Super cute and well written book that was easy to read. The characters were really well done and the story sticks with you for a while.

The Road to Me was just the story I was looking for. I have struggled finding a outstanding book to read and then I started reading this book and Oh MY what a book to take me away. Loved reading from the beginning to the end. Had some laughs and some tears. I will have to look for more books by Laura Drake as this one was excellent.

Just when she has everything going for her, Jacqueline (Jack) needs to get her grandma from a police station and bring her back to the retreat for the elderly. Of course it all does not go as it should - or rather, it goes exactly as it should as per the universe, Jack just doesn't know yet. Her hippie grandma does know though. Will Jack find the answer to her one question?

I loved this book. I loved all of the characters and the way Jack's G'ma is so very over the top hippie. There were reasons to laugh out loud and to cry, and this book tugged at all of my emotions.

I am glad I had the opportunity to read this book, thanks to Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher; The Story Plant and Laura Drake for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My honest review is that my his book just rocks!

Funny. Compassionate. Loving. Gritty.

I can't wait to share it wit my besties.

The Road to Me was a fun, heartwarming book to read. Jack (as she is known) is a perfumer trying to make her business more known. She is on her way to an important conference where she can network when she has to pick up her grandmother who has escaped from a rehab center after breaking her hip. The road trip that occurs is eventful, to say the least. I had some belly laughs and tears at different times throughout the book. I have loved all of the Laura Drake books that I have read and will continue to read as they are released. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher; The Story Plant and Laura Drake for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Baaaa! Goat! But seriously, this book packs a *lot* in to its 320 or so pages. Both road trip comedy - including the aforementioned goat - and serious family drama, this is Drake at her best knowing when to make the room so dusty your eyes can't help but leak from the strain and when to pull back and make you have to be careful about throwing out your back you're laughing so hard. Ultimately a heart warming tale that many will identify with in so many ways, I happened to read this book on the week of the 9 year anniversary of my own grandmother's death - making it hit a little different for me. For Laura's cowboy romance fans, know that there is in fact a romance subplot here, and the trials and hijinx of Route 66 are on full display as well - so while there aren't so many Stetsons, the West is very much integral to even this story. Very much recommended.

Laura Drake's best yet, and that's saying something. It's a road book, a girlfriends book (in a way), and an all-encompassing love story. Nellie and her granddaughter Jacqueline--forever Jack--navigate the best ride in a ragtop Mustang (sans the "rag"--oh, that Nellie...) you'll ever have. I captured a copy of this book pre-release from NetGalley; however, I also pre-ordered it. It's most definitely a keeper.

Jacqueline, close to 40, has built a life for herself that walls off emotions. A perfumer trying to build her business, she puts her life on hold to go transport her grandmother, Nellie, to an assisted living facility. Nellie, a rebellious eighty-something ex-hippie, is recovering from a broken hip. Still seething over the fact that Nellie abandoned her and her alcoholic mother--Nellie's own daughter--Jacqueline is determined to get this job over with as quickly as possible. However, Nellie has other plans. Desperate to avoid the home, she promises not to fight "Jack" if her granddaughter will take her on one last roadtrip. Jack, an unerupted volcano of resentment, agrees, if it'll get the old woman off her back. But of course, during the road trip, both of the women learn about each other, leading to growth and happiness.

This book is funny, emotional, and deep. It's gritty. Seriously real. As their stories unfolded, I thought either the author has an amazing, empathetic imagination (okay, I already know that's true), or she's drawing from family history. Either way, it's the best kind of women's fiction novel: I read it for entertainment, but the wisdom within is staying with me. I wish I could hang with these people. Another great read from Laura Drake.

What a great read. So many parts of this story I could resonate with, especially having an eccentric grandmother who was a spitfire. I'd give anything to be able to experience a road trip with her like the one Nettie and Jack went on.

I empathize with Jack regarding her childhood trauma. Alcoholism runs in my family as well and the effects of a hard childhood lingers in me as well. I guess I saw a lot of myself in Jack, and I loved watching her change.

A great read all around. I didn't want it to end.

