I think what this story lacked for me was history between the two MCs. While I know not everyone likes it, what was desperately needed was some sort of prologue that dropped us in the past to see where things all went wrong. Instead the reader has to get through half the book before we start to get some sort of answer as to why the two MCs broke apart. We got some clues thrown in now and again, but it took way too long to explain things. By the time it did, it seemed overblown, and I didn't really care too much whether or not they ended up together.

Not to mention that the heroine was very hot/cold towards the hero, and he seemed like a fairly weak individual. She kept getting mad, then being fine five minutes later and trying to get in his pants. He kept swearing up and down that he just wanted to be friends with her, but he never set any boundaries so of course she came on to him. The story kept wanting to keep things focused on sex and not on relationship, but because it was slow burn, I needed more relationship. Focusing on sex with the storyline only works when the characters actually have sex.

Ultimately this writing style wasn't my cup of tea, and I couldn't get invested in the characters or their relationship.

For some reason it took me some time to read A Thousand Miles, but I still really enjoyed it! I loved the alternating points of view between Dee and Ben and the addition of Dee’s podcast. I love how they really seemed to be themselves with one another despite a 10 year absence. They also seemed to being out the best in each other. I struggled when they separated at the end in Colorado and took more time apart, but I absolutely loved the ending! I will definitely check out more books by Bridget Morrissey!

A promise is a promise. Ten years ago, when they were eighteen, Dee and Ben, best friends since childhood, took an epic road trip from their hometown near Chicago to Denver where they buried a time capsule in his grandmother’s back yard and promised in ten years to repeat their journey. Now, Ben, a seventh grade science teacher in Indiana, has arrived at Dee’s apartment to make good on that vow. However, his plans have a slight obstacle—the former BFFs haven’t spoken since high school.

Co-host of the popular podcast “Did I Forget to Tell You?” (where Ben is known as “Name Redacted”), Dee is all about sharing intimacies with strangers, but she has never spoken honestly to Ben about what happened between them, even though the way their relationship fell apart has weighed heavily on her. With her podcast set to take a hiatus, Dee impulsively agrees to travel with Ben.

At first, they are easily able to pick up where they left off on the strength of their memories but soon they start to realize the undeniable attraction between them. Before they can move forward, if they can, they must revisit the past to find if forgiveness is possible.

Complicating matters, Ben’s grandmother, who died several months previously, revealed a long-held family secret that shook Ben’s identity and made him question his ties to his family.

The perspective alternates between Dee and Ben, and shows that what people think they are projecting and what others see are so different!

I loved the podcast episode transcripts which are not only entertaining on their own but also provide foreshadowing for upcoming chapters.

The inevitable relationship crisis confused me a little; it felt a bit abrupt and inconsistent to the characters but I guess the situation was also unexpected.

Overall, this is an amusing, heartfelt romance about secrets, communication, and the amount of personal information we choose to share.

Abe, a stray cat Ben and Dee found during their trip, was a highlight!

If you liked FLOAT PLAN or enjoy friends to lovers romances, you’ll like this!

I really enjoyed this book! It was emotional, but lighthearted, and the podcast bits were so fun! I do love a best friend/second chance romance! I loved the introspective moments when they relived the past and then talked about what happened. Their personal growth over the time they were apart, and during their trip together, was highlighted and well done, instead of avoiding topics, they worked to discuss them and talk through things and I liked that.

The banter was excellent and I loved the dialogue. And road trips are always fun! Yay for forced proximity!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Ben shows up on Dee's door reminding her that"A promise is a promise." And so after ten years of not talking, they agree to road trip together to where his grandmother lived and open the time capsule they left behind.

I loved this book. Second chance romance has long been one of my favorite tropes, and this is such a perfect example of it. The book also helped me answer a question I have had about whether I prefer character or plot-driven stories. And the answer is I want both. This story really focuses on Dee and Ben, both past and present. And yet, it always felt like there was forward momentum, and I dearly wanted to know what would happen next.

In the book, Dee has a podcast, Did I Forget to Tell You? Dee and her co-host Javi have conversations about all sorts of topics including difficult subjects. I want to hear this podcast for real. And the audiobook version made the podcast all the more special.

The narrators were fabulous. We have Brittany Pressley (one of my all-time favorites) as Dee and Jonathan Todd Ross as Ben. And then we also have special sound effects and guest narrators (Saskia Maarleveld and Giordan Diaz) for Dee's podcast. I usually multitask while listening to audiobooks, but for this book, I could not stop when my tasks were done. I just kept reading along with the ebook.

4.5 stars rounded up

Going into A Thousand Miles, I really thought this was going to be a straight forward romance, but it was much more than that.

