TW: Sexual assault, depression, abuse of drugs and alcohol, mentions of death

Didn't think I'd be saying that about a romantic comedy, huh?

'The Road Trip', Beth O'Leary's third novel, recaptures some of the charm that made 'The Flatshare' such an excellent book, particularly in that the plot of 'The Road Trip' takes turns you're not expecting and plays with the ensemble cast in an interesting and comic way. One of the huge strengths of this book is the jumping between then and now. In the now, five people are squashed in a Mini trying to get to a wedding with lots of history between them (and one stranger). In the then, we learn how that history came to be - from meeting in a villa in Provence to the struggles of maintaining a summer fling when you get back to reality. There's so many road trip books out there, I think this was a really nice twist on a familiar genre.

However. It's not perfect. And I did have some real issues with this book.

It relies incredibly heavily on the miscommunication trope, which I hate. Addie and Dylan, the main characters, NEVER talk to each other about their feelings. Addie always walks away, but worries privately about things. I get not talking is for the sake of conflict but UGH. It's incredibly irritating.

Both of the main characters in the before time kind of suck. I'm not entirely sure if we're supposed to feel sympathetic for either of them, but they're both awful to each other and complete wet blankets to the people around them. Dylan's spine has clearly on holiday and Addie refuses to talk about her feelings or say when something is wrong, both of which is entirely frustrating. These are two people who SHOULD NOT be
together - and the fact that they've only been together for like six months kind of makes it all feel a little juvenile.

Speaking of juvenile...

Marcus. I can see what the author was going for with his character. And I appreciate that he wasn't just your typical frat-boy asshole - there was some depth to him. However, the explanation for said depth comes so, so late in the book that you'll spend the majority of it hating him. And even then...it's difficult to feel sympathy for him. The eventual conclusion to his plot arc feels cliche - I think there's so much more that could have been done here. Something new and bold and interesting to go with the rest of the book. I also dislike the 'character gets sexually assaulted and make it part of the plot' element because it's not given enough time to develop. But that might just be a personal thing.

Otherwise, it's a fun, thoughtful and occasionally funny book that makes for a quick, spring read.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary is the second book I've read by this author. I loved the first book and enjoyed this one as well. Addie and Deb setting off on a long car trip to a friends wedding when they are rear ended by another car. The driver is Addie's ex Dylan. They all end up sharing a ride for the rest of the trip. Lots of drama amongst the group who do not all get along. The story is told in a then and now theme which I like. The characters are definitely flawed and have their redeeming qualities. I just didn't like them nearly as much as the characters in the previous book I read by Beth. A good book that didn't quite meet my high expectations.

Thanks to netgalley and Quercus Books for the arc

Imagine driving to your friend’s wedding in a Mini Cooper with your sister and a “random passenger”, when all of a sudden you are tail ended by two men in a Mercedes (who just happen to be your ex and his best friend)!

Addie and Deb set off to Scotland for their friend’s wedding. They have a passenger called Rodney who was on the Facebook guest list for the wedding so they had offered him a lift.

Dylan and Marcus are also driving to the very same wedding. When the lads crash into the mini, Addie and Deb offer that they all travel together to the wedding. This leads to some laughs, tears, heated discussions, accusations and more.

This is written in “then” and “now” chapters so we discover much more about the previous relationships between all of the friends.

As for the characters, they are all believable. Deb is my favourite. Not afraid to speak her mind and she made me laugh so many times. I did get extremely infuriated with Dylan for being so easily led and Marcus for being such a d*ck! Rodney did seem to be a bit of a spare part until around half way through the book and didn’t appear to have much of a personality.

Most of the book is set on the road as the group encounter various mishaps along the way.

The book also dealt with some more serious issues from the past, which I think were well written into the storyline.

To find out if they actually made it to the wedding on time, read it! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

One of my favourite romcoms so far this year.

Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc. Really pleased to have discovered Beth as I haven’t read anything from her before. Her two previous books have now been added to my “must read” list.

Publication date : 29th April

The Road Trip has all the charm that’s come to be expected from a Beth O’Leary book but with perhaps a bit more edge to it - which isn’t a bad thing!

