What did I love about this book -- the question should be what didn't I love about it!! It has the perfect main female character - Joy -- and the perfect male main character -- Dylan!! Then there are the chapter headings -- before and after from each character!! So much fun Kerry!!!

I was looking for a light and easy read to enjoy on a hot day and this book fit perfectly! The story of Joy and Dylan's romance was fun to get lost into. The old "opposites attract" was evident, but I enjoyed this one! I am going to look for more by this author!

I adored this book. I thought the author artfully tackled the themes of guilt and grief. The story was engaging, quickly pulling me in, and I found the main characters captivating and likeable. Each of them is struggling in his/her own way with issues of grief and guilt, and Lonsdale portrayed that struggle realistically. The book also has a romance where each of the characters in drawn to the other, but each of them have a reason that makes them fight that attraction. Initially not acting on that attraction allows them to develop a delightful friendship along the trip where each of them helps the other one. It's hard to talk about a part of the book that had a huge impact without giving it away ( I always hate when that happens). I will say have your tissues ready. This also had a very unique ending to the book which I appreciated.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this passionate, raw, emotional Side Trip! The characters were fabulous, relatable, and suffering in their own ways, sacrificing themselves and their true love for doing the right thing, or trying to make up for mistakes from the past. Very good, complex, well built up and enjoyable Joy Ride. Thank you to Kerry Lonsdale, publisher and NetGalley for the e-reader for review. All opinions are my own.

<b><i>The tune made her think of love and loss and life’s unexpected routes, like the road that had led her to him.</i></b>

The only thing that I feel I can say is that this book left me wanting more, I went into reading it thinking it was going to be a quick beach read, when in actuality it is so much more than that. While it still has that quick pace and catchy writing that keeps you engaged, it is an ideal story with the complex emotional lives of adults. It's an incredibly thoughtful and intelligent book.

I love books that focus on the characters and their relationships beyond just the plot of the book. It leaves you wanting to know more about these relationships, more about Joy and her fiancé and more about Dylan. Through her writing, Kerry Lonsdale has an amazing ability to bring her characters to life and Side Trip is a great example of the power of writing that allows readers to feel and empathize with the characters. Not to mention it is also a page turner with a romantic plot that is realistic and relevant--with blurred lines, lines crossed and everything in between. The story itself is so relatable, and you will quickly be swept away on the road thru route 66. It's so hard to describe in an eloquent way how one feels about traumatic life experiences and how they bury them deep within themselves and Ms. Lonsdale did just that in this story.

Although, this book was a little slow at the beginning, soon I was caught up in Joy’s cross country drive towards her fiancé when she meets stranded Dylan and agrees to let him travel along to drop him off at JFK airport. This trip, meant to be cathartic as Joy grieves the loss of her sister, turns into much more as their daily side trips heal the many hurt places in both of their souls. The ending was quite a surprise and left me wanting to read more from this author.

Some Twizzlers, a cherry coke, an iPod, a guitar, a ring, a map, a list ... what could go wrong or completely right? 10 days and only moments....

I loved reading this story with the different points of view and the interchanging of “before” and “after”

I enjoyed reading about these characters and who they are and how they became who they are. It was an interesting trip. I’m excited about how the story ended.
Can’t wait to see what Kerry Lonsdale comes out with next.

I had heard so much hype about Side Trip and I was excited when I finally got the opportunity to read it myself. I definitely could see what the hype was all about! Who wouldn’t love to do a solo road trip On Route 66 with a bucket list in hand that you want to complete by the end of the trip? How fun! And empowering! The reason behind the trip, whose bucket list it is, and why it is being completed is what really makes this novel even better. Of course there is a bad boy romance, a conflict of emotions, and some happily ever after. A bit on the edge of YA, but completely enjoyable and luring to adults, too. I truly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author.

Kerry Lonsdale proves once again that romance love stories are a must in our life.
I loved this book so much from the first page to the last. It covers many life topics and not all are easy to digest but as the blurb says, it’s a book of what-ifs and a very well done one. I can’t even decide who I liked more, Joy or Dylan, two characters that are like water and oil but if you stir them up hard enough they will blend together into one.
A must-read novel for sure.

