No one has ever accused Sage Cunningham of being easily distracted. She has a plan, and she won’t be swayed. She’ll spend the summer interning in her mentor’s lab in Amsterdam, and then she’ll be ready for college. All she needs to do to pay for the summer abroad is agree to serve as the au pair for Dr. Reese’s three-year-old.

Sage has it all down to a science, but she doesn’t anticipate the surprise arrival of Dr. Reese’s teenage son. Ryland is spontaneous, flirty, and impulsive–everything Sage isn’t. He’s a talented artist, but he’s desperately in need of someone to keep him focused. And as nannying proves harder than Sage had expected, it turns out she might need help too.

The two strike a deal. Sage will stop Ryland from going out with a different girl every day, and Ryland will pitch in with his little brother.

Spending the summer stuck together is the perfect way to keep distractions to a minimum. Right?

This was one of those books where I knew from the cover and synopsis that I’d love this book. I love a pairing of the well-prepared, organized nerd and the easy-going artist. It’s just a bonus that the artist is European and you know, forbidden to catch feelings for. 

I loved Sage as a side character in Hot British Boyfriend, so I’m really excited that she got her own story that takes place six months later. She was always there with a witty quip in HBB, and that’s no different in this one. She just happens to have that many more of them as the main character. I relate to her in some ways, but not others. The “other” being her extreme focus on academics (particularly science) and being super organized. However, her determination of not catching feelings until she’s done with college and stable with her career is how I was growing up. I mean, I did have one boyfriend in high school, but that was for a short while and it was because everyone expected us to date since we were best friends. That worked out well.

Anyway, my point is that I was all for Sage’s determination to stay away from the dating scene until later in her life, but of course the teenage son of the doctor she’s working for blows that plan to smithereens. And honestly, I don’t blame her. Ryland was a fantastic character. I loved the chilled vibe he carried and the fact he’s an artist. I love artists because I wish I could have the patience to learn to create like them, and Ryland is no exception. I found it cute how he worked better when they made their agreement for Sage to keep him on track to create and enter some pieces into a contest, and how during most evenings/nights, they’d work separately on their own work, but be together in the attic workspace.

Not only did I love the progression of Sage and Ryland’s relationship, but I also loved the bond between Sage and Deidrick (Ryland’s 3-year-old brother who Sage is working as a nanny for) by the end of the book. At first Deidrick struck me as an annoying little toddler, but he grew on me as he did on Sage and their bond was so precious when the story came to a close. 

Without giving anything away, this was a really cute read. It’s one of those ones that I thought about when I wasn’t reading, and I just wanted to get back to their story. It’s very character-driven which is always my favorite, especially since both Sage and Ryland do some growing in this book. 

While it’s a companion to Hot British Boyfriend, you don’t need to read that one first. But if you have any interest in this book, then I’m sure you’ll love that one as well. Hot Dutch Daydream releases tomorrow, April 18th, 2023, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cute read that takes place in Europe!

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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*I received a free e-galley from NetGalley of this in exchange for an honest review*