I absolutely loved The Flatshare, but was a bit let down by The Switch - as so, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Road Trip. I needn't have worried.

With characters that bounced off the page and into my heart, brilliant dialogue and a rich storyline and backstory this book was absolutely unputdownable and I loved every single page.

Cannot recommend more highly.

Addie and Deb Gilbert with misfit Rodney are in Deb’s mini en route from Chichester to Scotland for friend Cherry’s posh wedding to Krish. When bang, out of nowhere seemingly, their stationary car is smashed into by a large Mercedes. Out of which climb Marcus and Dylan ..... the latter is Addie’s ex, they are also en route, same destination. The merc is undrivable, the mini isn’t, so of course they squeeze in uncomfortably for what proves to be a very eventful journey. The story is told Then and Now by Addie and Dylan.

Beth O’Leary nails this genre in my opinion and she’s an automatic pick for me as her books are fun, well written with good moments of laughter but always with something thought provoking too. This is a novel about firmly grasping second chances, the chemistry between Dylan and Addie despite the tampering of outside forces always feels right. During their time apart they mature and possibly for the better now. The journey north is entertaining, the repartee is whip-smart and some events make Rodney blush and hastily pass round the flapjack! The car journey is like a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs, they’re all watching each other’s every move and the dynamics are fascinating. There’s tension and awkwardness with other undercurrents which adds to the atmosphere with fractured families and friend adding to it. There’s a good mix of characters from wince inducing Uncle Terry to Rodney’s strangeness, some to heartily dislike such as Dylan’s father and I’d have to sit on my hands so as not to strangle Marcus on the road trip! He’s entitled, opinionated and not above sabotaging things. Deb is great as is Addie and Dylan is likeable with his love of poetry, his blustery awkwardness and loyalty to Marcus even when he doesn’t deserve it. The alternating point of view is good and seeing their similar thought processes even when things aren’t going well is interesting. I love the ending - who wouldn’t??!!

Overall, this is good escapist reading, giving some laughs, plenty of emotions, there’s misunderstanding and misdirection along with resentment and jealousy providing a good mix to entertain the reader!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I was excited to read The Road Trip as I loved O'Leary's previous two novels - "The Flatshare" and "The Switch".

Besides, who doesn't love a road trip? Or second chance relationships? As luck would have it, Addie and her ex, Dylan, have a collision on the freeway on their way to a common friend's wedding. Addie is driving with her sister and an acquaintance, Rodney. Dylan is driving with his best friend, Marcus. Their Mercedes needs repairs, so the two young men are getting a ride in the Mini. There's five of them, plus luggage, so it's quite squishy in there. There's also awkwardness and animosity. It wouldn't be a proper road trip book without mishaps.

The novel is narrated from Addie and Dylan's perspectives, switching between the past and the present. Occasionally, I lost track of whose POV I was reading, there wasn't enough distinction between the voices of the two protagonists. There were a few amusing moments, but nowhere near as much cuteness and charm as in O'Leary's previous novels. I know, I shouldn't compare. This was a more serious novel, where there's a lot of character growth and accepting responsibility etc.

The Road Trip was like a Favourites box of chocolates - one enjoys certain flavours more than others. Regardless, you end up eating the entire box because while they're not Ferrero Roche they're still chocolates.

I was SO hyped to read this book. I love how Beth O'Leary can make you fall in love with a bunch of characters. Unfortunately though, this book had one likeable character. Deb.
Who wasn't in it nearly enough (but why would she be as she's not massively significant to the plot, which was a shame).

I didn't like Addie or Dylan and I LOATHED Marcus. I felt like the reason for him being such a villain was poor. The 'treat them mean because I like them' is outdated and he went as far as being a stalker and mentally abusing her. Not acceptable and an outburst near the end is not enough redemption for me.

I liked that O'Leary decided to use some harder hitting topics this time rather than a generic love story, whilst it still remained fairly predictable the ending was one that I'd have preferred to be. Even though Rodney was a totally unnecessary side character that just made the entire story feel too far fetched, when usually she writes books that feel like they could be real, we relate to them, we love them.

I'd continue to read more of her books, but I think after two raging successes, I was just a little underwhelmed by this newest installment. Probably not suited for someone going through their own difficulties at the moment.

With the playlist prepped and the snacks packed, Addie and her sister Deb are headed on a road trip to rural Scotland for a friends wedding.

Dylan and his best friend Marcus are headed to the same nuptials when they total their car by slamming into the back of another…driven by none other than Dylan’s ex girlfriend - Addie.

Left with little choice and a Mini jam-packed with luggage and secrets, the group continues on the journey together.

But the course of true love never did run smooth, and apparently neither does a road trip with your ex!


Oh how I wanted to love this book. The Switch and The Flatshare were such uplifting reads that I thought I was heading into this one as a sure thing. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.

