Beth O'Leary has done it again! This book was everything I wanted and more, I absolutely loved it! I can't remember the last time I read a book set on a road trip but now I want to read more!

I ended up staying up into the early hours to finish this one because I couldn't stop! I was hooked and addicted to this story and it's characters. I loved the flip between past and present, allowing us to see what truly happened to Addie and Dylan's relationship.

Each character in this book brought something to the story and this story was so much more than just a regular road trip. This book covers a lot of topics, some more sensitive then others (if you want to know possible trigger warnings then please message me!) and Beth O'Leary dealt with these darker topics with such sensitivity and compassion.

This book made me laugh and cry, I could honestly ramble on about this book for hours. It was absolutely brilliant and recommend it to everyone who loves contemporary romance! I cannot wait to see what Beth comes out with next!

Thank you so much to Quercus and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Beth O'Leary does it again - delivering a heartfelt second chance romance novel that's brimming with fun characters. The Road Trip is told from Dylan and Addie's perspectives. We meet them as Addie and her sister, Deb reluctantly give Dylan and his best friend, Marcus a lift to their mutual friend's wedding in Scotland after he crashes his car. As you can expect, road trip hijinks ensue.

The book alternates between the past and present, as we learn more about how Addie and Dylan met, their heated summertime romance in Provence and what led to their breakup two years ago. The flashbacks definitely help build this into a believable second chance romance.

O'Leary is an expert at mixing fun and romance with more serious topics - in this instance, she focuses on Marcus and Dylan's toxic friendship and sexual assault. I didn't find these characters as likeable as the ones in O'Leary's previous books, but this is still the perfect beach read to enjoy this summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

An interesting read which switches between the present day and the past and tells us the story of Addie and Dylan and how they ended up here. Even though there is a bit of suspension of disbelief that these two would end up having to drive together to this wedding once you move past that Beth O’Leary’s writing does pull you in and you want to see whether things will work out for these two second time around. The characters were not always likeable there a a couple I would gladly have left out altogether but it’s still a good way to pass an afternoon. (3 ⭐️)

After reading some not so glowing reviews I came into this with low expectations so I’m really surprised that I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought I would. I’ve only read The flatshare so I can’t compare it to what everyone seems to agree is her best book to date (The switch) but I think this was a good effort. As in The flatshare, this is a mix of light and fun with some darker themes. I absolutely loved all the female characters, especially Addie and Deb and their relationship, but I also loved their relationship with all the other female characters with no pettiness or bitchiness involved. Sadly, I wasn’t so impressed with their male counterparts. Dylan was just meh and Marcus was an absolute jerk and I don’t think his redemption scene was enough to make up for his awfulness.

Though not a new favorite, it was solid and now I can’t wait to have my mind blown by The switch.

I absolutely loved The Flatshare and The Switch (despite them not being in my usual go-to genre!) so I was super excited to read The Road Trip. Whilst I don't think it matched up to Beth O'Leary's previous books, it was a fun, emotional rollercoaster of a book, and I really liked the dual timeline structure of the book. I also genuinely can't think of anything more horrifying than being stuck on a 400 mile journey in a packed mini with my ex!

I did enjoy this well written, witty story. It runs along at a fast past, not like the actual road trip though which has all sorts of setbacks along the way. There is a lot of emotion in this book, as well as misunderstanding, confusions and some unforeseen twists but it all comes together in a riveting read. Five adults in a mini on a long trip to a friends wedding in Scotland, with a hell of a lot of history between them, lends for an interesting read.

I didn't connect to all the characters, some are definitely not likeable, in fact at times they annoyed me. I liked Addie and Dylan too most of the time, Addie is sweet and Dylan, although a little frustrating at times, has good intentions. Deb, Addie's sister is funny and brings humour to the story. Rodney, the interloper, is a pain and didn't really seem to bring that much to the story. However, Marcus is really annoying, needy, manipulative and darn-right nasty at times too. Such an interesting group of people all to be squeezed into a mini for hours.

I did enjoy this story and I definitely needed to find out how it would all turn out in the end.


#TheRoadTrip #NetGalley

From the get-go, the plot of this book had so much potential for tension, drama and emotion and it delivered on all fronts. O'Leary's talent for witty dialogue, humour and believable characters, that we first saw in The Flatshare, is just as strong in The Road Trip and made this a highly enjoyable, moving and entertaining read.

