Ok, so I loved Beth O'Leary's the Flatshare and enjoyed the Switch, so I'm sad that The Road Trip was a flop for me. I didn't feel like I connected with any of the characters, they largely felt shallow, the plot felt fairly shallow and then went very deep and dark in the latter part of the book, without really giving it enough time to resolve. I also would've appreciated trigger warnings at the beginning for stalking, addiction, depression and attempted rape. Like I said, dark.

However, despite all this, O'Leary's talent shines through. She does a great job at breaking down tiny moments between characters. I think folks would still enjoy this novel, especially if people like their romance balanced out with a heft of something heavier. I think there will still be fans of her previous works who enjoy this. I bet fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and maybe maybe Sally Rooney may enjoy this. I will still read her next book with the hope that maybe it shifts more back towards what her first two were like.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Penguin Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

Three books in and it's official - I'm here for whatever Beth O'Leary writes! I doubt she'll ever write anything that could top the absolute perfection that was The Flatshare (IT'S JUST SO GOOD), but The Road Trip definitely holds it's own.

The characters in this book are some of the most complex I've personally read in a contemporary fiction (although the majority of my books are Historical Fiction, so take that how you will). The nuances to their relationships, the ways they evolved over the course of the novel, the push and pull in these friendships - it was all done maddeningly well. At times I found every single character pretty unlikable, but in the real world I imagine we're all unlikable at times.

Also, the second chance romance trope? I've rarely seen it done so well! The back and forth of their timelines, as well as the delay in finding out the reason for the initial breakup, served the reader well into seeing them as the were Then and how they are Now, with a real chance at moving forward together.

Lastly, I really liked that every character - major and minor - had their own arc and plot line, and were fully fleshed out characters. (So much so that my friend and I spent a whole evening trying to figure out their enneagram numbers, and we were able to!)

Ultimately, this is another book that I will have to have on my shelf (also the UK version, because that cover is GORGEOUS), and one I will for sure be pushing to all of my friends. Highly recommended!

This book was so cute! I super loved it and now want to go read other books by Beth O'Leary. The only issue I had (and maybe this was bc it was on a Kindle) was that sometimes I lost track of who was narrating the chapter and if we were in "now" or "then." But this didn't take away from how much I loved the book! ALSO we stan characters who go to therapy!!

The acclaimed author of "The Flatshare" and "The Switch" is back once again with a delightful, impactful romance read! Here we follow two exes road-tripping together to a mutual friend's wedding, so you know things are bound to get awkward. Dylan and Addie are total opposites but fell in love years ago on holiday. Now, two years since their breakup, they are forced to reunite at their friend Cherry's wedding. But first, they have to get there along with his best friend, her sister, and another random guest in one car. It's forced proximity at its finest. The book is told in back and forth perspectives of both Addie and Dylan, in present and past timelines. Both of them have interesting and engaging sides that compel me to keep reading because I'm just so invested in this. These characters are well-written, authentic, and vulnerable. However, this read does feel quite long, but way better than "The Switch" in my eyes. All in all, I just wish it didn't have to end because I just wanted more to their story!

Trigger Warning: Assault

I tore through this book. I really liked it. It's a little more serious than I expected. It deals with a little tougher relationship issues and it's not all roses and sunshine. It has substance, and feels realistic. I enjoyed every character in this book, even Marcus, though I disliked him most of the time, I understood him somewhat. I also could relate to some toxic friendships and thought they portrayed those relationships accurately. Deb and Rodney absolutely killed me. I loved Addie & Dylan's relationship which was authentic was - all the highs and lows. Usually I'm not a fan of the asynchronous storytelling but it worked in this case. I couldn't wait to find out what happened in the past to have made them drift apart. Definitely a good one!

This book was just not for me. I felt like the main female character was a "manic pixie dream girl' that men were obsessed with and wanted to protect. The love story was problematic and I wasn't rooting for them to reconcile. There were a lot of unhealthy relationships and nothing was solved in a satisfying way.

This is one of those rare romantic comedies that is actually funny rather than merely light and fun. The characters and their backstories are complex as are their relationships, which makes this a wonderful romance.

Addie and her sister, Deb, are on their way to a wedding when they’re rear-ended—by Addie’s ex-boyfriend and his best friend, Marcus, the man who worked as hard as he could to drive a wedge between Addie and Dylan. Deb suggests they ride the rest of the way together in the one car that still works. It’s a mini, and since they have already been transporting another invitee to the wedding, it’s a tight fit. As you might imagine, things do not get easier from there.

I really enjoyed this. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES APRIL 29, 2021.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was exactly what I needed as the spring weather has started to come through. If you want to read a cute book that will have you laughing this is it. It was a very quick and easy read. My only critique would be a common one of the romance genre and that is that I wish we could have dug a little deeper into the subplots but it was truly enjoyable.

This was my first Beth O'Leary book. I've heard so many good things about this author and The Road Trip did not disappoint! I loved the humor in this and I was not expecting the little bit of suspense/mystery surrounding some of these characters. It was such a fun read. Would definitely recommend to other readers.

