Member Reviews
This was a somewhat silly read but very entertaining. The reader was fantastic. The storyline was entertaining. The vocabulary was adult. This modern day romance was a worthy read, just ask the drunk bull.
I adored this!!! Eamon and Carla are the best man and maid of honor at a wedding. They travel through the Irish countryside on their way to the wedding… all while falling in love. Carla has traveled all over after she made a promise to her father, who has dementia.
Truly, this was magical. Sweetness and some serious spice with humor thrown in. Thank you NetGalley, for the chance to review this.
I really enjoyed this sweet romance between Carla and Eamon.
I also loved Carla’s relationship with her father, Biggie, an aging hippie in the early stages of dementia. When Biggie became a single dad, he didn’t really know how to relate to a little girl, do he started taking Carla on trips.
Now an adult, Carla views travel as her “happy place”. Her goal is to work as an itinerant bartender long enough to amass enough money to travel to the next place. She never stays long enough in any one place to form lasting relationships—until she travels to Ireland for her best friend’s wedding. Sparks fly when she meets the groom’s brother and best man Eamon and begins to wonder if maybe there can be more.
Book 3 in the Beck Sister (can be read as a stand-alone)
If you want to take a spring break vicariously through a book, pick this one up!
Some quick features
💖 romance that makes you feel
💖 MCs in their 30s (who are still figuring out adulthood)
💖 road trip adventures
I read this without reading the other books in the series because all of my friends were talking about it and I’m a follower. I liked the first half more than the second because I like laughing and not feeling things, but I still enjoyed the book overall!
Carla is a world traveler who learned from her dad to bring only a backpack on their adventures. Like when I read Wild, I dreamed of being a person who could do that…and then thought about how I *actually* pack and realized it could never be me. Loved living vicariously through her though!
There is some HEAVY subject matter in this one - we learn early in the book that Carla’s beloved father has dementia and has basically sent her away so she doesn’t have to see him deteriorate. This whole plot line is super emotional, but not completely depressing, if that makes sense?
The audiobook was a delight!
Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for my review copy! All thoughts are my own.
Off the Map is another great book by Trish Doller. I appreciate how she writes romances involving grief and real-life issues. Carla spends her life on the road, so she doesn’t need to face the reality of her dad having dementia. He’s one of the most influential people to her, but he asked her not to stop living because of his dementia. Carla travels to Ireland to attend her best friend Anna’s marriage to Keena (from Doller’s first novel in the Beck Sisters series). Carla meets Eamon (Keenan’s oldest brother) on her first day in Ireland. They share a bond and many adventures as they go to the wedding. Some people call this “insta love,” but I think it’s more than that. I enjoyed the romance between Carla and Eamon. The narration was also done well. Thank you, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for my gifted copies.
I will admit this was my least favorite of the series. While I am all about vacation steaminess and Irish accent swoon - it didn’t have the human connection I felt in the first two. You got there at the end but not enough for sure.
Meh. The story was really just meh all around. I think the narrator was great, though! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
I love when a book takes me to a new place and makes me feel like I've visited there already. This book brings us to the Ireland country side and the descriptions were so well done.
Sometimes when I read a romance book I lean on this genre for lighter reads - but it was refreshing with this one to touch on some heavier topics. Going through a period of grief myself, I felt that the author handles this topic really well. This book is definitely heavy at times but is also fun and heartwarming too.
I did feel like this one was very fast paced and it felt a bit unrealistic at times based on how fast the characters fell for each other.
Overall though this one was enjoyable and I am thankful for the opportunity to have read it.
This one was so sweet and SO emotional! It started off with a bang (hehe literally) and was pure adventure from there. The ending seemed a little too perfect even though it was very sad but didn’t feel like it was necessary. Something different could’ve happened and still had the same impact. Overall highly recommend everything by this author if you’re looking for an emotional romcom
Such a cute story. Loved the setting and the writing style gives you a perfect atmospheric experiencing while reading or listening.
Some great steamy scenes but it’s such a sweet and kind story.
As a rom-com, I don't know that I really enjoyed this. I didn't particularly like Carla as a character or really any of the rom-com elements of the story. However, I really enjoyed the moments of Carla with her dad. The emotion there was palpable and really beautiful. I wish this were the focus of the story and the reason I'm rating this one so high.
Fun story that takes place in Ireland. There is a bit of language and there is mature content that starts fairly early in the story. Some funny parts, especially them sitting on the overturned jeep with a bull close by. The main characters are likable. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I am really sorry to say I did not finish this audiobook. The narrators were fantastic but the instant attraction left me with nothing left to want in the book. I may try to pick it up again as I am the remainder of the story gets better. But for now, I am just not motivated to keep going.
I loved this book! Carla Black spends the summer's bartending to make money to travel the rest of the year. She heads to Ireland for her BFF, Anna's wedding (from the first book.) She meets Keene's brother, Eamon, and convinces him to be adventurous on their trip from the airport to his hometown. Eamon Sullivan has always been the good son, and is tired of that role. His time with Carla makes him yearn for more. Carla's father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and he has sent her to travel so she doesn't see him forget their life together. Both Carla and Eamon learn a lot about themselves in this book and I really liked their characters. I was wishing this book was much longer - I didn't want it to end.
A really cute sweet romance between Carla a wanderer and Eamon a unhappy jump dump who task was to pick up Carla for her friend wedding.
Oh all the misadventure and wonders that they see on their way.
Really enjoyed the story.
Voluntarily reviewed.
Enjoyed listening to narration
**NetGalley review**
When I started this, I didn't realize it was part of a "series", but after reading/listening to it, I don't feel like I hindered me from enjoying this one. I love any book that involves Ireland in some capacity, and this one did not disappoint. Biggie's dementia hit a little close to home for me, but I'm glad that he and Carla had their relationship and closure. The ending chapters felt a bit rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, but I loved how it ended. This is my first Doller book and it won't be my last! Thank you to NetGalley, Trish Doller, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read/listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My thoughts: I have loved this series, but this was my favorite! The adventure, the Irish setting & immediate chemistry were done so well! There were several deeper topics covered in this romance, as this author often does, such as grief and dementia. The way those topics are balanced with the romance and adventure we’re perfect.
I listened to this on audio and loved the accents for it!
This book was cute, funny and 3/5 on the spice meter!
I don’t want to spoil the book because it definitely has some great moments - my fav being set in the Wicklow mountains, which I have been to and wish I could move there!
What I loved? The fun banter, the FMC that loves travel and adventure, the MMC who wants to do what she does, and the bull🍺
What I didn’t love? Insta-love. The beginning where she is running away from her problems. The third act break up 💔
The relationship between Carla and her dad plays a HUGE role in her life and it think it’s so sweet how close they are and how much they love each other.
Eamon might be my new favorite book boyfriend, but I definitely think you should read this so you can officially agree with me!
But, the ending - while definitely cute - just didn’t fill me with that *happy sigh* kind of feeling when the book ended which is part of why I gave it 3 1/2 stars (rounded up).
Huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review! 💛
So thankful to have been given a chance to listen to this audio, I have absolutely adores the"Beck Sisters" series. Each book has been a perfect combination of fun romance and an emotional journey. Carla is a different type of heroine that we don't get to see very often, shes is wild and free and I loved that about her. The Sullivan brothers are amazing and I could listen to the irish accents all day long!
This was a quick, fun read! My mom has dementia so I can identify with Carla.
I didn’t realize it was part of a series so I have added the other books to my wish list. This worked as a stand alone book as well though.