I love Connie Willis, and Blackout/All Clear is one of my favorite books: I finished Blackout in one sitting at around 1am and then immediately started All Clear and finished it in the wee hours of the morning. So that's how I'm coming into this. And I've read some silly Willis books too like To Say Nothing of the Dog.

I figured this would be pretty silly--how could it not be when it's an alien abduction love story Western--but I wasn't really expecting it to be this ridiculous. On top of that, what keeps the Oxford Time Travel series engaging is the amazing premise, the interesting characters, and how quickly the story progresses. Unfortunately, the only element in common with The Road to Roswell is the quickness of the story.

If you're looking for something fun and fast, this isn't a bad option, and it hasn't turned me off from future Connie Willis books. I think my expectations were misaligned, and that happens sometimes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House/Del Rey!

Attending, but hoping to stop, a friend’s wedding in Roswell the same weekend as a UFO festival is bound to be quite a story but what happens away from the festivities is a story of an even grander scale in The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

Arriving in Roswell, New Mexico for a UFO-themed wedding of her friend Serena, which happens to be taking place during the annual UFO Festival so alien talk is at an all-time high, Francie can’t believe the odds mounting against her to help Serena find reason before she winds up marrying this latest in a string of ill-suited men. While good-heartedly trying to help by fetching some string lights, Francie winds up getting abducted by a tentacled tumbleweed-looking alien, which looks nothing like what people have theorized aliens to be, who forces her to drive in the direction it points. In the desert the alien abducts a second person, a hitchhiking con man named Wade, who is weirdly attached to his duffel bag and sells anti-alien abduction insurance. Driving in what seems like an aimless manner across the Southwest, Francie, Wade, and the alien, which Wade dubbed Indy for his fast flying tentacles that are like bullwhips, they wind up picking up a few more abductees for their adventure with the additions of a conspiracy theorist UFOer, Lyle, a little old lady who likes to gamble, Eula May, and a Western-loving adventurer in his Western trail wagon, Joseph. The rag-tag crew continue driving at Indy’s direction and with Wade's calm leadership while trying to figure out what Indy wants and how they might be able to help him, and therefore themselves, before anything bad happens to them or their planet.

In a fun, quickly-paced adventure story with endearing moments and enough touches of the humorous and weird to keep things interesting, a journey throughout the American Southwest ensues at the urging of a determined alien that seems to have some trouble with not abducting people while working toward his goal. The characters, though using stereotypical or caricatural bases from which to expand, were well-depicted, offering a good sense of who they are, and for Indy especially, given that outside of flailing tentacles there’s no visual cues, or even audio cues, for what he wants and does, there’s a good sense of Indy’s character provided. Much of the [more] alien-focused part of the narrative happened toward the ending, which included a reveal that was well foreshadowed throughout the earlier scenes and interactions so as to not be overly surprising, introducing a lot of new beings and terminologies without exploring them in satisfying detail and instead offering dialogue summaries to progress the story toward the end; however, with the events that took place as the novel concludes, the story of Francie, Wade, and Indy remains open should another adventure be on the horizon.

Overall, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Francie heads off to NM for a wedding, but is side tracked when she is abducted by an alien, Indy, that looks like a tumbleweed. Indy forces her to drive where he wants, and he keeps collecting new people along the way. Told with Willis's lighthearted style, this is a fun adventure where rushing and a series of misunderstandings lead to more oddball characters joining the trip. Once Francie and Indy learn to communicate, the rush to get Indy home starts in earnest. A fun adventure with characters who are both good at heart and a little odd.

*Special thanks to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this novel.*

Aliens, road trips, American Southwest, a rowdy bunch, and a little romance? What more could a gal ask for?! When Francie finds herself on a trip to New Mexico to be the maid of honor in an alien themed wedding, she truly has no idea what to think other than, how can we get out of this. Not to mention, she firmly doesn't believe in aliens...just crazy people. However, all of this is obliterated when she finds herself on the run with a real-life alien. Throw in a con-ma, an alien fanatic, a gambling old lady, and the driver of a Western Trail Wagon and you've got yourself a hoot and a half.

Y'all I absolutely adored this book. Thinking about everything I read, I can't find a single thing I would have changed. It's witty, cute, and a little serious at times, but man does it find a way in to your heart. If you love the idea of aliens from outer space or travel trips gone humorously wrong, this is the book for you. I promise, it will have you laughing and crying and appreciating your friendships just a little bit more.

The Road to Roswell is a fun and creative ride. You don't need to believe in aliens to enjoy this one. We meet Francie as she arrives in Roswell New Mexico for her best friends wedding. Unfortunately, she soon realizes that the wedding coincides with a big UFO festival which celebrates the first alien landing. Francie is not an Alien believer and hopes to talk her friend out of marrying her fiance, the UFO enthusiast. Before she gets a chance to talk with her friend, Francie finds herself abducted by an alien. Don't worry, she is not pulled up into a mother ship and probed. This abduction becomes more of a road trip. As compassionate Francie realizes the alien is in trouble she becomes determined to help it. Along their trip, more people join in on the journey, creating a fun and diverse group.

This is part romantic comedy, part science fiction. The plot and the characters were the highlight of the story. Since Indy doesn't quite know where he is going, the group spends a lot of time traveling around the southwest and discussing alien and UFO lore. I think every possible belief about aliens was covered. My only complaint is that the book was a bit long in the middle as the group work to communicate with Indy, the alien. Once the action picks up again, the ending was strong. Be warned, this one ends abruptly. It would be nice to get another book to give this one a fully wrapped ending.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this story and will be checking out the authors other books.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy to enjoy.

