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.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
My family. They’re like a bad cold I can’t shake, a dreadful pop song I can’t stop singing. How do I get rid of them?
Easy and casual is what I’m aiming for, and I think I come pretty close— or, at least, as close as one can get when making a huge effort to make no effort at all.
I don’t care about almost. I care about what really happened. Everyone’s got the potential to do the wrong thing—if we were measured that way, we’d all come up short. It’s about what you do.
I have a feeling that if this journey had been any longer, it would have become progressively more Lord of the Flies, and Marcus probably would have eaten somebody.
My Review:
This was my second exposure to the sharp insights and sparkling wit of Beth O’Leary and I am forevermore her fangirl. Not only were the premise and storylines original, smirk-worthy, and entertaining; but this tale involved an extremely interesting and extraordinary mix of odd and eccentric secondary characters. The character of Marcus was complicated, deeply damaged, and obnoxious, yet also quite fascinating, he was basically a train-wreck laden with hazardous materials.
I’ve noticed that Ms. O’Leary’s characters tend to be complex and multi-layered and while not always likable, they remain strangely endearing and uniquely appealing. These characters were on the go in multiple timelines with the current period being the most fraught with tension and peril as well as being highly eventful as the travelers faced a series of snags and challenging mishaps while make their way across England’s roadways to attend the wedding of a mutual friend. While the characters were stressed and struggling with each other as well as the journey, their adventures and problem-solving methods were quite comical and engaging. I vastly enjoy Ms. O’Leary’s writing style and tend to lose myself in her storytelling. I am already looking forward to her next contrivance.
.
The Road Trip sounds like a fantastic summer read!! I’ve been meaning to check out her writing 🙂 Great review!
I loved The Road Trip too. I have read The Flat Share and loved that I just need to read The Switch to catch up. I love her work. Great review.
I have been wanting to read this author’s work. So glad you enjoyed this one.
I’ve seen so many good reviews praising this book. I definitely need to add some Beth O’Leary to my bookshelves.
The Road Trip is so very up my alley!! I love road trips and the thought of being on one with an ex is either cringe-worthy or exciting, haha. I feel like it might be both in this book.
This is so in my TBR… In my Amazon Wishlist. Gald you loved it