The story switches between the past and the present, narrated by Addie and her ex-boyfriend Dylan. In the present, they’ve somehow ended up on a two day road trip together along with Addies outspoken sister, Dylan’s dysfunctional friend and a near stranger, a recipe for mayhem! And in the past, we get the slow unravelling of their love story, from their first meeting to the moment they eventually break up.

The characters in this book felt really well developed, with flaws as well as strengths. As the book progresses, we also get to see how they’ve grown over the years which O’Leary manages to demonstrate while keeping them true to their established character.

The characters and their relationships really drive the story. The plot is quite simple, there are a few unexpected turns in the journey but no big shocks. It’s an easy read but there are still plenty of moments that make you feel (and laugh!) a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unlike her previous two novels, Beth O' Leary's latest doesn't have quite the same feel good warm vibes but it charts her development as an author as we have more complicated flawed characters with mental health issues, dysfunctional families and toxic behaviours which makes for more uncomfortable but a more rewarding reading experience. Additionally, the main protagonists are young, as a consequence perhaps not as resilient, with a more hazy sense of identity and make major errors of judgement. Addie Gilbert is 21 years old when she meets the privileged, poetry writing Dylan Abbot, at a crossroads in his life after Cambridge University, searching for a friend, Grace. Addie, along with her half sister Deb, is working as a caretaker for wealthy friend Cherry's family Villa Cerise in Provence when she and Dylan fall hard for each other.

However, there is a serpent in paradise in the form of Dylan's childhood best friend, Marcus, who is virtually family, with the nature of his arrival at the Villa speaking volumes about his character. Dylan's unpleasant and overbearing father is putting pressure on him to join the family business, something he is reluctant to do. The novel opens with Addie and Debs, along with the geeky Rodney, on a road trip from Chichester to Scotland to the lavish wedding of Cherry and Krish. Addie and Dylan have not seen each other for 2 years since their relationship fell apart, though the two have never forgotten each other. Addie and Deb offer Dylan and Marcus a lift to the wedding with them through gritted teeth when Marcus's car is wrecked, the 5 of them packed like sardines in the Mini Cooper on a hot and sweltering day. The scene is set for tensions, longings and conflict as unresolved feelings spill over in a narrative that shifts from the past to the present, revealing the disastrous set of events that led to their break up.

O'Leary expertly writes of the opportunity of a second chance romance with verve and wit, where having a privileged background cannot insulate you from dysfunctional families or from mental health issues, such as depression. Both Addie and Dylan are no longer the same people they used to be, they have had to grow up the hard way, with Dylan having undergone therapy and having to address the issues that arose with having Marcus as a best friend. I am sure, like me, most people have encountered toxic people within their professional, friends and family circles, they are usually emotionally damaged individuals, and Marcus is not the only such character in this novel. Not everyone who is a fan of the author will love this as much her other books, but I enjoyed seeing her create and develop significantly more complex characters and their issues. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

This was a story of two halves - literally and figuratively speaking. I loved the 'NOW' which focused on the calamitous road trip of five very different and unlikely travelling companions and their baggage (again literal and figuratively). These chapters were fun, funny, witty, light-hearted and entertaining and I enjoyed the dynamic and banter between the group. That said though none of the characters were a patch on Eileen from Beth O'Leary's previous book (which earned a solid 5-star rating from me). The 'THEN' was important for framing the 'NOW' but was more intense, less funny, slower paced and less me if I'm honest. Here the author also made mention of issues such as mental health but I felt they were almost token tick-box references and topics that should either be done justice or left out. With Beth's easy to read style this was an enjoyable read but sadly didn’t quite reach the admittedly high expectations set by #TheSwitch.

Thank you to both Netgalley and Quercus Books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would say for the first 75% of this book it did nothing but annoy me. There were a few redeeming bits in the final 25% but ultimately I think I have to accept that Beth O’Leary isn’t for me which is a real shame.

I hate the way she tries to write ‘the quirky girl’, it’s not 2015 anymore. It’s been done and it’s annoying.

Marcus was possibly the worse character in this book, I wanted to throw something very large at his head.