A humorous road trip filled with aliens and a little romance. This was a fast read with good pacing. Couldn't wait to find out what Indy the alien was seeking.

It was well researched and carefully plotted. A light, funny novel.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the free eARC. This is my honest review.

I loved this book. I've been a fan since To Say Nothing of the Dog. The characters are well written and Indy was delightful. We absolutely need a sequel.

I feel like Connie Willis writes 2 kinds of books: serious, historical, research-heavy time travel books like The Doomsday Book, Blackout/All Clear, etc, and research-heavy comical books, like To Say Nothing of the Dog, The Bellwether, and this one. They are all great.

The focus here is on aliens and the southwest, and to some degree old westerns, so if you are a fan of any of those subjects, you will probably still learn something. But also, it's so funny! Willis has a fantastic way for dialogue and great comic timing/banter between characters.

The plot: Francie goes to Roswell for a friends wedding and gets abducted by an alien. And then a few more people get abducted by the same alien, and then they are all on a mission through New Mexico, while watching old western movies in an RV (sorry, Western Trail Wagon). It's a very unique, funny, interesting novel. And it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (or at least an easy avenue to imagine a sequel), so I hope that is on the horizon!

Thanks so much for the ARC, NetGalley!

First sentence: Serena wasn't in the airport waiting area when Francie got off the plane in Albuquerque, but a man carrying a sign reading FIRST CONTACT COMMITTEE--WELCOME TO THE UFO FESTIVAL was. UFO festival? Serena hadn't said anything about a UFO festival going on at the same time as her wedding. Maybe it's not in Roswell, Francie thought hopefully. But of course it was. Where else was a UFO festival be?

My thoughts: I know, I know. I usually start with "premise/plot". But I just wanted to pop in to say THERE BETTER BE A SEQUEL. And all the better if that sequel is also published this year. Like tomorrow. I wanted MORE, MORE, MORE, MORE. This is easily the best book I've read in 2023. I'll clarify that a bit. The best adult book I've read in 2023.

Premise/plot: Francie goes to Roswell hoping to stop her friend--her former college roommate--from marrying a "true-believer." It's a UFO themed wedding coinciding with a UFO Festival. This won't be the first time Francie has persuaded her friend to be a runaway bride. But before she has a chance to have a heart-to-heart chat with Serena, but after she's tried on her maid of honor dress--it's horrific, of course--she's abducted...by an alien. The alien, whom Francie eventually nicknames Indy (short for Indiana Jones), and Francie start off on a road trip of the most unusual kind. And as they travel--Indy indicates which direction to drive--they soon pick up more "guests" (or abductees). Wade. Lyle. Eula Mae. Joseph. The original car not being big enough for all the crew...they soon find themselves in a "borrowed" RV crisscrossing the Southwest. (It's Joseph's). What is Indy searching for? What does he want? What does he need?

My thoughts (part 2): I loved, loved, loved this one. It was giddy-making. It has literally everything. This is a funny sci-fi rom-com. It would make an AWESOME movie. (In my opinion). I loved the characters. I loved the relationships. I loved the world-building. Nothing was tedious. I loved the amount of characterization. Yes, it's premise-driven. Yes, it pokes fun at at least a couple of sub-genres. (Lyle, a true believer, of sorts, has seen EVERY alien movie ever made. Joseph is a die-hard western fan. He's seen EVERY western ever made.) But it was such a delightful read.

Did I love the ending???? I'm mad at it. Not mad-mad. Not angry, I mean. It's just like when a movie flashes up a big TO BE CONTINUED sign right in the middle of a scene. (Though the words were not to be continued. So there better be a sequel.)

This was cute. Loved Indy’s personality. Thought all the characters were fun. Wasn’t a big fan of the constant lists every time Francie went to a new city. We saw this, this, and this - over and over again got old.

This was a cute, fun read that I could see being palatable to people who are normally intimidated by the amount of worldbuilding often present in sci-fi. The descriptions of Roswell, the UFO festival, and the New Mexico landscape were evocative, and Francie was instantly relatable. I’m normally not a fan of pop culture references in books, but the ones in this book were integrated well into the story and didn’t come off as pretentious flexing, so I actually enjoyed them here.
The cast was full of fun characters and the romance was cute. Most of all, I appreciated Indy’s chaotic energy. If the idea of a chaos goblin alien with a heart of gold appeals to you, you’ll enjoy this book.
The only things that kept me from giving this book five stars was that the middle felt a little slow and the ending felt abrupt. I still appreciate this book and I would recommend it to both sci-fi and romance fans who want a lighthearted comedy.

[Review to be posted on Goodreads one month prior to publication per publisher's request.]

I knew from the synopsis that I would love this, and I was not disappointed at all! Funny, smart, and fast-paced, I loved every second of it and couldn't put it down. It was extra fun reading this on the way to my own college roommate's wedding (no aliens or abductions, thankfully), and I appreciated how human all of the characters felt, even as you knew while reading that all of them weren't quite telling the whole story. It has all of the best parts of a road trip, with an eclectic band of characters careening through the southwest as they grow closer, complete with hilarious hijinks and trying to outrun the feds as they do. Indy is an adorable alien, with imaginative worldbuilding and construction of his species and society at each reveal, and Francie is a perfect non-believer foil, compassionate and really just trying to do her best in a wild situation. This was the perfect fun romp I needed!

This is a well written book. It has some fine lines, amusing snark, an engaging narrator, a few well-conceived set pieces, and an amusing if slightly complicated approach to UFO contact.. It's also good, sharp fun. I would encourage inquisitive readers who like playing with genre conventions to give the book a try.

4 stars

This was fantastic and right up my alley. It was so much fun to read, I loved the characters and the setting. I really hope to see more of this storyline in the future.