I loved these quirky characters! I mean think about it cram 2 sisters, 1 ex and his bestie AND a random guy into a small car and set off on an epic road trip to a friends wedding. This story is told from dual timelines and I will say I enjoyed the NOW much better than the THEN. The story overall didn't wow me but it kept me engaged until the end and was well written so for that I'm giving it a 3. This was my first book by this author I will have to check out her others.

THANK YOU BERKLEY PUBLISHING FOR MY ADVANCED READER COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

I read and enjoyed Beth O'Leary's first novel, The Flatshare, and also heard good things about The Switch, so I was excited to read her third novel. Five people jammed into a Mini Cooper for a multi-hour road trip sounded like loads of comedy potential.

The Good:
--I really liked Addie, and thought she was a very sympathetic heroine. She has a great relationship with her sister and her parents, she's a teacher, and she's genuinely kind and caring.
--The first third of the book, both present timeline (everyone jammed in Deb's Mini) and past timeline (Addie and Dylan meeting and falling in insta-love), was amusing and fun to read.

The Meh:
--There's a lot of heavy stuff in the latter half of the book, which came as a bit of a surprise! The Flatshare also had more serious content later on, but I felt like the past timeline here became much darker than the cover and initial premise suggested.
--Rodney...once everyone found out about his motivations for attending the wedding, they treated it as a joke, but what he was doing wasn't funny??? Tonal disconnect like whoa.
--Marcus was dreadful--we're not supposed to like him, but he was so abrasive and rude that I grew weary of the present timeline scenes (which I initially enjoyed) because he was present to drag everything down.
--While Addie was lovely, I didn't like Dylan even half as much. He felt too passive and pretentious, and while we learn more about his mental health struggles, I still didn't feel he was right for Addie. In the past timeline, she made loads of accommodations for him that I didn't feel he always deserved.

In short:
The Road Trip grabbed me at the beginning, but I wasn't as keen on the remaining 2/3's. The past timeline deals with a lot of heavy subjects, and the present timeline lost its charm.

This one fell flat for me. Fair warning, I didn't really love the Flatshare, but wanted to give Beth O'Leary another shot in case I liked this better. I didn't connect with the characters and didn't feel the chemistry.

What I Liked:
-This is another fabulous Beth O'Leary read - she does such a fantastic job with her writing style and her characters and this was no exception.
-I liked the dual perspectives and the jumping of time periods in this book. They gave it some extra depth.
-The way this story and the characters wound around each other was incredibly unique.

What I Didn't Like/Wanted More Of:
-It was pretty predictable.

You Should Read if You Like:
-Any romance fans should pick this one up!

Road trip gone awry sounds like the premise of a wonderful and hilarious book, but, unfortunately, it fell a bit flat. The Road Trip was still a fun read. I just didn’t love it.

Addie and Dylan were a bit bland for me. Their relationship never had off the charts chemistry even in the beginning. Falling in love abroad was cute, but rather sudden and cliché. You’ve certainly read it before. Once they return home, Addie and Dylan’s relationship begins to really struggle, and I found myself quite done with their relationship drama. Deb, Addie’s sister, was the best character. She was for sure a scene stealer and had me laughing out loud on several occasions. Dylan’s best friend, Marcus, became entirely tiresome, and their toxic friendship was far too much the focus of the book.

The “then” and “now” storyline was fine. I understood why O’Leary set the story up this way, but I far preferred the “now” plot much more.

I liked The Road Trip, but it certainly did not live up to my expectations. I wish there was more of the humor I saw glimpses of and less of Marcus…ugh.

2.5 stars!
Addie and her sister are on a long road trip to a friend’s wedding in northern Scotland. Their girls trip is interrupted when they are in a car crash. The other driver just so happens to be Addie’s ex, Dylan, and his annoying best friend, Marcus. Dylan and Marcus are on their way to the same wedding and their car ends up being undriveable. Addie offers for them to jump in with them, albeit very reluctantly because she hasn’t seen Dylan since he left her two years ago. The tight quarters in the Mini force them to confront their past.

