I've loved all of Trish Doller's books, and maybe Off the Map the most of all. The senses of wanderlust and yearning were palpable. This book has some sad parts, but it's ultimately hopeful and I especially appreciated the MC's growing self-awareness about how her actions affected other people throughout the book.

When Carla arranges to meet her ride to her best friend's wedding at a bar, she's not expecting to make an instant connection. But from their first kiss - at their first meeting as Carla's trying to avoid a bar creep - both are drawn to each other. Carla is living the life Eamon dreams of - traveling the world with no roots. Eamon, the perfect, responsible son, dreams of chucking it all away in the name of exploration.

Carla convinces Eamon to take her to his dream camping spot, and after some more memorable romantic moments, a run-in with a bull and a surfing festival, they're days late to their expected arrival at the wedding, though still in time for the big event. Fans of Float Plan will love seeing Anna and Keane make an appearance, as Eamon and Carla are their respective best friends. In fact, it's their wedding that brings everyone to Ireland. You definitely don't need to have read Float Plan first, though. Carla and Eamon's story stands on its own.

Carla's not as care-free as she seems, though. Underneath her happy-go-lucky existence is the secret she's keeping. The dad who taught her to travel sent her away so she wouldn't have to watch his decline into dementia. Carla's guilt at only connecting via video calls keeps her from making true connections. Carla and Eamon have to decide if they can make it work as both dream of a life other than the one they have.

The chemistry is hot and heavy in this one, with Carla and Eamon connecting instantly physically. Like Keane, Eamon seems like a perfect guy, while Carla's fun-loving spirit helps him let loose. Together, they'd make the perfect team for adventures, if Carla's willing to settle down with one guy.

A very enjoyable escape to Ireland.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I marked this as finished reading the other day and totally forgot to write the review 😅
I really liked this one!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Griffin for my advanced copy of Off The Map!

What I Loved-

✨ The Setting- Ireland 🍀😍

✨ The Writing- This was such an easy, enjoyable read.

✨ The Relationships- Specifically the one between Carla and her father.

✨ The Chemistry- Please note that I didn't say romance. I'll touch on that in a bit. Carla and Eamon have instant chemistry. IMO

✨ The Feels- The emotions I felt while reading this book is what made the difference between rating it a 3 or a 4.

Why This Book Lost a Star-

Mainly the romance and the main character.
I was constantly going back and forth on do I like Carla? I did and I didn't. Does that necessarily make her a bad character? Absolutely not. I was just sometimes annoyed.
Now for the romance- I liked Carla and Eamon together. The progression of the relationship killed the romance for me. It was almost insta lovey.

Overall- Recommend. I love Trish Doller and I look forward to picking up whatever she decides to publish next.

A romance novel with a bunch of motivational messages in every corner. We meet Carla, she’s a wanderlust, like her dad Biggie and now that he’s really sick he doesn’t want to hold her down so he’s encouraging her to go out and travel and create memories. And she does JUST that, then her best friend Anna is getting married in Ireland, and as maid of honor she needs to be there. She meets Anna’s future bro-in-law and Eamon and BOOM, we get our romance in the most amazing way. Eamon is very well put together without being stuffy, they talk like they have been friends forever, they are very blunt and straight with each other, their chemistry flows in wild ways and he also gets inspiration to do what he had always wanted to do. She encourages him and doesn’t say NO when he wants to do anything when they are on their way to the wedding, and they are more similar than Carla thinks. I am rambling on because this book is such a gem. Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

4⭐️

This was short and sweet and I really liked it! Off the Map follows Carla and Eamon, the maid of honour and best man for their best friend's and brothers wedding, as they travel and make many detours along the way to said wedding.

One of the reasons I liked this was because I don't think romance novels need to be 400-500 pages! This was a quick read, and looking at the publication info I think the book is just under 300 pages. That length worked for this book and worked for me. It was also filled with sex scenes (this is not a fade to black), but there was still enough plot and characterization to keep the book going. The pair made me laugh and kept me entertained; I liked the dialogue between them, and I felt like they worked despite being insta-lovey.

Carla's dad, who raised her and made her into the woman she is, suffers with dementia throughout the novel. This book was emotionally impactful for me since my late grandma had Alzheimer's, and I teared up at certain points. I related to Eamon's backstory as well, and while some readers seem to have had difficulty sympathizing with the characters, I found them to be very relatable.

Through reviews I have seen that Float Plan and The Suite Spot are a lot different, but just off of this novel I will probably be reading all of them! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review:)

Title: Off the Map
Author: Trish Doller
Genre: Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it.