I would have liked to have known what age these characters are meant to be as it all read as very juvenile but there was a wedding, grown up jobs, mentions of the property ladder so you would assume they were mid twenties at least but parts of this read like they were in high school.

I’m disappointed to say the least

The Road Trip is like if Richard Curtis wrote Normal People. Dylan rear ends a car on his way to a friends wedding in Scotland and the car in front just happens to contain the love of his life ex girlfriend of two years, Addie on the way to the same wedding. Because they are all grown up rational people they decide the best thing to do is cram five people and their luggage into a mini and set off on an eight hour car journey.
I’ve read a lot of books lately that are told in this two handed manner where we get the present story and the past story. I find this structure problematic because it automatically pops any tension because we know what how things stand in the present. So it feels like your just reading to get to that point. This is fine if it’s balanced well, the Road Trip I felt spent too much time in the past going over what went wrong. We need to know this of course but it’s obvious early on in the present that Addie and Dylan are clearly still bats about each other so whatever happened couldn’t have been that bad could it?
However the secondary characters make up for it, Addie’s sister Deb is the woman we all aspire to be, Marcus is an awful human trashbag of emotional manipulation, he’s just the worst but he’s trying to be better, Cherry is a force of nature I wanted more of and well Rodney poor old Rodney at least he gets a feed. I wanted more of them and less navel gazing. But ultimately this is a sweet story about two people who met too young and had to find themselves before they could find each other again. Sniff. 💗

The majority of this book felt like one of those films where anything that can go wrong will go wrong and it's all a bit... slapstick, for want of a better word, and then it just feels forced. I was never really onboard with the romance, Marcus grated on my nerves the entire book and everything just seemed a little over the top.
I only really liked Deb and Addie to some extent and Cherry was a bit hectic but I kind of enjoyed the scenes with her in it. Plot-wise though, it seemed to take forever to get to the meat of the issues with Dylan, Addie and Marcus and anytime I felt like the story was finally moving along something else would happen and there would be one more problem or mystery that had yet to be explained.
I liked the ending to some extent, but again it all felt a little forced and ridiculous.

I enjoyed this book so much.
It is written from both Addie and Dylan's POVs and also alternates between 3 years previous and present time, so you know completely why their heads are where they are at now.
Addie and Dylan were great lead characters and a majority of their friends and family that also featured were very entertaining too.
There was the odd moment that was a bit unbelievable (5 adults plus all their stuff for a weekend at a wedding fitting in a mini?!) but it didn't spoil the story at all and overall was a very funny, easy read.

Thank you to @quercusbooks and @netgalley for the advanced e-copy in exchange for a review.

I loved The flat share and The switch by the author.
The road trip packs a bit of a different story altogether ,for me at least.
Great and intriguing characters, each one with their quirks and close proximity will definitely bring out more than they want to let other see, the story overall was a different touch of a young couple that has lots to take in. From the daily challenges of pressure from their work and life style, to the couple ones and especially some unexpected turns.
It’s another must read story from a favourite author but , one that for personal reasons, I can’t say that I loved but enjoyed nevertheless.

The Road Trip - Beth O’Leary

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley.

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.

This book is told from the perspective of both Addie and Dylan, both in the present and also in the past. There is no introduction to this book, the storyline starts after all five characters have already begun their road trip to Scotland for the wedding.

If you have enjoyed any of the previous books by O’Leary then you will enjoy this one! It is a perfect escape and I read over 80% in one sitting. In this book O’Leary has successfully meshed the past and present, subtly introducing the previous relationship between Addie and Dylan.

Rating 4/5

I am so grateful to have received a copy of this book before it's publishing date. I loved this book so much. There was so much drama that it kept me turning the pages, I never wanted to put this book down. The whole book is based on one road trip journey to Scotland for a friends wedding.

The main characters are so lovable, I really enjoyed the two person perspective and the timeline switching between now and the past. I felt this allowed the storyline to slowly unravel whilst hinting at what happened in the past for the relationship between Addie and Dylan.

This bunch of friends come with a lot of baggage that includes twists and turns throughout the book. I wasn't a huge fan of some of the characters but my love for the main few overpowered that. This book is entertaining, cringe, laugh out loud funny; if you love a romcom, enemies to lovers trope or need to read a chick-lit book this is the one for you.

