This book was a crack up. The unfortunate road trip bringing friends turned enemy together on a race against the clock ride had me laugh out loud a couple times. It had some hilariously unrealistic moments, that made it all the better. Definitely one that is a great light read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy.

Beth O"Leary knows just the right formula for writing the best kind of rom coms. I can't decide if I love this or The Flatshare more!

Let’s just say I have loved everything I’ve ever read from her, and The Road Trip was no exception. I read this with my book club and I might have been the only one who actually finished it, or at least the only one who loved it. But a divisive book definitely makes for a passionate discussion!

This book does have a LOT going on, different storylines, characters, flicking between the past and the present. But I was totally here for it.

Addie and her sister start out on a road trip to their friend’s wedding in the North of Scotland when they’re in a car accident. The driver that hit them is none other than Addie’s ex-boyfriend, and his friend, who are also on their way to the wedding. Forced to all ride together in one car things get pretty awkward. And of course, of course, it isn’t smooth sailing. There’s one hiccup after another, and Addie and Dylan are forced to confront their past while dealing with all the catastrophes that keep happening on their current-day trip.

Most of the characters are pretty damaged, and their relationships are messy and often unhealthy, but that just made them feel even more real to me. I loved every bit of it, especially O’Leary’s amazingly dry humor.

Brilliant. Utterly brilliant. Beth O'Leary's story telling is impeccable and riveting. Addie and Dylan's story is told in "Now" and "Then" parts told from both their points of view, which provide a sort of peek-a-book look at how their love story started, ended, and how they're dealing with all the above now that they're in the same vicinity after almost two years of no contact.

The writing and story itself are electric, making for a book I could not put down, and in fact did not want to. You really feel Addie's and Dylan's emotions come through the page. I felt them in my chest as I read, from the elation of seeing each other for the first time, to the yearning they felt for one another, to the despair when things weren't going as hoped and expected for.

It's an epic road trip and I couldn't help myself groan and laugh when things went awry as they often did, and even get emotional at times. The trip is the perfect vehicle for not only Addie and Dylan, but also for the other three souls in car with them, Marcus, Deb, and Rodney. Rodney for the most part provided the most comic relief during a really tense car ride, but it's Marcus who fascinated me most after Addie and Dylan. I absolutely would not mind reading more about him or Grace.

It's really hard to describe how good this story and the writing really is. It truly is an experience and one best experienced on your own. The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary is a magnificent triumph and her bibliography of amazing books has grown by one more title. I am really looking forward to more of her stories!

The Road Trip has gotten lots of mixed reviews but I’m here to say that I really enjoyed it!! I truly do enjoy Beth O’Leary’s writing style! Her books are so easy to read and I always fall in love with her characters and The Road Trip is no different! This is a unique story that I’ll be thinking about for awhile.

This was my first Beth OLeary book and I really enjoyed it. I was drawn in by the road trip that seemed to never end....Comical moments and real feelings through out. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the gifted copy of this book!

This is my third book by this author, and though I’ve seen some unfavorable reviews, I liked it. It was no Flatshare, but it was good. I like a road trip in a book, and y’all know I love a forced proximity trope!

I laughed a lot at the quick banter between characters, and I was really invested in their present and past stories, which alternated throughout the book.

This is an auto-buy author for me!

Umm, this book was not great after a quarter in. There was no relationship development, the communication lacked depth and it made it hard to connect with the characters. Can we acknowledge that Marcus stalked Addie and it was played down! Nope, I don't like that at all. The reason for their split is disgusting and it felt like it was glossed over. The ex'es father was also homophobic, so in conclusion most of the characters were awful people and I don't think these issues were handled appropriately.

Is this the same author that gave us The Flatshare and The Switch?

It didn't feel that way to me.

Dylan and Marcus are driving towards their friend Cherry's wedding in Scotland when they hit the car in front. Of course, the car in front is driven by Dylan's ex-girlfriend, Addie.

Addie is also going to the wedding. Her sister, Beth is in the passenger seat and Rodney, a guy from the Facebook wedding group is in the back.

When Dylan's car ceases to work, Addie can't leave Dylan stranded. So both Dylan and Marcus join them in Addie's car. What follows is an uncomfortable trip for most of them.

I had 3 issues with The Road Trip.