From the very first page of this read, I was enchanted. I enjoyed being in Carla’s head so much! Her travel jaunts were fascinating to read about, and I loved the adventures she and Eamon went on---the bull with the sangria was hysterical. And, who doesn’t love a hot Irish man? The way Carla and Eamon connected, and their banter kept me glued to the page. Highly recommend this read!

Trish Doller was born in Berlin but lives in Florida.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

This book!!! It sucked me in & equally entertained & devastated me. I loved getting to know Eamon & Carla more. Eamon's resentment of the role he had been cast in by his parents was extremely relateable. I love how Carla encouraged him to pursue his dreams & go on adventures. I loved how he made Carla feel like she could find her own place in the world in her own way. What really got me was all the emotions about Carla losing Biggie to dementia. I lost grandparents to dementia & Trish did such a great job verbalizing many of the emotions a family faces with it.

DNFed at 33%. I tried to go further but by then I was only skimming and it's unfair to give this book a rating when I didn't even give it my whole attention.

I didn't feel any genuine connection between Eamon and Clara, and I didn't feel connected to them as well. I need something to at least cling to so I can enjoy my reading which I unfortunately didn't find here. Also, who goes on an unplanned road trip days before your brother or best friend's wedding and where you're Best Man and Maid of Honor, respectively? Can't they just wait after?

This does not diminish my love for Trish Doller, though. I will still definitely be on the lookout for her books.

Grateful to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for giving me an early chance to dive into this book. All opinions are honest and my own.

This book takes a look at what it means to live a fulfilled life and the complexities of chasing one’s happiness. It is the third book in a series but could be read as a stand alone. The other two books are amazing though, so I recommend you just read them all! I loved the adventure seeking moments throughout the book as Carla and Eamon add extra detours along their trip. I couldn’t give it 5 stars only for the sole reason that I am not a fan of insta love. Trish Doller’s past books do such an amazing job of creating a genuine and realistic flow to relationships and this one just felt so rushed. I did love Carla and Eamon’s interactions together and felt the chemistry was genuine. This book is much spicier than her past novels so be prepared for that if you are a closed door romance fan. Doller does an amazing job of writing romances with deeper themes. Float Plan tackled grief after losing a significant other. The Suite Spot took on single parenting. And this book has a deeper theme of watching a loved one battle dementia which is a topic close to my heart. The ending of this book was also perfection. One of those crying while your smiling moments. I definitely recommend this book!

Read if you like:
▫️insta love
▫️traveling
▫️ romances with deeper storylines

This book is spectacular. Few authors can effectively write about complicated family relationships, illness, and the things left over from childhood.
Carla is such a relatable character. Absent mother but a dad who is remarkable. A dad who’s dementia has her living by the motto he taught her “ Here for a good time, not for a long time.” He told her he didn’t want her to be there to watch him forget her so she’s bartending in the winter and seeing the world the rest of the year.
Eamon is the responsible brother. He’s picking up his future sister in law’s best friend to bring her to the wedding venue. He was not expecting Carla.
These two are so sexy. The attraction is immediate and palpable. Their chemistry is electric. I loved every minute they are on the page together. The fact that 85% of the book is them together makes it that much sweeter.
This book made me laugh and cry. I sighed and swooned and stared off into the distance when I finished it. It is amazing.

I guess I'm officially a fan of Trish Doller! Float Plan was by far my favourite, but I also enjoyed The Suite Spot and now this one too. It was actually a super quick read for me. I had it on my kindle and it was great for my mood at the time.

This is the third book in the series but I feel like it could definitely be read as a stand alone and you wouldn't feel lost. I really enjoyed the travel aspect and the scenic destinations described in the story. It made me wish that I had the guts to pack up my car and just travel to new places all the time. I liked that this romance also had some depth to it.

There were a few minor things that lowered the rating for me a bit. This one had the insta - lust trope. When I say instant, I mean these two were sleeping together mere hours after meeting for the first time right in the first couple chapters. Honestly, it's not my fave trope at all. I feel like I needed a bit more background on the characters before they slept together, in order to appreciate them more as well as their journey. Overall though, a good read with some fairly decent steam.

Carla's life has been all about travel ever since her mom left at a young age - only now she's an adult and her dad, who got her hooked on travel, is ailing for several years with a degenerative disease (CW). When she heads to Ireland to celebrate her friend's upcoming nuptials, her ride to the wedding locale, Eamon, disrupts her plans in so many ways.

Leading up to the wedding, Eamon and Carla each have to consider what's important for them - and make pivotal decisions. Add in fun scenery, family personalities, and it was a bumpy ride! This was a cute read, high on the heat scale, and Trish's travel descriptions make you feel like you're in the Irish countryside.

