While this is the third book in the series, I haven’t read the first two and had no issues with being able to figure it characters or anything so I would say that this can definitely be read as a stand-alone. I did not however, expect as much steam! Whew! My glasses fogged up a couple of times while I was listening. Make sure you have headphones on and little kids aren’t around. This is definitely NSFW.
Carla lives her life in an on the go, fly by the seat of your pants kind of way because that’s what her dad taught her to do after her mom left. So Carla spent her life with him traveling as much as they could and then once she became an adult, she traveled on her own because her dad started showing signs of dementia. When her best friend is getting married in Ireland, Carla heads over to be the maid of honor. When the best man, Eamon, picked her up, there was instant sparks and they decided to take a few detours on the way to the wedding. They have their fling and find they have more than just fling feelings for each other, but Carla wants to go back home and be with her dad before he doesn’t remember her anymore, and Eamon is finally ready to step out of his family’s shadows and do what he loves so they don’t know how they’re going to make it work.
If you’re a fan of insta-love with lots of steam, this one will be for you. It was fairly short and the road trip aspect was fun.
I enjoyed the narration! Great job distinguishing the characters.
Thanks to McMillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

While part of a series, Off The Map can easily be read as a standalone. Carla, an American from Florida, is in Ireland for her best friend’s wedding. The best man and brother of the groom, Eamon, is going to drive her from Dublin to where the wedding is going to be held, on the other side of Ireland. Carla is an inveterate traveler - she basically lives to be “on the road” (She can do this because her job as a bartender in Florida comes to an end every year in the summer when most retirees disappear from Fort Lauderdale and business slows way down.)

Off The Map almost felt like two different books - the first part was a relatively light adventure and romance story, with impromptu trips to sites around Ireland before the wedding; the second part was a rather emotional section involving Carla’s father who has dementia.

I really enjoyed Carla’s and Eamon’s adventures, but this featured insta-attraction, which is not my favorite romance trope. In addition, it was also insta-in-bed, so readers who don’t care for very detailed “open door” situations might want to skim those parts (or skip them altogether). The incident pictured on the book cover was very funny. Over the course of the book, you discover Carla’s and Eamon’s backstories, shedding light on their situations/behaviors.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Sarah Naughton; she did a great job with the various accents. (Warning: due to the graphic sex scenes, I advise earphones if you’re listening to the audiobook!)

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Insta-love lovers will enjoy Off the Map by Trish Doller. Carla Black is all about making memories while she is still able to. She’s a world traveler and avoids home as long as she can. In Ireland for her best friend’s wedding, she meets up with Eamon (the best man). He enjoys his job but has always wanted more in his life. Maybe Carla is the woman to change his life~ if they allow fate to play its game.


I had high hopes for Trish Doller’s latest novel, Off the Map, as I adored the other two novels that were loosely tied together. While I enjoyed the instant spice that occurred at the beginning, my interest in this novel quickly wore off around the half way mark. I was disappointed that Carla did not take initiative in seeing her father for a long period of time and referring to him as “Biggie” consistently throughout. While I felt for Eamon’s storyline, I would’ve enjoyed this book more if we got his point of view as well as Carla’s. The picturesque setting makes me want to visit Ireland however and narrator Sarah Naughton made this book worth listening to.

A wanderlust traveler visits Ireland for her best friend's wedding and ends up traveling across Ireland with the groom's brother, falling for him and inspiring him to travel the world. Eamon and Carla have lots of adventures on the way across Ireland together - spontaneous camping, jeep accidents, traffic jams of sheep, bulls and surfing festivals provide a humorous journey to the wedding. I loved the travel shenanigans, the banter between Eamon and Carla (especially the Irish banter), and meeting up with Float Plan's Anna and Keane again. The insta-lust was too insta for me, I just prefer a slower burn/build. As it's shorter read in length, it's a quick and overall enjoyable read. Carla’s father’s struggle with Alzheimer's and caregiver representation was done well and was an interesting counterbalance to the lighter, funny, lusty first two-thirds of the book. A decent wrap-up to the series. The series highlights for me have been the travel, Irish banter, and the strong emotional experiences of the characters.

5 Stars

This might be my favorite of Trish Dollar's Beck Sister series!

