Side Trip follows Joy and Dylan on a road trip on Route 66 that will change their lives. Joy is headed from California to join her fiancé in NYC but her reason for taking this drive is much deeper - she's trying to fulfill her dead sister's Bucket List along the way. While stopping at a diner, she meets Dylan, a charismatic singer-songwriter whose car has just broken down. In an attempt to be spontaneous like her late sister, Joy agrees to give Dylan a lift to New York not realizing the repercussions this decision will have on both of them.

Joy and Dylan are two people whose lives are filled with regrets and what ifs. They're lost and lonely but find comfort in each other as they learn how to deal with the ghosts of their pasts. But what happens on the road stays on the road and when their cross-country drive is over, they part ways, not even having exchanged last names, neither ready to take a detour from the plans they had even if it means missing out on true love.

This is the first book I've read by Kerry Lonsdale so I can't compare it to her others but if you're a fan of Colleen Hoover's novels, you'll love Side Trip. It's sexy and fun with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Joy and Dylan are a couple you can't help but root for but the plot isn't predictable - the ending truly surprised me! Lonsdale's writing makes you feel like you're on Route 66 with the couple and there's even a Side Trip playlist to really set the mood. Throw this book in your beach bag - you won't be disappointed.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

Omg! I don't like Joy!! What she did to Mark kinda selfish and goshh I hate her!

You know what? My heart broke and I cried because of what happened to Dylan. Kinda pissed off too because he is my favorite character. I don't want to finish this book because my heart can't take it but then there is a twist at the end and boom I don't know what to feel lol I was like so it doesn't happen? Goshhh

I enjoyed reading Side Trip and thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

An amazing adventure of emotion. Joy is taking one last road trip before she marries her fiancé, Mark. Just as she starts her adventure she meets Dylan at a road side diner when his car breaks down. They make deal to travel together across the country to New York. As they travel there are flashbacks that reveal why Joy and Dylan are on this road trip. As their stories are slowly revealed I found myself becoming very attached to both characters.

All of the characters and storyline are very well developed. I especially enjoyed that the story was told with alternating points of view. The time-line bounced from the past, present and future but flowed flawlessly. The side trips that they took while on their adventure brought them closer together as they revealed intimate details of their lives to each other. The ending was unexpected and has stayed with me for days after finishing it. I highly recommend this wonderfully written book.

I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC of this beautifully written book in exchange for a honest review.

Side Trip has to be Kerry Lonesdale's best so far. I have read and loved all her books but this one went to another level for me.
Joy lost her sister in a car accident, so as a tribute to her sister Joy decides to meet the goals her sister had written for herself as well as a bucket list of things to do as she drives highway 66 to Chicago. On the way she meets a man named Dylan who needs a ride. Very nice man and attractive , problem is Joy is engaged.
Find out how she meets her goals on her side trips she takes on her way to Chicago.

5 "Best Life" Stars!

Kerry Lonsdale has hit it out of the park with Side Trip! I loved everything about this book. Joy is traveling across the country via Route 66 as some sort of penance. She's doing things that her sister always planned to do but is now unable. Dylan is traveling the same route and performing at various dive bars along the way. He's miserable and resentful that he was forced to go on this trip. Fate brings these two together when Dylan's car breaks down along the way at a diner. He and Joy meet and she agrees to let him ride with her.

Joy and Dylan initially enter into their road trip agreement for mutual benefit. For Dylan, he needs transportation. Joy feels more at ease having a traveling companion and Dylan agrees to pay for their gas along the way.. What neither of them plan on is that they grow to enjoy one another's company and friendship. It's evident that they are both fighting personal battles. Joy is haunted by "what ifs" and Dylan is plagued by the influence of his deceased father. Joy is making decisions to make others happy or what she perceives will make others happy. She rarely listens to what her own heart wants. Dylan's father was never a good example of a dedicated family man. He convinced Dylan that long-term relationships would never work for men in the music industry.

This story is told from both Joy and Dylan's viewpoints. It also involves different time periods and bounces back and forth between them. I thought this storyline was quite clever and enjoyed each little twist. I look forward to reading more by Kerry Lonsdale.

Thank you to NetGalley, Union Publishing and Ms. Lonsdale for this ARC in exchange for my honest review..

Side trip
Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union, and Kerry Lonsdale for an arc is exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Last Summer so I was very excited to read Side Trip. I’m happy to say this might be my new favorite.