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has all the feels! I laughed, I grinned like a fool, and I cried. I loved every part of this book. I loved seeing glimpses into Anna and Keane's lives from Float Plan too.

I did a kind of hybrid listen/read for this since I'm home sick and have a headache. This narrator is absolutely amazing. I loved her ability to bring this story to life and her voice for Eamon was so good! I highly recommend this in any format, but if you love audiobooks I'd definitely go that route.

I loved the wanderlust theme of this book. It was so fun to read about all the great places Carla went to as a kid and lon her own as an adult. I especially loved that sometimes she would settle down for awhile and other times keep moving. I also loved how Eamon shared his desire to visit new places with her and how they just did it. I also loved when Keane and Anna joined in because Float Plan is one of my all time favorite books. (Though Off the Map is now too!)

Oh and did I mention the romance is HOT. Carla and Eamon have chemistry. But they also have a really great friendship that develops. I absolutely loved them as a couple.

I also loved the theme of found family. I love how travels can be full of small fleeting friendships but also full of deep connections.

But what I love the most is that Doller tackles tough topics. In this book Carla's dad has dementia and it is HARD. I know this could be triggering for some, but I thought it was handled very well.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Thank you to @MacmillanAudio for the free audiobook and to @stmartinspress for the digital ARC.
Off the Map is a standalone book that is connected to Float Plan and The Suite Spot. I think I prefer those two over this new one. Carla travels to Ireland for Anna's wedding and the best man, Eamon, picks her up to drive her to the family. The take a detour and end up in some situations that prolong their journey.
I had a hard time rating this one (Goodreads & Storygraph) because although I really enjoyed the second half of the book, I didn't love the first half. Here's the thing, I'm never a fan of couples hooking up right at the start of the book. That's just my personal preference. I'm not into insta-lust or one-night stands. Second, I'm also not a fan of the "cool girl" MC. Carla travels all the time, knows how to fix cars, and she's constantly praised for being different. When you get to read more about why she's like this, it makes more sense but it's just so over the top that it got annoying. I especially didn't like a conversation she has with Eamon's mother. Nope, not your place no matter how much you think you know. If you don't have an issue with either of these elements, then you will probably enjoy this book much more than I did. What I did love and what kept me going was Eamon's Irish accent. The audiobook is worth it!! Plus, the traveling through Ireland is interesting.
The second part of the book takes place back in the U.S. and I couldn't put the book down once I got here. I love the connection between Carla and her dad, Biggie. My dad is 83 and although he's very healthy, I really felt a lot of empathy for Carla as she dealt with her dad having dementia and talking about memories of her childhood with him. Carla's character growth probably wasn't as great as it could have been, but it did seem like she came to realize some things about herself and made some life changes that were for the better.
This wasn't my favorite book by Trish Doller, but I will still continue reads books she writes. I like that all three of these stories involve travel and adventures and two of them have Irish men.
3.5 stars

Y’all I really enjoyed Off the Map! I read it in about four hours while caring for three kids… which means it was obviously very captivating!

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She has spent the last decade traveling the world alone in her Jeep Wrangler- stoping only long enough to replenish her travel fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t go home. When Carla travels to Dublin for her best friend’s wedding, she meets Eamon Sullivan. What should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings and a chance at true love!

This is the third in a loosely linked series… I really enjoyed the first two and it was nice catching up with Anna and Keane. It was very much an insta-love (or insta-lust) situation and quite steamy!

What I enjoyed- Ireland and swoon worthy travel, camping, open door, heartwarming father/daughter relationship, and it made me emotional.

What I didn’t enjoy- Carla and Eamon are pretty jerky and just blow off their prior commitments to the wedding… Like don’t you think the maid of honor and best man should be around for more than just the rehearsal dinner?! Totally immature behavior and very much focused on themselves! Anna didn’t seem bothered by it, but I wanted to go shake some sense into them a few times!

Anyway, I highly recommend this one for a fun escapism read! Four stars!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. It publishes March 7, 2023.

3.5*

This was a fast, enjoyable read, that definitely takes you on an emotional journey. I loved Carla and Eamon as individuals and together (despite my critique below), and I especially enjoyed Carla and Biggie's relationship and history (heartbreaking as it was). Like the first two books, the personal growth journeys for both main characters is at least as important to the story, if not moreso, than the romance.