The story is told from Addie and Dylan's alternating perspectives and in two time-lines, the present day where they find themselves on a road trip together to a mutual friend's wedding in Scotland, and a flashback to when they first met during a summer in France. I really enjoyed both of these timelines as they differed in tone and contrasted well to heighten the themes and emotions depicted in each. The flashback sections were full of sexual tension, romance and a sense of freedom. The present day sections were full of awkward tension, sentiment and unresolved issues.

There are some heavy and potentially triggering themes in the book, some of which I felt warranted further exploration, but would not really fit the genre so I understand why they weren't. These darker topics are balanced well with the humour in the book, particularly in the dialogue which provided light relief and was often a joy to read. There are some slightly contrived "set pieces", and some of the issues were resolved a bit too quickly and easily, but overall I found this to be a really enjoyable read. I also have to add that two of the side characters, Deb and Marcus, had fascinating back stories so would love to see a spin-off focusing on these characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the ARC.

It was good and somewhat long and predictable rom com. I did enjoy it at some parts but some were just too long and I was rushing through them. Overall, it was a solid road trip book, so give it a go if you love books of the kind.

When Addie and her sister begin their road trip to northern Scotland to attend a friend’s wedding, they don’t expect to run into Dylan, Addie’s ex. Or more like Dylan drives into the back of their car. As a consequence, Dylan and his best mate, end up making the trip to Scotland together. With three hundred miles ahead of them, the breakdown of their relationship soon starts to be told in a past and present storyline.
Their relationship is told from both Addie and Dylan’s POV, with plenty of truths being revealed. I enjoyed delving into their past but found myself enjoying the present-day story, particularly with the extra passengers in the car. The dialogue was engaging and whilst there were some moments where the trip could have ended sooner, overall, this was an entertaining read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Road Trip – Beth O’Leary

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend’s wedding in the north of Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed.

But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie’s ex, Dylan, who she’s avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they’ve totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets, and with three hundred miles ahead of them, Dylan and Addie can’t avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship…

Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly… is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

Look, I’m not going to lie, I LOVE Beth O’Leary. I’ve been enamoured with her since The Flat Share, so I couldn’t pass on this one. One of the reasons why I love her so much is because her books have so much substance to them. Yes, they are easy to read and yes there is a romance at the heart of it that you always know is going to happen, but ther is just s much more going on once you’ve cracked the surface.

The Road Trip, while a light hearted story about a group containing two exes trying to get across the UK to a mutual friends’ wedding, also deals with depression, addiction, sexual assault and bad parental relationships and more all without detracting from the main story or being preachy. Each subject is handled with sensitivity and though a lot darker than the hijinx of car breakdowns, getting lost and discovering a flapjack loving stalker in the back seat, they don’t feel forced or convoluted. In fact, the whole thing was just very charming and very funny – one of my 2021 favourites for sure.

I’m afraid this didn’t spark joy for me. The tale of having to drive your ex to a wedding was too much.

I wanted to love The Road Trip as much as I loved Beth O'Leary's previous books, sadly it just didn't hit the mark for me. I found that I didn't connect to any of the characters, which led to me only somewhat enjoying my time reading it.

Generally, in a Beth O'Leary book, the characters are my favourite part, making me want to carry on picking up the book. While I liked Addie and her sister Deb, I wouldn't ever want to spend any time with Dylan and his best friend, Marcus. Throughout the book, both of their behaviour just left me annoyed, and I couldn't get past their decisions. I also didn't quite see the purpose of Rodney other than for comedic relief.

Although The Road Trip meant to be a romance, I didn't feel any chemistry between Addie and Dylan. I found that the beginning of their relationship felt very Insta-lovey, which is not something that I like and didn't set them up well for the rest of the book. And without giving spoilers, I wish that the ending had not happened the way it did; I think it would have been much more impactful.

As the book travels through both the past and present it was hard to get used to the pace of both timelines. The beginning of the present moves very quickly and does draw you in. But the past is very slow and felt as if Beth O'Leary could have told it in half the time. It then starts to get a little bit strange because the roles reverse and the present is slow, but the past is fast. After a while, I got used to this change, but it was still strange to switch between them both.

The one thing that I did love was that the road trip was set in a red Mini, which is the car which I own. So I found it particularly hilarious when I realised. Part of the story being set on a road trip was an interesting concept, especially as it forced the characters to talk about what happened eventually.

Overall, while I liked the premise of The Road Trip it lacked some of the execution that I have come to expect from Beth O'Leary. It was still a good quick read but I don't think it is going to be one that I remember.