I was so disappointed with O’Leary’s latest. I adored The Switch and The Flatshare. Tiffy is one of my fave quirky characters ever. Unfortunately, I just didn’t enjoy this second chance romance at all. Dylan and Addie’s relationship seems surface level from the start, all about lust with little deep connection. This is very different from O’Leary’s usual slow build up of friendship and flirtation. Their foundation just seemed non existent. Dylan IRKED me beyond belief. He was so indecisive and overall, just a flop. His whole relationship with Marcus was so irritating as well. Dylan never doubts Marcus for one second, even though he is clearly unwell and unstable. He doesn’t deserve Addie in my opinion. I missed the feel good bits that I got from The Flatshare and The Switch, however I did appreciate the twist with the Rodney situation and some of the laughs along the way. Super curious to hear what other O’Leary fans thought of this one!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

The Road Trip was an interesting and wild ride. Like most stories, it all starts with Bang!!!, but in this case, with a small car crash accident which makes all the characters fit into a crammed SUV and drive for 300 miles to the destination wedding of their friend. While on the road, sisters Addie and Deb must share their car with Rodney, a guest that needs a ride, Marcus, a somewhat friend of theirs, and Dylan, Addie’s ex-boyfriend.

The last time that Addie and Dylan saw each other, she begged him not to leave her and the last time he heard from her, Addie told him not to contact her anymore. The wedding of their mutual friend, Cherry, was going to be the first time they saw each other in over 2 years, but now they are crammed in a car making their way to Scotland.

As the miles seem to never end with too many stops on the way, secrets come up float, feelings get hurt, they meet a nice driver that helps them, and one of them has a secret plan.

Two years is a long time to change and mature, but is it enough to give them a second chance?

The Road Trip had an interesting narrative which goes back and forth in time to tell the story of how Addie and Dylan met, their relationship up until they broke up, and a drive filled with country music and snack breaks. It was a nice story that showed us the point of view of Addie and Dylan throughout their relationship, the issues that each one had, and was too scared to tell the other, and how it was all bottled up until the breaking point. While they are the main characters their family and friends (Marcus) played a big role in their relationship and how they tried to make it work.

Addie and Dylan were good characters to follow along in their journey, but The Road Trip had many other side characters who were interesting, and I wish we could have learned more about them. Among my favorites were Grace, Luke and Javier, and while we got a lot of Deb, I wish we had had scenes with her baby or Addie with the baby.

In the beginning, the story had a slow pace, but it starts to pick up and get more interesting. The girls come back from their summer in France and reality hits Addie, doubt setting in. Getting to the point of where the reason that made them break up was a good hook to keep the reader interested and keep reading it to find out. I liked that we got to see Addie working at school and Dylan trying to find what he was passionate about.

The culmination of their relationship was shocking, I didn’t expect that outcome of why they broke up. I assumed it had to be something with Dylan’s family, and maybe unrequited love from Marcus to Dylan, but after a while, we learned that they were not ready to be in that relationship and both of them needed to mature and find each other first.

More shocking was learning who Rodney was. I was just as surprised as everyone else in the car, I thought he was somebody’s cousin going to the wedding. He had funny scenes and odd phrases here and there.

The Road Trip had a nice ending, not everyone lives happily ever after, but something solid for Addie and Dylan to start again. People were forgiven, other relationships ended, some were given second chances, and Addie and Dylan kissed for the first time again.If you are a fan of Beth O’Leary works, then I recommend you the Road Trip. Many things can happen while driving 300 miles to Scotland, some of them are accidents, stolen vehicles, and even forgiveness. Oh, and crashing a wedding.

I will start by saying I’m a total sucker for second chance romances! I really enjoyed the first half of this one. It was saucy, it kept me interested, and the “then” vs “now” timeline really allowed me to see how the characters had grown and changed. The actual climax of the book bothered me, because so many problematic things are realized and of course the couple still gets back together. A key thing I liked about this one was that sometimes I feel that romances only develop the two main characters, but this book had a whole suite of vibrant characters that made this book seem like a more realistic love story. Marcus, while flawed, brought some more raw depth to this book that I think was needed! I didn’t really love the main couple (Addie and Dylan), but the ending was sweet overall. Rodney was a super random and unnecessary character and plot point in this one, and I didn’t like the portions of this book that focused more on him. Overall, a sweet romance read!

