I liked Off the Map (which is the 3rd book in the series, but stands alone just fine)

I liked the way the pair, Carla and Eamon, just clicked from the first moment and I really liked all the travel bits - exploring a bit of Ireland. And I liked that both leads are catalysts
for the other to reevaluate the direction their lives will take in the future - whether ir not the other is in it. And I really liked both leads, especially Eamon.

This book is maybe a bit spicier than the previous two since the pair's connection is an immediate physical one. But I am at the skimming the spicy parts point inmy life and there is still a good enough story even without the steamy play by play. The story has some touching and sad parts with Carla's dad's dementia.


ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
- release date March 7 2023. This is an unpaid review.

Thank you, Trish Doller, St. Martin's Griffin, and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

Carla Black lives a life of traveling and adventure. Right now, she's in Dublin for her best friend's wedding. Eamon Sullivan creates digital maps and is the person who guides people's adventures. He recently broke up with his girlfriend and feels like his life is at a standstill. He's tasked with picking Carla up from the airport and driving her across Ireland to the wedding. Along the way, they decide to take some detours to see some sites, be spontaneous, have some fun, and maybe even fall in love along the way.

Off the Map is the third book in The Beck Sisters Series. It is full of fun, adventure, and spice, but also touches on some sensitive topics. Even though this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. We briefly met both Carla and Eamon in the book Float Plan, and I'm so happy that they got their own book. This book is similar to Float Plan in that the two main characters love to go on adventures, except that instead of going on adventures at sea, they go on adventures on land. The connection that Carla and Eamon have is instant and electric. I devoured this book in one day because it was so much fun! If you haven't yet read the Beck Sister series, definitely add it to your TBR! The series is incredible, and you could easily spend the weekend binge reading the entire series.

Off the Map was a bit different from the Beck Sisters's love stories, where Anna and Rachel encompass longing and pining for their respective men, Keane and Mason. Carla and Eamon experience insta-love or insta-lust and never really stop!

We met Carla in Float Plan as Anna's best friend and confidant. Carla is traveling to Ireland for Anna + Keane's wedding and driving to the small town where the festivities will take place with Eamon, Keane's brother. They have an instant connection, get caught up with each other and what was supposed to be a couple hours drive, turns into a days long adventure across the Ireland countryside. 

Although they do fall in love very quickly, we liked how the little time they spent with each other helped them grow and evolve. Eamon is stuck in an unhappy existence trying to live up to expectations while putting his traveling dreams on hold. Carla on the other hand is the dreamer who is avoiding the hard things in life running away from her dad and his dementia. 

Carla's journey is bittersweet and all the chapters with Biggie (her father) really tugged at our heart strings. It was a little harder to connect to the romance since it happened so fast but those chapters with Biggie were great and we wish there was more of that aspect of her story.

What we liked:
▪️Forced proximity & opposites attract
▪️Road trip mishaps
▪️Some spice & familiar characters

What we didn’t like:
▪️The romance happened too fast

TW: parent with dementia

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I read this in one night and cried solidly for the last 10%. How does this series get better with each book? I just love this world and want to spend more time in it. This book also fueled my wanderlust and I desperately want to go to Ireland. I very much identify with Eamon, who needs a little push to follow his dreams.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

Off the Map is the third installment of the Beck Sisters series. This story follows Carla, Anna’s best friend, and Eamon, Keane’s brother. The two are thrown together as they travel to Anna and Keane’s wedding. A bit of insta-love. A bit of road trip hijinks. A lot of heart.

Off the Map is another emotional romance from Trish Doller. I loved Carla and Eamon and there was sweet and spicy. It is a very quick read that pulls you into the story immediately. A cozy cardigan of a book.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have spent the past few years traveling vicariously with Trish Doller’s characters. This time, she whisked me off to Ireland, where I enjoyed plenty of adventure, romance, and heart.

Carla Black learned all about adventure from her dad. For the past ten years she’s been traveling around, seeing the world, and only stopping long enough to make more money to fund her travel lust. With so little time spent in one place, she never has to worry about becoming too attached or falling in love.

When she is asked to be a bridesmaid in her best friend’s wedding in Ireland, of course she’s going to accept. When Carla gets picked up at a bar in Dublin by the groom’s brother, well, there is a spark and an instant attraction. Now, I’m not normally a reader who goes for the whole insta-love romance, but I must admit that the author made me a believer. With Carla and Eamon, I could actually believe in their type of relationship. Their chemistry may have been quick, but it was extremely intense, and I bought it wholeheartedly.

