I recently read The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary and really enjoyed that so I was thrilled to get an eARC of her newest book, The Road Trip.

The Road Trip is about two exes (Addie and Dylan) that take are forced to take a road trip together when one of them (coincidentally) crashes into the other on the way to a mutual friend's (Cherry's) wedding in Scotland. Oh, and did I mention that there are 3 other friends riding with them and they're crammed into a Mini Cooper? Just the image alone is comical in itself.

The two exes met four years ago at Cherry's luxurious villa in Provence, France. Addie and her sister, Deb, are caretakers of the Villa over the summer and Dylan is a wealthy Oxford student. They fall in love over the summer and eventually get together to continue their romance once they're both back home in England.

But alas, they are exes for a reason. Dylan's best friend, Marcus, was also at the French villa and has always had it for Addie. He is a needy friend and Dylan and Addie's relationship cannot withstand Dylan's friendship with Marcus..

Fast forward four years, after two years of not talking, with the addition of a quirky cast of characters, they all ride together on a disasterous road trip to Cherry's wedding. During the trip, Addie and Dylan are forced to face their past and determine if they made the correct choices regarding their relationship in the past. Plus, all types of hilarity and hijinks ensue while they keep running into obstacle after obstacle on the road trip.

Overall, I did enjoy the book as I thought it was quite entertaining. But I will say that the majority of the characters were really unlikable and it seemed like there were too many characters in general. It seemed unnecessary and muddled up the plot and flow of the story. I love quirky characters and stories but perhaps I did not understand the British humor in this book. Because of all of the characters, the story felt a bit disjointed but I think it would've been great if it was executed better - it was too disjointed for my liking.

Rating: 3 stars

Thank you, NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and Beth O'Leary for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net-Galley for the e-arc!

I loved Beth O'Leary's two previous books so much, but unfortunately this one didn't hit the mark for me. Maybe its that I don't like stories about couples who've previously broken up, but I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I thought Dylan and Addie had some really sweet moments and great chemistry together and really enjoyed following the road trip hi jinx portion of the book.

However, I couldn't get over Marcus's part in their breakup and the overall toxicity of his friendship with Dylan. Even though we're told he made reparations to work on himself with a therapist, I think there comes a certain point where lines are crossed that you need to let people go from your life for good. Marcus is a prime example of that for me, and I personally felt like his actions went too far to reward a redemption arc.

I also wasn't totally sold on Dylan and Addie getting back together, either. I felt like we were told more than we were shown that they'd grown as people since their breakup (maybe because of the 24-hour time period of the current timeline?), and I didn't really buy it. I'm a little torn because while I started off rooting for them to get back together, I also felt like there was too much damage between them for them to make it work, especially with Marcus still in the picture.

I'm still going to give Beth O'Leary's next books a try, but unfortunately this one was a bit disappointing for me.

This was a fun and hilarious romance that was full of heart. Dylan and Addie were messy in a way that felt so real, and the wild bunch of characters that traveled with them made up a truly fantastic cast. There was also a very zany twist towards the end that I didn't see coming, but that made me laugh out loud. This is one of those books that just felt like a movie as you read it.

Beth O'Leary has done it again in this delightful rom-com. Readers will quickly fall in love with the characters in this contemporary novel. O'Leary's writing style is incredibly approachable and will attract non-traditional romance readers as well. Her books are a must-buy for our library!

This is the second book I've read by Beth O'Leary and I love her books. She writes such sweet romances. I love that this book switches not only between Dylan and Addies perspectives but also between Then and Now. I'm not always a fan of "the elephant in the room" where everyone knows what happened except the reader, but this book did it really well.

I also loved that we got to see a few different locations.

It took me awhile to get through, but I think that was more me, then the book. I really enjoyed the book. I will say I hated Marcus, I think we are meant to. He never was redeemed for me, he was just creepy and an ass.