Can you imagine being stuck in a tiny car for 500 miles with an ex-boyfriend who tore your heart out and put it in a blender not too long ago?  Sounds like absolute torture if you ask me.  However, Beth O’Leary makes it a delightfully enjoyable experience in The Road Trip.

The Road Trip Backstory

Addie and Dylan met one summer in Provence, where she and her sister were caretakers of a house.  After a hot and steamy love affair, they return to their normal lives but decide to give their relationship a real shot.

Things are decidedly not easy for the couple, especially when jealousy and miscommunications abound.  Addie and Dylan’s relationship can’t survive the circumstances, so when they break up, they decide to cut off all contact.

So many things change while they are apart, but so many remain the same.  The chance encounter that leads to a shared car ride provides the opportunity for old ghosts to finally be banished and truths come to light.

Heartfelt, Emotional, and Humorous Romance

Told in dual POV and dual timeline, Addie and Dylan's story is an emotional journey through heartbreak and reconnection. 

The premise of the ill-fated road trip to a friend's wedding and all of the unexpected humorous twists in the present provides the comedic relief needed for learning the passionate yet devastating details of the past.

This book is heavier than previous works by O'Leary, but enjoyable nonetheless. I appreciate her care in building characters with vibrant personalities and putting them in situations that stretch their range and comfort zones. The character growth in The Road Trip is immense and totally satisfying.

I have loved reading all three of O’Leary’s books and appreciate each of their unique storylines and characters.  They are a breath of fresh air and I can’t wait to read her next work!

I finished this book at 2 am in the morning. I couldn't stop reading it and I needed to know what happened. The cover says that the journey is going to be a bumpy ride and I definitely felt that as I was reading this book. I mean this in a good way! There were so many ups and downs and different contrasts throughout the story. There was humor and heartbreak, and lighthearted moments and serious conversations. It was just a lovely book. The alternating timelines worked very well and flowed seamlessly within the story and plot.

This is definitely more of heavy romance that is all about the character development. There are times I alternated between loving and hating many of the characters. In the end they all got to where they needed to be both figuratively and literally. This book does discuss some serious and emotional topics and be warned the characters in this book will deal with sexual assault, alcoholism and drug use, and parental emotional abuse. Overall it was a phenomenal read and I was happy with how the story ended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Addie and her sister, Deb, are on their way to their friend, Cherry’s wedding. They have been looking forward to this road trip for a while, but things immediately change when they get into an accident with none other than Addie’s ex, Dylan. He was headed to the same wedding along with his friend Marcus. Addie and her sister decide to do the right thing and give them a ride to the wedding. The Mini Cooper is now fully filled with 5 passengers and tons of animosity.

The book has a dual timeline between the past and present. Addie and Dylan had a whirlwind relationship years before when they met during a summer in Italy. Unfortunately for me, their relationship just didn’t work. Dylan and Addie fell instantly in love and it felt very surface level. Everything seemed very juvenile and way too fast paced. Overall, I just had a very hard time liking any of the characters and never got the love I was hoping for from this book. It’s still a cute book, it’s just not at the top of my romcom list. 3 💫’s.

“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, Beth O’Leary

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Essentials for a fun road trip? Good snacks, good music, perhaps some nice people? Not according to this author! This road trip includes Addie and Dylan (who once dated and by some cruel twist of fate are thrown together in a Mini Cooper with a few others), Addie’s sister Deb, Dylan’s words-cannot-describe-how-awful-he-is best friend Marcus, and...wait for this...a random guy named Rodney!🤦🏻‍♀️

Unlike her other two novels, this one doesn’t exactly give you the feel-good-inside vibes, but it does give you challenging characters with complex issues. The characters are the true shining stars of the book and O’Leary doesn’t hesitate to make the readers feel uncomfortable with their stories and actions.

The stories are split into two different timelines - a then and a now - and while I found this a bit frustrating at times, it did help build suspense for what was to come later.

All in all, this book has its moments. Some will make you laugh and some will force you to pause and take a deep breath.

