Member Reviews
This is a really cute story about 2 vanlife influencer women who are portraying the perfect image online while trying to navigate complicated life situations.
Coral is under pressure from her workaholic mechanic parents to prove she can make a living posting videos of her living an adventurous life in her camper van. She made an agreement with them that she would be earning a decent salary in a year or she would have to sell her van and work for them…that deadline is quickly approaching. Ruby has a channel about intentionality, but secretly is extremely anxious about helping to support her mom and some major mechanical issues with her van.
When Coral suggests a joint road trip to increase their subscribers, Ruby jumps at the chance. In the moments when the cameras are not rolling, Coral and Ruby realize they get along very well and are both thankful to be making a friend. Then their viewers pick up on a flirty vibe and they decide to fake a relationship. Cue the drama.
Ultimately this was a very easy and lovely book. It was also a reflection on the life of being an influencer. Can you be fully yourself as an influencer? The characters grapple with questions of identity and how much they can share of themselves while still being true to themselves.
I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Road Trip Agreement is a fun slow burn sapphic romance, mixing some classic tropes in a unique way. From fake dating to the road trip setting, I loved this take on these tropes, while following two social media influencers
Ruby and Coral are both interesting characters, and I like that they are somewhat different than what you’d expect when you hear the term “social media influencer,” especially considering who grabs the most media attention. Obviously, there is some exaggeration of their lives and stretching the truth implied by the premise of them dating to begin with, but they are otherwise less dramatic. Ruby is very popular, with a million subscribers due to her following, but is also struggling with her mother’s health and medical debt. Coral, while somewhat newer to the game, is also starting to make her mark, although her parents have given her a year to prove she can make it, or have to give it up. I liked how this created a realistic premise for not just a collaboration, but a foundation for their fake relationship.
They have their differences, clashing while in proximity with one another, but they also have similarities that see them bonding over the course of their trip. The tension between them was well developed, and I appreciate the way their interpersonal issues were tied in with the pressures from the media, especially with the fear of their deception being discovered.
I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to fans of sapphic contemporary romance, especially if you enjoy fake dating and road trip romances!
The Road Trip Agreement was an informative book about van life and how You Tube content creators generate income, or for some, a living while sharing content online. The two main characters were young and interested in expanding their viewership and income for some immediate reasons. They form a plan of how to make that happen.
I enjoyed their tour up and down a portion of the West coast and looked up each city, State Park, and tourist stop mentioned. 4 stars
I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Ylva and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Both Ruby and Coral are content creators who focus on van life and while they love what they do they're both in a rut. They're struggling for subscribers and want to figure out a way to make a living out of this. Carol, who has a deal with her parents and a deadline to contend with, comes up with the idea of collaborating with Ruby. They have very much different styles of filming, but hope this change will be enough to get what they're aiming for.
This is a opposites attract, fake dating story that I couldn't put down. Both women are extremely different, from their personalities to their creator style, but their attraction is instant and the spark is there from get go. Seeing them balance their feelings with the fake dating scenario as they both realize it's leading to very real emotions was both entertaining and frustrating (a couple times I wanted to shake them for not talking lol).
The characters were well written and all of them, even side characters, had their own little arcs that added to the story and kept me rooting for all of them. The road trip they went on was also well written and I could almost see the scenery as the trio visited.
Overall a really great story for anyone looking for something sweet and light.
Fun way to have a forced proximity romance. Ruby and Coral are vanlife influencers with different focuses. Ruby has almost a million subscribers showcasing her cooking and simplistic living. Even though she is earning money most goes to help her mother and clear medical debt. Coral at 24 is a year younger and has been building her base for almost a year. Her focus is on adventure and natural beauty. Her parents gave her a year to be able to earn a certain dollar amount or she needs to return and work for the family business. Coral in hopes of growing her brand with clicks suggests a combined road trip with the more established Ruby. It comes at the right moment when Ruby’s van is in need of repairs.
Together they set off for a trip showcasing the Oregon coast. Appearing in each others videos it is clear their audiences are seeing or hoping for sparks between the two. Are they willing to fake date to increase viewership? Is it fake dating if there is real attraction? I’ve traveled the Oregon coast more than once and the author highlights the setting well. I could easily imagine camping there. The romance feels realistic. They have differing concerns and goals, slowly share things about themselves. They are still in their younger twenties so the ending feels more like a potential HEA but I was happy to journey with them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.
Coral Lavoie was given a year by her parents to make her #vanlife influencer / content creator lifestyle work before they would make her give it up for a career with real promise. They bought the van for her, so she doesn't have a lot of choice. But her social media presence isn't bringing in enough money to pay the bills.
Ruby Hayashi, a minimalist vlogger, has over a million followers, but her finances are in dire straights because she keeps helping out her mom. Her mom is a capable woman, but has been struggling with bills since Ruby's dad died. When Ruby's van breaks down and needs a new pricy transmission, she's at a loss of what to do about her money situation. She doesn't have any other skills or job experience to fall back on.
Coral and her sister are brainstorming ideas on how to bring in more money with her channel, and they decide a road trip with another vlogger might be a good idea, and Coral reaches out to Ruby. She's completely out of her league, but it doesn't hurt to reach for the impossible, does it?
The two agree to terms for the road trip, and after some awkward adjustments, start to become friends. Ruby is surprised when she finds out that Coral is a lesbian too, and their viewers seem to notice the flirting, so they start fake dating.
This was a really cute read. I really loved both of the women and their very different personalities and approaches to life. Shout out to Calvin the adorable dog! This was a fun slow burn. If you like reading about social media influencers, van life, or any type of sapphic slow burn romance, this one will earn your thumbs up! 👍👍👍
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!
