Thank you NetGalley, Joanna Bolouri and Bookouture for my ARC.

'The Weekend Trip' is a delightful story that follows 5 university friends that reconnect in Ireland; at the house they spent their final night as a group in. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and actually put it as my top read for August! It was sweet and funny, but also covered deeper subjects.
As much as I enjoyed the book, it felt at times that there was a bit too much going on. I struggled at points to keep up with remembering which character had done what/ who they were. This was mainly due to the book being written in 3rd person. I feel as though if there had of been more structured POVs, it would've been easier to follow. That being said, I do really recommend this book!! Especially to 3rd person lovers!

This story has five protagonists and they do have a chance to have their say throughout this book. Erin is a well-known actress and after her husband’s death, she decides to arrange a reunion of her university friends. Alex is a best-selling author and kind of star of this story. Becky is a lesbian massage therapist and a super spiritual person. Beth is a teacher and has the most common sense in the group, she also suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. Tara is an ex-drug addict who suffers from low self-esteem and is incredibly selfish. It is a very colourful bunch of friends who haven’t seen each other for the past 10 years and have plenty of catching up to do. All of the characters have a wide variety of issues that they are trying to deal with, and this trip to the Irish seaside is a kind of escape for them all. I really liked the characters chosen for this book apart from Tara, she was the most annoying one. :D

The plot of this book did not seem very original as I read similar books in the past, but if there would be a film ever created it would be a fun story to watch. Some sexual tension and romance were going on but I think this book was more character-driven because there was more attention to the character’s lives and their past than the plot in general. There was a wide variety of topics touched on in this book, such as MS and how it impacts one's life, mother–daughter relationship issues, drug use, low self-esteem, rekindling old friendships, grief and many more. I have a friend with MS and it helped me to understand how this illness operates and how one's life changes very quickly. :(

I enjoyed the writing style of this book, it was detailed, enjoyable and creative as well as touching important topics. The chapters are quite short and it was a quick read. I liked the setting of the book but the Irish slang used in the book such as “what's the craic” gave me the “ick”, to me, it seems that the author tried too hard and it does not sound natural.

The Weekend Trip by Joanna Bolouri was a fun and fast beach/vacation read! I laughed out loud multiple times and enjoyed following along on these longtime friends beachfront reunion!

Did I like this book? Of course. Was I confused by how many characters there are? Sometimes. Don't let that discourage you from reading this book about college friends who have met up after a decade apart. This was enjoyable - and if you like a group cast in a book, this is for you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This novel was captivating to get me to read it in the first place however that's where it stopped. The writing style felt all over the place plus there was far too many main characters, what do we focus on, trying to remember each character, then trying to see how their personality stands or the plot? It should be all 3.

I think I was most invested in Alex's story and her relationship with Aiden; it was a shame the story wasn't more evenly spread across the characters- I feel like it was quite surface level at times, particularly Erin who I feel we didn't get to know very well.

Five college friends from Ireland get together for a weekend reunion at recently widowed Erin's cottage in Kerry. They've not had much contact or seen each other for 10 years, since they shared a house at university in Dublin.
It turns out that Tara's new boyfriend is the mystery man that Alex had a spark with on the flight over. Cue fireworks all round, secrets revealed, old rivalries stoked and friendships unravelling.

There's going to be someone here you will identify with at some point, whether it's Becky trying to mould herself into her girlfriend's preferences, having a partner who constantly criticises or undermines you; Tara, the life and soul of the party; Erin, feeling a bit lost with the scale of facing life without her husband; or Beth, who is trying her hardest not to let on what she's struggling with.
The best part of this book for me was how it accurately describes the reality of trying to hold onto old friendships when you're all growing apart in different directions and moving on.
And 10/10 for the MS rep, I felt it demonstrated well how debilitating the illness is and how hard it is for others to understand.
Because of the heavy topics it wasn't the fun escapist read I was expecting from the marketing blurb, and it definitely didn't have the humour of The List, but enjoyable nonetheless.

We join a bunch of pals on a reunion weekend in a beachfront house in Ireland. There are five longtime pals and two newcomers and a bit of a situation. i genuinely laughed out loud at this book, its full of gasps, giggles and romance.

<i>The Weekend Trip </i> was such a lovely, fast read. It was all about female friendship, connecting to people that were so important in your life at one point. They all meet again 10 years after their high school graduation and we get to see how their lives have been and if they are where they wanted to be.

The characters were overall quite likable, and the supporting characters, Paul and Aiden, were great, too.

I am not a big fan of Instalove, so Aidan/ Alex's instant forbidden romance could've played better.

It was a bit difficult at first to keep up with the characters, especially with Becky / Beth, I always confused them.

The writing style was easy to follow, straight-to-the-point, and relaxing. Loved that.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for a review.

