This is a Romance/Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit. I have loved the other two books I read by Beth O'Leary, so I had high hopes for this one. I am sad to say I really did not enjoy this book, but I did finish the book. If I did not have an ARC of this book I would have DNF this book. I was bored while reading most of this book, but there was a few funny parts that made me laugh. I have to say this Now and Then time line this book follows drove me crazy, and I also felt that some of the jumps from Now time period to the then time period was at weird times. I also got confessed on which if it was now or then at times. I also did not find myself caring about any of the characters. Some of the storyline I found ok, and I found myself wanting to know why or what happen by the end. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Quercus) or author (Beth O'Leary) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Another great combination of humor, romance and emotion from Beth O'Leary. Each book from her is a delight to read, mixing humor with a real tug on your heartstrings.

I absolutely love Beth O'Leary and could not wait to get into this one. I am not sure if it is the whole exes reconnecting thing or what, but honestly I kind of hated this book. It was really boring, the characters were flat and it was missing the charm and tension of her previous books.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of The Road Trip {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: Second Chance
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 4.17.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

"Everyone's got the potential to do the wrong thing – if we were measured that way, we'd all come up short. It's about what you do."

What happens when you put two people who used to be in a relationship date, their best friends, and some random person in a car and send them on a road trip to a wedding? Well, lots of antics ensue. This merry band of misfits were all piled into a mini-cooper for an extenuating period. The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary this story had me laughing so hard during specific scenes.

I listened to The Road Trip and wholeheartedly recommend listening instead of reading this one; I adored the narrators - they were perfect for Addie and Dillon. I also enjoyed the unique take on the' then' and 'now' narration - it made it feel more of a "their" story than just a story about one character.

What didn't I like? Dillon's best-friend Marcus. I can't begin to count how many times Marcus (and his actions) made me want to punch a wall. He was hopeless, and I don't know how Addie tolerated Dillon not seeing the true side of Marcus for the entirety of their relationship. By the end of the book, I was genuinely unsure whether I wanted Addie and Dillon to get back together. How he treated her and allowed Marcus to treat her was unforgivable (in my opinion).

Still, The Road Trip was a fun story to read that dealt with some moderately heavy topics (addiction and sexual harassment). It felt a little different from the previous Beth O'Leary book I read, but not necessarily in a bad way.

🚙 Mini-Cooper with five people
🤣 Hilarious
🤬 Marcus
🤷🏽‍♀️ Unsure about the ending?
💯 Highly recommend the audiobook


I recommend you read The Road Trip if you enjoyed reading Fool Me Once or Twice in a Blue Moon.

2.5. I really enjoyed the author's earlier novels. I went into this with high expectations about an exciting unexpected road trip with a dysfunctional group of friends and two exes reconnecting and finding a second chance at love. The friends were awful and there was so much trauma in the story. I really found it difficult to get through this book. Thanks #NetGalley for my ARC.

While a few are on my to-read-list, this is the first book by Beth O’Leary I have actually read! The premise of being stuck in a crowded car with an ex on a long road trip was very well done. I loved the split time line, alternating between when Addie and Dylan first met and the present time. The characters were well developed and relatable. There were two big surprises later in the book that I was not expecting! Well done!

I probably picked this up 4 times and each time I just couldn’t seem to get into it…I can’t put my finger on exactly what wasn’t working for me other than maybe the pacing being a bit slow this was really making me struggle. I had to yet again set it aside and say…maybe next time…

I was surprised by how much I loved this one, despite the romance not being front and centre. I really enjoyed the dual timelines - it adds so much depth to a second chance romance. A couple of the side characters were quite insufferable and the twist was kind of silly, but I couldn't stop reading once I started!

Unfortunately, this was not my favorite of hers. The writing, however, is always excellent. While this one was lackluster, I still appreciate the story written here.

This was such a good book. Beth O'Leary makes complicated relationships feel honest and real, and the twists and turns in the trip to the wedding were both incredibly frustrating (for the characters) and both funny and moving (for the reader). Great little jaunt.

This is my least favorite of Beth O'Leary's books. I didn't connect with the characters, found very little romance between the leads, and the pacing was so slow. I really enjoyed The Flatshare and The Switch, so this was a disappointment to me. I also was not prepared for the SA.

This was my first book by Beth O'Leary and I felt like it was just fine. I was not a fan of the way that it kept flashing back and forth between the present and the past. I felt like it was a lot of buildup that didn’t just ended no real romance between Dylan and Addie. While the story does end with some resolution, it felt very disjointed and unrealistic as to how a road trip to go so wrong. It just felt so disjointed for me that I did not enjoy reading it at all.

This book has sat on my shelf for a very long time. Always getting pushed back. Now I think I know why.
This is my third read by Beth O’Leary and perhaps my least favorite.
I struggled to connect to the characters.. All came off a bit too young and immature for me.
The storyline failed to grab my attention and I skimmed to the end. Just not a good fit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

I thoroughly enjoy O'Leary's books, this was no exception. Would recommend her catalog to fans of Emily Henry.

While forced proximity is not a favorite of mine, this book disappointed on more levels than just this romantic trope. The characters were lackluster and felt disingenuous. The action took a very long time to begin- I was more than halfway before I felt like anything of substance evven began to happen. I don't mind forced proximity when there is an admirable plot, but this one seemed too much of a slow burn to keep the reader reading.

I started this book and couldn’t get into it. Unfortunately, it was a DNF for me. The characters were shallow, the plot slow, and there was zero tension. I’m so disappointed because I loved The Flatshare and The Switch so much!

I've read Beth O'Leary's other books and love the forced proximity troupe, however, this book was a bit of a flop. Not only were there serious issues that needed to be unpacked but I found it hard to connect with each character and didn't feel the angst and chemistry that I generally feel in second chance romances. I will continue to read future books by Beth but this particular one was not a knockout.

Ok, wow. This was not what I was expecting... and not in a good way. The cute and colorful cover, the synopsis, the other books Beth has written... all these things pointed to The Road Trip being a fun, light rom-com. It wasn't light or rom-comy at all. It focuses on some really heavy subjects that left me feeling melancholy and mopey. I actually gave up about halfway through and will not be reviewing this anywhere else for that reason. I would encourage readers to adjust their expectations, read reviews, and maybe look up some trigger warnings before embarking upon this reading journey.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. I read both the e-arc and a physical copy of this book. I am not used to reading romance, but I read a different book by this author at the suggestion of social media. I think that this romance book is appropriate for people like me who don't really consider themselves fans of the genre. There are some books that are cheesy, or they're inappropriate... I think this one managed to be sweet, funny, appropriate, and heartwarming. I would suggest it to anyone.

I adored this book! It had ALL of the things I love in a story and the scenic descriptions were fantastic. This made my heart smile and break but I adored it!