Personally, I loved the fact that the book is a bit far from reality but not so much at the same time. Could you ever be imagine being forced in a car with your ex and a few others by a cruel twist of fate? YES! Would the 5 of you and some luggage fit in a Mini? NO!

A HUGE thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub @penguinrandomhouse for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!💕

I picked this one up again after having set it aside for a couple of weeks. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I really wanted to give this one a second chance. I managed to get to ~32% before deciding this book just does not do it for me. Although the concept peaked my interest and the first 15% started out strong, i slowly started to lose interest in the story and characters. I really liked the then/now time jumps and, at first, this is what kept me interested in the story. However, as we start to learn more about Addie and Dylan's relationship, I started losing interest. I couldn't connect with either of them, and I felt like their relationship lacked substance and was built on insta-love/lust. No aspect of this book called to me, and for that reason, i will be DNF'ing and moving on to the next. Hopefully I will have better luck with other O'Leary books.

Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Road trip by Beth O'Leary
🐝
Addie and her sister had the perfect road trip all planned out, but not too long after their departure a car slams into them and the driver is non-other than her ex, going to the same wedding she is with his best friend, people she has tried to avoid for the last years because of the traumatic breakup. But with his car totalled, she has no choice but to give them both a lift. Here goes the road trip with has much luggage as secrets. Will their trip be cathartic and will the pair be able to move on, or better yet find their way back to each other?
🐝
At the very center of this book, there is a broken couple, that has been through a lot together and apart, and through the Road trip and the flashbacks we see slowly discover all the hurt that was left between them. While in the present they are trying to stay civil to each other, while feelings come bursting through at every turn. In the past we see their passionate relationship descend to how it all crashed down. This books starts like a huge mess of tangled Christmas lights, and so very slowly and through a lot of very witty humour, the author untangles everything before our eyes, in telling us how it got so knotted in the first place. This book was an abreaction, when I finished it my whole chest was relieved and lighter. However, I would have loved to have seen all the work Addy and Dylan had done on themselves, because the present doesn't provide us with their own healing journey, and the past drives us deeper in the dysfunction of their relationship. Maybe I'll be the only one, but I found Marcus so interesting and I would love a book based on him and his journey through recovery, and perhaps finding love as well. His own relationship with Dylan was so intricate, but also got so toxic. He was such. Great character, and after this book I found myself yearning for more of his story. The whole cast of characters were so incredibly well throughout. They were all grey, and conflicted, and had issues of their own, but they also had so much heart, their dynamic is what made me fall for this book. Even Rodney. I am not sure this one can be qualified as a romance, but it didn't take anything away from the beautiful story the author has crafted.
🐝
With all this said, at the beginning of the book, there is no indication of content warnings, and the book description doesn't offer any insight on them, and I'm disappointed that it didn't because this books deals with a lot of very serious, possibly triggering subjects and the reader isn't warned at all.
🐝
So here is your very unofficial content warning: Toxic romantic relationship and friendship, substance abuse, alcoholism, sexual assault, homophobia, depression, anxiety, and some light obsessive behavior including stalking.
🐝
Thank you berkleyromance and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy. As always all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Harlequin Junkie Recommends

The Road Trip was a second chance romance laced with humor, miscommunication, and a carful of quirky Brits with some seriously bad luck. Beth O’Leary laid on the charm and the feels in this standalone novel.

Road trip books seem to be all the rage lately and I’m loving the variety authors are giving us readers. Beth O’Leary managed to add even more drama to the trope with Addie and Dylan’s convoluted previous relationship that ended almost two years prior. The story flips back and forth between their past and the present, building the tension bit by bit until we understand the crux of the issues that came between the couple. And boy were there issues. Some were caused by Dylan and Addie themselves, while other problems were because of someone in their close circle of friends.

