A cute, gentle tale with a wicked sense of humour. Perfect holiday reading.
A tale of lovers that just can’t get their act together. You know it will be alright in the end but spend half the book just wanting to shake them out of their idiocy.
This book is full of colourful characters that keep the hilarious situation chugging along nicely

*DJ Khaled voice* ANOTHER ONE! Yes, that’s right, another Beth O’Leary review. Don’t even @ me. I’m obsessed. I’m out of control. I’m pre-ordering her new book immediately on payday.

Ok, so by now we’re all aware that I am loving the formula that Beth O’Leary is concocting, and this book is no different. She just has such a wonderful way of keeping the typical ‘Rom-Com’ formula fresh. She manages to lace in seriousness, sadness, trauma, drama, and yet, still make a feel-good, wonderful story. It’s genuinely a complete talent.

I enjoyed this one (obviously). It’s got similar vibes to The Flat Share (more so than The Switch). A good, slow-unravelling love story, with threads of lost love, toxic friendship, trauma, bad parents, independent women, amateur stalkers, alcoholism, and an abundance more.

I think I might just give up on my book page and become an official Beth O’Leary fan account… What do you think @quercusbooks? Where do I apply?

I thought this was funny and I really liked the characters in this book.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Addie and her sister Deb are on their way to a wedding in Scotland and end up having a minor car accident when the vehicle behind hits them. It happens to be Addie's ex boyfriend, Dylan and what ensues is a to and fro-ing from 'then' when Addie and Dylan were together to 'now' where Addie and Deb have to take Dylan and his passengers to the wedding.
What O'Leary does so well is gives each character a great personality and I loved all of them, similar to her previous books. As usual, the road trip isn't plain sailing with lots of mishaps and arguments on the way!
I didn't love it as much as The Flat Share but its still a light, feel good book with good characters!

This was my first Beth O'Leary book and it wasn't quite the type of romance I was expecting, but I enjoyed the fact that it balanced humorous moments with serious topics. The book moves between the present, where Addie and her friends end up having to car share with her ex Dylan to get to a wedding on time, and the past, where Addie originally met Dylan in France.

The story focuses on Addie and Dylan's shared infatuation with each other and the gradual changes in their lives and mental health that affect their relationship. Addie and Dylan come from different backgrounds and have different ideas about work ethic and aspirations. O'Leary uses the story to discuss class and wealth, career aspirations, jealousy, best friends, and sexual assault, and how all these things can affect a relationship.

I enjoyed the present-day scenes more than the past tense scenes, but I understand why the flashback scenes were necessary to build out the story and show us how Dylan and Addie came to break up. On the whole, this isn't a light-hearted contemporary romance, but it's one that will make you pause for thought and consider the relationships in your life.

Oh I loved this book. The characters were so brilliantly drawn, I'd love to hear more from all of them (even Rodney) (but especially Deb). It's warm and funny and smart and I couldn't put it down.

This felt completely different to Beth's previous books but still a great read.
The way Beth writes characters is fab, you really get a feel for them as people and they feel real and present.
The story flicked back between the present road trip to an old friends wedding and the history of Dylan and Addie's previous relationship. This was all lined up very well so it never felt confusing.
There was the main storyline of the relationship but also lots of little ones such as Marcus's redemption, the friendships, Deb's route into motherhood. It all tied together beautifully.
Another cracking read from a great author

rstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I have loved all of her other books and apologies in my delay in reading .

I raced through this and left feeling uplifted and smiling . Beth is a great writer who creates characters you connect with instantly and the reader becomes invested in their story .

Funny,witty, warm and life affirming . Written In alternate narratives and timelines so the reader gets a picture of what’s happening from more than one perspective . I always enjoy reading from a male narrative too and feel it can really enhance a storyline .

Exs ,friends and a long road trip what coud possibly go wrong….

I loved it and already looking forward to her next book .

There were parts in this book that made me laugh out loud. Once I had read the plot on this book , I had really high hopes . I think I set the bar too high. I think if the laughs had continued the whole way through the book , it would have made it more enjoyable. I liked it , but I couldnt say I loved it.