Clara's life motto is "here for a good time and not for a long time" and it's one I can relate to. She has this motto in place as a wall or protection from forming too permanent attachment to anyone and any place she might visit. Her mother left her at a young age and her father, unsure of how to parent a young girl, decided to cope by taking Clara on trips around the US and world. She's lived her adult life traveling the globe and has no urge to set down roots. She hasn't been home in years because her father is deteriorating due to dementia and she has decided to respect his wish of living her life vs taking care of him as he slowly forgets her.

Cue, her trip to Ireland for her best friend's wedding. She meets Eamon, the best man, and they quickly form an intimate connection. It's a fling for both of them, or so they expect. But as thy start to spend more time together, traveling around Ireland on their way to the wedding, she learns to break down those walls of living a temporary life, while encouraging Eamon to loosen up and let a little more spontaneity into his life.

I really loved this couple and that the conflict focused more on HOW they could have a future together, not wether or not they even wanted one. There was lovely moments of healing for both Clara and Eamon as they navigated life after meeting each other. This story is truly one about how someone can come crashing into your life and their love can change you for the better.

I can't stop thinking about Eamon and Clara and loved that through their story, we got to reconnect with the previous Beck Sister couples!

I listened to this book on audio which can color my opinions based on the narrator’s artist choices.

Pros:

The narrator was great. Adding in a bit of an accent and changing up slightly for different characters was masterfully done.


Cons:

I loathe the main female character. She is selfish, irresponsible and careless. She made promises to her best friend to be there for the wedding and then she made the choice to go do other things and be late. She did this taking the best man with her. That really can disrupt a wedding and add unnecessary stress to the families. When they finally get back on track and call and promise they’ll be there they stop to go to a festival? This is so unacceptable.

The overall carefree nothing matters lifestyle is glorified here. You’re not seeing the downfalls of running out of money, getting sick/hurt and having no one and nothing to help. You’re not seeing the future where these people have to work basically until death because they have no savings…

I really, thoroughly enjoyed this read! The characters were relatable and fun, the story truly was a bit of an adventure, and the sections about Carla and her Dad were heartfelt and meaningful. The story moved along at a nice pace and I was never bored! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was wonderful! I didn't even realize this was part of a series, but will definitely be back tracking to read the first two books in the series as well! I would definitely recommend this one for a sweet, quick read with a bit of spice!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 ⭐ I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher MacMillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My first Trish Doller novel. I have not read the Beck Sister series. This novel #3 seems to stand alone just fine.

I enjoyed the off-track road trip of the two main characters. They are the maid of honor and best man for Anna & Keane wedding in Ireland. Carla Black decides not to hold back and enjoy a fling, why not, it's a vacation. Eamon Sullivan is stuck in a rut and always does what is expected of him. They open each other's eyes and minds to what's missing in their lives.

Carla travels the world and never settles down. She doesn't believe in a long-term relationship. Her crossroad, how to follow her father's carefree goals without missing him. Biggie, her father, has been diagnosed with dementia.

I enjoyed Eamons character, but I feel like there is more to his story. What we got was good.

This is not a build-up to the romance storyline. It is an instant-lust and then the build-up to romance. For people who like the slow burn or closed-door romance, this isn't it. For those who love the hot sizzle, this has a few but mainly in the book's first half.

I enjoyed reading about the aftermath of all the choices Carla made. I did shed some tears along the Biggie storyline. My best friend's grandmother had dementia, so I understood and felt the learning curve of interacting with someone with dementia.

Narrator Sarah Naughton was great.

This book made me want to pack up my life and just travel. I have never in my life been one to just go where things take me, but right now, I’m questioning why? Carla’s zest for life is so inspiring! Her encouragement of Eamon to start living his life how he wants to is beautiful! Their chemistry together is hot! I wonder if my husband would pack up and travel across the country with me…

I enjoyed reading Off the Map. The characters were well-developed and the story kept me engaged, moving quickly and lighthearted read. Highly recommend!

Honestly, this was my first five star read of the year. Simply perfect!

I have been following Trish Dollar since the begining of her book journey and I have simply enjoyed every moment. She has such a beautiful way of melding trauma, grief, and love.