I really liked the relationship between Deb and Addie, and I think I would have even liked to see more of their relationship in the Then chapters.

But overall a really great read. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend it to anyone looking for a romance that is an easy and fun read.

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great "light" read after a very long and historical book.

Addie and Deb are on a road trip to a friend's wedding when they're in an accident with Dylan (Addie's ex) and Marcus (his friend) who are also on their way to the wedding. Joining Addie and Deb is Rodney, an odd duck who just wanted a ride to the wedding. Addie and Dylan didn't end well, but Addie and Deb offer to let Dylan and Marcus join them in their tiny Mini for the remainder of the journey as Marcus's car is repaired. As the story moves forward, chapters are interspersed with present day and the past giving us a chance to learn more about how we got to this point. There were some twists along the way, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending!

Flatshare is one of my all time favorite romances. In fact, I will probably read it again. Road Trip missed that mark for me. However, I would still recommend it for 20-30 somethings but the characters all felt too young for me. I wasn't sure what I wanted for the characters and therefore I was conflicted about the romance. Obviously,there are some very unlikeable characters in this book.Even when I learned more about them it didn't necessarily change by opinion of them. There were also some great characters that I would have enjoyed more of.

I ended up really enjoying this one. I wasn't sure how fun a book that is a road trip would be but it actually had two timelines, then and now. There were definitely parts that I laughed but this one had some serious issues too. Addie and Dylan have an amazing summer fling but they both had issues that needed to be addressed. Dylan's best friend is a complete jerk and tries to sabotage their relationship but of course Dylan does not think that, which pits Dylan against Addie even more. The whole time reading I was dying to know what finally broke them apart and it did not disappoint. I felt all the feelings while reading this one.

"But that's the thing about almost: you can be ninety-nine percent 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."

"Sometimes you don't know what you want until you nearly have it."

"It was then, and this is now"

I really liked Beth O’Leary’s first two books. While The Road Trip’s format is different and the switching perspectives provide insight into each character, this one moved a bit slowly for me. It was hard to root for a couple where the developments came so slowly.

I was so excited for this author's latest but I came in with expectations of fun and flirty and struggled to switch that over in my head. The book takes on serious issues and while it is still a romance, the seriousness takes the lead.

A really relatable second chance romance - with serious topics and enough comic relief to ease some of the sadness and tension. Fun but not fluffy.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book. A book about second chances and closed proximity...count me in!! Overall, I enjoyed this book but it was a little bit slow with the background story. The story is told in past and present between Addie and Dylan’s POV. My biggest gripe with the lack of communication between the 2 characters - this always frustrates me. I also did not get how Rodney got thrown in the mix if no one really knew him. (I may have missed it). Lastly, I just can’t imagine a Mini Cooper filled with 5 adults driving 400+ miles. That just sounds way too uncomfortable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟💫 3.5/5 stars

Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare and The Switch were two of my favorite romances over the past couple of years. I love how cozy and warm her books are, featuring well-written characters and great romances. The Road Trip definitely leans more towards The Flatshare in terms of the darker themes and pulling of the heartstrings. I was very surprised at some points by how different this one was from The Switch in terms of tone.

The Road Trip is a hard book to describe and to review. Although I was invested in Addie and Dylan’s love story, I did have trouble connecting with a few characters. Marcus was a very difficult character to read and I never fully understood Deb. Addie and Dylan were complex characters, but could become very frustrating. With that said, the last third of the book had excellent pacing and I had trouble putting the book down. This is not a light-hearted romance and once I accepted that, I enjoyed it a lot more.