Ben and Dee haven't seen each other in a decade, Suddenly, Ben shows up on Dee's doorstep after the loss of his grandmother to fulfil a ten year old promise to Dee to make the long trip to Colorado. There begins a trip that brings each of them to an understanding of their past, their loss, and themselves.

I have some real mixed feelings about this book. First, I really liked the characters. Ben likes to play it safe. He's stable, sensitive, and very personable. As Dee summarizes, he was elected class president even though he wasn't running then graciously gave over the position to a friend who had campaigned for months. .Dee comes off as confident, sure of herself, and straight forward in her thoughts and attitude. She's also quite chaotic but fragile, holding on to the pain from the end of her and Ben's friendship. While there are other side characters along the way, like Javi who is Dee's cohost, the story really doesn't put much focus on them. This is primarily Dee and Ben and their trip.

The writing is quite good and I really liked the inclusion of transcripts from Dee's podcast. The way Morrissey is able to capture the nostalgic ease of friends reunited is natural and very genuine. I also liked the humor that she brought to the writing in places. I really liked the lay out of the book. Readers are taken along on each leg of the journey. We are privy to each character's thoughts and feelings through alternating points of view. Of course, there is the romance. Don't expect a lot of heat and spice in this title. There is tension and certainly a few moments, but not really what I expected. Honestly, it's not really that big of an issue, because while the book has romance, it really seems to focus more on lost friendship/love, second chances, coming to the truth, and finally a place of understanding.

Despite my overall enjoyment, I had a few frustrations. The beginning starts of pretty slow. For the first fourth of the book I really questioned if I was engaged and invested enough to continue. It takes some time until readers understand what ended Ben's and Dee's friendship and relationship. When it is somewhat revealed, it's a bit difficult to believe that it would cause a rift so big the two would have no contact with each other. This is especially confusing since the premise of their childhood friendship is that they were best friends and inseparable. The other frustration is how the information was given to the readers. Morrissey drops hints here and there. Generally, I am okay with this in a book; however, things were so vague I would have preferred a preface or something that gave us a flashback. Maybe even an intimate discussion of what happened by using a podcast transcript from the very beginning. Morrissey does such a wonderful job of creating that uncertainty and hurt in Dee and Ben that it felt a little disconnected without the why.

Overall, it's a good read. The relationship between Dee and Ben carries a lot of weight, but there is levity as well, especially in the way they interact with each other. I enjoyed the story and really liked how it developed over the course of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey.

A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrisey, a story of how to forgive, make amends and go after what you truly want in life, is a second chance story for Dee Matthews and Ben Porter. Dee Matthews runs a podcast with her friend Javi, named “Did I Forget To Tell You?” where they overshare everything about their love lives, home life, and past. While she's used to rehashing what she's been through, or interviewing others on what they have been through, there is one thing that she's held off on talking about. They share everything with their listeners, which is why the podcast is so popular. She'll talk about train-wreck dates, pickup lines, and bad sex experiences. The only thing Dee refuses to share is the name of her first boyfriend from high school, her former best friend, her first love, Ben Porter. Not allowed. Ben isn't someone she's used to sharing like this and when she slips up in one episode, he is the only name on the show to ever be bleeped out, and they use “name redacted” whenever they discuss him.

Dee and Ben broke up right at the end of high school, and have not been in touch over the past 10 years, so when Ben appears on Dee’s doorstep, she’s completely surprised. Ten years ago, Ben promised Dee they would repeat their road trip from Chicago to Denver in ten years. The original trip was made during spring break of their senior year in high school, and Ben is determined to keep his promise to Dee. A promise is a promise and suddenly the two have to see if all those years of separation will make this somewhat spontaneous road trip to an old time capsule awkward and tense... or if they can fall back to where they left off last. Ben has had one of the worse years ever. After losing his grandma, he learns something about his life; something he never thought could have happened and needs to come to terms with it. He doesn't know how to talk to his family and he's not sure he wants to right now. Digging up this time capsule and having Dee back by his side may just be exactly what he needs to get him through what's going on in his head. The longer they're together, the better it feels... but there is a lot that needs to be addressed. It doesn't help that after the last trip they took things started going downhill between them. Maybe this time they can open their hearts, confront the wounds, and heal after all this time.

Ms. Morrisey wrote a story of how to forgive, make amends and go after what you truly want in life. She provided a tale rich with emotions, sizzling chemistry, clever banter, and endearing characters giving Dee and Ben a chance at love, and a future together. I highly recommend A Thousand Miles to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Highlights: friends-to-lovers, second chance, road trip, podcast.

If you enjoy the above tropes, you will probably like A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrisey. Two estranged high school friends, Dee and Ben, decide to reconnect and go on the road trip from Chicago to Colorado, the same road trip they did ten years ago during their senior year. Ben's beloved grandma died, so he has to go to Colorado to sort her belongings. To rekindle their friendship Ben and Dee will have to deal with unresolved feelings and lingering hurts first.