This is by no means a slight to O’Leary, the story was just as well-written as her previous works but there was just an edge that was missing. This story was told across a dual timeline, both told from the points of view of Addie and Dylan, and whilst I usually love jumping from present to past I’m not sure it worked here. Perhaps the timelines weren’t quite far enough apart, as I often felt confused where I was chronologically.

Another thing that I found difficult was empathising with either of the main protagonists. I wasn’t invested in their love because I genuinely didn’t feel the chemistry between them. In fact, I thought they had a pretty odd relationship and were ill-suited from the beginning.

On a positive note, I though Deb was an absolute hoot! She had some brilliant one-liners that had me chuckling often.

And of course the banging playlist…as a huge Country fan any book that mentions “Body Like a Back Road”, Florida Georgia Line and Dolly Parton in the first few chapters gets my vote!!

Road Trip is a book with a literal road trip as the basis but it also has a trip down memory lane for Addie and Dylan to remember their love story. When the book starts we realise that Addie and Dylan are no longer a couple but an enforced road trip means they spend a lot of time together. They, and their friends on the trip, face a number of hurdles along the way. A great story of friendship, lost love and a few surprises along the way!

I had really loved The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary and was excited to read The Road Trip but unfortunately it was not for me. Essentially it is a love story between Addie and Dylan, a pair of ex's who collide (literally) on the drive to a mutual friends wedding and have to carshare the rest of the way. I thought it was a really predictable read and it just didn't hook me in at all, making it a bit of a chore to finish.

Recently finished The Road Trip, which I’ve tried to read slowly so I could enjoy every page! It was a total joy to read more from Beth O’Leary, and this is every bit as great as her other books! Loved all the characters but Rodney was the one that had me laughing, cringing, page turning and wanting more! Thanks to netgalley and Quercus for the early access to this one. I’ll include the blurb in the comments 🤗

Having really loved Beth O'Leary's previous books, I was really looking forward to this and the synopsis reassured me that I would, once again delve into her world of poignant humour and relationships. There was plenty to set this up - misunderstandings, friendship, characters thrown together, many mishaps and a tight time schedule to get to an important wedding. I could see it as a film.
However, I didn't warm to the characters in this novel in the way that I have in O'Leary's previous books which made it difficult to invest in their stories. They all had a history that was revealed as the book progressed and the plot did make me reflect on how each relationship that we have, impacts on us as we move on, but I wanted to love the cast of characters squashed up in that little mini and I just didn't.

As always, struck gold with O'Leary's latest book.

I lived the 'now' and 'then' that we had with the story - interesting to start with Addie and Dylan meeting again after an obvious bad breakup. The close quarters setting, with their love story scattered throughout was really lovely, and I did chuckle at the addition of Rodney and Kevin. The dynamics between Addie/Dylan/Marcus were cleverly done, and not immediately untangled so it was interesting to read through as we neared the end of the book.

Definitely a contemporary read with surprising depth, highly recommend it.

This is a Romance/Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit. I have loved the other two books I read by Beth O'Leary, so I had high hopes for this one. I am sad to say I really did not enjoy this book, but I did finish the book. If I did not have an ARC of this book I would have DNF this book. I was bored while reading most of this book, but there was a few funny parts that made me laugh. I have to say this Now and Then time line this book follows drove me crazy, and I also felt that some of the jumps from Now time period to the then time period was at weird times. I also got confessed on which if it was now or then at times. I also did not find myself caring about any of the characters. Some of the storyline I found ok, and I found myself wanting to know why or what happen by the end. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Quercus) or author (Beth O'Leary) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I finished this in one day! I was so gripped and the characters were really well written and developed. The flashbacks worked well as it kept me wondering what really happened between Addie and Dylan. I'm a big fan of Beth O'Leary's previous novels and this one didn't disappoint.

This was a great read - dual narrative like Beth's other books which I love.
I love how Beth's book all follow a similar tone, such feel-good reads!

Having read Beth O’Leary’s Flatshare and and Switch, I was looking forward to reading The Road Trip. The main characters in the story are Addie , her sister Deb, Dylan, her ex boyfriend and Dylan’s friend Marcus. Rodney, a guy who contacted them on Facebook, joins them for the road trip to a wedding in Scotland, Lots of mishaps occur along the journey, mostly amusing. The story begins with Addie, her sister and Rodney setting off on the journey, only to be driven into by another car when they were in a traffic jam. It so happens that Addie’s ex boyfriend was driving the car behind.
There are 2 timelines in this story. The present road trip and the earlier one when Addie first meets Dylan in France. Although I am not usually a fan of split timelines, this works well.
However, I found there were just too many things going wrong and at times I became impatient for things to move on. I also found some of the exploits predictable.. In spite of this, I enjoyed the book but not as much as the first two,
Thanks to NetGalley, Beth O’Leary and Quercus publishers for an e ARC copy of this book.