Overall, The Road Trip is a heartfelt, emotional second-chance romance. I absolutely loved the ending and cannot wait for Beth O’Leary’s next book.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There truly hasn’t been a messier roadtrip than this one. An 8 hour road trip stuck in a car with your sister, a random person from facebook, the ex who broke your heart, + his best friend who basically is the reason you two broke up?? What could possibly go wrong ( shrug emoji)

Heres what I liked:
Dual POV
Now + Then timeline style
The natural chemistry between Addy + Dylan
The slow build of information on the beginning + ultimate end of their relationship
Second chance love

What I didn’ really like:
Ya’ll know I hate miscommunication as a plot device. A lot of Addy + Dylan’s problems could have been solved if they just freakin spoke to each other which was a bit frustrating
Dylans best friend, Marcus, was such a pratt + I absolutely wanted to punch him in the face.

Overall, I did enjoy this read + think if you like O’leary’s other work, you’ll like this!

When Addie and Dylan met four years ago, they both new that whatever they had was different. After a year and a half of dating, their fiery romance came to an end with a dramatic ending. They haven't spoken to each other since that day two years ago. On the way to a mutual friend's wedding, Dylan crashes into Addie's car and she reluctantly agrees to give him and his friend, Marcus, a ride to the wedding. Thus begins their crazy, tension filled road trip to Scotland with her sister, Marcus, and some guy named Rodney.

I want to give this book all the stars! I read this book over two days, but if work didn't get in the way, I would have read it one sitting. Addie and Dylan's story was addictive! I liked that the book went back and forth between now and then, when they were in a relationship. From the beginning, I knew that their relationship two years ago crashed and burned and I was itching to know how it ended. As the story of their whirlwind romance unraveled, there were many unexpected layers that I feel really built depth into the story.

The chemistry between Addie and Dylan was off the charts! From the first time they lay eyes on each other, I was like "oh yeah, IT IS ON!!!" Their romance was the passionate, all-consuming, maddening love story that I live for! Dylan was so utterly romantic that it made me swoon! His poetry, his way with words, his willingness to be vulnerable and put himself out there as a man in love - GAH!

Beth O'Leary's writing in this book was exquisite! The figurative language and emotion evoking language really got to me. The characters in this book are complex and their relationships with one another are complicated. This book is as much about Addie and Dylan's relationship as it is about their relationships with their friends and family.

I've already decided I am also going to listen to this book when the audiobook releases!

Steam level: 🔥🔥½
⚠️: substance abuse, addiction, sexual assault, depression

9/10
4.5 stars/5 (rounded up)

Through the alternating perspectives of both Addie and Dylan, in both the "then" and "now," Beth O'Leary has fabulously captured the fiery and tumultuous relationship of two lovers, their traumatic break-up and their first encounter since two years later, accidentally crammed in the same Mini road-tripping to a mutual friend's wedding in Northern Scotland.

This book was fantastic. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, I cried again. Beth O'Leary is a master of romantic comedies and this book is commendable. It is on the longer end, with a medium pace, but the story and the character development throughout is impeccable. This will stay with me for quite some time. Cue the book hangover.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story starts off with a bang-literally. Two exes on a road trip? Things are destined to get messy and I am here for it! The story alternates between “THEN”, when Addie first meets Dylan and “NOW”, years later while they are on an awkward and extremely long road trip. My favourite parts were the chapters that explored Dylan and Addie and how they grew to love one another and fall apart. It made the road trip that much more tense and intriguing.

The story was addicting to read, and I even found myself laughing out loud. Addie and Dylan’s relationship had many layers which I think readers will be able to relate to one way or another. Lastly, there were lots of great music references which I enjoyed.

If you like Beth O’Leary’s books and are a fan of second chance romances, you’ll want to add this one to your list!

TW: depression, sexual assault, alcoholism/drug use

My Rating: 4.25☆

This was ok. I liked it. I wanted to love it but sadly, I didn't.

A huge thank you to Berkley Pub, NetGalley and the author for my advanced copy.

Things I Enjoyed-

✨ The Summer / Road Trip Vibes. It’s one of my favorite combinations. Maryland is starting to warm up and this was the perfect read. ☀️.

✨ The Dual Timeline- this book is broken up into a Then and Now format. In the very beginning readers know that Dylan and Addie are broken up. With the two timelines the author reveals their relationship and how things fell apart.

