Even though im familiar with Beth O'Leary's books, this is the first one I've read and I really enjoyed it. It was easy to read, gripping and written really well. Would definitely recommend.

I have to say, I'm a bit of fan of Beth O'Leary's. She has a very easy-to-read writing style and stories and characters that are compelling.

The Road Trip is about a road trip to a wedding that takes a steep turn when Addie and her sister are forced to share their care with Addie's ex, Dylan, and his best friend, along with a stranger heading to the same wedding. After a car accident and a series of other unfortunate events, Addie and Dylan need to hash out their feelings from the past and the present, while everyone else gets in the way.

Of the three Beth O'Leary books I've read, this one was probably not my favourite, but it was still an enjoyable read. I liked the way that O'Leary used a split-timeline to tell the stories from past and present. She wove them together brilliantly and made it compelling to find out exactly what happened between Addie and Dylan and to set it up so we want them to have their second chance at love.

I also really liked Addie's sister, and some of the additional characters we meet along the way. I was less of a fan of Dylan's best friend, who's toxic relationship with Dylan is not only a source of tension for the couple but also quite jarring to read. Which may have been intentional, but it did occasionally pull me out of the story.

Overall, though, I loved this road trip, second-chance romance that had a lot of heart, tackled some tough topics and still managed to wrangle all the emotions out of me while reading.

Oh boy, where to begin? This book was the cause of me ignoring my last university assignment deadline for a good few days and it's safe to say I have no regrets. It was such a wonderfully wholesome book that had me laughing out loud and craving for more with every turn of the page. Having been a huge fan of The Flatshare, I knew this would be brilliant, but I just didn't quite know how much love I would truly have for it.

From the awkward situation that we all would do anything to avoid being in ourselves to the clever character development laced throughout the flashbacks and present day, The Road Trip is definitely a book to read this summer!

Beth O’Leary is one of those authors whose books are an automatic ‘yes please’. I read The Flatshare and was hooked. This is her third book and, although a different style to her previous two books, it’s a great read.

Characters are well written, realistic and engaging. The story flowed well and kept me interested.

A great read!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

betholearyauthor is just straight on an auto buy for me I love her writing so much. After finishing theswitch I remembered that I had a copy of theroadtrip from netgalley so i knew that would be my next read and I'm really glad it was.
The characters are so well written, they are all complicated but loveable and her writing is just so addictive. There is always such a unique element to the plot that makes me want to read more and that didn't change even with the third book. There are some sensitive subjects in this book but they are so well written it becomes less about the thing and more about the characters. While I was reading this I tried to come up with a road trip playlist but it was distracting me from the book so I gave up after a while! This isn't the genre I would normally chose but there is just something about Beth o Leary that is addictive and I really hope she has a new one coming soon !!

A lovely read with well-developed characters that I really connected to. A well written book that I would recommend.

“I don’t care about almost. I care about what really happened. Everyone’s got the potential to do the wrong thing - if we were measured that way, we’d all come up short. It’s about what you do.”

The Road Trip is Beth’s third book. Her first book, Flat Share was met with great acclaim and I thoroughly enjoyed The Switch her second tale (HERE). So I went in expecting loads of laughter and light, fun moments. Somewhat surprisingly, this was quite a different tale, not what I was expecting, but by the end a good story.

This book definitely has more depth and substance to it, there are strong emotions adrift here and quite a lot of baggage to wade through. Split into two timelines, Beth weaved it together quite well to provide a slow unraveling of past events in explaining how the two main leads came to part ways initially.

‘I don’t even know what the real world is. The dread is tugging at me again, and in its way the fear of it is almost as bad as the dread itself.’

There are some great secondary characters here - love Addie’s sister Deb and big shout out to Rodney for the light relief. It was good to revisit how Addie and Dylan came together and I waited to see if the thing that drove them apart would hit the mark - it did for me. At times the journey was moving a little slow (much like the traffic they were stuck in!) but by the second half they were well and truly in the fast lane and it all gelled well together.

Despite not being the book I had originally predicted, it ended up being solid and enjoyable and would appeal to many. I look forward to seeing where Beth will go on her next adventure.

‘The countless times I almost changed my mind. But that’s the thing about almost: you can be ninety-nine per cent there, you can be an inch away from doing it, but if you stop yourself from stepping over that line, nobody will ever know how close you were.’



