I really wanted to love this one. I loved the premise of the book and these parents who just want to find what happened to their daughter, but I just could not get into it. The pacing felt to slow, the story drawn out all to come to ending that just feels unsatisfactory. I found it hard to relate to these characters or feel invested. I had to force myself to finish as I was hoping that there would be some sort of turn and others seemed to really love it. This one just didn't do it for me. It took me a long time to finish. I think this is a personal one for me - maybe time or just the topic but it was not for me.

it took me a while to read this, because although i kept seeing positive reviews, the cover was not catching my eye. i'm sorry i waited so long though as this was a well written, insightful story told across Canada. The setting descriptions were so fantastic it felt like I was on the journey too.

I loved this. Such vivid writing. I feel like I just got home from this road trip. A compelling story that you care about. Fully fleshed out, complex characters that you care about. And characters that are real and messy and flawed and aren't necessarily likeable all the time. A book about adults written for adults that hasn't been dumbed down, that doesn't talk down to its reader. But also isn't overly complicated or pretentious or unapproachable. I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I certainly didn't expect to love it so much. I feel like this is one of those books that I'm going to wind up buying to gift to several people, and also I'm going to read everything by Sarah Leipciger.

Lovely "Road Trip" book, not the usual though. Kathleen and Yannick were married but haven't spoken for the past twenty years when something happens to bring them back together to make a road trip from Ontario to Vancouver Island . Their daughter Una has been missing for decades and now bones have been discovered. Throughout the book we get to know the characters as we reminisce with them about their lives together and what brought them to this point.

Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger is a powerful and heartbreaking character-driven novel featuring the grief and reconciliation of a divorced couple longing for answers.

Tragically, this is an all too familiar and realistic story of a young Canadian girl who goes missing. Her parents, remaining undeterred, are desperate for an explanation even after more than 7000 days since her disappearance. Frantic for answers, Kathleen and Yannick set off from Ontario to Vancouver Island in hopes that recently unearthed remains belong to their child.

While this is a book rooted in grief, it is also a story of re-connection; if wrapped in a bow, that bow would be comprised of healing fabric, as both Kathleen and Yannick come to their own individual resolve by the end of the novel. At the same time, this is also a love story to Canada; from the Northern Shield and Great Lakes, to the vast open prairies and meandering coulees, to the Rocky Mountains and unrelenting shores of the Pacific Ocean - Leipciger paints Canada as the beautiful and diverse country it is.

(Spoiler ahead.) As the ending drew nearer, I was desperate for a conclusion. The reader is provided one that is incredibly heartbreaking, but even more devastating is that both Kathleen and Yannick never receive the same answer.

Beautifully written, this is one story that won't soon be forgotten.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Viking for the complimentary copy tor read and review.

Thank you to @tandemcollectiveglobal for yet another amazing readalong for ‘Moon Road’ by @sarahleipcigerwrites.

They have been married, they’ve had a daughter, they’ve divorced, they stayed friends but then a tragedy pulls them apart and they lose their companionship for nineteen years. But then unforeseen news brings them back together…on a road trip across the country.

This novel is beautifully written, the characters are real and fun. Although the loss of their daughter is a significant part of the story, the author addresses many other topics such as dysfunctional families, divorces, renewal of old ties, love and grief.

The story can be heart-breaking at times however, the main characters, Kathleen and Yannick are so fun together that you still get moments where you’ll chuckle and smile.

I’ll say it again, this story is beautifully written and I highly recommend it! The detailed descriptions of driving across Canada and the humour between the main characters is exactly what’s needed in a heavily emotional book.

Thank you to @penguinrandomca for the copy! And thank you to the other lovely participants for this readalong for such great discussions!

I really liked this one. The author painted a picture of the Canadian landscape so well that I could smell it, and it made me long for a road trip. I loved the two main characters and loved their relationship. I ached for them as parents.

A sad tale about a journey two parents take to solve a mystery that has plagued them for years. It is heart breaking and entertaining all at the same time.

A truly wonderful story that covers a gamut of emotions within a family throughout a lifetime. An extraordinary couple lose a daughter but never give up hope she will one day return. After 20 years of separation and loss the parents come together again for one last attempt to find their daughter.

I loved how Kathleen and Yannick made their way thru Canada and listing off many places I have also been too and just knowing what they look like from personal experience made this book even better.

I cannot imagine the heart break and longing of a missing child. How do you go on when you have no real answers.

I stayed up way too late a few nights needing to know how Unas story ends.

Moon Road is a heartbreaking journey by a very realistic broken mother to find the answers to what happened to her missing daughter. Though she is nowhere near perfect and at times bitter and unlikable, your heart can't help but go out to her. The situations and encounters of making such a trip with her ex-husband is achingly real. I very much enjoyed the ride and recommend it to anyone who likes an emotional read.

Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger

* Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandom for providing an ebook in exchange of a honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The thing that I like tjhe best in books is when the autor takes the time to describe the settings and this book did that exactly. The description were so well done that you could almost feel like you knew the places.

Moon road is the story about an estranged couple who embark on a road trip from Ontario to British Colombia to hopefully lay to rest the mystery of their daughter who have been missing for 20 years.

I just had a little bit more expectation surrounding the quest but it is not a thriller.

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Moon Road is a moving exploration of grief, unresolved loss, and the elusive nature of closure. Following Katherine and Yannick—a once-married couple with a fractured past—as they embark on a cross-country journey to confront news of newly discovered human remains, the story brings their shared trauma to life. The remains, potentially belonging to their long-missing daughter Una, stir a delicate balance of hope and despair, forcing the characters to navigate both their intertwined past and the strained ties of a blended family.

The emotional landscape of Moon Road is beautifully rendered, with a nostalgic quality that rings true in the realistic portrayal of complex relationships and lingering parental guilt. Katherine and Yannick’s character are thoughtfully crafted and I enjoyed the Canadian references as they drove across the country.

While the writing is beautiful, the pacing sometimes slows, especially midway through the book, and there were moments where I found myself eager to skip ahead to stay engaged with the mystery. This novel is recommended for readers who enjoy literary fiction and are interested in a deep, reflective story about family, memory, and loss.

Thank you to the Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Moon Road was a wonderful book to read. So many emotions were playing with my mind while I was engrossed in this book. Kathleen and Yannick (separated since their daughter disappeared) don't have much in common anymore. Other than the heartache of loosing their child, they have not spoken to each other in years. That is until they have some unexpected news from the West Coast where their daughter was last seen.

They decide to see what this news is all about and drive from small town Ontario to BC to find out what exactly has happened and seeing if they can finally put to rest their search for a daughter that never came home and was never found.

This is an interesting book and takes you through the many aspects of grief and loss. Dealing with a question that never gets answered could have most of us pulling out our own hair.

The ending really surprised me and while Kathleen and Yannick are emerging from this, we find out the truth.

A great story for sure.

Kathleen and Yannick have not spoken since their daughter Una went missing. After 19 years news comes from across the country that Una may have been found the two of them travel together to find the truth.

Although at times the story seemed to drag - it also was able to captivate the heart. I loved how it showed us the story from the perspective of Una and her parents, I also loved how her parents went on a healing journey both together but also on their own.

It was a treat read a novel that took place in one of my favorite places. It was as though I could envision the story and see the beautiful scenery.

Rated 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Kathleen and Yannick have not spoken for nineteen years, not since their daughter Una went missing. When news comes from across the country that Una may have been found the two of them travel together to find the truth.
The chapters about “our girl” who lived in the trees gives the reader insight to Una’s life on her own, however the real depth to this book was the grief and healing of Kathleen and Yannick. I found the book slow moving and a bit boring.
If you looking for a satisfying mystery of Una’s disappearance you may not get this. However, if you want to read about long time loss and grief and healing you will enjoy this read.
Nice to read a novel by a Canadian author and identify with the country. I liked the quirkiness of Kathleen. Beautiful story about the name of the book. I liked that we found out what happened to Una in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this novel.

I feel like this story will stay with me for a while. It was beautifully written, the characters were well thought out and it was nice to see my home country (and province) featured so captivatingly. While this book had a slower pace, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a journey.

Kathleen and Yannick’s daughter has been missing for 22 years and they haven’t spoken in 19 years. When the RCMP contact them about Una’s possible remains in Tofino, Yannick convinces Kathleen to drive from Ontario to British Columbia to meet with the police and have Kathleen’s DNA tested against the remains. The novel seems slow initially but the story is well told. Initially bickering, they eventually reconcile. The descriptions of the scenery are beautiful.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t resonate with me. The pacing felt slow, and I kept pushing through hoping it would pick up, but it never quite grabbed my interest. There was a moment where I thought the story might turn around, but it didn’t deliver the payoff I was looking for. I could picture the characters in the real world, particularly Kathleen, but I didn’t find them likable or relatable, which made it hard to stay invested. Kathleen’s decisions frustrated me, and I struggled to connect with the story. I kept reading because I had seen some glowing reviews, but this book just wasn’t it. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the chance to read it, even though it wasn’t a match for me.

The book is a story about the parents of a young woman, Una, that goes missing in British Columbia in her early twenties. The parents have been estranged for almost twenty years, and then agree to drive together out west to give a DNA sample to hopefully identify some bones found in some wooded area near some natural hot springs. The story is the story of grief and healing, even when you don’t expect it. This is a very lovingly written book and a joy to read! 4.5 out of 5 stars!

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