✨ The Characters- The side characters made this book for me. I loved Deb. She is a total bad ass. Marcus- 😒. Even when we get the explanation of why he acted the way he did, I still saw him as a villain. The fact that Beth O Leary can make me feel love/hate so passionately for fictional characters speaks volumes about who she is as a writer.


What Didn’t Work For Me-

✨ The Romance- I felt like I was reading about it but I wasn’t feeling it. At any given point In time. Not feeling it. I don’t consider this author a romance author to be honest. She’s more of a women’s fiction author but the romance could have been worked on a bit. Make me feel something.

✨ The Characters- yep, this again. Previously I said I loved the side characters. Our main characters were kinda boring. I wasn’t invested.

✨ The Pacing- The story dragged for me. At about 70 percent I wanted it to be over. I pushed through and I’m glad I did. The conflict / reason Dylan and Addie are not together is revealed towards the end. It was executed well.

The Road Trip is not a bad book. I still encourage you to go out and give it a read.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This was such an interesting read. I always really love seeing the inner workings of a relationship and man did Addie and Dylan have alot to unpack.
I love going from Now to then to learn what exactly happened. I do think things were played up a bit but I was throughly invested in this couple's storyline.
I also loved how it focused on their friendships as well because sometimes romances can just focus on the couple when in reality there are more people at play.
Overall I really enjoyed this messy roadtrip and let's just say it's not exactly a roadtrip I would want to take myself.

Women’s fiction that focuses on addiction and codependence far more than romance

Addie and Deb are sisters and best friends in their mid-twenties, who are setting off on a road trip. They plan to take turns driving Deb’s Mini Cooper as they travel from their home base in Chichester, a small city in West Sussex, in South-East England, and head to northern Scotland, where they will be attending the wedding of their dear friend and fellow twenty-something, Cherry. A single mother of an infant son, Deb will be away from him for the first time. But in spite of missing her beloved baby boy very much and needing to regularly employ a breast pump to maintain her ability to nurse him when she returns, she is determined to make an adventure of the trip. Unfortunately, the sisters’ happy holiday is thrown massively off kilter when Addie and Deb are barely outside the city limits of Chichester. A huge truck in front of the Mini unexpectedly slams on its brakes to avoid hitting a fox and, though Addie manages to brake in time to avoid hitting the truck, the driver of the Mercedes directly behind the Mini rear-ends it with whiplash-inducing force. Worse, the driver of the Mercedes is none other than Addie's ex-boyfriend, Dylan, and his passenger is his best friend, Marcus, someone Addie has a terrible past history with as well. Addie has successfully avoided both Dylan and Marcus for the past 20 months, even though she, Deb, and the two men all live in Chichester, but she knew she was going to run into him at the wedding, since Cherry is a mutual friend. However, she planned on being rigged out in her fanciest clothing for that momentous meeting, not flustered and bedraggled, at 4:00 in the morning, on the side of the road.

Astoundingly, the Mercedes is so thoroughly damaged, it is undriveable, but the tiny Mini is barely scratched. Addie and Deb are about to drive away and leave Marcus and Dylan stranded, with very little chance of making the wedding on time, when Marcus bangs on the Mini’s driver-side window and insists that the women give them a ride. Dylan doesn’t presume to join Marcus in his desperate pleas, but one look in Dylan’s beautiful, wistful eyes, and Addie simply can’t abandon him to his fate.

The Mini already has one passenger its minuscule back seat, Rodney, a fellow guest for the wedding whom they encountered through Cherry’s wedding website, where he posted that he is from their town and needed a ride. Not only that, as would be the case with any and all Mini Coopers, the car inevitably would have a rear trunk so small, only one regular-sized suitcase could fit inside it. But in spite of the realities of this type of car, somehow Dylan and Marcus manage to stuff themselves and their luggage into the Mini, and the five adults set off for what is meant to be an eight-hour drive. However, due to a series of ongoing misadventures, their journey expands into a nightmarishly inconvenient odyssey that seems, to all five of the people in the Mini, as if it will never end.