This is a sparkling, often hilarious story that spans one eventful car journey. We travel with the characters between halcyon bygone days in a French villa and a hot, uncomfortable road trip from hell. Beth O’Leary has a wonderfully flippant, amusing writing style which I really enjoy. Right from the start her wit shines through as we read about a very grudging apology. Beneath the flippancy, however, are real people with issues and baggage.
Five young adults, most of whom know each other, are thrust together, crushed into a tiny car in nightmare travelling conditions. They’re all heading to the wedding of a mutual friend.
The Road Trip is peopled with larger than life characters, some deliciously wonderful that I would love to meet, and others, like Marcus, that I didn’t know whether to love or hate.
Among those thrown together by fate on the over-burdened roads are ex-couple, Addie and Dylan. Both are totally loveable. She stole my heart, as did Dylan with his floppy fringe, gorgeous eyes and poetry. Addie’s sister, Deb, is totally out there and genuinely doesn’t care what other people think. Dylan’s best friend, Marcus, and Rodney, a stranger, make up the rest of the group of travellers. And then there is their bunch of friends who we meet mainly through flashbacks. All only cameo characters, but all unforgettable.
There’s unrequited love, deep resentment, huge discomfort and a whole lot of shared history which gradually comes to the fore. The Road Trip is easy to read and a whole lot of fun.

I stumbled upon Beth O’Leary books by accident a couple of years ago and have lover her writing and books ever since. So, when I had the opportunity to read The Road Trip I leapt at the chance. There is just something wonderful and heart-warming about Beth O’Leary’s writing and this book proved that even more to me!

The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Addie and Dylan as we switch between the past and the present. I’m a huge fan of dual POV books and any book that switches between the past and present and it was the same with this book. The way that these POVs and timelines are presented allows us as readers to read two love stories in two different times that intertwined as we get through the book. I did not think I would be a fan of second chance romances but I was proved wrong with The Road Trip.

The cast and storyline of The Road Trip is chaotic but I loved it a lot. The characters we are introduced to throughout the book as all completely different yet so similar. Addie is a wonderful young woman and like all of us has flaws which are clear to see and make her realistic. she is ambitious and hard-working and a joy to read about. Dylan is sweet, caring and again has flaws that make him realistic. He is going through a lot and has been through a lot and I loved his character a lot.

The secondary characters, Rodney, Deb and Marcus all vary drastically. I think Deb was my favourite character. She is hilarious, full of wit and the best sister that anyone could ask for. Marcus starts out as the obnoxious, rude and annoying friend that I hated but as the book progresses and we learn more aboutM Marcus I grew to love him. I love the cast of characters in this book a lot!

The pacing of this book is excellent. It is fast-paced but in a calm way which was what I needed in a book at the time. There is drama but there are relaxed moments which meant it was a relaxing read. It’s alternation between past and present timelines made it so easy to keep reading this book. I just wanted to know what had happened and how it would affect present Addie and Dylan. So, I read this book very quickly.

This is the third book that I have read by Beth O’Leary and it certainly will not be the last. Over the course of the three books Beth O’Leary has written and published her writing has grown and developed so much. The Road Trip feels sophisticated in its writing style and with the topics discussed throughout. Depression, sexual assault and alcohol abuse are all discussed in this book. These topic are explored with great sensitivity and care. You can tell research was done to ensure the topics were discussed correctly. All of the grit in this book is layered into the hilarity of an adorable second chance love story making this book an excellent read.

Overall, I cannot recommend this second chance love story enough! It is heart-warming, adorable, raw and just plain wonderful. If you have yet to read a Beth O’Leary book then you are missing out on some pure joy. Give this one a read it is well worth it!

The Switch is one of my favorite feel-good reads. As such, I had high expectations for The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary didn't disappoint: this was a quick and enjoyable read, although The Switch still remains my favorite :)
The characters all felt very real, flaws and all - we learn a lot about them and their shared history as the Road Trip unfurls, and nothing goes as planned ! They're not really lovable, but it's so touching to witness their emotions.
Mental health is never really mentioned, but it'is the common denominator for all our characters - I would have loved a more transparent conversation about this.