This book was such a fun escape. I felt like I was on the road trip with Ruby and Coral! I loved having Google Maps open while reading and following their road trip with them.
I enjoyed seeing the YouTube/content creation angle of the book - it's still fairly unique in terms of profession for book characters and I liked seeing the realistic struggles of what being a content creator entails,
I felt the book could have been a bit longer and the gossip bombshell that the relationship was fake could have been addressed more. The characters were frustrated and stressed but it ultimately felt glossed over and never was addressed in the end. Additionally, I would have liked the epilogue to be more than two months after the conclusion of the book.
Even though I'm older than both MCs, I felt like there were aspects of each character that I could identify and empathize with.
I really enjoyed it I loved how completely different it was it’s the first book I’ve read of this kind. I loved the characters and how much they grow, the story was beautiful
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this exciting book
coral and ruby love the life of a vanbloggers, where they both live on the open road and in their vans.... just living the life travelling and exploring and showing the people online what they have seen and experienced
its all about the numbers.... and paying viewers
but coral isnt hitting the numbers that she really needs to pay and her agreement with her parents is about to run out
and ruby, well she has the viewers and the numbers but life is getting complicated with her mom
so they played the game and did a joint journey together in one van hoping to get their viewing figures up but life is about to serve them a curve ball....
a fun read and the life on the road was made very exciting by this book
looking forward to reading more from this author
The Road Trip Agreement by Tiana Warner was one amazing read!
Everything about this book was so fun.
The romance, our characters, their relationship was just perfect. The chemistry between them was amazing.
Tiana Warner’s writing was engaging. And I wanted to do nothing but devour this story.
It is an easy going, cute, sweet, and fast read. This book is so feel good. I flew through it because I just felt so happy while reading it.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Thank You NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
The Road Trip Agreement is a sweet, slow burn romance with a healthy dose of personal growth and a dash of family drama. Set in the Pacific Northwest, the scenery is lush and vibrant and the chemistry between the leads is palpable. Oh and there’s even an adorable dog who stars as both the comic relief and the ultimate judge of character. (Obviously one must pass the dog test before being deemed trustworthy enough to travel in a van with for a couple of weeks).
This was my first book by the author Tiana Warner, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Her writing is immersive but still easy to digest. She also did a very good job with character building and growth, which can be lacking in a rom-com. I understood why both women had the motivations they did and the 3rd act drama felt natural, as did the resolution.
While I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as an enemies to lovers or an ice queen romance, Ruby IS a bit of an ice princess. The best part of this book is the journey of Ruby and Coral getting to know and warm up to each other, and ultimately falling in love. It takes them a little while to get there but this book does have some spice and it’s scorching!
Pick this up if you’re looking for a weekend romance read that delivers on the sweet AND spicy! As a bonus you’ll receive a unique insight into the life of a social media content creator, vanlife, and the gorgeous scenery of the Pac NW. 4.5 stars!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own.
This book follows the story of Ruby and Coral's influencer road trip. The book itself is a very quick read, hovering somewhere between a Novella and short novel length, which makes the pages fly by while keeping you engaged in the storyline. The chapters alternate between Ruby and Coral's POV, which was a lot of fun, but was told entirely in third person, rather than the first person POV. I found this a little distracting in the beginning, bouncing from one character's mind to the other's while still in third person, but after a couple of chapters you quickly adjust.
The characters are vanlife influencers in the YouTube space, but on opposite ends of the spectrum - one is very minimalist/wellness centric, while the other focuses on the adventures and unpredictability of life. They decide to work together in an effort to build each of their audiences, but their budding romance builds itself into fake-dating, opposites-attract, and forced-proximity tropes.
Overall I really enjoyed the lighthearted, whimsical romance and tropes in this book, and especially loved to see it with diverse and sapphic characters! I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a quick romance or an easy palate cleanser.
I was really looking forward to this one! I’m a sucker for a good adventure story and I got it in here. The romance between the characters was very well written and the spicy scenes were great as well.
5/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🚐📹👩🏽🍳🛠️🐕
Two lesbian social media van life influencers agree to go on a road trip to help each other gain more followers and teach each other different ways to get more content. One is Canadian, and the other is an Asian American. One is out to her fanbase, loves being adventurous, and spontaneous, and has her van to lose, thanks to an agreement she made with her parents. The other is more quiet about her personal life on screen, likes to plan each and everything thing to the last detail, and has a beautiful rescue dog who has trust issues.
Favorite tropes are thrown into this book, such as forced proximity and fake dating, but you also get a glimpse of what it is like for famous people when their fan ship two people together, and just how wonderful it is to see two lesbians it is on screen... The book was cute and I enjoyed the characters, Carol and Ruby. I thought their dynamics worked for each other, and I absolutely loved the way the trust of the dog for Carol grew at the same time as Ruby's.
I loved the scenes, and the support families, even though Carol's parents made the initial business agreement for her influential van life, though it all works out in the end.
Just a cute book!
Thank you to Netgalley, Ylva Publishing, and Tiana Warner for the copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.
This was so lighthearted and sweet. I enjoyed the scenery descriptions and the adventure feels.
I loved the clashing personalities between Coral and Ruby. And how they each pushed each other to be better people and to go outside of their comfort zones.
The romance in this book had a great build up and the spice scene was really well written and super enjoyable!
I also think this was the perfect length for a romance book, not too long and not novella.
A sapphic book about two #vanlife YouTubers who go on a road trip to try to get more views/money.
The plot and characters are predictable but it’s what I’d want in a quick, light hearted holiday read.
A very unique romance novel that takes place on a road trip. I enjoyed the modern contemporary aspects, especially the vlogging descriptions. I feel as if this book has a lot of potential to grow popular and receive positive feedback. A good message as well.