I LOVED Beth O'Leary's latest novel. Each of her books are unique. In The Road Trip she has a deft hand at lost love and so much humor!

~2.75 stars

First off, I’d like to say thank you to NetGalley for the free eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one because I enjoyed Flatshare, but I was kind of disappointed.
The writing structure was great, I just found a lot of problematic elements to the story/ characters.
How am I supposed to root for a couple when their relationship is the most toxic thing I’ve ever read? I know second chance romances are a thing, but I really hate that some books romanticize toxic relationships by saying “oh I’ve changed for you because I miss you”. It’s unrealistic and doesn’t break the toxic relationship in any way. I just don’t find it cute. The ending was really weird and didn’t make sense at all. The only parts I enjoyed in this book was the current POVs because the dialogue was entertaining, but that was pretty much it.

This was good but not at all what I expected. It’s definitely heavier than I thought it was going to be, but ultimately, I really enjoyed it.

It tells the story of Addie and Dylan, going back and forth between then and now. Interspersed is a really entertaining band of characters who are hilarious and infuriating all at the same time. It’s actually something close to a coming of age tale for people in their 20’s. A life lesson on toxic people, learning who you are and coming to terms with life around you.

I found parts of this book entirely unbelievable and just too far fetched, even for a rom-com. That said, this was actually pretty dark in many places and not as cute and happy as the authors previous books.

O’Leary has done it again!!!

Adeline (“Addie”) and Dylan are goals, y’all. I don’t know how you can’t fall in love with these two characters.

This was such a fun and gripping read. I couldn’t put it down after 10 pages in.


I am rushing off to finish reading The Switch because I need more of O’Leary’s writing!!

SPOILER MAYBE:
I literally hate how toxic Marcus is, but he makes for a realistic relationship wedge so I’ll give O’Leary that! He’s a unique written character in my opinion!

This book messed me up in the best of ways. It was simultaneously slapstick funny, absurd, relatable, infuriating, and heartbreaking. It reminded me a lot about what it was like to fall in love with someone else before you even loved yourself.

I will be thinking about this one for a while.

Believe it or not, I recommend this book. It’s very fast paced, and the two timelines were well done. I liked it okay. Will definitely continue to read Beth O’Leary’s books.

3.5-- I wanted to *LOVE* this book, but in the end, I just liked it. There were moments that I really dropped in, mostly with the flashback chapters, wherein Addie and Dylan meet, fall in love, and endure life's slings and arrows. However, the modern chapters and the Rodney of it all really put me off. Also, tonally, it's a bit odd; in the flashbacks and at the outset of the book, it almost feels like Normal People, but then as the modern day stuff continues, it begins to push tone. There are weird comedic moments, like with Deb and the truck driver, and the whole Rodney bit is just too much. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it well enough. Beth O'Leary is a good writer and I liked the Flat Share quite a bit. This seems like a more mature story, her skills having improved, but it gets confused. If the story had stuck with the Addie/Dylan story and maintained that tone, this would've been a real win for me.

What to say about this book? I couldn't wait to read it, and it was PURE DELIGHT until about the 85% mark. And then ... it got weird. I was primed to expect a big bombshell, or at least a reasonable explanation of the "where things went wrong" moment the whole plot was built around. But because of the structure, that meant the issue of sexual assault wasn't introduced until the end of the story, which didn't leave time to adequately deal with it. It felt like an afterthought, not an integral part of the story. (I suspect the book's structure, which was wonderful for building romantic tension, was unhelpful when it came to doing this topic justice.)

The way the book covered (or didn't cover) depression was also frustrating, as was the resolution of Marcus's storyline.

This was SO CLOSE to being an amazing read, but the last forty pages or so were incredibly disappointing.

I was skeptical at first when I encountered the dual points of view and switching between past and present, but I was quickly surprised at how well it actually worked! Some books that I have read tried and failed to keep my attention and not be too confusing when they have used this format, but it really works for this story and these characters. I found myself very engrossed in the characters and finding out their shared history and what lead them all to this point, so the past chapters were a great help with that. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who liked “The Flatshare”, “P. S. I Love You” or modern romances in general.

A road-trip to a distant wedding (in Scotland) cramming five souls with an unpleasant history into a mini is a recipe for ... some disaster and some romance. Dylan and Addie fell in love during a summer in Provence and broke up miserably upon return. This story follow parallel tracks -- the unexpected crash that brings them together for the road trip and the original set of events that led to the break up.

I'm probably the wrong demographic for this book -- the twenty somethings involved are mostly unlikable from my perspective -- either rich, privileged, and shallow or supposedly "with it" but with no clear background to support it. Plenty of sex scenes and some fun characters (I like Addie's sister the best) but I honestly felt like telling them to get a grip and grow up a bit. If you like light romance and don't mind identifying with some lost-soul spoiled brats, this decently written book may be for you!