In 2012, five friends party to celebrate the end of university. A decade later, they decide to meet up again but their lives have changed considerably from what they expected...
The Weekend Trip is a warm book about friendship and the strength of love.
Erin's husband has died. Becky is pretending to be someone she's not to keep her girlfriend happy. Beth has been diagnosed with MS but is keeping it a secret. Tara is out of rehab and is in a new relationship. Alex is a successful author but her love life is non-existent until she meets a stranger on the plane.
The group of friends all had such hope and expectation ten years ago. But the reality of their lives is very different. There is a huge amount of emotion in this book and I'm sure every reader will identify with the gaping chasm between our plans and reality. I felt an underlying sadness at the distance between the friends which has developed naturally as their lives took them in different directions.
This book also raises awareness of MS which is a disease I had heard of but not understood the severity of the symptoms. Beth doesn't want to be defined by her illness or elicit sympathy from her friends. Although I empathised with her situation, I was sad that she didn't feel she could be honest with her friends, and also that the group hadn't supported each other in the past decade. I thought Beth's husband Paul was amazing for his dedication and devotion as well as his humour.
The Weekend Trip is an enjoyable and emotional book about the power of friendship.

A little bit chaotic in the first few chapters, the different characters and time periods took some getting used to and did not start to make sense until the book got going. The book is about a reunion of university houseshare friends . They have had ups and downs and have not really been in touch for the last years. Every one of them has a secret and/or a big upheaval in the time period since leaving university.
As I previously mentioned the book is chaotic and disjointed at first, difficult to keep track of who is who and what their problems are/were . None of the characters are particularly deeply portrayed though you do get more detail as the book goes on. I found myself wondering why they had so little contact in the last years if they were supposed to be such bosom buddies and why they were not sharing their troubles. This was eventually remedied though. This is a fairly light and easy read and as such was fairly entertaining, if you enjoy reading about alcohol consumption and reminicing about university days. I did not think the deeper problems of grief or relationship problems were particularly well dealt with and there was little description of the locations either, though no doubt a huge house with private beach in County Kerry is bound to be stunning .
So a bit hit and miss for me , though it did not take much concentration or effort to read . Thanks to NEt Galley for the ARC

Such a fun and uplifting laugh out loud read! 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘱 has a bit of everything you need in a book, romance, friendship, drama, real life issues!

In a nutshell you have 5 best friends that met during university and instantly hit it off. As friendships go that went about their lives and lost contact and 10 years later they reunite, with new lives, relationships and life changing issues.

I loved how everything was portrayed, the reality of how friendships work and even though everyone would love the perfect friendship, it’s not a reality and there’s always drama involved somewhere, even after 10 years of little to no contact.

I also loved the disability representation too, it was done beautifully and showed the reality of how life altering disabilities can be and how hard they can come to terms with when they come out of nowhere.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the story and can’t wait to read more from Joanna!

DNF at 25%

Unfortunately, I found the book quite slow with characters and writing that didn't really engage me. It didn't help there were two characters named Beth and Becky and that was enough for me to get confused as to who was who. It would have helped if the chapters had the pov written beneath.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Are you still in contact with any of your school friends? I've been best friends with mine now for nearly forty four years!

When five best friends vow to keep in touch, life gets in the way, so when they're invited along for an overdue catch-up...yup, it's about to get interesting!

The Weekend Trip is big on romance, along with fun, humour and friendships. It's heartwarming, with a fantastic bunch of friends, I found them to be realistic, relatable and a definite reminder of how you change over time, but you never leave friends behind.

Highly entertaining and such an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a quick read, but very enjoyable. The premise was interesting. Five college roommates reunite 10 years after they have last seen each other. They have not been in touch and are keen to rekindle their relationships, and see what has happened in each other’s lives. Partners are invited which leads to some interesting situations and mix ups. Another enjoyable read from Joanna Bolouri. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

I absolutely loved this book! An absolute fun read focused on a group of women friends 10 years after graduating from University in Dublin who promised to keep in touch - and well, we know how that goes. They each get busy living their lives and dealing with life's inevitable ups and downs. I kept imaging these characters could be the girls from "Derry Girls" all grown up (and I was sad when the show ended!). Similar to that series, there are many funny bits as well as poignant, romantic and passages that made me cry. The relationship struggles and dialogue are really realistic and the romantic parts are just delicious. I could not put this book down. I just bought her previous book and can't wait to read it. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC and I left this review vountarily.

It’s been ten years since Erin, Beth, Becky, Tara and Alex were together in Ireland at Erin’s beach home. They were friends in college, but then all went their separate ways to live their lives. Erin plans a reunion for the women along with their current partners.

Not everyone has a partner, but it still should be a fun reunion. However, things don’t quite go the way Erin anticipates and tempers flare. She fears none of their friendships will ever be the same after this one weekend.

This is a hard one to write a synopsis for since I don’t want to give anything away. It is a book about friendships. Very real friendships that aren’t always perfect. Sometimes they can be downright combative.