"We aren't pinballs shot in a specific direction depending on how we're hit. We get to choose how we react to tragedy. Don't feel guilty about us. Whatever is weighing you down, let it go. We can't do jackshit about the past."
Wow. "Wow" is the only word I could say when I finished this book. The twist at the end of this book left me absolutely speechless. I went from bawling my eyes out and wanting to throw my Kindle across the room to being completely shocked. "Side Trip" is hands-down one of those books where you don't want to put it down, but at the same time you don't want the book to ever end.
This story is told in 3rd person POV and is about Joy, a freshly engaged college girl who is moving to New York to start a life her deceased sister always dreamed of living. Instead of flying, Joy is taking the road trip her sister Judy had always planned on taking and completing the bucket list she left behind before she was killed in a car accident involving both girls. Joy hopes that by completing the bucket list she can forgive herself and keep the secret Judy promised her to keep. When Joy stops at a roadside diner, she meets Dylan, who is traveling on the same route 66 she is, and is having car troubles. Hesitantly, she agrees to let him ride with. So long as they can agree to three rules: No last names, whatever happens on the road stays on the road, and if one of them wants to take a side trip they both have to agree. They spend the next 10 days getting to know each other and developing feelings that shouldn't be there. The story bounces back and forth between past/present Joy and past/present Dylan.
I loved this book. I felt an instant connection with both Joy and Dylan. I had so much empathy for both as they were both haunted by memories of their pasts.
This book gave me all the feels. I bounced between laughing one second to bawling my eyes out all the way to cheering Joy and Dylan on to being so frustrated by their actions. I will forever be a lifelong Kerry Lonsdale fan. I honestly can't find the words to say how good this book is.
I highly recommend this book if you love endings that you don't see coming and to fans of Carolyn Brown. I promise you won't be disappointed in picking this book up.
I received a free digital galley from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read a lot of romances but when I do I want a realistic well told story and Kerry Lonsdale doesn't disappoint. It's happy and it's tense. A little sad at times but so entertaining that you don't want to stop reading. So don't stop. Pick up this winner of a book. A must read. Happy reading!

Side Trip was a delightful, breezy read that blended a drive to find meaning and purpose and fulfillment mixed with suspenseful romance. The clever, quirky, and easy-to-love characters quickly drew me in as I plunged into the journey with them. I highly recommend this for not only Kerry Lonsdale fans but also those who love a feel-good story that is not your run-of-the-mill perfect little romance, but real and meaningful with relatable characters and topics.

With her deceased sister’s Route 66 bucket list in hand Joy Evers will set out on a cross country trip to meet her fiance in New York, crossing off items along the way. Dylan Westfield is trying to fulfill his own sort of deal, traveling across the country and playing gigs with his guitar. But when his car breaks down they’ll make a deal; she’ll drive him to New York and he’ll pay for gas. What happens on the road stays on the road, right?

What I Didn’t Like:
-Cheating. The entire undertone of this story involves Joy being engaged from the get-go, which bothered me throughout the story. I will say that it was handled as well as you can handle such things from a character.
-Flagstaff. Gosh, this is such a small thing to be mentioning. But when I started this channel I agreed to be honest about what bothered me even if it was oddly specific. This is one of those. I absolutely ADORE Flagstaff. It is my favorite city, honestly. So seeing it used as a sort of throw away could-be-any-city-on-Route66 kind of town made me cringe, HARD. I would’ve liked to see it be honored or not named specifically.

What I Did Like:
-Bucket list angle. It piqued my interest RIGHT AWAY and kept me in the story. I love the idea of traveling across the country in a car checking off items like this on a bucket list. Knowing that it wasn’t actually Joy’s list added to the mystery and the excitement.
-GRIEF. This book ultimately deals with two things. 1-the love story (which I’ll get to in a second) and 2-Joy’s grief. The grief is the first thing that will smack you in this book, for sure. Joy is making decisions out of her grief and I have NEVER seen a book that makes that so obvious before. It was a great lesson in letting go of the past.
-The romance draws you in. They’re a good pair and they have chemistry right away. That is rather obvious, I think.
-The ending. It’s not a traditional way of ending a book, it will be controversial, but I like it. The author took a risk here and, in my opinion, it worked.

Who Should Read This One:
-Readers looking for books about grief or dealing with grief (perhaps from a nonexample).
-Anyone who likes a non-traditional ending.
-Readers who like emotion in their stories. This one packs some serious punches.
-Readers who like that warm, fuzzy feeling of love stories.

My Rating: 4 Stars. This one will appeal to romance readers, for sure! Contemporary fans, I think you’ll also get a kick out of this one. Worth the read!

Who’s ready for a road trip? With vacation plans across the world pretty much cancelled I think we’re all in need of a vacation and going alongside Joy and Dylan for an emotional, unforgettable road trip was the next best thing to taking a trip myself. I’ve followed along and read all of the authors books over the years and this is her best yet!

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all wondered what if? about many different things in our lives, what if you and your partner never crossed paths? Or what if one small decision changed the course of your life forever and you don’t even realize it? That’s the heart of this book because when Joy and Dylan randomly meet and decide to team up for a road trip they lay some ground rules that include no last names so it makes it near impossible for them to find each other afterwards, what happens on the road trip stays there, but what if one or both of them decides the rules should be broken? This was much more clever than I can accurately convey to you guys, there was a super smart little twist that was a game changer for the whole story and without verging into spoiler territory that’s really all I can say. I definitely appreciated the direction this one took though and can only applaud the author for managing to pull off something unique and pretty magical in the end. Definitely recommended by me, especially if you’re looking for a truly escapist read.