Having read Beth O'Leary's previous book, I was extremely excited to be granted a copy of The Road Trip to read, and I wasn't disappointed.
Addie and her sister Deb are en route to their great friend Cherrys wedding. It's all set to be a fantastic road trip. Well, them, and Rodney, a stray wedding guest they managed to pick up. Then an accident occurs leaving them in a situation where they are forced to make an eight-hour road trip with not only Rodney, but two other guests, one of which happens to be Addie's ex-boyfriend.
What a bunch of characters, O'Leary has created!
I loved the dual timeline, explaining how they got into the situation they are in right now, parallel to the eight-hour journey that ends up being over twenty-four hours long.
Addie is a young, wronged woman, and almost all that has happened to her is not her fault.
Dylan is a man who has never had to make a choice, and, unfortunately for him, everyone around him has a stronger will than him, causing him to never really fight for what he should.
Deb is a fantastic sister, and protector, apart from when she disappears to satisfy certain thirsts.
I could strangle his best friend, Marcus. Honestly, that long, stuck in a car, a Mini, of all cars, with him would have driven me batty!
And Rodney, oh, poor, deluded Rodney!
And I can't forget the saviour of the day, Kevin, the truck driver who seems to appear whenever there is a problem.
There are moments of hilarity, but a lot to think on, too. A thoroughly enjoyable book that I finished in a day!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like this book, I didn't love it even though I really wanted to. Maybe I've set Flatshare on a bit for a pedestal and nothing else really compares. Sometimes it gets a bit silly and in other places it goes to a far deeper and darker place, dealing with mental health issues, father issues and different levels of sexual abuse/harassment. I don't feel like a lot of the harassment themes were fully resolved, they just leapt into the storyline and hit you like punch to the jaw and then you were left reeling, to then be followed by another slapstick comedy routine. It sounds like I didn't enjoy it but I did, it just felt like it either needed to be a funny book or a dark book. They just didn't connect together very well for me.

After loving The Switch and The Flatshare I was so excited to be approved for The Road Trip on Netgalley and started reading it straight away.
The premise of a road trip with exes I thought was fun and I loved how awkward it was at first, unfortunately I found the characters slightly annoying and I lost some of the enjoyment I felt.
Addie and her sister are travelling to a wedding in Scotland with a fellow wedding guest when they are rear ended by none other than Dylan (her ex) and Marcus his friend. We then go back and forward in time, finding out about the start of their relationship as well as their current predicament.
I found the relationship between Dylan and Marcus to be really toxic, which is explained, but it was really uncomfortable reading and at times I wondered how the dynamic between Addie and Dylan actually worked too.
There is a theme of depression and anxiety which runs through the book as well as section on consent, which I thought was cleverly done. The added part of the Rodney character was fun, but seemed a bit out of place with the rest of the book. My favourite character by far was Deb and I would love to see her in a book of her own.
Overall a good read and one many will enjoy, but I just don't think it was for me.

This is the first book by Beth O'Leary I have read after hearing so much about her work. I must say at the outset I enjoyed the book. My main issue was the length it took to get anywhere - I think the editor should have tightened it up and maybe lost about 50 pages. It took me a about a third of the book until I was curious about what was going on.
Overall I enjoyed the book but felt there was a lot of preamble in the past to get to what was happening in the future.

My previous experience of Beth O'Leary has been entirely by audiobooks. Boy, does she write an excellent audiobook. Sadly - and I really am genuinely sad - she's not as strong on the page (or the screen) as she is in my ears.

I waited a really long time for 'The Road Trip', so much so that I was almost sure that Netgalley and the publishers (thanks to both) had completely forgotten about me. I was thrilled when I got the ebook but my excitement fell a bit flat.

The story puts ex lovers Addie and Dylan in the situation of having to drive from Brighton to somewhere in Scotland with three other people in a Mini after Dylan and his friend Marcus write off their car driving into the back of Addie, her sister Deb and their mysterious co-traveller. The book jumps back and forth between how four of the cast met in France a few years earlier, how Dylan and Addie fell in love and then fell out again.

The premise is OK. We know something went wrong but it takes many hours in the car to find out exactly what the problem was. Along the way, the group have a variety of problems to overcome on their journey.

The problem is that the voices of the two narrating characters - Addie and Dylan - are really not distinctive. If there's poetry, then it's Dylan. If it's talking about school, it's Addie but on any other topic, it's really easy to get confused. That wouldn't happen with an audiobook but when reading, it's just not clear, especially in ebook format where you can't just flick back and forth the check. Duel or multi-narration is not my favourite device, but when used well, it can be very strong, especially if it avoids repeating itself.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers. I may well look out for this as an audiobook and give it another go but on the screen it was a bit too 'ordinary'.

Its a simple premise - The Road Trip from hell. However, Beth O'Leary has once again managed to deliver an emotional, funny, surprisingly twisty story.

With a bold and loveable cast of characters, The Road Trip provides several genuinely laugh out loud moments and a love story that is actually so much more than that.

The perfect book for a quiet Sunday afternoon, I've already preordered copies for several friends I know are going to adore it!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.