Beth O Leary stole my heart with her debut but this has firmly placed her in my top authors list! Having read this book and recommended it to all of my friends, I even went and bought the audiobook to enjoy it all over again!

A lovely and touching story, both main characters were engaging and charming. O Leary reminds me of the early Sophie Kinsella books, filled with heart and good humour in every scene.

Loved it and can’t wait for her next novel!

Some topics covered in this book were slightly heavier than I had anticipated, not altogether a bad thing but perhaps not the lighthearted holiday read one is expecting when picking up a Beth O'Leary book.

Yes, there are the funny moments that you expect from a typical rom-com but they are dispersed amongst some annoying character interactions on this road trip from hell.

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

As a huge fan of beth‘s writing, I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint! The characters, as well as the dialogue, the story, everything was just so captivating that I couldn’t put this down!

I have loved all of Beth O'Leary's novels so far and The Road Trip is no exception. Addie and her sisier, Deb, meet a group of young people while working at a Villa in France. A few years later they end up carpooling to Scotland for a friends wedding and things get messy. I enjoyed this story but wish Marcus had been left on the side of the road! Thanks to NeGalley and the publisher for my digital copy.

This is Beth O'Leary's third novel and sadly her weakest I loved The Flatshare and The Switch as I thought they both brought something new to this genre as well as combining likeable characters and humour. I found The Road Trip to be a fairly dull , clichéd read and hard to believe it was written by the same author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Beth O'Leary books make me so happy to be a reader! Each one is warm and witty with such relatable characters and The Road Trip did not disappoint.

Worst road trip ever! In all honesty I cannot believe this was even written by the same author who delivered such gems as The Flatshare and The Switch, both of which I praised, adored, and widely recommended to every reader I encountered.ed. There was nothing special about The Road Trip, it had zero charm and failed to capture my heart, mind, or attention.

The characters were bland, immature, their behaviour appalling, and the romantic pairing was in my opinion, toxic. Furthermore, the chosen serious topics, and the way they were used as relationship obstacles was off-putting and offensive.

Because I loved her first two books, I would definitely continue to read this author. Hopefully this was just an anomaly.

Beth O'Leary really knows how to write characters.

Addie and Dylan met when they were young and carefree, and were absolutely perfect for each other until growing up happened, mistakes were made and people got in the way. Now in a twist of fate straight out of a rom com they find themselves trapped together on a road trip to a wedding. Can they and their friends cut through the noncense and sort out their issues?

It sounds like such a simple concept that could be played for laughs, but O'Leary manages to find the tangible heart and honesty in her characters that show true depth and growth while acknowledging that everyone has some work to do unpacking the issues they've developed over the years.

In fact her writing is SO good, so subtle but so recognisable that I actually read alot of this book with a leaden lump in my stomach as I waited to see if the red flags Addie was gaslit over would be addressed appropriately or the book would take a turn I couldn't stomach. Without spoilers I would say that you can absolutely trust O'Leary and humanity with which she presents this story. Very good.

One word comes to mind for describing this book: unpredictable. I thought that I would read a light, pleasant book and, although it had its hilarious moments, the book dealt with some very serious issues. Nevertheless, I became invested in the story and kept my interest till the end.


Trigger warning: depression, sexual assault, alcoholism, drug use

‘One Car. Five People. A Whole Lot Of History’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Road Trip’ by Beth O’Leary in exchange for an honest review. It was published in April 2021. My apologies for the late feedback.

This is Beth O’Leary’s third romantic comedy. I enjoyed both ‘The Flatshare’ and ‘The Switch’ and this certainly sounded promising but didn’t quite hit the same spot for me as her previous books.

Addie and her sister, Deb, are off on a road trip to attend their friend Cherry’s wedding in rural Scotland. They are in Deb’s Mini and are also giving a lift to Rodney, another guest. Yet not long after setting off the truck ahead of them brakes sharply for a fox. Addie manages to stop in time but the car behind slams into the back of the Mini. The driver of the other car turns out to be Addie’s ex, Dylan, who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate, Marcus, were heading to the same wedding and their car is totalled. Addie feels obliged to offer them a ride. So, five people with luggage and snacks, pack themselves into the Mini with a 400-mile trip ahead of them. The journey is fraught with delays and tension.

