What great characters! I could not put this book down.
I had to know what was going to happen next and I wanted to eat all the car snacks too!
Thank you!

I just love a road trip setting for a romance book, and A Thousand Miles was that PLUS a reunion of two old friends that haven't spoken in a decade. It felt similar to Beth O'Leary's the Road Trip and Emily Henry's The People We Meet on Vacation but still had an original take. I loved Ben and Dee's relationship, and thought it was a really heartwarming book.

Ben is a 7th grade science teacher and Dee works as a podcaster. They’d been the closest of besties throughout school but became estranged after an argument and haven’t seen each other for ten years. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ben shows up at Dee’s apartment wet and bedraggled expecting her to go on a road trip. His grandmother has just died and he needs to clear out and sell her home. And, after all, they had made a pact to repeat the trip they made to Colorado when they were in high school. Although she is angry as hell Dee agrees to accompany him. Perhaps she will learn why they argued and get some closure after ten years.

Some might feel it is hackneyed: the road trip journey as a metaphor for their relationship journey. But I did not find it so. The road trip is to their past, Ben’s deceased grandmother’s house, where they traveled in high school … and made love, his first time, at a hotel there. We see the lovingly constructed world and characters develop in alternating chapters from either Dee’s or Ben’s perspective. The world building is brilliant, the other characters quirky and engaging. I look forward to recommending it to my patrons.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

It's more of a 3.7 for me, definitely closer to a 4. I thoroughly enjoyed Dee and Ben's story. While things seem to be a bit silly on the surface, there are truly some deep and profound messages about finding yourself, accepting yourself, forgiving yourself, etc. I ended up highlighting more than a few quotes because they stuck out to me and I love when a book can do that.

I think in some instances, Dee and Ben's relationship rekindling progressed a little too fast. As someone who has had long friendships that have ended, even if I was never in love with them, I truly don't think it would be so easy for me to slip back into old ways-especially not with that level of hurt still resting inside of me. To be honest, I wouldn't have minded reading a longer book for there to be more build-up and development. I think it would've possibly elevated this to a 4.5 or even 5 star read.

Dee isn't the most likable person in the world, so I do find it interesting that I rated this book so high. Typically when I dislike a main character that much, my rating doesn't go above a 3. However, that is a testament to the author's ability to create a meaningful and impactful story. I still haven't been able to put my finger on what it was about Dee that irritated me so much, but I think it might be that she had a little too much "I'm not like other girls" energy for me.

Overall, this book was a fun, good read. I'm not fawning over it, I won't be demanding all of my friends read it; but, it is a good little romance if you're in the mood for an easy feel-good read.

I was really excited about this book because I adore the road trip trope. A Thousand miles started off strong, but by the middle it kind of lost me. I found myself putting the book down longer before picking it back up. It is a cute story, it just did not resonate with me like I was hoping. I would still recommend reading though.

I really enjoyed this book, Dee and Bens journey to rediscover their friendship after 10 years apart is inspiring. The characters are very likable and the story line moved fast without feeling like the author was rushing, I will be recommending this book a lot

This book was just ok for me. I did really like the set up, with them meeting up again after 10 years, but I started to get frustrated with the characters pretty early. I get why they didn’t want to talk about serious stuff but I just got annoyed it took so long and I thought it was dumb they did it as a podcast.

I realize this is an ARC, and that we're only one month into 2022, but OMG, I'm going to go ahead and claim this book as one of my top reads of the year and I don't see that changing! I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey last year and loved the characters and the flow of Morrissey's writing. Keep in mind that I am simply a common (basic?) book reviewer/avid reader, but in my very humble opinion, Morrissey knocked this one out of the park. It was like all the elements I loved in Love Scenes were taken up a notch in A Thousand Miles. And good grief, Bridget Morrissey is FUNNY! I am obsessed with the banter and relationships between Ben and Dee. and Dee and Javi - I would for sure subscribe to their podcast ;)

Dee and Ben were best friends from childhood throughout high school, but a misunderstanding led to a falling out, and now they haven't spoken in 1o years. Both have gone on to lead productive, semi-successful lives, but neither feels completely fulfilled without the other in their life. Dee has a very popular podcast where she talks about embarrassing moments, life stories, and generally awkward encounters but she is 100% committed to her brand and 100% against ever mentioning Ben by name on air. I love Dee because while she has issues, she knows it, she accepts them, and she works through them (she's very pro-therapy). Ben is just the squishiest, most tender-hearted, love around. Universe... find me a Ben. I'd even take an emo penjaminborter.

When Ben shows up on Dee's doorstep after 10 years to fulfill a promise they made as 18 year olds, they embark on their road trip 10 years in the making. The road trip is reminiscent of their relationship past and present. Morrissey has such a fantastic way of weaving the deep emotions into the lighthearted moments without minimizing the feelings of the characters. I felt like I was simultaneously listening to a hilarious podcast while also receiving group therapy. Suffice it to say, I loved A Thousand Miles. Ben and Dee are two perfectly flawed characters who you want to root for, learn from, and laugh with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.