While this was a romantic novel, it also dealt with some deeper issues. I don’t want to get into too much detail and spoil it for any other readers, but Carla’s story hit a little close to home in regard to my own family. I felt her pain right along with her, and my heart sat heavy in my chest for a good chunk of this book. Don’t worry, though, there is an abundance of happiness, love, and good times to be had with Off the Map.

Once again, I have enjoyed every minute of my literary travels with Trish Doller’s characters. She provided a lovely destination, adventure, personal journeys, and a wonderful love story. If I could have asked for one thing, it would have been that the book been a bit longer, but that’s just because I wanted more of this story and its characters.

*4.5 Stars

This book was a perfect mix of romance and real life. Loved that there wasn't too much push and pull, just the right amount. And loved the unique family aspect for the main character and her love interest. Ireland was an excellent setting.

A bittersweet story.
Carla is an itinerant traveler, something she learned from her father, Biggie. She meets Eamon and they trek across Ireland together.
I enjoyed reading about her adventures and admired how self sufficient Carla was.
I did think they were a bit selfish when they were expected to be somewhere and they delayed to do their own thing.
My favorite character was Biggie, the gentle giant history teacher who was losing his precious memories. I can picture exactly how he looked.
Take this book when you go off reading.

I have been WAITING for this book ever since Float Plan, which is still one of my favorite books. We got glimpses of both Carla and Eamon, but not together. Together they are *perfection* - they initially meet when Carla travels to Ireland for Anna and Keane’s wedding, and Eamon meets her in Dublin to travel cross-country to their ceremony. Except what they expected to be a quick meet-and-greet at the pub before making the drive turns into hours of conversation followed by a night of passion and a multi-day off-roading adventure. But despite their immediate connection and obvious attraction, Carla stills holds Eamon at an emotional arm’s length. She was raised by a single father who thought her everything about how to be independent, maybe to a fault, and now she’s grappling with his dementia and what it means to lose him when she’s never allowed herself to be close to anyone else in her life. And Eamon is also coming to terms with the path he took in life and what he wants. So as each deal with their own personal situations they must also figure out what to do with the feelings they have for each other. Full of all the emotions and romance that made Float Plan so good, Off the Map delivers the same heartwarming and tear jerking moments we come to expect, with plenty of laughs in between.

Float Plan by Ms. Doller will always hold a special place in my heart. When I saw Off the Map was being released, I couldn't have been more excited for another book in "this world."

Carla is a free spirit with a serious case of wanderlust. Her mother left when she was five and her father raised her on his own. Much of his parenting strategy may have included teaching her a protective mechanism that involved "always looking forward and never back." This keeps her on the road and intent on keeping things light with few attachments. Her father has developed dementia and basically told her to leave because he doesn't want her to see him deteriorate. Instead, her stepmother is caring for him. Carla is starting to struggle with her absence from her father and fearing she could miss his last days. She starts to wonder if she's really traveling for the experiences at this point or to escape.

Eamon is a structured person who is used to being the one held responsible. But he's not happy in his life and is craving adventure and a chance to explore. He finds himself being envious of his brother, Keane who has literally travelled the world. Yet everyone expects Eamon to always be the one who is "there."

When Eamon is sent to pick Carla up for the wedding of Keane (his brother) and Anna (her best friend), they find themselves caught up in a natural attraction that continues to grow. Not only is Eamon attracted to Carla physically, but he also finds himself drawn to her strong sense of exploration. She helps Eamon build up the courage to take the jump and decide to venture off on his own adventures down the road once he's able to get things lined up.

The trip for them from Dublin to Tralee for the wedding takes a bit longer than normal as they take several sight seeing detours along the way. It helps Eamon see that he can really take himself on the road and go explore the way he wants to. Of course over the course of the few days they are together, he discovers that part of the reason he enjoys these side trips is seeing things with Carla. But Carla is clear in the beginning that anything between them is temporary because she's leaving. Of course, Carla doesn't count on falling for Eamon either but she does. Unfortunately, they need to head in different directions. Eamon needs to travel now that he's built up his courage to actually take the leap. But Carla now knows she needs to go home and be with her Dad and help care for him.