First one: Connecting with the characters. I didn't like Dylan and hated his best friend, Marcus. Addie was not so bad but If I have to pick a favorite character, it would be Beth, Addie's sister. Beth was there for Addie every time she needed her. She also gave good advice and inserted humor into the story.

The second problem: Addie's reactions. It felt like Addie was in love with Dylan just a few hours after meeting Dylan. Then, in the present, just a few hours into the drive she was forgetting and sweeping under the rug all the bad times Dylan and Marcus have caused her.

Third, I didn't understand the necessity to include Rodneys's drama into the storyline. It felt it came out of nowhere and it didn't contribute to anything.

I felt disappointed that I didn't like it when I have loved her other books.

Sigh, Hopefully, I can connect with the next book.

Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

I had a bit of a miss with Beth O'Leary's previous book The Switch largely in part to an undesirable audiobook narrator, so I was thrilled that I very much enjoyed The Road Trip on audio. THIS audiobook is narrated by Josh Dylan & Eleanor Tomlinson and I loved every single minute of listening to them. No mouth sounds, and they both did such a lovely job narrating this book. I thought their voices were quite perfect for their characters (Dylan & Addie) and they made my listening experience so much fun. I really enjoyed the entire story and I especially liked the switches between then and now, so we know exactly what happened with them as a couple. Both plotlines were very engaging and very humorous, plus I loved basically every single character. O'Leary throws some difficult subjects at the reader and I was in no way expecting what happened.

I loved the romance aspect of The Road Trip, but what really shown through was the humor and characters. I was impressed by the way O'Leary mixed a romantic comedy with plenty of heart and soul, and while it wasn't entirely light for the most part it really was. It was a nice change from the thrillers and downers I have been reading lately, and while there is a huge part that made me really sad, the majority of the book isn't like that at all. I was constantly engaged and always curious about why Dylan & Addie broke up, and I really enjoyed the way the author blended everything together. I think this would make such a great movie, and I am holding out hope that I will see it on-screen one day. I was completely won over with The Road Trip, and I can't wait to see more from O'Leary!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love second chance romance, but this one falls into that trap where it just tell you that the characters have grown and developed in their time apart without really showing you. The then and now narrative structure lets you know how immature Dylan and Addie once were.and then tells you how they have supposedly grown. I’d rather see characters brought back together and on the page development. Plus there’s a pretty toxic friendship.

I gave this book about ten tries but this one just wasn’t for me. The friendships are so unhealthy and were ultimately not the best situation to push through. Thank you to the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, that was just kind of boring. I couldn’t get into it and the characters were very meh. I will try something else from this author but this was a DNF for me.

It physically pains me to write this review, but what’s the point in being on 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 if you aren’t being honest in your reviews?⁣
⁣
Let me begin by saying that I loved 𝐎’𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐲’𝐬 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 so, so much. I even included 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 in my 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟐𝟎 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎! I loved it 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 much.⁣
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The main reason it took me so very long to read this book is that it was quite the painful experience and had me wanting to throw in the towel (𝐃𝐍𝐅) every few pages. 😬 But I persevered!⁣
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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘱 is a love story that doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of love. Maybe a sprinkle of infatuation. But infatuation does not a solid foundation make. I need something more. I couldn’t invest myself in something that barely felt real.⁣
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The jumping back and forth between the 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 of meeting on vacation and the 𝐧𝐨𝐰 of being crammed into a car with three other cranky adults felt incredibly disjointed and made it harder to follow what was going on when you have characters who lack any and all sort of depth.⁣
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I could tell you that there were several bits that were supposed to be quite funny, but the humor was completely lost on me, having been so painfully thrown off by the rest of the book. 😳⁣
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Maybe that’s a bit brutal of me… but it’s the sad truth of it.

Technically, this is a romance, with alternating female and male MC POVs and an eventual HEA, but somehow, it felt more like women's fiction to me. The journey is predominantly Addie's, who is on a road trip to a friend's wedding with her sister when they get in a minor car accident. The occupants of the other car are her ex-boyfriend and his devil-may-care BFF, also heading to the same wedding. So, of course they opt to all carpool together, with one car out of commission and a time constraint to make the wedding festivities. Oh, and there's a random guy hitching a ride with them, because what this group needs most is a random guy joining in.