Absolutely beautiful heartfelt story. On the surface it appears to be a crazy road trip between an uptight granddaughter and her hippy grandmother.It is so much more. As this trip evolves Jack & Nellie learn so much from each other. What a beautiful lesson of listening, learning,sharing and above all forgiveness for things beyond control. Definitely a must read.

I basically spent my entire afternoon today reading this engrossing book. It was raw and tender and gritty and endearing and honest and sad and joyful and hilarious and heart wrenching…whew…what a ride. Jacqueline and Nellie, granddaughter and grandmother, one serious and a bit closed off, the other free-spirited and adventurous, set off on a life-changing road trip. Their time together doesn’t begin well, with years of misunderstanding between them. But as they share their memories and their pain, their joys and their sorrows, their dreams and their regrets, the walls slowly begin to crumble, and I was glad that I could be with them on this journey. The Road to Me is a poignant novel of transformation and healing, with unforgettable characters who touched my heart. There is so much wisdom imparted in this book, lessons that we can all relate to—aha moments that I read over several times to let it all sink in. What a gift Laura Drake has given us.

This was going to be a much different review. Why? Because by 22% into The Road to Me, I very much disliked Jack and Nellie. They grated on me and I was ready to DNF. I couldn't decide so I went to Goodreads to read a few reviews.

I was left puzzled and surprised. The reviews were glowing. Why then was my experience so very different? Thinking there had to be some hidden gem in this book, I decided to read on and if by 30% I didn't feel any different, I'd DNF.

At 25%, like a key opening a hidden door, I began to really like Jack and Nellie. I could see (somewhat) where this book was going and I decided to stay for the ride. And what an enjoyable ride it was. Laura Drake has filled this book with so very many life lessons that are wrapped up in secrets, revelations, the grace given to another once understanding dawns, and self love and forgiveness. The biggest lesson of all, I think, is to give ourselves permission to fail and to take risks in order to find happiness in our life.

So please, if you are at all feeling like I did, KEEP READING! I would have missed a wonderful book that was like a soft wind whispering life's lessons as I read about a crazy road trip with a grandmother and granddaughter that are as different on the surface, as chalk and cheese.

There are great characters sprinkled throughout, all with something special to say, a lesson to share, or love and acceptance to give.

This book was a gift, a gem, and a read that rests easy on my mind as I ponder what it had to say.

Thank you Laura Drake, the publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

The Road to Me by Laura Drake
Jack is on her way to get her grandmother, Nellie, she's the only living relative and she escaped the nursing center in AZ.
Jack left Seattle and hopes to be back there later that night. Problem is after she gets her there is a car mishap...
Next day they get in the car that granny had bought and reminisces about Woodstock and her grandmother's style of living...
She only wants to see the grand canyon one more time and Jac gives in.
Her company she works on scents and is able to produce many different smells.
Growing up her grandmother taught her to use flowers that was woven into a crown. Her grandmother never hung around.
Nellie wants to live a lot more and they are on their way to Vegas where Jac has a show to put on with the perfumes.
There are many adventures ahead for Jac as Nellie is the one who drives the car and knows the area from eons ago.
I can imagine Jac's face as they drive into the nude colony. It's where there is a medicine man there and jack goes through a massage and analysis about her stress.
The two women hae it out, all pent up past and why the grandmother left the kids with the alcoholic mother, Jack feels she could've done something to help, especially when she finds out about amount of money Easy had left her with.
Past we see a small glimmer of how each had hard lifes. Love learning about Leo and the things he does with his hands, his career and his goals.
Chapters of their past lifes are heartbreaking, the things Nellie had to endure to make it...
Love hearing about her hiking to find scents she can smell. Reminds me of our trail hiking and leaving the path to find some new discoveries.
So scary when she hikes by herself, it gets worse ...
Love the sign G'ma gives her to say all is good.. love the symbols and what they stand for.
Love the travel as we’ve been to many of the same locations over the years, fond memories and love hearing about them from others eyes. Scents and sculptures sound phenomenal.
Acknowledgement and about the author are included at the end.
Can't wait to read more from this author.
Received this review copy from The Story Plant via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheRoadtoMe #NetGalley.