Beth O Leary never disappoints. I love the characters in her books and the way in which the story has two narrators. I really enjoyed the way this story jumped back and forth between now and then. We start off in the awkward situation of two exes thrown together for an unplanned road trip due to mutual friends. The story then jumps back to how they met and the two tales run parallel before past and present meet in the middle. This book is the perfect mix of light hearted but unputdownable at the same time.
An absolute joy to read, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Beth’s other books, and absolutely loving The Flat Share, I was looking forward to reading this.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t enjoy the book. I persevered and did read it until the end, but sadly I didn’t enjoy it.

This book took a while to get where it was going ........ some of the jumping around got a bit tedious after a while and it did seem drawn out ....... there were some funny bits and the concept was good but something just seemed off with it ........ it was ok

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary I was thrilled to able to read & review The Road Trip, again a quirky mix of characters & lots of laugh along episodes. However, I couldn’t connect with the characters as much in this tale, so thus didn’t enjoy it as much

I loved The Switch and The Flatshare and became a big O’Leary fan after reading these so I was super excited for The Road Trip.

On this occasion, it fell a little short for me in comparison to the charm of The Switch and The Flatshare and I did not fall in love with the characters in the same way. But in saying that it was still an enjoyable and fun read and I did like the premise of the road trip with the ex. I mean what are the chances of your ex slamming into the back of your car in the early hours of the morning as you are on your way to a wedding where it will be the first time you have seen him in two years!

This road trip is like no other… Five people in a mini cooper, one of them the ex, an eight-hour drive…. I mean imagine it… really?! And who does not love a second chance romance? There are some laugh out loud moments, and cringeworthy mishaps and fun to be had along with the reflection on Addie and Dylan’s relationship that adds a little tension to the trip.

Told in alternating timelines of then and now from the perspectives of Addie and Dylan we are taken on the journey of their relationship and how it got to the point of now.

Overall, I think I had extremely high expectations going into this one after literally just reading O’Leary’s previous two novels and it didn’t quite meet my expectation, but it was a fun and still enjoyable journey that I recommend you pick up and decide what you think for yourself!

Beth O'Leary has officially become one of my 'go to' authors.
This book captivated me from the moment I started reading and at no point did my attention wane.
The dual perspective and flitting timeline was seamless- adding just enough suspense to keep me wanting more as well as offering greater depth into each character- both main and minor. I was fully invested in everyone in this book- O'leary has a knack of writing real people, so detailed and emotively that you feel like you know them, living their journey with them.
There was a great mix of humour and at the same time, covered current and hard hitting topics with taste and respect.
I truly loved this book and love her voice.

The Road Trip is such an entertaining, engaging, and addictive read. I became a fan of Beth O’Leary after reading The Flatshare, but now she is one of my favourite authors, one of these authors whose books I buy and read as soon as they come out, and I think that The Road Trip is her best so far.

Addie and Dylan had the perfect beginning of a love story, meeting in a villa in Provence where she worked as a caretaker and he was supposed to be on holiday with his family (who are substituted by his friends). They are immediately attracted to each other, saying “I love yous” after a few days and spending every night together. When the holiday is over, Addie goes back to England while Dylan keeps traveling with his best friend Marcus, but they keep in contact and continue their relationship once Dylan goes back home where things don’t go as planned…

Now they are both on their way to a wedding in Scotland, but they haven’t seen each other in two years, since they broke up. Crammed together in a Mini car with three other people, they have to face the feelings that they still have for each other.

I adored this novel. The story is beautiful, engrossing, and well-written. It alternates between the past, when Addie and Dylan met and got together, and the present, stuck together in a car to face their past and their problems. I really liked the characters of Addie and Dylan. They are fun, relatable, and authentic. In their early twenties when they meet, they are still trying to figure out what to do: Addie is about to embark in a new job, while Dylan is still deciding what to do with his life while being under pressure of his father’s expectations. While in Provence, they are happy together, forgetting their problems, but back home they have to face reality and their relationship.

While the story focuses on Addie and Dylan’s lives, there a few other characters that keep the story interesting and intriguing: Deb, Addie’s sister, is blunt, resourceful and hilarious; Marcus, Dylan’s best friend, is needy and a bit annoying, but I think he manages to redeem himself a little towards the end; Rodney, one of the guests of the wedding, who I found hilarious and a bit naive, but is actually full of surprises.

The Road Trip is an amazing read and it’s out next week so don’t miss it. Highly recommended!!!

Hilarious read. I really enjoyed it. I could picture myself in France with the gang. I definitely didn’t want to picture myself in the car going to Scotland with them. Some sad parts too.