Joy and Dylan meet in a diner on Route 66. They both have a reason they’re traveling Route 66 to the East Coast. Joy agreed to give Dylan a ride. They both agree to several rules including that they both have to approve if they take a side trip.Joy is engaged and traveling East to move in with her fiancé but she is basing all of her life’s decisions on what her late sister wanted so she is restless and unhappy. Dylan has to perform at various stops along the way to earn his inheritance from his late rock star father.

The details of Side Trip were so expertly woven. I loved the alternating perspectives of Joy and Dylan as well as their before and after timelines. I loved how they really brought out the best in each other and helped the other to work through fear and grief. You wouldn’t think you could learn so much about yourself on a road trip but Joy and Dylan do. Thank you Kerry Lonsdale for writing such a beautiful story.

I was hooked on this book from the first page!! Love love loved it! Highly highly recommend!! This is en emotional rollercoaster ride from the start

Joy and Dylan meet by chance and their lives are forever changed as a result of several days they spend together. That's the short answer. The longer explanation is that Joy feels guilty about her sister's death and now she's driving from California to New York living the bucket list her sister didn't complete. Dylan is a singer songwriter who doesn't like to perform one bit. They meet, she agrees she"ll drive him to New York and pow, they find they connect. One problem- they've agreed not to exchange last names and not to talk about what happens on the trip. Oh, and Joy is engaged to Mark. It's told from both perspectives and then 10 years later when they both wonder what might have been. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Nice characters, good storytelling, and the idea of driving Route 66 (if only right now!) made this a fun pandemic read.

This novel was an absolute gem. It had such a warm - hearted tone and texture to it. The characters were so believable, lovable, and charming. I felt as though I could feel the pain, joy, and feelings of anguish from thoughts of the unknown. The settings within this book made me feel as though I was there and traveling alongside these characters as they traveled the road to find different types of peace within their souls.

I have always been a fan of Kerry Lonsdale's writing because she creates realistic situations that demand any reader to transform their mind and heart into the way of the character being lived. Lonsdale's writing is so effortless and natural which makes her stories unique and original.

SIDE TRIP was an absolute blast of an experience leaving the question- are you ready for the trip of your life?

Love, love love this book! The story pulls you in from the beginning and keeps you wanting more...and to turn the pages quickly. Two individuals meet at a time when they are both struggling with grief, and loss. They find each other and come together for a trip cross country. Only 3 rules:
1) no exchanging last names
2) what happens on the road stays on the road
3) and if one wants to take a side trip they must both agree.

Side Trip is the best yet from Kerry Lonsdale, you will not be disappointed. Highly recommended !!

** spoiler alert ** Obviously Kerry could not have planned this book to come out during the pandemic, but it may be the perfect book for this time. She takes you on the road trip across the country that you can't take right now, leaving you feeling like you had a vacation when you are done. And you get to fall in love along the way.

This book is really different from Kerry's other books, but I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for musicians, so I fell for Dylan right away. I don't have siblings, so I can't relate to Joy's undying devotion to her sister, but I can accept it for the character. When Joy allows herself to be who she really is, I like her.

(spoilers ahead)

My only two criticisms would be that we never really got to know Mark for himself, only as a foil for Dylan and the multiple endings. Kerry did this in her last book and I can't stand it. Even though this one gave me the ending I wanted, it still felt like a cop out. I prefer books that are either totally open-ended or give you one ending. I get what she was going for, and it will likely work well for others, but to me it was kind of like Bob Newhart waking up and it was all a dream.

I have read every book by this author and have enjoyed them all. This was a beautiful story and I absolutely loved Joy and Dylan. I felt their connection, and I even felt like I was on the road trip with them. There were a few to many musical references for my taste but the story had me invested in their relationship that felt very real. I did not like the ending to the book and felt disappointed. Normally, I will read Kerry’s books several times but this one I just was not interested in reading again.

I enjoyed this book. I didn't read a lot of Women's fiction before picking this book up but I feel like I will in the future.

This was an enjoyable read that definitely held my attention and I really enjoyed my time reading it.

Wow! Kerry Lonsdale, Author of "Side Trip" takes us on an emotional, memorable, intriguing journey of life, decisions, and love. The Genres for this story are Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, and Fiction. The timeline for this story takes place over a decade. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex and complicated. 