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

As a huge fan of Beth’s earlier work, The Flatshare and The Switch I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of The Road Trip.

It didn’t disappoint at all, I found it to be a wonderfully entertaining read, with the story alternating between then and now which allowed me to be able to piece together the story that is/was Dylan and Abbie.

The story begins with Abbie and her sister, Deb, who are about to embark on road trip to a friend’s wedding, along with Rodney, a bloke they didn’t really know at all but had just been after a lift to the wedding too… 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, Marcus, are also heading to the wedding, and can I just say the way Abbie first meets Marcus in the “Then” chapters of the book, was somewhat of a dramatic entrance, what do they say about first impressions and all that…!

So with Dylan unable to drive his car, all 5 of them end up in a very small mini and the epic road trip begins with some rather amusing events along the way.

One of my favourite moments in the book was Rodney calling Dylan from the river, that was an absolute laugh out loud moment for me! I could happily read a book all about Rodney!

This book is definitely a roller coaster of emotions as we learn about Dylan and Abbie’s past.

A big thank you for so kindly gifting me this book.

This was another great book from Beth O'Leary. I loved structure of this book: split between 'then' and 'now', and 'Dylan' and 'Addie'. There was a good cast of characters in this book and it definitely went in a direction I wasn't expecting, much like the road trip Addie and Deb were on. I was constantly intrigued by the story and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Beth O'Leary is an author I keep trying because I always hear such good things.

But I have to say that I finally think I am going to give up.

I found this book very slow to get going. The premise was very promising and I was looking forward to a full escape from the world and to get sucked into the storyline.

I loved the Then chapters. They were filled with wit and great one liners that I found quite funny.

Unpopular opinion alert. *Whisper it*: I didn’t love Beth O’Leary’s new book. This came as a big surprise for me as her first two offerings were both five star reads for me. With this one, it just lacked that special magic we expect from Beth O’Leary. Look, it was an okay read. Perfectly enjoyable. And I liked the way the book flipped between ‘then’ and ‘now’ so we slowly learned what went wrong in Addie and Dylan’s relationship. I like dual narrative books too so this aspect was right up my street. But, I just expected more. I can’t put my finger on why this wasn’t a five star read for me like her other two books - it just wasn’t. I will still read more from Beth O’Leary in the future though. I’m glad this one was a netgalley read for me. I would have been annoyed if I had paid RRP for this one.

O Leary is a great writer and I loved her other books. This one was a uplifting and good read but I felt that it took a bit too long to really get going . I did enjoy the characters in the story, Each one is written really well and you feel as if you know them in real life too. I thought it was a well written book I just preferred the other two books by this author/

This is a perfect heartwarming read which has provided a great escape. I love how this has been written and cannot wait to read more by this author.

Beth O'Leary has done it again. After the delight of The Flatshare and The Switch, Beth has become an instant want-to-read author for me, so I'm hugely grateful to the Quercus team for sending me a proof copy of what I think might be my most anticipated read of 2021. I think this has fast become my favourite of Beth's books and for good reason.

Centred around ex-partners Addie and Dylan, the pair's paths cross en route to mutual friend Cherry's wedding. Addie and her sister Deb are in one car, joined by unlikely companion Rodney - an extra guest at the wedding who was looking for a ride. Dylan on the other hand is travelling with his best mate Marcus, however the duo breakdown, and against their better judgement, and as they're all heading to the same place, they all pile into Deb's tiny mini for one hell of a road trip from Chichester to Scotland. Told in two perspectives - then and now - the story charts the eventful journey to the wedding and also Addie and Dylan's initial meet, relationship and break-up.

You all know I LOVE and RAVE about Out of Love with the told backwards perspective, and to see that at use here in Beth's book, coupled with two of my favourite tropes - the forced confinement of space for two love interests, and the second chance romance- had me sold on this one from the offset. The dynamics between the 5 passengers is humorous, and never dull and the emotions range from tenderness, awkwardness to tension, laughter and everything in between.

