Review: The Road Trip

Title: The Road Trip
Author: Beth O’Leary
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two exes reach a new level of awkward when forced to take a road trip together in this endearing and humorous novel by the author of the international bestseller The Flatshare.

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.

Review:

Addie and Dylan met four years ago while staying at a friend’s villa in Provence. They had an instant connection and a whirlwind romance filled with miscommunication. Now, they have been broken up for a year and a half. While on the way to a mutual friend’s wedding, they end up having a car accident, totaling Dylan’s car. Dylan and his friend Marcus don’t have any other way to get to the wedding, which is an eight hour drive to Scotland. Addie and her sister Deb end up offering to drive Dylan and Marcus, along with Rodney, who is another guest who needs a ride to the wedding. As Dylan and Addie are forced to spend this road trip together, they must re-examine their relationship and figure out what went wrong.

This is another wonderful romance by Beth O’Leary. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Addie and Dylan. They’re both such passionate people in their own ways. Addie loves fiercely and Dylan is a hopeless romantic. Deb and Marcus were great contrasts to Addie and Dylan, both ready to shut the other down if they think they’re making the wrong choice. Rodney was also a hilarious random addition to the road trip.

This story alternated between Addie’s and Dylan’s perspectives, and between the timelines of their past relationship and the road trip happening now. I found the road trip to be a hilarious comedy of errors. Things kept going wrong in the best ways. These kinds of road trips are only funny in hindsight or when they aren’t happening to you, but they are fun to read about. The other narrative of their past relationship had a much more serious tone. There were lots of heavy feelings, like when they fell in love and when they broke up. There were also some tougher storylines, such as alcohol abuse and sexual assault. I kept finding myself waiting to get to the present narrative because it was more comedic. With the serious tone balanced with the funny moments, this story has something for everyone.

The Road Trip is the perfect summer read!

Thank you Berkley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Have you read The Road Trip? What did you think of it?