Joy Evers is on a road trip to live out her deceased sister's bucket list, and to meet up with her fiance Mark to start a new life.  Joy is at a diner when she meets Dylan Westfield when his car breaks down. Both seem to have different and opposite personalities.  Joy does offer Dylan, who is a musician a ride, with certain conditions. One condition is that if they have to take a "side trip" they must agree.

 I read this in one sitting and felt like this was a journey into self-growth and the ups and downs of life. Both Joy and Dylan have secrets and have emotional baggage. I would highly recommend this thought-provoking novel that questions so many things about life.

Wow! What a ride! From start to finish, California to New York; Side Trip by Kerry Lonsdale is an emotionally charged journey of love, life choices and unexpected endings. Reminding us that we should always live our BEST life in the moment. I was cheering for, crying with, shaking my fists at, and falling in love with the characters throughout this book - and WOW was I completely caught off guard at the ending! Side Trip is one of those novels that you can’t wait to finish but takes time to get over when you do! An excellent summer novel to get lost in lounging next to the pool,lying on the beach or on that bucket list spontaneous road trip where you just never know what might happen!

Side trip is a book about choices, regret, and finding yourself. When Joy and Dylan meet, neither of them is really themselves. He is moody and broody and dreading the stops between the diner where he meets Joy and New York. Joy is literally living out a trip that her sister would have taken if she had not passed away so young. After making their deal, Joy starts to see the brilliant and talented songwriter who just wants to be behind the scenes and Dylan meets the real Joy under the 50's clothes, music, and cherry cokes. I genuinely rooted for Joy to decide that it is time to live her own life her way. The emotions in this book are big. So big that I found myself trying to warn Joy, tear up about what had just happened, and smile in spite of everything.

Side Trip, the latest women’s fiction/romance from Kerry Lonsdale was a delightful surprise of a novel for me. I’ve been reading Kerry’s books since her debut and have to say, this might be my favorite yet. Joy and Dylan are on a road trip together and they agree that if one of them wants to take a detour (or side trip) they must both agree. Along the way, the two learn a lot about each other and themselves, causing Joy to question her own engagement (to someone else) but what transpires on this trip will shock even the most perceptive of readers - especially me!

While moving from California to NYC to be with fiancé, Mark, Joy plans an epic road trip with various "side trips" along the way to fulfill her deceased sister Judy's bucket list. But, what happens when her solo trip hits an unexpected speed bump? Will she roll with it, or stick to her original path? Either way, it adds up to 10 intense, unforgettable days!

If you're unable to travel this summer, then let Side Trip take you on the road trip of a lifetime! The chemistry between Joy and Dylan (aka the speed bump previously mentioned) was palpable and intense. The story was sweet, romantic, and steamy, and I teared up several times. At one point, you'll probably be tempted to throw the book out a moving car window, but please don't do it. Instead, take a deep cleansing breath and then keep reading! If you loved Daisy Jones & The Six (4 stars) by Taylor Jenkins Reid, then I'd highly recommend this one.

"The tune made her think of love and loss and life's unexpected routes, like the road that had led her to him."

Location: Road trip along Route 66 from California to NYC

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Side Trip by Kerry Lonsdale is a book you won't soon forget! Joy Evers sets out to fulfill her deceased sister’s Route 66 bucket list as she moves from California to New York to meet up with her fiance. On the way, she meets up with Dylan Westfield, a singer-songwriter with a broken car. On the bucket list, her sister had written "Do something spontaneous" and so Joy and Dylan set off to complete the trip together. They agree to three rules on the trip: no exchanging of last names; what happens on the road, stays on the road; and if one of them wants to take a side trip, they both must agree.

The side trips help Joy complete items on her bucket list, but also bring Joy and Dylan closer. The story has chapters alternating from Joy's point of view "Before" and "After" as well as Dylan's point of view "Before" and "After." This love story is heartwarming and heartbreaking. And will stay with you after you finish it!

Look for this on 7.7.20.

With a bucket list from her sister in hand, Joy takes off on a road trip that will eventually land her in New York with her fiance. She runs into Dylan, who has a broken down car and is trying to get to different bars to play at, and she agrees to let him tag along to get where he needs to be. They set some rules and start off on a friendship that spans 10 years. It was a good read that shows how different worlds can come together. Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy, all opinions are my own.