A Thousand Miles — Books, Beauty, & Buys

By: Bridget Morrissey
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

I was provided this novel in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Dee Matthews is the cohost of the smash-hit podcast Did I Forget To Tell You?, where she interviews family, friends, and past lovers. Nothing is off limits, except for one man (known on the show only as Name Redacted) who happens to be her high school best friend Ben. During their senior year spring break, Dee and Ben took a road trip to visit Ben's grandma. They buried a time capsule in her backyard, pledging to return in ten years to open it. Then their friendship fell apart in spectacular fashion. They haven't spoken to each other since.

Ben Porter's life since that moment has been unexciting but comfortable, until his grandma reveals a family secret that flips his whole world upside down. Her dying wish is for him to stop doing what is safest and go after what he really wants. He starts by showing up on Dee's doorstep with every intention of fulfilling their long-ago promise. Despite her reservations, Dee can't say no. This trip could be her chance to give her listeners the Name Redacted interview they've been begging for--and finally put her unresolved feelings for Ben to rest.

As the miles fly by, Dee and Ben's friendship reignites. But the closer they get to reaching their destination, the more apparent it becomes that their attraction to each other cannot be ignored. Their last adventure ended in disaster, and they're about to find out if any hope of a future together is in the rear view mirror.

First Impression

This cover is cute though not my favorite. The summary is what really got to me. I’m a sucker for a road trip and a reignited romance.

What I thought

I loved this book. It was an absolute delight. The banter between these two was perfection.

Dee hosts a podcast with one of her friends about sharing secrets, yet she has the biggest secret of all. Her high school best friend Ben is referred to only as Name Redacted so no one knows who he is, yet she talks about him a lot. However, they have not talked to each other in 10 years. Their senior year spring break, they took a road trip to visit Ben’s Grandma and at the end of the trip they promised to take the same trip 10 years later. Then shortly after the trip they get into a fight and never talk to each other again. Until Ben shows up at Dee’s doorstep asking her to take the trip with him again after his Gran has died.

The chemistry in this book just pops off the page and I loved it. Dee and Ben were so great together and I loved their relationship and their banter. I also loved their comfort together. Because they had been best friends growing up they immediately slipped back into the well worn friendship and I loved that. I also appreciated that they didn’t just ignore their past but they dealt with it and tried to work through it.

I was a bit surprised by how easily they fell back into their feelings, but I guess in a way they never went away. I wouldn’t have minded a little more resistance from Dee but I didn’t mind it. I did love that every few chapters we got to read a transcript from the podcast. I would love to listen to this podcast and I loved how it was connected to things that were occurring.

I think another reason I enjoyed this book so much is it starts in Chicago (I’m from the suburbs), involved the Cubs and a baseball game on a road trip, and also includes a cat. I was on a road trip with my friends while I read this book and there were so many moments that I loved that I would read out loud to my friends. I also read this book right after another romance novel and this one just blew it out of the water. I didn’t even have major issues with the conflict that they had. While it wasn’t my favorite type of conflict, I was ok with it and I appreciated how it ended up being resolved.