Willis's latest stand-alone is a madcap comedy, featuring aliens, Los Vegas, Western movies and Roswell, of course. Francie comes to Roswell to be in her best friend Serena's wedding. She get abducted by an alien, who looks like a tumbleweed, along with a band of misfits. They travel the Southwest in a RV christened the Outlaw, trying to help "Indy", their alien abductor, find the tsurrispoinis (whatever that is),while also trying to avoid earth authorities and other aliens. Silly and fun, The Road to Roswell is a perfect summer read.

I’ve read seven books by Connie Willis and have enjoyed almost all of them. When I saw The Road to Roswell come up on Netgalley, I clicked REQUEST without even reading the synopsis. I didn’t need to. I’ll read anything she writes. (Though to be honest, I had no idea she was still writing!) When I finally did get around to reading the synopsis I was a tiny bit unsure. I’m not huge on alien books, but I had enough trust in the author to give it a go. See the thing about Connie Willis books is that they have a lot of humor in them, but they’re usually about huge big concepts too. My favorite books by her are about time travel. BUT THAT’S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, WE’RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE ROAD TO ROSWELL.

All that I mentioned above is accurate for this book too — Our heroine, Francie, gets abducted by an alien the weekend of her best friend’s wedding. She’s not taken off planet. She’s being forced to drive said alien to a undisclosed location. Undisclosed because neither one of them can understand each other. A lot more happens, but I don’t want to spoil you! There’s a small romance side-plot. A gambling card-shark granny. An older gentleman obsessed with Westerns. A great deal of it is quite funny, and there’s some extremely frustrating parts, too. Basically, The Road to Roswell is about first contact and what can go so, so wrong. But I can promise you this — none of the aliens are evil.

The Road to Roswell is cute, but the ending leaves quite a lot to be desired. It sort of ends in the middle of a scene, and I was left feeling like I missed out on a paragraph or three. Despite that, I really did enjoy this book. Connie Willis’s writing reminds me a lot of T. Kingfisher, if that gets any of your gears going, but Willis is much more sci-fi than fantasy. Either way, it’s a funny book, and if you’re looking for something lighthearted, I fully recommend The Road to Roswell.

Francie goes to Roswell to attend her college roommate's wedding--or actually to talk her out of marrying a UFO nut. She doesn't know that there is a convention of UFO nuts there at the time. And she definitely doesn't expect getting abducted by an actual alien and taken on a wild tour of the desert Southwest in search of ... something. Willis' wacky, screwball humor is in full force here. Fun.

I don't think Connie Willis knows what decade it is.

Most of the tension in the story is built on using technology in a way that might have been appropriate ~25 years ago but doesn't make sense today. There were references to mouse pads, beanie babies, using keys in ignitions of new luxury cars (push buttons have been standard for a while now), and a woman in her late-twenties who has a smart phone and doesn't text to convey basic information like phone numbers, addresses, or any communications like dropping a pin to let people know she's been kidnapped and is in a specific location. That last one killed me the most. It was soooo obvious this book was written by someone who's 77 years old and hasn't talked to a younger person in more than a decade. When in a situation like Francie is, who calls people's phones and gives up when they find out a voicemail box is full?? DROP A PIN! TEXT THEM YOU'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED! Take a picture/video of the alien!!

This book doesn't make sense.

Also, Francie has no history, wants, stated desires, or personality. Things happen to her and she reacts, poorly.

Way too long. Could have been 250 pages rather than more than 400.

Connie Willis at her madcap best. Francie thinks she is headed to Roswell, NM to help stop her college roommate Serena from marrying a UFO enthusiast. Before she can do that, however, Francie gets abducted by an alien who needs her to drive him ... somewhere, and in a hurry. As Francie struggles to figure out what the alien wants - or even if he's friend or invader - the travelers accumulate an unlikely assortment of companions, all teaming up to get the alien to safety, whatever that may mean. But, just perhaps, not everyone is who they seem to be. With her flair for comic misunderstandings and witty dialogue, Willis blends the best elements of the road trip comedy, alien abduction tale, and spaghetti western to glorious effect as the motley band of heroes motors across the desert searching for answers. An absolutely delightful read from the queen of the sci-fi rom-com.

As hard as this is to believe, this is my first book by this author. I am not much for alien abductions, but this sounded fun. It was definitely fun, maybe just a tad silly in a good way. Francie is an excellent character who just wants to do the right thing, and I love how she has sympathy for the alien that did the abducting. Actually, I will admit, most of the characters were fun and unique in their own ways. Although this book was probably a little too long with them running around the desert in circles and not accomplishing much of anything, it is still just a fun little interlude and a way to pass the time in a very entertaining way. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

When I was younger, I could more easily see the charm of Willis’s scattered, chaotic protagonists and “there’s no time to explain, get in the car” scenarios. Now they just seem exhausting. Here, a young woman is trying to attend her friend’s wedding to a UFO enthusiast. But when she arrives in Roswell, she’s kidnapped by an actual alien that looks a lot like a tumbleweed. Now she has to try to follow its orders, deal with the other kidnappees, and see if she can make it back in time to prevent her friend from making yet another relationship mistake. I fear it left me cold.