There were a lot of layers to the story, with each character–not just Addie and Dylan–all making mistakes and dealing with their own situation. I’ll admit to wanting to yell at, well, just about each and every one of them at some point. (lol) But overall I laughed and shook my head more at their antics than anything. Addie’s sister Deb was an absolute hoot. She told it like it was but always had her sister’s back. Marcus, Dylan’s best friend, was the wild child/problem maker of the bunch who had no idea how to communicate his feelings in a healthy way. At all. Rodney was the oddball, using them as a rideshare from England to Scotland for the wedding. Although there was more to his being there than at first met the eye…

Then there was beta hero Dylan and pint-sized but still mighty Addie who hadn’t seen each other since their break up. I liked them both as individuals but it felt like when they first dated they both had some growing up to do. Things surrounding them were pretty toxic and it severely affected their relationship. Seeing how they had changed over time and how they began to comprehend all the details that came out about the events that broke them up twenty months before was something else to behold. I thought O’Leary handled the delicate issues with care while still digging into the darker, deeper emotions, pushing Addie and Dylan to finally face the mess that was made.

Laughs were had, tears were shed, and there were happy sighs all around upon finishing The Road Trip. If you’re looking for the perfect beach read, look no further than Beth O’Leary’s latest madcap adventure.

Dylan and Addie fell in love over a summer a few years ago. Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry’s French villa and Addie was the on-site caretaker. They were together several years until their relationship ended and neither have spoken to each other since the day they broke up.

Flash forward to present time and Cherry is getting married in rural Scotland. Both Dylan and Addie are on their way to the wedding separately until they get into a crash with each other. The car Dylan is driving is totaled so he joins Addie and her sister, along with his best friend, and a random guy Addie met on Facebook that needed a ride to the wedding, on a road trip through Britain and Scotland. A road trip that is full mishaps and forces Addies and Dylan to be together and think about what really tore their relationship apart all those years ago.

I had a hard time getting into this one. The book was told through Addie and Dylan’s POVs of present time and their relationship from the past. I found the plot slow and I wasn’t invested in Dylan and Addie’s relationship. What I did enjoy was the other characters. Addie’s sister was spunky and the storyline with the random Facebook guy was hilarious. I also want to add that yes, this is a predictable love story, but there were topics of depression and sexual assault.

If you are a fan of second chances this one is for you,

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an adavnced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Addie's off on a road trip to Scotland. Her friend is getting married, and her sister is along for the ride. Excited to get underway, the sisters are having a good time, and then another car hits them from behind. This would have been bad enough, but the person who hit them, Dylan, is somebody Addie's been avoiding for two years. What are the chances her ex would hit them, and what's more, be heading to the same wedding in Scotland? With Dylan's car totally wrecked, Addie lets Dylan and his friend climb into her car for the remainder of the trip, all three hundred miles of it. With so much road ahead of them, will Addie and Dylan address the elephant in the car, or will they derail the trip with old, bad blood?

I found this story about road tripping with an ex to be alright. Personally, if my ex ran into me in such an unprovoked manner, I'd be sorely tempted to leave them by the side of the road, wedding or no, but Addie is a good person. Marcus, Dylan's friend, gives Addie a lot of grief over the course of the story, which I felt was rather unappreciative considering she was gracious enough to give the two of them a ride. Maybe he was bitter because it was his car that Dylan totaled. Somehow along the way they fit another stranger into the car who is sort of a third wheel and, well, something else. I'm not entirely sure whether that worked for the story or not.

What I did like about the story was the back and forth between past and present as the story charts the trajectory of Addie and Dylan's past relationship, as well as their jaunt to the wedding. The Road Trip is an interesting if somewhat predictable tale, but isn't a road trip more about the journey than the destination anyway? Recommended for readers who enjoy stories where the characters face their past choices, or readers who find the idea of five people in a Mini hilarious.

Beth O’Leary is one of the many authors on my reading lists who gets an automatic “yes, please” when I see that she has a new book out. The Road Trip did not disappoint – but its characters are more deeply flawed and complicated than I was initially expecting. Once I settled into the story, though, I couldn’t put it down.

The story is told via alternating timeline – THEN and NOW – as well as from the standpoints of our new main characters – and exes – Addie and Dylan. Recently graduated from university, they come from different worlds – Addie is to be a school teacher, grew up middle class with a loving family, whereas Dylan comes from wealth and privilege, a dysfunctional family, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself now that he’s graduated from Oxford. (Yes, you can read that last bit with a plummy accent. I did.)

