I was honestly a little disappointed by this book by Beth O'Leary. I was hoping for the same charm and sweetness that I remember from both The Flatshare and The Switch, but I did not find that here with The Road Trip. I did enjoy reading this one while reading it, but was a bit annoyed with all of the male characters. I did not like how the romance ended up. I didn't love that there was quite a bit of swearing. I did enjoy the actual road trip and all the meandering moments that went along with it. I will still continue to read Beth O'Leary, but this wasn't my favorite.

3.5 stars. This is a rough one for me to review, if I'm being honest. This was quite possibly my most anticipated read of 2021 so I went into it with pretty high expectations, and while I did end up enjoying it, it definitely wasn't the book that I was expecting. Based on the blurb and the cover and Beth's previous two books, I expected this to be a fun, light-hearted, road-trip romance. While this did feature some of those elements, this book was anything but light-hearted. It deals very heavily with depression and sexual assault, and I definitely think that if you want to read this one you should proceed with caution. With that being said, even though this wasn't the book I was expecting, I did still end up enjoying it (I would read Beth O'Leary's grocery lists, tbh), and I would definitely recommend checking it out if you go in with the proper mind-set and don't go in expecting a rom-com lol

CW: sexual assault, alcoholism, emotional manipulation, slut shaming, depression, toxic parents, casual fatphobia (from side-characters)

I loved this author's first two books, but sadly, this one didn't quite make the cut for me.

I felt like this book went on and on- much longer than it needed to be. I appreciated the authors writing style and while this still had snippets of light and fun, it was definitely more somber than her previous novels.

I felt like the author tried to address a darker theme with this book, and it just did not work for me. I really love Beth O'Leary, so I'm hoping her next book is more reminiscent of her first two books.

Addie and her sister are about to leave on a wedding trip for a good friend's wedding when the trip is derailed by a car wreck. The other car happens to have Addie's ex, Dylan and his best friend, who are also on the way to the same wedding. After all hopping into the same car, they set off on the road trip together, which doesn't even come close to as planned.
During the trip, Addie and Dylan.reminisce about what went wrong with their relationship; Will the group make it to the wedding on time? Will Addie and Dylan figure out what went wrong in order to make it right?

I really enjoyed O'Leary's take on the Rom-Com road trip. I would have read it in one day if it wasn't for adult responsibilities. It was more than just a road trip romp, it delved into the growing up people do after you get out of the bubble of college, how friendships change when you become adults, fighting depression, etc. I recommend this for anyone who wants a quick, but fun read that's not too cheesy.

Being stuck in a small vehicle with your ex on a seemingly endless road trip sounds like something from the deepest circle of hell, but Beth O'Leary has managed to coax it into a cute little sitcom romance. For anyone fond of the second chance romance trope, the friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope, the only one bed(room) trope: this is for you.

Please check CWs before reading.

The Road Trip was my first Beth O'Leary contemporary romance and it was highly enjoyable. I will look out for future O'Leary books. Contemporary romance is very popular right now at our library and I'm always looking for new authors to suggest for patrons who have read all the latest.

The story is told between the male (Dylan) and female (Addy) protagonist's point of view in alternating chapters on a road trip to a mutual friend's wedding. We are told of what is going on now on the road trip as exes and then when they were hopelessly in love. What went wrong? O'Leary expertly handles the different points of view and gradually unfolds the mess of a breakup.

I did not rate this 5 stars although I truly enjoyed it but I did find myself dragging a little in the past and enjoyed the present so much more. Obviously the past was important to the story but I felt like it carried on a bit too much. Side characters of Dylan's best friend and Addy's sister rounded out the story and both could have a book of their own.

I will recommend this to our patrons looking for good contemporary romances.

This book raises the question: what if you were stuck in a car with your ex on a 12+ hour road trip across the country? In many ways, it sounds like a recipe for disaster filled with silly antics that make you laugh and some serious conversations. And in many ways, it was. But at the same time, I was expecting something else entirely.

I hovered between liking and loving this novel. In many ways, I loved it. I loved the characters and the quirky road trip across England to get to Scotland. I even liked Rodney, the stranger whose motive to get to this wedding were questionable.

The story is also told in dual narrative with alternating timelines. You read what's happening in the past while simultaneously reading what's happening at the present. Most of the present was Dylan and Addie stuck awkwardly in a Mini with three other people (a breast-pumping sister, the recovering alcoholic best friend, and Rodney), while the past was the entirety of their relationship together. What starts off as something you can only read in romance novels changes entirely as you proceed further into the story.

For most of it, I really loved it. The characters were complex and I'm not just talking about the two main protagonists. They had dynamics, weaving distinctly into the lives of the protagonists and makes you wonder about them more than you wonder about Dylan and Addie. And because Beth O'Leary has such a way with words, they were pretty real people with real problems that slowly reveal themselves throughout the story.

You can definitely say Addie and Dylan's romance was a whirlwind and the relationship really only lasted for a year, and it was really quite a year. But in the end, the story felt more like a love story than a romance. Yes, you have the hallmark traits of a romance, but the way the story is setup, it felt a little different. I liked that, but I can also see how people didn't.

However, there were things that I personally didn't like. I wasn't a fan of how quickly they fell in love, how this story puts emphasis on examining their past rather than focusing on their future. How it all could have been resolved with an honest conversation with each other. How it all kind of rushed to their conclusions and wrapped up nicely at the end with declarations of their truths.

And in my eyes, I think these are more personal gripes than issues with the story. I wanted to share them because I know there's always someone out there who may feel the same.

But if you're looking for a quirky love story with some twists and turns and a few moments of deeper discussion (CW: sexual harassment/assault, mental health, alcohol abuse, depression), then this might be the one for you.