Carla's story was just utterly captivating. I fell in love with her and Eamon quicker than they fell in love with each other. There was instalust, instasex, and insta...(I'm hooked on this book). I consumed this in both ebook and audio format. I received both formats as advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ever since I read Float Plan I have been a fan of Trish Doller, her romances are fun but also very heartwarming and relatable. I was excited to get an advanced listen to her new book Off The Map, which is the third in the Beck Sister’s Stories.

Float Plan and The Suite Spot instantly pulled me in, and I had very few complaints about either of them, but unfortunately Off The Map did not have the same effect on me.

This was a fairly short read, only 275 pages, I listened to it on audio and it was a day of house cleaning. I did not hate the book, I just felt it lacked something. I think Doller writes an entertaining story and I can see people loving this one as I loved Float Plan.

Basically Carla Black travels the world, she use to be with her dad, but he is now struggling with dementia and has had to stop traveling. He has asked Carla to continue her travels and doesn’t want her to see his decline. She heads to Ireland to be the Maid of Honor at her best friend's wedding. The groom's older brother Eamon will meet her at a pub in Dublin and they will drive across Ireland to the wedding.

Eamon and Carla hit it off at the pub…and by that I mean, they met and are back at Eamon's apartment in bed together before you can blink. Now I am not a fan of insta-love, and I found out reading this I am surely not a fan of insta-lust. I mean I am not a prude, I love a good smut story, and I expect the characters to hop right in bed, but in a general rom-com I realized reading this I really didn’t want a wham bam thank you ma’am kinda meeting. I would have just preferred a bit of build-up to their romance, you know.., a meet-cute…that sorta thing. Off The Map was way sexier than Doller’s previous two books, and maybe it just threw me off a bit, thinking it was going to be more like them.

As far as the characters, I really didn't feel much of anything for either of them. They seemed selfish to me. I know Carla’s father wanted her to go on with her life while his health declined, but it was several years since she had found out he had dementia and she hadn’t been home to visit him. There is NO way I could do that. My dad is no longer here and I would have given anything to have known I needed more time with him. Not only that, but she was going to this wedding to be her best friend's Maid Of Honor, not to mention Eamon was the best man and carrying around the wedding rings, and they both set off together on this bizarre sex-filled trek across Ireland to camp and surf instead of going to the pre-wedding festivities and hope they can get there in time. I WOULD BE PISSED if I were the bride.

I know there will be plenty of people who disagree with me and will love this book, and I hope there are, I like the author’s writing, but this one, it just wasn’t for me. I found that it was very rushed and even the ending was not enough to save it for me.

However, as I mentioned at the first of this rant, I did listen to this on audio, and it was the narrator who saved the book for me and kept me from turning it off and walking. Her Irish accents were entertaining and made an otherwise disappointing book bearable. I give her 5 big stars on this one and the book 2.5 stars

Carla is the maid-of-honor.
Eamon is the best man.
Carla lives for adventure.
Eamon lives for stability.
She lives in America.
He lives in Ireland.

This was such a cute insta-love book! Carla and Eamon are in the same wedding and decide to have a vacation fling. Their roles reverse when Carla decides to go home and settle down, and Eamon decides to ditch the office and travel the world. It had to be a fling, they weren't going for the same future. They love each other enough to encourage the other to achieve their dreams.

I love the journey these two take! It was such a cute romance and a quick read!

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced audiobook to allow me to give this honest review.

Off the Map is a quirky adventure-based romance that follows Carla Black to Ireland for her best friend’s wedding. The groom’s best man, Eamon, is tasked with picking her up and bringing her to their hometown for the wedding, and the two of them set off on an adventure of discovery, acceptance, and love.

Along the way, Carla and Eamon make many detours to camp, hike, and visit outdoorsy locations in Ireland. I found the premise of this book to be completely unrealistic – if your best friend was getting married in a few days’ time, you’re not likely to set up a tent to camp with a virtual stranger just to “see the sights.” This happened several times throughout the book – it felt like characters made decisions that were completely at odds with their personality and their priorities.

If you can get past the unrealistic set up, and their cringe-worthy “meet cute,” the book itself is filled with beautiful imagery of Ireland’s finest views. The plot had a full story and wasn’t simply a love story. There were laughs and tears throughout this book – some of the scenes were so unique and detailed that I won’t forget them any time soon. I really liked the deeper backstories with the two main characters and getting to understand their motivations and desires.