The story starts out entertainingly, and the road trip itself has some really great, laugh-out-loud moments. (How can it not? Just the idea of five grown adults crammed into a mini lends itself to some great situations.) But it’s the flashbacks where the story – and the conflict – unfolds, and this is what gives the story real depth. I thought the book’s structure really lent well to letting the story unfold.

They first meet at a posh villa in Provence – where Addie and her sister have been spending the summer as a caretaker, while Dylan is (initially) the lone guest of what should have been a family trip. Dylan and his friends have grown up with wealth and privilege, and oftentimes come off as immature and spoiled.

Still, there is a lot that readers can relate to, as this is really a story about forgiveness on many levels – family, lovers, and friends. Can we forgive the ones we love? What about those we once loved, and who hurt us – what does it take to forgive them and get back together (or move on happily)? Can we forgive ourselves for our own bad behavior (or choices)?

Dylan has been let down by his controlling, father (and his weak mother who loves him but won’t stand up to his father.) He’s a complicated person and at some points in the story I struggled to like him, but mostly because he is a bit wishy-washy about what he wants in life. Which, in all honesty, probably just makes him human (albeit, a frustrating one). His wealth has not protected him from a lack of direction or mental health issues.

I think we all have that friend who really toes the line in one way or another, but for whom we will tolerate their bad behavior because we love them – and because they need us, and us them. In this story, this is Marcus. I really struggled to find any redeeming qualities he held – he’s manipulative and selfish, although you can see glimpses of charm – and he does his damndest to drive a wedge in Dylan and Addie. And despite all this, I might have forgiven him by the end of the story.

Alternately, Addie’s sister Deb provides a lot of lightness in the book and is an anchor for Addie, and I really adored her. (She might have been my favorite character of them all!) Addie and Deb’s parents are refreshingly average (compared to Dylan’s family) and helps ground Addie’s character all the more.

DO Addie and Dylan belong together? (Or, as my question was – is Dylan the one for Addie?) The ending ties things up a little too neatly and I wanted a little…more. (An epilogue would have been perfect.) This couple has been through a lot, and while the story is about forgiveness, it’s also about trust. Does Dylan have his feet? I have more questions. (Maybe I just need someone to discuss the book with.)

There were moments in The Road Trip where my heart broke for both Addie and Dylan, and others were I laughed out loud. (And a lot of moments where I really wanted to light Marcus up.)

While this might not be what I was initially expecting from the author based on earlier books, once I dropped my expectations and settled in, I really enjoyed the ride. The Road Trip is a story of forgiveness, and one with both laughter and pain and a whole lot of emotions. I’m giving it a solid four stars.

This book was everything that I wanted it to be. I was literally laughing out loud the entire time! The chemistry between the two main characters was everything. I would have liked a trigger warning for attempted sexual assault but overall this book was great. The story was cute and there's nothing better than a happy ever after. Will be recommending this on my platform.

I really liked this book and I’m so happy I did because I also really liked The Flatshare and The Switch and had high hopes for O’Leary’s latest! This was the perfect second-chance romance and is a great pick for summer reading.

What I love about second chance romances is that we typically always get the present timeline along with flashbacks to the first time the couple was together. O’Leary did this in such a unique way in her book - the present timeline takes place over just a couple days and the flashbacks cover months. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded!

I especially like second-chance romances when a couple gets another chance at love after being young and stupid the first time around. Dylan and Addie definitely checked the boxes for being young and stupid! But sometimes those first real relationships are so hard - hard to be vulnerable and honest, hard to make smart decisions when your heart and hormones are over-ruling everything, and hard to communicate your real needs and desires.

O’Leary captured that first-time big love and the mistakes so well and I love that we got to see how both Dylan and Addie had matured and gained a better understanding of themselves while they were apart. From the opening scene to the very end I was rooting for them to find a way back together.

There were also quirky side characters, which included a lovable best friend/sister, a horrible best friend, and a random guy that contributed to the scenes that had me laughing.

I can’t wait to read whatever O'Leary writes next!