Even though Carla and Eamon fell for each other quickly, it felt very organic and real to me. Carla was a spontaneous person who never overthought her actions so she didn't think twice about getting "romantic" with him quickly. She just didn't count on catching feelings. Eamon had always been with the wrong women until he meets Carla. So when he gets to know her, it's like a light goes off and it clicks with him that she's the one he's been looking for all along.

I simply adored this book. It's a quick read that I buzzed through in one day. I felt that both of these characters were ones that I could empathize with. I understand Eamon and his desire to never disappoint his parents even if he was miserable. I also somewhat understood Carla trying to follow her father's request to stay away - - but I was relieved when she decided she needed to go home and be with him even if he didn't want her to. I knew she'd regret it if she wasn't there. This was also the spiciest of the three books in this series and it made sense because of the characters themselves. Their initial relationship was built on the physical side of things until they let their emotions in.

Even though there are some humorous moments included in the storyline as well as the romance, it's also emotional. Carla's father's dementia is heartbreaking and the way that she views her life where "everyone eventually leaves" is also enough to bring tears. In addition, Eamon's situation with his family where he didn't feel like he could stand up for himself and live his own life was sad in itself. There were definitely a few real life issues touched on to give the storyline depth. It's a book with both swoon and substance.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also listened to the audiobook. The narration for this was exactly how I imagined it would be. The way the character's emotions were portrayed via the inflections in the narrator's voice really made you feel what was happening in the story. It had me literally crying in the later parts of the book when Carla's father was struggling with his memory. In addition, you could hear the pain in the character's voices when they had to leave on another in Ireland. It was terrific. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read and listen to them and review them. The opinions contained within are my own.

"It was always a good time but I wish it had been a longer time...."

I absolutely loved Float Plan and The Suite Spot, so when I saw that there was going to be another book in the series and it took place in Ireland? Sign me up. Unfortunately, this book was not for me, after the high of the first two books, this was inexplicably a low for me.

The book was pretty insta-lust, insta-love which I do not like. The characters fall in love in 6 days? I mean c’mon, that is just too much for me to sign up for. The road trip through Ireland with the stops off was fun to read, but not only was it insta-love, I really did not feel any chemistry between our two main characters. We got to know Clara well, but I feel like Eamon didn’t get the same character development, and I was left wanting more.

This was a continuation of a book series I haven’t read. It was hard to read as a stand alone but it was good

I immensely enjoyed Trish Doller first book, Float Plan, so I was super excited to read Off the Map.
.
What I liked:
I liked that this is a continuation of the Beck Sisters series
I liked the setting and the adventure, loved all the travel and places mentioned
Carla’s relationship with her dad was tough to read about, but I think it added depth to the book.
Off the Map has is spicy. 🌶
.
I’m not a huge fan of Insta love and that is definitely what we saw from Carla and Eamon.
.
I think Trish Dollar fans will enjoy this read.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martins press for the opportunity to read this one!

“I continue, realizing I came at her with my machete of truth.” I feel SEEN 👀

I will henceforth be referring to my bluntness as the machete of truth. Genius. But I digress..

I absolutely adored this book! This is book #3 in the Beck Sisters series. I gave Float Plan (book 1) five stars as well but somehow missed the second in the series. Oops. But it’s another five stars for these heartwarming and flawed but fierce characters.

I loved watching the character arc of Carla Black. She travels the world in her beloved vintage Jeep Wrangler, dodging meaningful relationships and running from emotion. She was raised by her father Biggie, a large man with an even bigger heart. When he is diagnosed with dementia, everything that Carla knows comes crashing down around her. So she runs. Again. Enter Eamon Sullivan, the hot Irishman who challenges her and truly sees her. Can he help ground Carla before she goes off the map?

The audiobook was so well done! The narration was great and really captured the angst, but also the heart, of these characters. I felt immediately pulled into this story and I did not want it to end. I am hoping that this is not the last of the series because I am not yet ready to say goodbye to Trish Doller’s writing of these characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Carla has traveled to Ireland to be the maid of honor for her best friend. She is meeting up with the best man, Eamon, to drive together to the wedding. Ever since her mother walked out when Carla was five years old, her father Biggie had taken her on trips during the summer in their Jeep to most of the National Parks until he developed dementia. Since then, she has been traveling the world on her own. Eamon has wanted to travel, but feels that he needs to be the responsible one in his family, since his brother had taken off to sail all over. On the way to the wedding, they take a few detours and have some adventures. Join them on their journey of discovering themselves.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley and really enjoyed it.