What made this more of a 3.5-4 star for me (vs. the 5 star ratings I gave the first two books), is simply that the romance aspect fell a little flat for me. Unlike the slow build of the first two, this was an insta-love (or at least insta-lust) setup where the physical relationship started very early on. While this is far from being a deal breaker, I never really felt the development from there, it just kind of jumped from a hookup to deep feelings which just didn't feel genuine. Not that I don't think these characters were a good fit, nor do I deny the chemistry, something about the build up (or lack thereof) just didn't work for me.

I also didn't just love how the story wrapped up. It was just too rushed and too "convenient" for me. Neither character had to "work" for the HEA - circumstances just changed so that everything easily fell into place.

Despite how this makes it sound, I did enjoy this book - just not as much as I hoped I would after loving the first two.

This book!!!!!!!!

I am so in love with how compassionate and caring Trish’s writing is. Her books feel like such a warm hug, and Off the Map may just be my favorite book of the Beck Sisters series now.

I have no notes.

This is my first book by Trish Doller. It will not be my last! This book had love, adventure, travel, family, friendship, and heartbreak. Carla is traveling the world to avoid the very thing that she needs most. She meets Eamon, who is the best man of her best friend's groom. They take the long way around to get to the wedding and both learn a few things along the way.

What fantastic storytelling and dynamic characters! Carla is brave in a way that a lot of us could never be. She pushes Eamon to be the person he wants to be, not who others want him to be. But, she's also running away from love. No spoilers here, but I love how it all wraps up in the end. All of the places are described beautifully and the adventures are spectacular. Finally, I don't think you can doubt the sparks between Carla and Eamon. There is so much sizzle there. I do think the connection happened a little too quickly and could have had a bit more set up though.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Before starting let me say how much I absolutely adored Float Plan + The Suite Spot. There is something so easy (in the BEST way) about Trish Doller's writing. Her stories and characters feel real and it is so easy to find yourself falling head first into the stories she writes.

I was so excited to start reading this book, and there were so many things I loved!

🍀 The setting - Ireland is one of my favorite places ever. We went to Dublin on our honeymoon + I really appreciate the mention of how to correctly pour a Guinness.
🍀 Carla's Independence
🍀 Biggie & Carla's relationship
🍀 All of the talk about found family

Now, there were a few things that didn't click with me and I feel like I have to mention them. Carla & Eamon are swooning and lusting over each other SO FAST. Like there were spicy scenes by page 8 and I'm not normally someone who doesn't love instalove or spice, but this felt quick. So quick that it made me think about how did this happen? They barely spoke. I think most of my issues stem from this because it made a lot of things throughout the book seem pretty surface level. And there is NOTHING wrong with that, but after reading Doller's first 2 books I expected more depth.

3.5 ⭐️

Off the Map is the third novel in the Beck Sisters series. After loving Float Plan, the first novel that follows Anna Beck, and its sequel, The Suite Spot, that follows Rachel Beck, my expectations were high for this one. The stories all tie together through Anna as Rachel is Anna’s sister and now Carla Black used to work with Anna in Florida before Anna took off on her sailing trip. Anna is now marrying Keane Sullivan in Ireland, so Carla is heading there for the wedding. She is picked up from the airport by Keane’s brother, Eamon, which brings our characters together.

When Carla and Eamon meet each other, there is definite insta-lust in the air. The two connect immediately and there is some on-page action between them. While I enjoy this usually, I feel this would have played out better for the reader off-page and then have on-page scenes once there is more connection to the potential couple. As Carla travels the world and Eamon dreams of doing something for himself, the two set off on an adventure before the wedding. I enjoyed the adventure although it was difficult to understand the timeline as the two take off soon before the wedding. This came across as a selfish decision for both as they put themselves over the bride and groom, so I think the novel needed a little more to acknowledge this as this element distracted me somewhat while reading.

Carla’s father suffers dementia and through an agreement between them, she has stayed away from seeing him for the past six years. He wanted her to live her best life and see the world, so Carla followed his wishes although she misses her father. While I could see the internal struggle with Carla, I think there needed to be more given to the reader. As it is written, it is difficult to fully connect with her reasons to not disobey his wishes and try and see him again. They do talk on occasion, but I feel this was a huge part of Carla’s being and it was not explored as much as I wished.

The way Carla and Eamon get together was a little too quick for my taste, but the author won me back with the two getting closer through their adventure. The story, like the first two in the series is highly character-driven. The two characters bring out another side of themselves and I love this type of relationship in stories. The pacing itself and timeline does leave me with some questions, as stated above, but the actual heart of the story was well-written. I think the concept was fantastic and just needed a bit more to feel complete. Overall, I still love Doller’s work and will easily read more from her in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, for the opportunity to read this novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**