Review: 'Smart Girl' by Rachel Hollis (2016)

Brilliant designer Miko Jin is a hopeless romantic. She’s spent most of her life falling in love over and over again…with the men she finds in the pages of her favorite novels.
When Miko meets Liam Ashton, it’s love at first sight. At least, for her. Sure, the two of them are polar opposites, and yes, he seems to be dating someone new each week. But Miko knows what true love is and that you can’t rush it—after all, what she lacks in real-world experience, she makes up for in book smarts. With novels as her guide, and her best friends by her side, she knows she can get Liam to love her back. But just like any good romance novel, fate has a few plot twists in store. Will Miko get her own happy ending? Will she find the strength to stand up for what she deserves even if it means breaking her own heart?
Two years ago I fell in love with Rachel Hollis’ debut novel ‘Party Girl’ (click here to read my review); a fantastic book which I can highly recommend to any chick lit/romantic comedy fan. The novel was one of my favourite reads of 2014 and I was so excited when I discovered it was actually just the start of an entire series! Last year, we were treated to ‘Sweet Girl’ (click here to read my review) and this month the third part of the series was released, ‘Smart Girl.’ I was lucky enough to get an early review copy of the book and I couldn’t wait to read it. I had my fingers crossed, hoping I would end up enjoying it just as much as the other parts of the series, and that the enjoyment would manage to postpone the sadness of this being the last part of this lovely series!
Twenty-something Miko Jin has three things in her life which she loves unconditionally: her job as a designer for the event planning business she started with her best friend Landon, books (especially ones with handsome heroes and a good dose of romance), and Liam Ashton. Ever since Miko saw Liam for the first time, she just knew they were meant to end up together. But as in the novels she loves so dearly, there are quite a few obstacles in the way to her own happy ever after, beginning with the fact that Liam is a player who does not want to commit to anyone. With her family, friends, and job to focus on, Miko knows she can’t just put everything aside to focus on her love life. However, when things suddenly start to go in the right direction, Miko can’t help but run as fast as she can to get what she wants, not considering what she might lose on the way…
‘Smart Girl’ is, sadly, the last part of Rachel Hollis’ ‘Girl’ series, but another thoroughly enjoyable chick lit read by this great author. In the previous books of the series, ‘Party Girl’ and ‘Sweet Girl’, we already met best friends Landon, Max and Miko, and this time we get to hear Miko’s story. I fell in love with all characters in the previous books and was really glad to join them once again, with a specific focus on Miko this time around. While Miko definitely has her own way of doing things, I easily warmed to her because of her love of books. The many references to and quotes from popular books and famous classics brought a smile to my face every time and I personally loved this aspect of the novel. The female characters in this series have strong personalities and are all different, which is what makes this series so great, especially combined with Rachel Hollis’ well-paced and comfortable writing style.
I did feel like this book had one storyline that was focused on and that was it. In the previous books, there was usually a main focus on a particular girl’s life, with separate storylines based on her job, family/friends, and love life. I kind of missed this in ‘Smart Girl’; I still really enjoyed the book, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t have minded if there had been more to the story than just the main romance storyline that was focused on. The ending was pretty fantastic, though, so that definitely made up for some of it! While ‘Smart Girl’ can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the whole series so you really get to know the characters and their background stories. Overall, ‘Smart Girl’ is a thoroughly entertaining, fun, light-hearted, romantic chick lit read that left me with a big smile on my face, and I honestly can’t wait to see what Rachel Hollis will have in store for us next!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.