The Road to Roswell is some of the most fun I’ve had while reading. The story follows Francie as she heads to Roswell, NM, for the UFO themed wedding of her friend, when she finds herself abducted by an alien. She is not the last one to be abducted and what follows is part rom-com, the part alien road trip. It’s weird and zany, and so unbelievably funny. I was smiling from ear to ear by the time I was finished. The characters are nutty and the the writing is fresh and compelling. Even if you don’t normally go for anything with a Sci-Fi vibe, definitely check this out.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

The Road to Roswell, by science fiction legend Connie Willis, kept me up way past my bedtime on a work night. Readers, you have been warned.

Francie was only going to Roswell, New Mexico, to help her friend. This friend has a long history of picking weirdos to marry and Francie has always been here for her when, at the last minute, Serena realizes that she shouldn’t marry the dude. The current dude is a UFO nut who has badgered Serena into getting married at Roswell’s (real) annual UFO Festival at the (real) International UFO Museum. Francie is very much not into UFOs; she cringes at the mere thought of UFO nuts before her plane even lands. None of her friends are either, so Francie can’t get anyone to be her plus-one at the wedding. A plus-one would’ve been really helpful because Francie manages to get abducted by an actual alien on her very first night in Roswell.

What follows is a madcap adventure across New Mexico and Nevada as the alien—nicknamed Indy for its speed and dexterity with its whiplike tentacles—kidnaps increasing numbers of people in an effort to do something. Within days, Indy kidnaps a con man (ironically selling alien abduction insurance), a UFO conspiracist, a surprisingly lucky gambling granny, and Western movie-obsessed businessman who finally managed to take to the open road in his western trail wagon (definitely not an RV).

Language is a huge barrier for much of the book, as Indy can’t speak and can only communicate with tentacle-sign language until Francie works out a way to teach Indy how to read English. (Subtitles to Westerns turn out to be hilariously useful.) For all that Larry the UFO nut is terrified of aliens and is more than willing to witter on about cattle mutilations and probing at the drop of a hat, Francie starts to change her mind about the little tumbleweed-looking alien, especially after he saves her life from a rattlesnake. Before long, Francie and her unlikely cohort of kidnappers are doing their utmost to help Indy with whatever it’s trying to do.

The Road to Roswell is a hilarious and tense ride, packed with running jokes, clueless UFOlogists, Men in Black, casinos, applications of the Code of the West, and discussions of what we owe to each other. You’ll laugh; you’ll get misty-eyed; you’ll cheer the heroes. Seriously, I can’t praise this book highly enough, but then, you’re always in good hands with Connie Willis.

As always, Connie Willis is a delight. I enjoyed this book so much! I always know I"m going to get fun, interesting sci fi from her, and this was no different.

What a joy to finally get a new Connie Willis novel! I've been hearing her talk at conventions about The Road to Roswell for what seems like a decade now, and I've read all her other novels and many of her shorter fiction collections, and I thought I knew what I was in for. And yet the actual contents of this book were a constant surprise in a way I hope people will have the sense not to spoil.

In the broadest terms, this one starts with a woman named Francie who heads to Roswell, hoping to stop her best friend's wedding — her latest in a series of impulsive relationships with comedically terrible men. Along the way, Francie runs across a whole lot of alien-conspiracy theorists and true-believers, because the town's in the middle of a big UFO festival, and there have been recent sightings. So much of the opening chapters felt down-to-earth and centered compared to many of Connie Willis' books that I briefly thought this was going to be a big departure for her — but then things get weird.

And when the surprises start (surprises given away in the official description of this novel, so look out), the story heads into the manic, slapstick territory Willis has become so well known for, with characters endlessly and constantly talking over each other and no one doing much listening, and the protagonist living in a beleaguered state of chaos. The book just keeps escalating, with nonstop demands, constantly shifting circumstances, and an increasingly quick pace. Yes, it's all pretty silly. Yes, the characters make a lot of decisions that wouldn't make much sense outside of an over-the-top comedic novel. And yes, that's fine — no one should be looking to a book like this for gritty realism or deep insights into human nature.

