The Road Trip

This was unexpected! Really good romance. I enjoyed it a lot!

I approached this book thinking I was reading a fun romantic romp for the Valentine's holiday, but found a somewhat deeper story. The narrators Addie and Dylan hop back and forth in a dual timeline - one where they meet one summer and the other in present day, a few years later. The story touches on relationships, mental health, finding yourself (sometimes amidst supportive people, sometimes not), and sisterhood in addition to love, and leaves you with some things to think about.
I'll admit that the Addie/Dylan relationship in the ‘before' made me frustrated, which was likely intentional, although the growth in the ‘after' is rewarding. I loved the relationships between most of the women characters, especially Addie and her sister Deb. Deb's character is deserving of her own story, that's how fun and complete she is. Overall, this is a good book, and was worth my time. I've read the author's other books and I'll read more of her in the future. It would be a good book club choice, and the discussion questions at the end of the paperback edition are actually good ones to get a conversation going.

2.5 stars.

Having been a huge fan of The Flatshare, I really, really wanted to like this book. But dear God, there was just no reason to root for these two to get back together, even though they were obviously going to. They make each other utterly miserable as soon as Addie leaves France. We're clearly supposed to feel that the characters have grown and matured between “then” and “now” but I didn't see much evidence of that. This was just a deeply frustrating read.

This was rather disappointing. It started off very slowly and I didn't get the feel that the main characters were as in love with each other as they were supposed to be. I was more annoyed than entertained by this story.

This one was fun!

Loved the back and forth between now and then, and how Addie and Dylan's relationship developed.

As for Marcus...has there ever been a secondary character so disliked? Readers, you'll want to throttle him!

An enjoyable read.

This book is such a lovely book about love, friendship, identity, and acceptance. Honestly, it surprised me. I expected just a fun romp of a road trip where two exes hash out their issues, but it is so much more than that.

In this story, exes Addie and Dylan find themselves traveling to a wedding together in a Mini with three other people. To say this situation is not ideal is definitely an understatement. Their relationship ended almost two years prior to this road trip in such a way that has left them both wounded. Add to that tension the fact that the man largely responsible for their break up is in the car also and it is a recipe for disaster.

The cast of characters in this book is highly entertaining. Addie and Dylan are both charming and lovable protagonists. Neither is a villain in their break up, which makes it much easier to like them. Addie's sister, Deb, is refreshingly independent and confident. Even the troublemaker, Marcus, has likable qualities at times, though he is largely self-absorbed and rude most of the time. Then there is the random wedding guest that hitched a ride, Rodney. He adds a good bit of goofy humor to the story.

The main road trip plot line is engaging and fun, even with the mishaps along the way. The characters are not having fun, of course, but the reader can laugh at their expense at times. Although there are adventures and light-hearted moments, there also very serious and somewhat therapeutic moments as well. Several of the individuals in the car have issues to resolve, and the close proximity forces them to do so whether they want to or not. The book touches on some serious topics along the way, such as depression, homophobia, alcoholism, and sexual assault , so the reader should be aware of that.

The romance in this book is probably one of the best I have read in a while. It is not pretty at times, but it feels quite authentic and believable. The main obstacle in the relationship is another person, but not in the usual manner. I like that it is not typical of all the other romances I have read lately. It feels fresh and different.

Overall, I am very happy with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience and would love to read it again in the future. Well done, Beth O'Leary! I look forward to reading more!

It was sweet and all. I mean, cute sisters relationship, good friends, interesting people on the road, etc. but I had high expectations for this book after her two others, so much I was saving it up. In that, I was a bit disappointed. The story was cute, but not something as good as I thought the other two were.

Wasn't convinced at first but slowly was drawn in to the story and the characters