Thank you Quercus Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC :)

Another fun and entertaining read by Beth O'Leary! Sometimes you just need something to make you forget about all your problems and this book is definitely one of those. It had me in stitches at times and cringing at others. It's got everything you need; a summer romance, jealousy, dysfunctional families, eternal love a road trip from hell and even a starker!
Will love win?

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to read this fun ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved Beth O'Leary's previous two books - 'The Flat Share' and 'The Switch' - and so was very happy to be granted an advance copy of this one by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

At the heart of this novel is the love story of Addie and Dylan who were in a relationship before a dramatic split. Two years later, a car accident brings them back together and they embark on one of the most excruciatingly awkward road trips ever. They are travelling to the wedding of their friend, Cherry, in rural Scotland and are accompanied by Addie's spiky sister (Deb), Dylan's difficult best friend (Marcus) and a fellow wedding guest (Rodney). The journey seems ill-fated from the start, but it forces Addie and Dylan to confront the past.

If you enjoyed O'Leary's previous books then there is plenty to like here, The characters are well-drawn and realistic, even if they are a bit over-emotional at times. I particularly liked sassy, tough Deb and I also had a soft spot for Rodney tucking into his reserves of flapjacks in the car full of strangers. Poor Rodney.

As expected from O'Leary, the novel is well-plotted and moves between the present day and the period where Addie and Dylan met during an idyllic summer in the South of France. It did help with investing in the relationship to see their back-story, especially as it narrated the events up to their split,

This was a fairly light and enjoyable read - I did zip through it in a day even though I was slightly frustrated with the awfulness of certain characters. I have no clue why anyone would want to stand by Marcus in his hour of need as he was really quite obnoxious even when not in emotional turmoil! I thought it was a shame that this book was peopled by almost exclusively 20-somethings - O'Leary's previous book, 'The Switch' was more multi-generational and worked better for me, a slightly (ahem) older than 20-something. The older characters in this one were fairly flat, being caricatures like sleazy Uncle Terry,

I'd recommend this to those who enjoy a traditional rom-com featuring beautiful young people. It is engaging, funny and sweet (although does have a darker edge so it isn't too sickly-sweet). I think perhaps I'm not quite the target audience for this one, although I did enjoy it.

Actual rating 4.5 stars

With the much loved The Flatshare and The Switch under her belt, Beth O’Leary is finding her voice as a must read author of romantic, feel good, uplifting fiction. Any novel with her name on the front is destined to fall into my hands without me even reading the synopsis so I’m pleased to announce that the wait is finally over for book number three with The Road Trip hitting the shelves in time for a nation to start making long awaited road trips of their own. Having time on my hands to relax and enjoy the ride I dived right in, disappearing into this epic love story,only coming up for air once I’d read the final word.

If you’re expecting another healthy dose of wonderfully quirky,lovable characters in the driving seat of a positive cheery storyline, Beth O’Leary’s new novel takes you somewhat by surprise. Yes, they are in evidence but they are tempered by writing which appears to have matured beyond all the lighthearted fluffiness you’ve come to associate with this author. A less playful tone creeps into the narrative, giving it a darker edge, largely due to the presence of one character in particular. Addie Gilbert and Dylan Abbott have not set eyes on each other for nearly two years since their relationship ended amidst recriminations and accusations thanks mainly due to third wheeler and Dylan’s best friend Marcus. Everyone is hoping for a civil if awkward reunion when they are both invited to mutual friend Cherry’s nuptials but it’s a rocky start to the occasion when Dylan and Marcus, driving a flashy Mercedes accidentally crash into the mini being driven by Addie and her sister Deb. Without transport the ex boyfriend and his friend won’t make it to Scotland in time for the wedding so Deb and Addie cast aside any misgivings offering the two men a ride. What could possibly go wrong? Turning a girls road trip into the journey from hell, make yourself comfortable amongst the jostling elbows, legs and switching seats (and Rodney’s flapjacks) as Beth O’Leary entertains once again with a storyline that combines humour with heartache and romance, allowing her characters to take a second bite of the cherry when it comes to happily ever afters.