What readers should be looking for here is a voice that's so distinctive, specific, and recognizable that only Connie Willis can pull it off. I'd really missed that voice, and the way her books bang strong personalities against each other until sparks fly. This is a very light novel (up until the abrupt and rather startling end, which leaves a lot of questions behind), but it's a fun one, and a welcome one after so many years.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC. This book is scheduled to release on June 27 2023

4.5/5

This book was so much fun! I actually enjoyed this quite a bit more than I anticipated. "Rom Com, as this book has been advertised in some places, is not my favorite genre. This book has it all though! It has elements of romance, comedy, science fiction, mystery, adventure road trip, and more! One of my all time favorite books is "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir and "Rocky" from that book is an all time favorite character of mine. A character in this book reminded me of him some and just made me smile. This is a very charming book. I'm usually someone that likes the "harder sci-fi" that explains all of the science in detail. This book does not really do that (it does explain some things but not to that level of detail). However, despite my personal taste, I absolutely did not mind. I highly recommend this book! It was such a fun, exciting, charming read!

I was looking forward to reading because I recently moved to New Mexico and I have a thing about paranormal writing but I can’t get into this book. It was like a comic telling the same bad joke over and over again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy. Not going to lie, aliens and Roswell and X-files stuff is not my cup of tea, so this book was definitely out of my comfort zone. I've also never read read a book by this author before, however I really enjoyed this one. I loved Francie and Wade and Joseph and Eula Mae. I was not a fan of Lyle. The narrative moved along quickly and was well written. This was a fun story and I enjoyed the ending quite a bit. I'll definitely be recommending this book in the future.

This was a pretty fun read! Sometimes the real friends are the fellow alien abductees you meet along the way, and also the alien. Very fun cast of characters and really funny alien lore.

THE ROAD TO ROSWELL by SF champion and multiple award winning Connie Willis is an uproarious, rip-roarious Contemporary SF/Romantic-Comedy/Road-Trip romp throughout New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and back to New Mexico again.

It all started with wedding plans: no, not the protagonist's! Francie flies to New Mexico to be Maid of Honor to best friend/college roommate Serena (who has a history of poor choice). Serena's wedding is planned for Roswell's first week of July UFO Festival, and she's marrying a UFO True Believer! Francie is determined to stop her, until Francie herself encounters out-of-this-world trouble! I could hardly catch my breath for laughing and beaming throughout this novel. So refreshing, so riveting!

Connie Willis is back at it with wacky hijinks and romance. A cute little alien road-trip diversion for your summer.

This book wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, however it was fun overall. If you’re looking for a true alien focused book, I wouldn’t say this is for you. It’s very silly and light hearted and more of a road trip book. Great book to read while on vacation.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC of The Road to Roswell in exchange for an honest review!
The Road to Roswell took me completely by surprise in the best way. I went in pretty blind, having requested the book based off of genre filters and the title/cover art, which heavily imply some sort of alien aspect. This book had me laughing out loud multiple times. I enjoyed the diversity of the casts' personalities, and the way the events unfolded and connections were made was so incredibly well done. This was also such a unique approach to aliens even with all the references to actual conspiracies and alien pop culture. I would absolutely recommend this story to anyone who's looking for a fun adventure. Easy five stars.

I love Connie Willis, and she obviously loves screwball comedies with sci-fi elements. I wasn't as big a fan of her previous book, Crosstalk, because I found the main character to be kind of an idiot in many ways. I'm happy to say that I had much more fun with The Road to Roswell.

Francie is in Roswell to be the Maid of Honor for her somewhat flighty college roommate Serena. Serena has a habit of picking the wrong guys, and this one just happens to be a UFO nut. Francie considers it her duty to be around as a sounding board while Serena talks herself out of the marriage. In the meantime she's stuck in a terrible bridesmaids dress and being forced to fight her way through hordes of people who are in town for the local UFO festival. Of course all of her plans go out the door when she is sent out to the car to pick something up and is abducted by a real life alien. The alien looks kind of like a tumbleweed, and seems to have very little idea of where it actually wants to go or what it needs to do, except to insist that Francie act as driver. Along the increasingly bizarre road trip they pick up several more travelers, visit a few casinos, watch a lot of westerns, and learn to communicate. There's also a bit of a romance for Francie alongside the adventure.

The Road to Roswell is a low stakes comedy that owes a lot to both western movies and golden age Hollywood comedies (think, It Happened One Night or Bringing up Baby). Like many of Connie Willis' stories there is a large focus on missed connections and communication (or lack thereof). All of the characters along for the ride are entertaining, and though it did take awhile for them to get somewhere I didn't really mind because the trip was fun to read. Francie is a sweet main character who just wants to help her new friend, while still making time to hopefully stop Serena from marrying the UFO nut. The story is frequently very silly, so if you're looking for a serious first contact story then you might want to go elsewhere. This is just a fun road trip with a very eclectic group that includes a few aliens who communicate partially in dialogue from western movies. It's fun, quick moving, and has no major drama or danger. A perfect non stressful read for fans of Connie Willis, golden age Hollywood, or those occasional comedic episodes of the X-Files.