The book is written in alternating POVs. I enjoyed Ben's POV a little more than Dee's. Dee has chaotic energy that I found a little too much sometimes. I liked their banter, their inside jokes, and the way they communicated with each other. Ben and Dee have great chemistry, but I wanted more steam from the book. Also, I didn't really understand why they stopped talking ten years ago. They made a big problem out of something that could've been easily resolved. I suppose when you are a teenager, everything is more dramatic!

This might just be one of my favorite reads of the year so far, and it may have been how connected I personally felt to the characters as they reconnected and the strong nostalgic pull that brought them back together. In an emotional second-chance romance with forced proximity, Dee + Ben travel together to right the wrongs of the past as they find themselves as adults after not speaking in ten years.

Abe the cat totally stole the show, and I LOVED it.

Dee's podcast and how it was woven into the story kept it interesting and real, it provided such insight into who Dee became, and how she dealt with her somewhat blunt and at times chaotic personality. Somehow it made her more endearing for me, because it seemed to me like she had grown into the person she thought she needed to be to protect herself, and how reconnecting with Ben softened those edges.

I highly recommend A Thousand Miles to readers who believe in those second-chances, who wish they could go back and change how they reacted to miscommunication in high school. Who have lost a close friend and wish they could be friends again. With low steam but a lot of heart, I really enjoyed reading this title, thank you to Berkley + NetGalley for the eARC to read and review.

A Thousand Miles is a really fun friends-to-lovers with a 10 year gap that adds a great layer of second chance to this story.

I absolutely adored Dee. And Ben. Everything with the cat made me laugh out loud, especially the baseball game scene. After dealing with a decade of hiding from hurt feelings, the growth and healing that Ben and Dee work through is really wonderful and so satisfying.
If you're a fan of friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and road trips then chances are good you should read this book!

Strong language; some open door scenes

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

Read this if you:
•have ever taken a rod trip
•are in love with your high school crush
•have ever lost contact with friends

This book was super super cute! I love road trips and I loved how Ben & Dee made it special. I don’t love the miscommunication trope and having a 10 year gap between talking but I could look past it here. Really enjoyed the podcast snippets. Loved seeing Ben vulnerable with his friends & family. Dee is amazing & her friends are fantastic. Also, Abe. That’s all.

Thank you NetGalley & Berkley pub for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

OH my heart this book was everything! I DEVOURED it in one sitting. I could not get enough.

Dee's honest humor and wit was infectious. Her level of spastic was amazing and the banter with her friends was just the best.

Ben, oh Ben. I love how devout he is to keep his promises. He shows up on Dee's door after being absent in her life for over ten years. Things pick up for them in the very best of ways.

I was fortunate to get a copy of this book from Berkley to discuss in a book group on IG. All of us in the group have a similar outlook on this beautiful novel. IT was amazing. Thank you a million times Berkley. This is a five star read from me.

A Thousand Miles is a story about love, heartbreak, rediscovery, and second chances with some bumps and leaps of faith along the way.

Ex best friends, Dee and Ben, haven’t spoken since their big falling out in high school. Now, years later, they reunite unexpectedly for a road trip reminiscent of their bittersweet past, where they tackle their conflicting insecurities, vulnerabilities, hopes, and dreams in pursuit of rekindling a friendship or possibly something more.

This trope is one of my absolute favorites! I adore a great second chance romance with simmering tension, unspoken words, and forced proximity, and this story was filled to the brim with all of them.

This book had an amazing premise and concept, but I wish we saw more of Dee and Ben’s past relationship. There were times when I would have loved their sweet, funny (and quite adorable) inside jokes expanded on and explained more.

Overall, it was a fun, cute book perfect for summer! If you’re looking for a light and romantic read, definitely pick this one up.

3.5/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 stars rounded up

I love a good second-chance romance, and this book delivered! I try not to compare books too much, so please forgive the comparison, but this book tickled that same part of my brain that “People We Meet On Vacation” and “Every Summer After” did. It’s a beautiful story of loss, grief, friendship, love, and second chances.

When your whole world is turned upside down, what do you do? In Ben’s case, he finds his high school best friend, the girl he was in love with, and the person he made a pact with ten years ago. Despite a decade of radio-silence between them, the pair agree to fulfill their pact, road-tripping one thousand miles to Ben’s grandmother’s house in Colorado to dig up the time capsule they buried there when they were 18.

I loved Ben and Dee’s journey back to friendship, and how they reconciled the hurt in their past. The author perfectly blended past and present, to create a beautiful story for these two characters. “A Thousand Miles” comes out June 21st, you can pre-order it now or buy it from your facourite seller on pub day!