This follows the story of two exes who get stock with each other in the same car while going to a friend's wedding. The narrative flips between past and present from the point of view of both main characters.

It took me a while to get invested in the story. I thought it was a little slow. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters. Overall, I enjoyed the premise of the story but I didn't care much for any characters. If you are into second chance romances you may enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts are my own

What a damn delight of a book! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a real roller coaster and there’s some heavy shit in there (tw sexual assault, emotional abuse, substance abuse), but this was a certified romp of a travel story. Forced proximity, second chance romance, charming side characters, ridiculous side characters, damaged side characters, a then and now back and forth plot, summers in Provence, rich English folks, a castle wedding. There. Is. So. Much. Here. Addie is a somewhat neutral character but I loved loving and hating Dylan. He is the clueless idiot rich poet boy dreams are made of. I continue to love Beth O’Leary books!

This one was so sweet and I enjoyed the ride (get it!?). The heart behind this story is in every scene and Beth is such a great writer. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this romance. The split timelines and POVs were interesting and managed not to be confusing, which really added to the tension between the two main characters.

I tried to read this one and I just couldn’t get into it. I did try another book by this author and didn’t love that one either so I’m thinking this author just isn’t for me.

Beth O'Leary is so good at writing funny but make-you-think rom-coms in book form. There is always the element of a traditional rom-com meet-cute (ex-boyfriend rear ends you 10 minutes into a road trip to Scotland and you with him, his best friend who sabotaged your relationship, your breastfeeding sister and a person who may or may not have been invited to the wedding you're all heading to attend in the car for the rest of the trip) with a lot more serious, interesting, grey areas going on underneath. I was skeptical about the Then and Now way of presenting the story (and tbh, the Now chapters were much more interesting to me) but this was laugh out loud, swear at characters, shake my head while on a plane kind of good (there were weird stares at times). I am ashamed it took me this long to get around to reading what was an excellent follow up to Flatmates.

I really tried to like this book but I hated the writing style. I don't think this author is for me. I ended up dnf pretty soon as I just couldn't get into. Usually when I read a romance I get interested in it quite quickly. Not this one. I didn't like the characters and I don't think I'll like the overall book after reading just the first couple chapters.

|| 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖

The Road Trip
Beth O’Leary
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

|| 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:
A road trip, a chance meeting, and a second chance to reconnect. Addie and Dylan meet by chance and their connection is instant. They are so different but fill pulled together. But then they aren’t together. Going to a wedding for a mutual friend, they end up in the same car together 2 years later and are forced to deal with their break up. They are also forced to deal with Marcus, who caused a lot of their problems.

|| 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄:
•Second chance romance
•Discussion of toxic relationships
•Funny stalker moments
•Alternating POVs and Then/Now timelines

|| 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:
I highly enjoyed this story. This is my first book by this author, so I don’t have anything to compare in that regard but now I know it won’t be the last. There were a few funny moments, but the story was about learning from past mistakes. Addie and Dylan fell in love fast. They loved fast and hard. But Marcus always seemed to cause some tension. I enjoyed how the “then” was explained leading up to the reveal on why they broke up in the first place and seeing how these characters grew in the two years they spend apart. The audio narrators were also fantastic!

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for a copy of this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

You know that feeling when you read the right book at the right time? Well that’s how I felt with The Road Trip by Beth O”Leary.

I think this is a great “pick me up” I got the typical nice feels that are common with this authors previous two books. In this book some heavier themes are explored, I would have liked more depth to it.

I would have loved to have seen more character development but I think that’s the feeling you get when you are invested in the story.

As a huge fan of The Flatshare, I expected to enjoy this book more than I did. Addie was an interesting character, but Dylan was unbearable in the earlier sections of his story. He's very privileged and completely unaware of it. While he gets better throughout the book, it was just very off putting for a pretty large chunk of it. His manic pixie dream girl obsession with his college friend was also incredibly obnoxious.

The Road Trip is on the surface a story of ex's being thrust together in a road trip to the wedding of a mutual friend . But, as I've come to expect of Beth O'Leary's books, there's a lot more beneath the surface. The alternating timelines tell the story of the couple's early days and eventual demise. Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely feeling this twist and the circumstances surrounding the initial breakup were hard to forgive both in writing and romance. I'm over the miscommunication tropes for second chance romances and sexual assalut CONTENT WARNINGS should be plastered on this one, as sneaking rape into what appears to be a lighthearted romance can be unwelcome for many readers.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I've really enjoyed the first two books I read by Beth O'Leary - they're unique and charming stories with fun characters. I even got past the horrible internal monologue/writing style in THE FLATSHARE because of how much I loved everyone. This book was generally pretty cute and mostly enjoyable, but not at the same level as the previous two books.

I didn't root for the main couple very much. They met and quickly fell for each other over one summer, have a weird and mostly shitty relationship for a couple of years, and break up. When they see each other again a couple of years later and end up having to road trip to a mutual friend's wedding, sparks fly again.

There were so many weird and complex elements to their love story and I didn't feel like the chemistry was even there from the beginning, so why bother rooting for them to overcome their issues at all? Sure, they grew up a little bit by the "present day" chapters, but I still didn't exactly care. There weren't a lot of reasons to LIKE them together.

The book had major lessons about forgiveness and growing up, both with friends and romantic relationships. I liked some of those plotlines but there were just too many things to "get over" and I couldn't. I often wanted to punch people in the head and therefore didn't care much about their growth and character arc.

Deb, the MC's sister, was an excellent character - I'd be happy to read more about her! All in all, this story was readable and often enjoyable, but not my favorite by any means.

Beth O'Leary is so good at weaving a story and this book is no exception. The time line shifts from past to future and skillfully builds a touching tale of love, loss and forgiveness.