I’d recommend this book for adventure lovers, anyone interest in Ireland (like I am), and anyone who likes love stories with a small amount of spice to them.

Thank you @SMPRomance, @MacMillan.Audio and @Netgalley for the #gifted ALC of OFF THE MAP!

Trish Doller is back with another sweet and heartwarming romance. Carla Black lives to travel. Her father taught her at a young age that if it doesn’t fit into your backpack, you don’t need it. She’s taken that life motto to heart and at 33 has seen the world but is a bit of a lone wolf.

When Carla arrives in Ireland for her BFF Anna’s wedding, she’s supposed to meet Eamon (Keane’s brother) and travel with him to the wedding. But their instant chemistry and a few detours turns a simple drive into the adventure of a lifetime.

Trish Doller has the unique ability to write a delightful love story without it veering into cheesy territory. Carla and Eamon both come with familial baggage but it’s handled in a very adult way which I really appreciated.

I listened to the audio of this one and I was charmed by the narrator. She did an excellent Irish accent for the Irish characters. And made me long to travel to Ireland and see that green countryside for myself.

You also get an added bonus of some extra Anna and Keane content which I loved.

OFF THE MAP comes out on March 7, 2023!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5015355069
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpA5-GyvGep/

I sincerely enjoyed Float Plan. I own The Suite Spot (but haven't read it yet...oops). I loved Off the Map - the newest in the Beck Sisters series. It was the perfect combination of instalove, found family, wanderlust for me right now. If PS I Love You wasn't so damn sad, and if Leap Year wasn't so ridiculous....you'd find Off the Map right in the middle.

Carla Black is on her way to her best friend's wedding in Ireland - remember Anna from Float Plan? She is supposed to meet the best man, Eamon, in Dublin so she can hitch a ride on his way. Before the two can strike up a conversation, they share a scorching kiss that sets the pace for the rest of the book. Carla's free spirit loosens the reins that Eamon has put on his own, and the pair of them decide to take a few detours along the way. What they find at the end of their journey changes them forever.

That's a really cheesy way of putting it, but it fits. And this is my review. So...there.

I was lucky enough to be given both an advanced ebook from St. Martin's Press, as well as an ALC from MacMillan Audio. I preferred the audiobook because the narrator absolutely nailed the Irish accent. I highly recommend it.

This is perfect for people who love open door, contemporary romance, and having Ireland as a setting.

TW include: parental abandonment, dementia, and death of a parent.

This was a cute story and a great addition to the series. I have enjoyed them all. This time the story takes place in Ireland and centers around Carla, the adventure loving best friend of Anna. Carla heads to Dublin to be Anna’s bridesmaid. She is picked up by Eamon the best man and handsome brother of the groom. Sparks immediately fly as they set forth on a simple road trip that finds them experiencing unexpected detours and feelings that neither of them expected.
Great chemistry, swoony moments and lots of laughs make this story one of the best in the series. So much fun!!

The narrator did a great job especially with the Irish accent!!

4 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review,

This was fun! A road trip across Ireland between two essential strangers. She helps him realize he can change his life and explore the world and he helps her learn that its ok to go home. They run into some silly incidents (see cover for reference lol) on their way to a wedding. Each character has a great backstory and depth and I loved how they came together.

Tropes: Wedding; Travel; Sworn off relationships; road trips; Friends with benefits; Forced Proximity; camping; Afraid to commit

DNF'd at 23%
Ever since seeing a Walk to Remember in middle school, the second someone says "just don't fall in love with me" I'm ready to murder.
Clara is a bad daughter and a lame human
Eamon is hung up on his ex and doesnt do things.
They are having sex immediately and I'm very confused. Its a short enough book, but I'd rather not spend the time

When I requested Off the Map I was expecting a cute little romance to keep me occupied at work. I was not expecting to be sobbing behind my computer hiding from my coworkers. This transitioned so smoothly from a sweet and sexy romance that had my wanderlust aching into a heartfelt and beautiful story of loss. I was not expecting the shift in the story but at no point was it abrupt. It felt like life feels;Shit just happens.

As my grandfather quite recently passed from dementia this hit harder for me than it may for others but it does not take away from how absolutely breathtaking this was written.

I was not expecting the emotional toll this book would have on me but I do not regret it for a moment. I think I needed the cry.

Thank you NetGalley for the Audio-ARC.