I absolutely adored Ms. O’Leary’s first novel, The Flat Share. I also enjoyed her second novel, The Switch, but somewhat less so, because the romantic protagonists spend a major portion of the book engaged in nursing activities, which are often quite graphic, while living on opposite sides of England. What the first two novels have in common is that they are primarily comedic in tone, to such an extent that light, humorous fiction seemed to me to be this author’s “brand,” and I was expecting the same mostly humorous tone in this book. While there are definitely light moments in this story, in my perception, it is predominantly drama, and at times soap-operatically dark melodrama, because this story contains a hit parade of florid, mental illnesses. Speaking from my perspective as a retired mental-health therapist, the author presents within this novel textbook-case examples of the following diagnoses: bipolar, clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder, narcissistic character disorder, addiction to alcohol and drugs, and codependency. On top of all that, there is a great deal of casual, dehumanizing promiscuity on the part of multiple secondary characters, most especially Marcus and Deb.

This story is told in the alternating, first-person points of view of Addie and Marcus. It alternates as well between the present moment and the past, for which the author employs an enormous amount of flashback. The initial flashback occurs approximately three years ago, when Addie and Dylan first meet at the age of 21 and 22, respectively. By the end of the book we have experienced, on stage, the entire history of their extremely dysfunctional romance before they broke up, 20 months before, as well as the impact on that romance of Dylan’s tragically codependent relationship with Marcus, who is an addict. Dylan has been as close as a brother with Marcus since they were both eight years old. Marcus is from a background as privileged as that of Dylan and, throughout the entirety of their relationship, the two of them have been in and out of trouble which, every single time, has been instigated by Marcus.

In the romance genre, the primary plot centers on the courtship of two romantic protagonists. If it is a reunion romance, which this novel is advertised to be, the failed relationship that the romantic protagonists had in the past is relegated to the status of offstage backstory, allowing the events contained in the novel to focus on the rebuilding of the broken trust between the couple in the current day. In contrast, this novel relegates the vast majority of its romantic conflict to the onstage presentation of the past, broken relationship, via flashbacks, with relatively little time spent, in the present, on rebuilding and restoring trust in a brand-new courtship phase for the reuniting couple. In addition, in the failed, former, romantic relationship, there is so much focus on Dylan’s codependent relationship with Marcus—to the point that Marcus utterly dominates the novel—I would classify the genre of this novel more as women’s fiction than romance fiction.

The one big thing this story does have in common with romance fiction is the employment of the HEA, the “happily ever after” ending where, no matter how gigantic the psychological traumas and outright mental illnesses introduced in the course of a romance novel as a secondary plot, these serious issues are conveniently tied up in a metaphorical, pretty, pink bow at the end of the book and declared entirely solved. I don’t particularly enjoy that easy-out, authorial choice in regular romance and, for me, it is particularly difficult to accept in women’s fiction like this book that focuses almost exclusively on mental illness. However, I think people who have never worked in the mental health field may find it easier to accept that type of ending for this particular story than I did.

In short, my main issue with this book is more with how it has been marketed than how well it is written. I think it would have made far more sense for the publisher to market this book to non-romance readers. But since they did not do that, romance fans who are also fans of women’s fiction will need to look beyond this book’s tagline, which advertises it as a romantic-comedy road trip, and instead, realize that it is melodramatic women’s fiction. If that type of novel is to your personal taste—which it clearly is for millions of female readers—this novel is certainly well written and compelling, and you might enjoy it.

In order to be absolutely fair, I am choosing to rate this novel not for what it is advertised to be, romance fiction, but for what it actually is, women’s fiction. As a romance, I would personally have to rate it as only 2 stars. But as women’s fiction, I feel comfortable giving it 4 stars.