In The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary, When Addie decided to spend the summer as a caretaker at a gorgeous villa in 
Provence four years ago, she had no idea that she was about to fall helplessly in love with a sensitive man who writes poetry. Or that their tumultuous romance would go down in flames two years later. Addie hasn’t seen Dylan since that fateful night. And try as she might, she just can’t keep him out of her mind–even as badly as things between them ended. Then a fender bender on an English motorway happens while Addie, her sister Deb, and their rideshare companion Rodney, are on the way to a wedding in Scotland. Who happens to be driving the car that hit them? Dylan and his best friend–her nemesis–Marcus. And that was only the first stroke of bad luck on a trip that goes way wrong, all too quickly.
‘I’ve forgotten what it’s like to want someone like this. Has anyone else ever made me feel this way? Will anyone else ever make me feel this way again? God, what an awful thought.’
Dylan can’t believe he wrecked his best friend’s Mercedes–with his best friend in the car–or that it was his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle he hit on their trip to a wedding in Scotland. He also can’t believe that the best option they have is for him and Marcus to squeeze into the Mini with three other people. It could prove to be a long trip. Much as Dylan hates to admit it to himself, he still cares very deeply for Addie. And feels horrible about how things between them imploded. But as the quintet overcomes one hurdle after another on their trek to Scotland, attraction is still sizzling between Dylan and Addie. After time apart and months to think things through, he’s ready to talk it out. Whatever the outcome, he knows they’ll be better off having cleared the air, once and for all.
‘She is wild and clever, sharp and bright, always twisting out of my reach. She isn’t mine. I’m hers.’
The Road Trip was a second chance romance laced with humor, miscommunication, and a carful of quirky Brits with some seriously bad luck. Beth O’Leary laid on the charm and the feels in this standalone novel.
‘If one could harness secrets for energy, we wouldn’t need petrol–we’d have enough grudges in this car to take us all the way to Scotland.’
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Road trip books seem to be all the rage lately and I’m loving the variety authors are giving us readers. Beth O’Leary managed to add even more drama to the trope with Addie and Dylan’s convoluted previous relationship that ended almost two years prior. The story flips back and forth between their past and the present, building the tension bit by bit until we understand the crux of the issues that came between the couple. And boy were there issues. Some were caused by Dylan and Addie themselves, while other problems were because of someone in their close circle of friends.
There were a lot of layers to the story, with each character–not just Addie and Dylan–all making mistakes and dealing with their own situation. I’ll admit to wanting to yell at, well, just about each and every one of them at some point. (lol) But overall I laughed and shook my head more at their antics than anything. Addie’s sister Deb was an absolute hoot. She told it like it was but always had her sister’s back. Marcus, Dylan’s best friend, was the wild child/problem maker of the bunch who had no idea how to communicate his feelings in a healthy way. At all. Rodney was the oddball, using them as a rideshare from England to Scotland for the wedding. Although there was more to his being there than at first met the eye…
Then there was beta hero Dylan and pint-sized but still mighty Addie who hadn’t seen each other since their break up. I liked them both as individuals but it felt like when they first dated they both had some growing up to do. Things surrounding them were pretty toxic and it severely affected their relationship. Seeing how they had changed over time and how they began to comprehend all the details that came out about the events that broke them up twenty months before was something else to behold. I thought O’Leary handled the delicate issues with care while still digging into the darker, deeper emotions, pushing Addie and Dylan to finally face the mess that was made.
Laughs were had, tears were shed, and there were happy sighs all around upon finishing The Road Trip. If you’re looking for the perfect beach read, look no further than Beth O’Leary’s latest madcap adventure.
QOTD: Are you a fan of offbeat ensemble casts who all play a part in the story? Or do you prefer the hero and heroine to be the major focus with little interference from secondary characters?
Book Info:
Publication: Expected publication: June 1, 2021 | Berkley |
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.