I really liked all of the main characters. Each character is so completely different than the other. It’s surprising, yet refreshing, to see friends get along even with their differences. Each character is in a realistic situation.

There’s a nice mixture of romance, humor and drama. I was captivated through the entire book and wanted to see how it would all work out.

I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I’ll certainly be looking for her backlist. A very satisfying read for me.












FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a really cute read about a rag-tag group of friends! I loved following each of their storylines, and seeing the deep care and love they have for each other despite growing apart over time. Seeing them reconnect was truly beautiful.

A new Joanna Bolouri book…yes please!! I state this is all reviews for this author, but she is one of my faves and so reliable when it comes to funny, feel good romance reads.

The Weekend Trip was another success. A story of a group of uni friends who have a reunion weekend ten years after university. Secrets and hidden truths are revealed and their friendships are tested along the way.

Only one small negative for me, it felt like a lot of characters were introduced in a short space and I had trouble remembering who each person was. However, as the book progressed this became much easier.

Characters were unique and well described. Their personalities were written clearly and contributed to the story.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Weekend Trip' by Joanna Bolouri.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Joanna Bolouri, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous


Publication date 7th August 2023


This is the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be my last!!!


This novel consists of a prologue and 45 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


Wow!! Check out this absolutely laugh out loud perfect summer read!!!

This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions and stunning surroundings I was absolutely captivated throughout. The cover and the synopsis work perfectly with the storyline.

I absolutely loved this absolutely fantastic and hilarious feel good book! Joanna's evocative writing skills ensures the reader disappears into the storyline with the are and characters coming ito life all around you. She leaves you smelling the sea air, feeling the sun on your skin and leaves you with a smile on your face and feeling much lighter and happier than before you started. It is one of those books that are rammed with feel good moments, laughter fun, friendship and absolutely everything that you could ever want in an addictive must read! The storyline is realistic and down to earth and the setting is picturesque. I was absolutely sucked in from the first to the last page of this laugh out loud feel good page turner. On several occasions I had to remind myself I was actually in the house and not on a holiday in Ireland as I was that lost in the storyline!! It is one of those books that I just could not put down and I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands. Every time I thought I will just read one more chapter and then get on with some chores it ended in a way that there was no way I could leave it there so I had to read another and then the same happened until I very sadly came to the last page and its absolutely fantastic ending. I genuinely felt like I was on holidays and I was devastated when I came to the end and realised I'd have to pack my suitcase to leave gorgeous Ireland and return to rainy Wales after a stunning getaway. I am hoping she is busy writing her next book and I'm looking forward to escaping into more of her past and future successes!!! Each and every one of the characters are strong and realistic and thanks to Joanna's evocative writing skills they all came to life, jumping of the pages and sucking me deep into their lives. Whether I loved them or hated them they all came together to make a perfect story.

A stunning story of friendship, romance,laughter and so much more!! I absolutely love, love, LOVED it!! Grab the tissues ready for the tears of laughter and emotions and get stuck into this beautiful story of 5 friends meeting up after 10 years apart 💜


The characters are all realistic, a mix of strong personalities, memorable and larger than life. I loved watching the different interactions between Alex, Erin, Beth, Tara and Becky. They had completely different personalities but they compliment each other perfectly. There were so many characters that I also loved and are going to stay in my mind for a long time. Each of the characters had completely different personalities and I absolutely LOVED IT!! All of these characters and more make this an unforgettable, stunning book that will have you laughing, swooning, smiling and so much more!! They all came to life before my eyes and I am really hoping we get to meet them all again!!!



Joanna congratulations on an absolutely fantastic novel and welcome to my top author list. Your book is a page turning laugh out loud and soul lifting success and I cannot wait to get stuck into more of your books!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Joanna's 'Bootcamp For Broken Hearts' which promises to be just as brilliant as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!

Overall an absolutely gorgeous book that will lift your heart and spirit. A page turning, addictive compelling novel that will leave you wanting more


300 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon,at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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The Weekend Trip by Joanna Bolouri is a story about reconnection. Reconnection with the people who knew the real you and reconnection ourselves with the real us too. There is some romance as well, and the comedy comes from the hilariousness in some situations.

Erin, Becky, Beth, Alex, and Tara were roommates in Uni and were best friends. Though they keep in touch, they are not as close once they start living their adult life. Set in Ireland, Erin's grandfather's house plays an important role in the novel. Erin invites all of them one last time before she sells this house. What ensues is this book about.

I really enjoyed this novel. I could see some of my best friends in these different characters, and I want to do a trip with them now. There are vulnerabilities in each of these characters, which is very real. They want to share all their problems and worries, but the fear that they have not been in touch with each other keeps them back. It's a story about friendships and connecting with your framily.

Thank you, Bookouture and Netgalley, for this book.