I started this book on audio, and the female narrator sounds exactly like Emily Blunt. (This also could be attributed to the fact that I'd just seen JUNGLE CRUISE, and I love Emily Blunt.) I also received a digital ARC from the print publisher, so I flip-flopped my way through the story, between audio and print, which was actually nice because some of the names and places were difficult for my American English brain to decipher on audio. (It's set in the UK and the characters are all British, in case that wasn't clear.)

Overall, it kept me entertained enough to read to the end. The story alternates between Now and Then, back when Addie and Dylan first meet and begin dating. The Then sections have a solidly more romance feel to them, whereas the Now is decidedly less so. At times, the pacing drags, and I wondered why I should care if these two get back together or not. There's a lot of toxicity in their past relationships, not only with each other, but with other supporting characters, and it's often difficult to see how they've changed/grown since then other than being told they have.

And I think that's why I'm only rating this 3.5 stars. The writing is good, the story structure is solid, and there are some fun moments along the way, but in the end, I didn't really want the two main characters to end up together. As a second-chance romance, it didn't work for me. But if I looked at it through the lens of a women's fiction novel, I liked it better.

If you're looking for a light rom-com, this is not it. If you're looking for a women's fiction novel with some romantic elements, this could be one you like. Do know, though, there's a lot of content that some may find unsettling/triggering (e.g., alcohol and drug abuse, homophobia, sexual assault, depression).

RATING: C+ (3½ stars)

This one was a tough one to review… Having read The Flatshare, I came in expecting a slightly different book. In some ways the two reads had similar tones – both were Contemporary Women’s Fiction reads, both had some lighthearted moments, in addition to covering some darker topics. However, The Flatshare still read more like a romance for me personally whereas this one felt less like a romance and more of a thinking read.

Since I went into this book expecting a romance, I’ll be the first to admit I think it probably colored my experience a bit. The cover art and premise sounded more lighthearted romcom – and that was what I was looking for / forward to.

The story itself was very well written, and the author is one I enjoy and will try again. I think she brings forth an intriguing set of characters to the story. My favorites in this book were side characters, I did not particularly like either of the two main characters Addie and Dylan very much.

Not having a particular pull or relatability made it hard for me to root for either of the main characters. Add to that their prior relationship and the details revealed around it as the story progresses, and I did not find myself seeing them as a viable romance pairing. If anything, I found them to be a bit toxic together. In the end, it was a book worth reading – well written and thought provoking and I did recommend it to friends who prefer Fiction and / or Women’s Fiction.

“𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩.”- 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙚. 
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Need a summer read that features a road trip, I highly recommend The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary.  
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𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲: 
▪️Exes forced into close proximity  
▪️Multiple POV with dual timelines  
▪️Laughable catastrophes  
▪️Second chance romance  
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 
𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: 
Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven’t spoken since.  
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Today, Dylan’s and Addie’s lives collide again. It’s the day before Cherry’s wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland—he’ll never get there on time by public transport. 
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So, along with Dylan’s best friend, Addie’s sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart—and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all. 
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𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 @netgalley & @berkleypub 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 #𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 #𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺

Overall, I liked the story and romance of the two lovers, Addie and Dylan. These two had an intense romantic relationship that crash landed hard. While I felt their chemistry, attraction, and history to be believable, I do feel like the story was missing a lot of the sweet happy moments between the two. A lot of the comedic relief comes from the Addie’s older sister and Rodney who’s carpooling with the group to the wedding.

My biggest issue with the story was the side character Marcus. He was horrible and toxic best friend to Dylan. The author tried to give an explanation or redemption arc at the end of the story, and it did not work. The explanation does not negate all the manipulation and gaslighting he did in the past.

I had felt really good about the book until it dissolved into this weird, unnecessarily emotional melodrama. I enjoyed the beginning and middle quite a lot but it quickly lost my attention after.

I really enjoyed previous O'Leary books, but this one didn't hit the mark for me. I'm starting to sour on books where the whole time you are thinking one thing happened only to learn that wasn't it at all. The characters in this book were hold grudges about things that happened a few years ago when they find themselves riding together to a friend's wedding. We learn about their past in flashback, but listening to the book as an audio can make the story come across choppy or confusing as each chapter doesn't say now or then. This is a perfect beach read or road trip listen.

Loved it! Getting to know each and every character, and how their stories come together. Beth O'Leary never disappoints.