Narrated in the then and the now The Road Trip tells of Addie and Dylan’s love story relayed during a long, arduous, cramped, uncomfortable, funny and fraught car journey from Chichester to rural Scotland where friends Cherry and Krishna are holding their lavish wedding. It’s a squash and a squeeze in the mini with five adults, luggage, snacks and one or two metaphorical elephants adding to the already stifling atmosphere. On this sweltering hot day the air conditioning is working overtime, in competition with all the unresolved tensions that still exists between the four, permeating the enclosed space; keeping a lid on all this suppressed emotion is enough to drive these characters crazy but for entertainment value it’s first class and some of them are already scoring high on the scale of madness anyway!! You could almost cut the air with a knife so heady is the aroma of sexual chemistry that lingers between the forlorn ex lovebirds so to be a backseat passenger, agog at all the drama unfolding is an experience not to be missed. With the mini laden down with so much emotional baggage there’s a thunderous black cloud that hangs over these characters, minus the daft and mostly oblivious Rodney as tempers flare and subside, frustrations, resentments and jealousies fly and reasons for the break up reverberate alongside ridiculous roadside shenanigans. Thankfully sunshine periodically peeps through the clouds during a journey hilariously hindered by far too many comfort breaks, mishaps and diversions so that you wonder if these weddings guests will ever make it to the church on time. Given the marked contrast between the then and now The Road Trip really is a book of two halves with Beth O’Leary constantly changing gear to manoeuvre her readers through ludicrous lay-by hijinks with the appearance of a roadside guardian angel offsetting the mounting tension and the intoxicating, all consuming first days of Addie and Dylan’s love and their painful separation. She describes their romance so beautifully, capturing every nuance of a summer love that’s destined to be more than just a fling, with scenes that are filled with such hope and promise I wanted to turn back time and experience these feelings for myself! Oh to be young and in love! Dysfunctional family dynamics, a toxic friendship and a love too big too handle together with peripheral characters who simply add mayhem to every mile will Addie and Dylan’s story live up to the that of Tiff and Leon’s??

Surprisingly I didn’t fall head over heels in love with any of these characters which is unusual for me and I’m struggling to pinpoint why. Poetry writing Dylan and generally lost soul is likeable enough but is he enough of a romantic hero for my liking? Overwhelmed and confused by his conflicting priorities to Addie and Marcus, I never felt as if he truly deserved Addie’s heart so I suppose my answer has to be a resounding no! Manipulative Marcus who is all me me me is a dark toxic character, dominating Dylan’s life and overshadowing him to the extent I wished he would fall under the wheels of a passing juggernaut and as for Dylan’s father, let’s just say he’s a nasty piece of work whose influence over his son needs obliterating once and for all. Obviously flirtatious sister Deb is team Addie all the way, a kick ass woman who remains true to herself regardless of anyone’s opinions whilst Addie suffers from always thinking she’s too middle of the road. Hanger on and virtual stranger Rodney is a comical conundrum; I couldn’t decide whether his inclusion in this road trip is a gift or a gaffe but needless to say it’s always the quiet ones you need to watch out for!! Since this is a novel primarily about second chances I had to ask myself whether these characters have matured enough, fought off their demons and reconciled their differences to deserve a happy ending. Upon reflection I think they probably do but it’s a close call!

I so wanted to give a rapturous round of applause and a glowing 5 star review for The Road Trip since I’ve been a huge fan of Beth O’Leary’s since her debut The Flatshare. Not quite gelling with the two main characters has forced me to knocking off half a star although overall impressions still place The Road Trip as a delightful piece of escapism that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. I wish the author every success with her third novel as undoubtedly it is so well written, exquisitely so in some places and already I can’t wait for book number four. No pressure!! My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

After an unexpected sequence of events Addie finds herself with her ex Dylan, his friend Marcus, her sister Deb and a random stranger all heading to the north of Scotland for a mutual friends wedding. They are all travelling in a mini and end up having some mishaps along the way. The story is told from Addie and Dylan’s point of view and swaps from the past to the present as we learn about their relationship. This is a enjoyable lighthearted romantic comedy and an easy read.