“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.”

This book was both more and less than I expected.

I didn’t get as much from Eamon as I expected. Yes, he’s unlucky in love, but when the blurb said “Modern Day Cartographer” I figured it would play more into the story.

I got way more emotional depth and growth than I expected, from Carla and her dad. You don’t often get that kind of intensity between any characters other than the love interest.

I found both the beginning, and the ending a little rushed. They bone literal hours after meeting each other, (I prefer a slower burn) then, at the end, there’s this huge obstacle to their relationship, then, suddenly, there isn’t. I think I might have preferred her time home longer – with them having to navigate her Dad’s dementia together.

While I read this book as a stand-a-lone, there are two that came before. I will be seeking out those first two books, for sure.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this adventurous ARC.

Off the Map by Trish Doller is the third book in her popular Beck Sisters series and can easily be read as a stand-alone. So far, Off the Map is my favorite story of the series.

Story Recap:
Carla Black has lived her life traveling the world as her only parent, her father taught her when she was growing up. With her jeep named Valentine, she travels the world in search of adventure. She’s a loner and only stays in one place long enough to make more money for her adventure fund. She doesn’t do attachments.

Eamon Sullivan is a cartographer in Dublin. He makes digital maps that help others find their way, but he hasn’t been able to find his own way in a long time. He isn’t happy at work, was recently dumped, and has lost direction in his life.

When fate throws them together, can Eamon and Carla find a way to stay together?

My Thoughts:
As I said above, this is my favorite of the Beck Sisters' stories so far. I love adventure so I really connected with Carla and her adventurous spirit. Eamon was a very swoon-worthy hero. He comes from a large Irish family but is also vulnerable and damaged.

Although Carla and Eamon become romantic almost instantly, it takes time for their feelings to grow, and as they travel together across Ireland, they start to appreciate each other and become friends as well as lovers. It was clear to me that they are kindred spirits, but it took them some time to figure it out.

I enjoyed their adventures together and loved seeing characters from the first novel in the series.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend, Off the Map to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Trish Doller for the ARC - out everywhere 7 March!

This series continues to be unrivaled in its cheerful wanderlust and unrepentantly confident female characters. This 3rd installment has us traveling alongside Carla Black to Ireland as a maid of honor, where she delightedly indulges in that age-old stereotype - getting with the best man.
Eamon Sullivan is cliche of an older brother; steadfast, a little boring, and never one to take a real risk. But when Carla opens the door to a world of adventure, they both have to decide whether they’re willing to break old habits to embark on a new journey together.
One thing I continue to love about Doller’s characters is that they’re mature. They’ve already done a certain amount of introspection on themselves before we meet them, so the conflicts that do arise in the books are reasonable and thus, reasonably resolved. That doesn’t mean there isn’t tension; I cried twice in the last 3rd of this book. But I’m never frustrated by these characters, and as someone who will find any reason to hate something,, I’m basically saying Doller is a miracle worker.


Read If:

You can tell within 10 minutes of meeting someone if you’re going to sleep with them
You like Frank Turner
You loved the plot twist of Caelynn from the Bachelor becoming a van-life nomad

This book is a fun read with heart. Definitely recommend to all who travel and those that want to start!

This book was fantastic! I loved the road-trip between two strangers, but they knew each other through her best friend and his brother. The majority took place over only a couple of days but they fell so hard and so fast!? And it was SO GOOD.

Carla and Eamon were simultaneously the exact same and the exact opposite. They both were living their lives for other people, but it manifested in opposite ways - Carla was always on the move and Eamon never went anywhere. And when they met everything changed, they were exactly what the other needed - the perfect stranger.

I loved how much Carla challenged Eamon. She won’t afraid to stand her ground, speak her truth, and when the time came she stood up for him because she understood him. And he needed that. He had been wanting so many things for so long, and now here Carla was saying “why not now?” Eamon also made Carla realize that she had been side stepping emotions for so long. Her father gave her a wonderful life, but he used travel as a distraction, as a way to cope without having to actually do the work - and that’s exactly what Carla was doing.

I also LOVED seeing Anna and Keane again. And even the mention of Rachel and Mason was so sweet. Trish created such a sweet world!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this ARC I exchange for an honest review!!