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I received a gifted galley of A THOUSAND MILES by Bridget Morrissey for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, PRHAudio and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Rating: 4 / 5
Publication Date: 6/21/2022
A THOUSAND MILES follows two former best friends who briefly crossed the line into something more but are now estranged. Dee hosts a popular podcast with her best friend where her life is pretty much an open book, with one exception. Her past with Ben and what went wrong is cloaked behind the nickname “name redacted”.

Ben shows up at Dee’s door out of the blue. His grandmother has passed away and he’s there to ask Dee to take a road trip with him to his grandmother’s home, a trip she had promised to make with him years ago. Together they hit the road with a lot of history to rehash and new memories to make.

I really enjoyed this one and I thought the audio was fantastic. I have loved some of the recent books we’ve had with podcast elements woven into the audio as if you’re actually tuning in to the latest episode, and this book does it very well! I also really enjoyed getting to know both Dee and Ben with their alternating POVs. They have a strong bond between them even after years apart and it made for a fantastic story as the author balanced their past and their present very well!

This was a fast read and one that I just kept wanting to continue! It’s definitely one that I’d recommend to the friends to lovers fans!

If you’re looking for a good book about a road trip, stay in this land. A Thousand Miles is about two friends, separated by the years, who reunite to take a road trip together, on a journey from their past. The character development is good, the dialogue sometimes snarky, sometimes poignant.
Friends to lovers plots never get tiresome.
I love the cover too.
Readers will want to rack up the miles with Ben and Dee

Second Chance Romance. Sassy Female Lead. Road Trip. Friends to Lovers.

Dee Matthews is a sassy, successful podcaster with a sad, broken heart from a high school sweetheart, Ben. When Ben shows up on Dee’s doorstep asking her to make good on a 10-year-old promise to road trip from Illinois to Colorado, Dee says yes.

I really enjoyed both Dee and Ben’s characters, personalities and emotional journeys. They have such a long and meaningful history with each other, and the road trip gives them such a wonderful opportunity to work through it all.

The story had just about everything! There are funny moments, serious situations, emotional healing, and some romance! I really appreciated the well-rounded story. I was invested in the characters’ growth as well as their relationship!

I would definitely recommend this one for any reader that enjoys women’s fiction and romance!

Reviews Posted: June 15, 2022
Goodreads
Storygraph

This book took me by surprise in the best ways. I thought the romance was super cute, and I am a sucker for any book that has a road trip in it.

I love that we got perspectives for both Dee and Ben, and I think we got to see good growth from both of them. Friends to lovers is my favorite trope when it comes to Contemporary Romance, and this book does it really well. The banter was absolutely adorable, and I just could not get enough of it.

There were so many scenes throughout the whole book that had me rolling around laughing. From the banter to the readily blurted-out confessions, I loved it all. The funny moments in the podcast chapter were also something that I really enjoyed. All these funny moments are what made this book stand out to me the way it did.

While I love the romance in this book, I think the jump to it was a little abrupt. I just wanted a smoother transition. Overall it was still adorable, and I thought they had good chemistry.

The fun moments on the road trip and the inside jokes are the reason that I love friends to lovers so much and will always stand by it.

I never read Love Scenes by this author, but I liked the idea of a romance road trip so I thought I'd give this book a shot. Ben and Dee were high school best friends. After a falling out right when things were starting to heat up between them, they don't see each other for 10 years. One day, Ben shows up at Dee's apartment and asks her to take a road trip to Colorado. The same trip they took 10 years before and promised they would take again.

I absolutely loved this author's witty writing style. There were bits of humor throughout that sometimes had me rereading lines. The banter between Ben and Dee felt so natural. I couldn't get enough of it. With the forced proximity, I really liked how the main focus was on their evolving relationship. It felt comforting as not only the old memories and inside jokes resurfaced, but new ones as well. Seeing how well they still fit together after all those years apart.

It took a while for me to warm up to Dee. She could be a bit abrasive at times. I also never fully understood what happened between them when they stopped talking 10 years ago. Not having that whole situation cleared up really bugged me.

I read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When a book starts with a man with your ex's name crying in a bathroom, you have high hopes. This book absolutely did not disappoint! I loved Dee & Ben's banter and friendship and how easily they fell back into step with each other after so long apart. If you love second chance romance and friends to lovers tropes, this is definitely a solid read for you!

I'm knocking a star only because I felt like it was a little unrealistic in how quickly Dee dropped everything to go on a road trip after 10 years of not speaking. I think most people would need a little more groveling from Ben and convincing to go. I also may have completely just missed it but I didn't really get why they stopped talking, the topic was danced around so much that when they revealed the why, I was just like "really? that was it?"