The question of whether they will make it to the wedding in time is constant and meanwhile there is the relationship between Addie and Dylan, especially what led to the dramatic split.

The narrative voice shifts between Addie and Dylan as well as between ‘Now’ and ‘Then’. In the latter we learn how during a summer some years back Addie was acting as caretaker for Cherry’s villa in the South of France. Dylan came to stay as a guest and there was an instant attraction between them. Then Marcus shows up with a group of their friends, who behave like a group of entitled rich kids on holiday.

Marcus establishes himself as the most obnoxious of them all and clearly has issues with Dylan having a relationship outside of their set. It’s rather toxic. It was hard to see Dylan as all that different.

Still, aside from this I had quibbles with two small plot points.

Very early on I felt that the book entered fantasy territory as it’s very unlikely that a Mercedes would be ‘totalled’ after rear ending a Mini. Certainly the new Minis are tough little cars but Mercedes are built like tanks and so very robust. Marcus is proud of the level of service offered to him due to his Dad being a Mercedes owner, so why was there no courtesy car or a rental made available? Yes, I know it’s for the hilarity of five adults in a little car but ….

My other quibble is Deb, who has left her baby at home with their Mum. She is using a breast pump and storing the milk in bottles in a cool bag. Just imagine the room all that takes up in a small car! While I can appreciate her need to express while lactating, why keep it? It is going to be days before she is with her son again and it’s not going to last. Yet the paraphernalia and the awkwardness of her undertaking this task periodically in a small vehicle with the leering Marcus…. well, I found it more creepy than comic.

Okay, these are minor points even if they bothered me. If I had liked the characters more I probably would have just ignored.

Yes, there were amusing moments in ‘The Road Trip’ but I wasn’t particularly engaged by the central relationship or by the supporting characters. I also felt that the more serious themes in the novel were trivialised.

Overall, I found ‘The Road Trip’ an okay read but didn’t feel that it was her best.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

Beth O'Leary's 2019 novel, The Flatshare, was one of my favourite books that year. I also enjoyed 2020's The Switch.

The Road Trip didn't seem to arrive with the fanfare of its predecessors but is still an enjoyable read. It unfolds in in two timelines. The present (which involves the very long and fraught road trip) and a period of a year or two in the recent past.

In the recent past Addie meets Dylan and they fall in lust. And probably love. Both come as part of a package however... Addie with her brazen but likeable sister Deb and Dylan with his long-term BFF Marcus.

Marcus is a tortured soul. Narcissistic, a smidge manipulative and well... accustomed to being the centre of the universe.

I very much enjoyed the story of Addie and Dylan's meeting - she's caretaking at a house in France that his (wealthy) family has booked, but he turns up alone. The pair hit it off immediately, but he's not alone for long because of the aforementioned package-deal thing.

Initially I expected the backstory (the past) to be brief, but in reality it becomes the focus. We're kinda told 'what' happens but get a front row seat to the 'why'. 

As the book opens in the present we learn Addie and Dylan broke up in spectacular fashion a couple of years before, though both have unresolved feelings. Dylan apparently broke Addie's heart by leaving, but there's obviously more to the story and... though there are (occasionally annoying) hijinks in the present, it's all about the past - and the fallout of their breakup.

This is a light and entertaining read but there are some more complex issues at play. Whether people can change for example. Whether they can learn from their mistakes. Whether they're prepared to make the tough decisions to move on or become better people. And then there are some (healthy and less-healthy) family dynamics added into the mix.

Both Addie and Dylan (past and present) are our narrators and again O'Leary creates endearing and engaging characters. The support cast here (Deb and Marcus) are key players as well and each well-written in their own way. 

I probably didn't enjoy this quite as much as The Flatshare but O'Leary again offers a raw insight into human behaviour - the good and the bad.