Much like escaping on a road trip, this book is a journey, and a warm-hug of emotions that will have you laughing, aww-ing, and screaming with frustration at the misdirection and lack of communication that would've saved a lot of hassle and heartache. Whilst the premise is light-hearted and fun, like Beth's other books it does look at deeper themes. Lighter more humorous moments are interspersed throughout, to balance the wider-arching look at toxic relationships and attempted rape. I really enjoyed the coming-of-age aspect, and the growth of all the characters through self-recognition and therapy. Also, I just really enjoyed that Rodney was a hilarious awkward addition to an already eclectic and eccentric encounter. This is overall a really powerful, emotional and lovely story and one I'm sure to recommend to everyone. It's a rare squeeze of a romantic comedy that feels like a classic, sophisticated and well-rounded love story.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Dylan and his best mate Marcus are on the way to a wedding when they run into the back of a car. They then realise the driver is Dylan’s ex Addie who is along with her sister on the way to the same wedding. Addie offers Dylan and Marcus a ride to the wedding which is in Scotland. Along the way they get into a few situations they didn’t envisage happening. Will they manage to get to the wedding on time and in one piece. Will Addie and Dylan be able to deal with their messy history and move forward.

This is the third book I have read by Beth O'Leary and I'm probably late to the party with it too! This one takes a very different approach than the other books with more serious topics being covered. It also flits between past and present as well as our two narrators which I found a little confusing at the start but soon got in to.
**Trigger Warnings for homophobia, sexual assault, abuse, alcohol abuse/addiction, drug abuse/addition. **
This book starts with Addie and her sister Deb who set off in the early hours of the morning to make the long road trip to their friend Cherry's wedding in Scotland. They have it all planned with music and snacks and despite offering Rodney (a stranger who is also going to the wedding) a lift they are sure it will be fab! However, not long after setting off the girls car is crashed into by non other than Addie's ex Dylan and his best friend Marcus, both of whom Addie hasn't seen since her breakup. Low and behold the boys are also going to the wedding and with no other way of getting there they all pile into girls mini which faired better in the accident...
As we follow the gang on their road trip there are flashback sections which explain how Addie and Dylan got together, and ultimately what went wrong between them.
It definitely feels like a summer read as a road trip definitely has summer connotations and a lot of the flashback scenes happen in France, during Addie and Deb's summer working there.
I did enjoy the road trip element and the will they wont they tension, however, I feel like it went on a little too long and there were parts that I wanted to skip to get to the main part of the story! The flashback elements fitted in well though and it was a good way of explaining the situations between the characters. If you are after a summery read this would be perfect and if you have read Beths other books I think it is a given that you have to read this one. However, I don't think it quite lived up to the hype and I was left a bit disappointed.

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I adored all books by Beth O'Leary so far! This one is slightly different as it includes some younger relationships and some hot sex scenes, but the main ingredients are all there: a laugh out loud humour, difficult subjects, the fuzzy warm feeling at the end. The story follows a group of friends travelling together in a car for the wedding in Scotland. What was supposed to be a nice and fun trip, turns into a nightmare journey featuring too many sweaty bodies, broken cars, broken hearts, and Rodney. Addie and Dylan are a sweet couple with LOADS of issues, and even though I was not keen on the way in which some issues were overblown, I really liked the feel good mood of “The Road Trip”. It had some really funny moments and some really heart-breaking ones, and it was perfect read for a lazy afternoon.

I didn't enjoy this as much as Beth's other popular book but it was a good read. I didn't like any of the characters other than Deb who didn't take crap from anyone from the start, but then it seems her character is the only main one who hasn't learnt a life lesson.

This was an easy read and I would still recommend it.

This book did nothing for me, the story eventually started around 75% of the way in and everything before that though comical and easy to read, I found I had no real interest in any of the characters. I'm not sure if my expectations were very high as I saw this book recommended all over Instagram and I had just recently read both The Flatshare and The Switch which I really enjoyed.

The characters in Beth's first 2 books were cute and endearing, there seemed to be some positive moral theme running through them with the side stories and I found I was rooting for the characters more.

The Road Trip seemed like the author was trying to make it more of an adult book and all the raunchy parts I found completely unnecessary and skipped over them. Rodney's character seemed like an add on and bought no value to the story, Dylan whose character started off so well but through out I just wanted him to be abit more maturer especially with Marcus who was so toxic. I really liked Addie and Deb though.
I'm glad I finished it as the story did get better and I'm very grateful to Netgalley to offer me an advanced copy.
I will still look out for Beth O'Learys future books because I like her writing style and feel good stories from her previous books.

I love Beth O’Leary. Her books are just so true to life. I really enjoyed this story, I get like I’d actually gone on the road trip with the characters.
Good lighthearted fun book.