ellie sees herself as ordinary – not more or less. By the end of the book, Ellie broadens her horizons a bit and sees herself in a different perspective. School smarties Sage, Dev, and Huan become her friends – much to everybody’s surprise. Enter English hottie Will. Will is slightly older than Ellie, but without any creep vibe. There are lots of characters who have multiple layers and are not all good or all bad. Will is wealthy, charming, and something of a fantasy for Ellie. With Will she takes on the “Elle” persona and behaves in a way she thinks is her more mature and ideal self. As the story progresses, Ellie sees Will a little more realistically thanks to her new besties. Because the story is told from only Ellie’s perspective, the reader can only guess that her new friend Dev has a crush on her. The “maybe romance” plot twist is sweet and the chemistry between the two characters is on point. I felt as though Ellie became more attracted to Dev as she got a better sense of who she was – largely, I think, because Dev often gently and occasionally not so subtlety urges her to be herself and embrace her positive qualities.

HOT BRITISH BOYFRIEND is a fun coming-of-age look at making friends and finding love when least expected. Kristy Boyce balances young adult drama with amusing adventures and snappy dialogue. I wouldn’t mind reading a sequel perhaps set during college years. I look forward to reading more from Kristy Boyce in the future.