A side trip along Route 66 changes Joy and Dylan's lives forever. An chance meeting between a tortured singer/songwriter and a tortured young woman carrying out her sister's bucket list leads Dylan and Joy to spending 10 days together. 10 days that leaves them both wanting more, unable to forget the other, and learning more about themselves thanks to the other's influence than they ever thought possible.

This was a light read, but one full of "what ifs?" And there is cheating, since Joy is engaged, but there's really no way around that. The push and pull that Joy feels between wanting to stay loyal to Mark and the intense attraction and connection she has with Dylan is really the crux of this story. So while cheating is usually a no-go for me, I went with the flow on this one because there really can't be any other way for this story to work.

Side Trip is full of heart and passion, and a lesson in forgiving yourself and those who have hurt you. The chemistry between Dylan and Joy is amazing, right from the start. I loved how the story unfolds over the course of Then and Now, ten years passing with both Dylan and Joy unable to move on, no matter how hard they try.

And that ending! Not your typical ending! I loved that twist. I read previously read Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale, and wasn't sure if I should expect another sorta-cliffhanger/unresolved ending. But the conclusion of Side Trip was beautiful.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.

I enjoyed Kerry Lonsdale’s Side Trip immensely it is one of her best. Ms. Lonsdale wrote a wonderful story which drew me right in, making me forget everything else and did not let me go until I turned the last page. This was a very well written story with characters that were well defined. Just when I think her books can’t get any better they do I don’t know how she does it. I sat and read this book in one sitting it was that good. I had to keep turning the pages so I could find out what was going to happen. This was a love story with plenty of twists and turns and an ending that was unexpected. Side Trip is an emotional journey of life, sadness, joy, decisions, romance and love. You will laugh you will cry and you will feel like you are right there going on the road trip with the characters. This was a wonderful read, I highly recommend you pick up this book or any of Kerry’s books you won’t be sorry. Thank you to Kerry Lonsdale, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review all thoughts are my own.

This story was fine, it just wasn’t for me. I’ve loved previous works by this author, but ultimately I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. This is partially in the way the story is told, in a bit of a back and forth between now and then. I did like the description and some of the tension but I just didn’t get a depth or connection.

An emotional cross country journey for one woman turns into so much more than she ever could have bargained for. Her sister is gone. Guilt consumes her. Taking her last list of things to do on Route 66, her bags and her car, Joy sets out to live the life her sister no longer can. She never though the favor she does for Dylan Westbrook would change everything. Travelling together they find themselves throwing caution to the wind, taking side trips and lossing themselves in each other. But reality is always right there waiting for them. She has a fiancé, he has a job overseas. Will their journey be a side trip and the long winding road of life, or will they take the road less travelled and follow their hearts? It's a beautiful story, with a bunch of heart and soul and an endless well of heartache and tragedy.

Side Trip is the perfect summer read!
A journey across country, spontaneous daily side trips, and the bearing of two souls.

Ride along with Joy and Dylan, both shedding and sharing memories of trauma. Beginning the drive as strangers, their relationship grows with each day. And night.

Kerry Lonsdale has given us a great story of escape. For her characters AND her readers

Side Trip follows Joy and Dylan on a road trip on Route 66 that will change their lives. Joy is headed from California to join her fiancé in NYC but her reason for taking this drive is much deeper - she's trying to fulfill her dead sister's Bucket List along the way. While stopping at a diner, she meets Dylan, a charismatic singer-songwriter whose car has just broken down. In an attempt to be spontaneous like her late sister, Joy agrees to give Dylan a lift to New York not realizing the repercussions this decision will have on both of them.

Joy and Dylan are two people whose lives are filled with regrets and what ifs. They're lost and lonely but find comfort in each other as they learn how to deal with the ghosts of their pasts. But what happens on the road stays on the road and when their cross-country drive is over, they part ways, not even having exchanged last names, neither ready to take a detour from the plans they had even if it means missing out on true love.

This is the first book I've read by Kerry Lonsdale so I can't compare it to her others but if you're a fan of Colleen Hoover's novels, you'll love Side Trip. It's sexy and fun with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Joy and Dylan are a couple you can't help but root for but the plot isn't predictable - the ending truly surprised me! Lonsdale's writing makes you feel like you're on Route 66 with the couple and there's even a Side Trip playlist to really set the mood. Throw this book in your beach bag - you won't be disappointed.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for an advanced copy of this book.