What a great story! When Jacqueline, or Jack, as her grandma calls her, goes on a road trip with her grandma they both don't know much about either one, as her grandma left when Jack was young. Now on a road trip together as her grandma is in her 80's, can they fill the gap of all the unanswered questions and get closer from the past? Such a gripping story!
I was grateful for an advanced copy from netgalley and the publisher to read and review.

Jacqueline gets a call that her hippie 80+ eccentric grandmother has been picked up by the police, slow to make a getaway because of her walker.
So Jack, as her grandmother calls her, takes time away from her new perfume developing venture and ends up on an extended journey along Route 66.
This results in a rehashing of Jack’s childhood memories, which aren’t pleasant, having buried the bitterness she feels toward the grandmother that didn’t step up.
This was the perfect book to provide hilarity of a highly motivated, uptight business focused woman and her elderly hippie grandmother, with no boundaries, who has also buried sorrows of her own. Their journey brings better understanding and a connection between them that just needed to be free.
My thanks to NetGalley, Laura Drake, and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are independent and my own. I really felt that I was on a journey with these two, and thought, if only we could all have done that, with someone we needed to rid ourselves of the hurts and baggage, that have weighed us down our whole lives. A wonderful read!!

An uptight, perfume entrepreneur roadtripping with her free spirited grandmother. What can go wrong?

Jack holds a lot of resentment towards her grandmother for leaving her in the hands of Her alcoholic mother during her childhood. So to meet amends, they share a memory for a memory.

Decent plot, interesting characters.

What a lovely yet emotional ride this delightful book too me on!! ....A hippie grandmother and grand daughter take a road trip that completely changes thier relationship. It will touch your heart over and over again. It will open your mind to different lifestyles and how ones childhood will affect your adulthood and your relationships. This book will have you laughing out loud and crying in the same chapter!
A wonderful book I highly recommend!

Who wouldn’t want to take a long ride along Route 66 with their 84 year old hippie grandmother? I know I would and I felt like I just did this while reading this awesome book! I found myself laughing out loud many times which is exactly the type of book I needed right now. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This is an amazing story of love, resilience, understanding and learning to let go.

Would you go on a trip with your "free- spirited" Grandma when you do not like nor really know her?

This is a journey that Jack aka Jacqueline finds herself taking part in when she is called to bail her grandma, Nellie out of jail.
The last Jack knew, Nellie was living safely in an independent living facility.
Jack flies off to Arizona to take her back home, but instead, they end up renting a car and reliving memories while traveling on an expedition of a lifetime,
It will challenge both Jack and Nellie to make peace with their choices long ago and move forward.
Neither had it easy, but both came out on top, because as Nellie believes; "Suffering is optional."
This is their story.
I don't think anyone will not love Nellie. She is a feisty, yet loving, intuitive, fabulous lady that I would love to be like when I am in my eighties. Oh hell...I want to be her now!

My thanks to #NetGalley and #TheStoryPlant for this ARC and allowing me to read and review this wonderful novel.

This is a great book about an uptight perfume developer and her outrageous hippie Grandmother. Jacqueline (Jack) had it tough growing up with an alcoholic mother who never took care of her. She loved it when her grandmother would show up unannounced but always resented her grandmother leaving after a few days and leaving her to take care of her mom. When they end up on a road trip together -on Route 66 - her grandmother is almost a stranger to her. Will spending time together create an understanding between them?

When Jack first received the call to drive from Seattle to Arizona, she plans to take her grandmother back to the nursing home. She has many questions to ask her grandmother and along Route 66, they share memories with each other. Will what she finds out about her grandmother bring them closer or will she drop Nellie off and head back home to her own controlled life as a perfume developer?

I loved the character of Nellie. She was a feisty grandmother with a streak of wildness. She made me laugh and made me cry. When we first meet her, she has been arrested when police busted a charlatan shaman’s sweat lodge. Others scattered, but Nellie was slowed by her walker, and the fact that she was wearing nothing but a few Mardi-Gras beads. She dragged her granddaughter to a nudist colony and other places that Jack would never go on her own. She claimed that she'd been at Woodstock and had lived on the edge ever since. She is absolutely one of the most fantastic older characters that I've read in a long time.

Thanks to net galley for a copy of this book to read and review.