The Road Trip
By: Beth O’Leary
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): What if the end of the road is just the beginning?
Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry's enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven't spoken since.
Today, Dylan's and Addie's lives collide again. It's the day before Cherry's wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland--he'll never get there on time by public transport.
So, along with Dylan's best friend, Addie's sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart--and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.
First Impressions
I loved O’Leary’s debut The Flatshare. She immediately became a favorite author for me. I was slightly let down with The Switch, which I enjoyed but not as much as The Flatshare. When I read the summary for her newest novel I got very excited. Plus how cute is this cover! Right up my alley.
What I thought
I am so happy this was my first book of the year!
Addie and her sister are on a road trip to their friend’s wedding in Scotland. Dylan and Malcom are on a road trip to their friend’s wedding in Scotland. Until Dylan and Malcom crash into Addie and her sister’s car. Dylan and Addie haven’t seen each other since they broke up almost two years ago, and now they have to spend 8+ hours in a car together.
I loved this book. It alternated between the past, when Addie and Dylan’s relationship started and how it progressed, and the present, the actual road trip. The pacing of books like this can sometimes be off, leaving you to want to focus more on one timeline than the other but this book hit it just right. I was equally happy bouncing back and forth between the past and the present trying to figure out what happened and what was going to happen.
Addie was an interesting character. I couldn’t quite figure her out, but I think that was part of the point. At one point, she realizes that she may not be as obvious and outgoing with her feelings as she thinks that she is and I really related to that. I so often feel like how I feel about someone is blatantly obvious and then I find out it’s not.
There also were a few shenanigans towards the end which made me laugh. O’Leary does a really nice job of weaving in serious storylines with romance. It strikes a balance of fun and light with substance and heavier material that then doesn’t feel overly heavy.
This book was so great. I couldn’t put it down and felt satisfied the entire time. I had a string of really bad reads, so this felt extra delicious. I’m so happy that I loved this book because I had worried a little bit that O’Leary might be a one off author for me, but now I know she can continue to be an automatic read. If you like romantic stories with heart, you should definitely check this one out. It’s a little lighter than The Flatshare but still just as touching.