The Road Trip
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- Create Date：2021-04-27 06:51:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Beth O'Leary
- ISBN：1529409063
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Summary
Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in the north of Scotland。 The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed。
But， not long after setting off， a car slams into the back of theirs。 The driver is none other than Addie's ex， Dylan， who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier。
Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too， and they've totalled their car， so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride。 The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets， and with three hundred miles ahead of them， Dylan and Addie can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship。。。
Will they make it to the wedding on time？ And， more importantly。。。 is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan？
But， not long after setting off， a car slams into the back of theirs。 The driver is none other than Addie's ex， Dylan， who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier。
Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too， and they've totalled their car， so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride。 The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets， and with three hundred miles ahead of them， Dylan and Addie can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship。。。
Will they make it to the wedding on time？ And， more importantly。。。 is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan？
Reviews
Hayley Simpson
，
Beth O'Leary does it again - delivering a heartfelt second chance romance novel that's brimming with fun characters。 The Road Trip is told from Dylan and Addie's perspectives。 We meet them as Addie and her sister， Deb reluctantly give Dylan and his best friend， Marcus a lift to their mutual friend's wedding in Scotland after he crashes his car。 As you can expect， road trip hijinks ensue。 The book alternates between the past and present， as we learn more about how Addie and Dylan met， their heate Beth O'Leary does it again - delivering a heartfelt second chance romance novel that's brimming with fun characters。 The Road Trip is told from Dylan and Addie's perspectives。 We meet them as Addie and her sister， Deb reluctantly give Dylan and his best friend， Marcus a lift to their mutual friend's wedding in Scotland after he crashes his car。 As you can expect， road trip hijinks ensue。 The book alternates between the past and present， as we learn more about how Addie and Dylan met， their heated summertime romance in Provence and what led to their breakup two years ago。 The flashbacks definitely help build this into a believable second chance romance。O'Leary is an expert at mixing fun and romance with more serious topics - in this instance， she focuses on Marcus and Dylan's toxic friendship and sexual assault。 I didn't find these characters as likeable as the ones in O'Leary's previous books， but this is still the perfect beach read to enjoy this summer。 Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more
Rachel
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What a great time I am having lately with new releases （specifically their third books！） from my favourite authors！ Beth O’Leary absolutely had me with The Flat Share， she kept me with The Switch and she’s not letting go with The Road Trip！ I loved this one。 A chunky book that I made quick work of - and it’s out today！I love how the story dives straight in， being what perhaps we would call a second chance romance？ It flips from Then to Now exploring Addie and Dylan’s fiery summer romance， to how What a great time I am having lately with new releases （specifically their third books！） from my favourite authors！ Beth O’Leary absolutely had me with The Flat Share， she kept me with The Switch and she’s not letting go with The Road Trip！ I loved this one。 A chunky book that I made quick work of - and it’s out today！I love how the story dives straight in， being what perhaps we would call a second chance romance？ It flips from Then to Now exploring Addie and Dylan’s fiery summer romance， to how it all comes crashing down， and they find themselves 18 months on in a jam-packed mini on the way to a mutual friends wedding。 I found this one to not be as innocent as her first two， in terms of the romance， which I loved， and like her others it explored some depth and realness to the characters and the stories that goes beyond your classic chick-lit romcom。 This one looks at the interesting dynamic of Dylan and Marcus in their unhealthy bromance， and I won’t be the only one to absolutely despise Marcus。 We have rich kids with daddy issues， a lovely sister relationship， a couple of quirky side characters， personal growth， a seemingly cursed road trip and of course a will they/won’t they romance at the centre。I loved this one， fans of Beth O’Leary will too！ 。。。more
Isabell
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An interesting read which switches between the present day and the past and tells us the story of Addie and Dylan and how they ended up here。 Even though there is a bit of suspension of disbelief that these two would end up having to drive together to this wedding once you move past that Beth O’Leary’s writing does pull you in and you want to see whether things will work out for these two second time around。 The characters were not always likeable there a a couple I would gladly have left out al An interesting read which switches between the present day and the past and tells us the story of Addie and Dylan and how they ended up here。 Even though there is a bit of suspension of disbelief that these two would end up having to drive together to this wedding once you move past that Beth O’Leary’s writing does pull you in and you want to see whether things will work out for these two second time around。 The characters were not always likeable there a a couple I would gladly have left out altogether but it’s still a good way to pass an afternoon。 （3 ⭐️） 。。。more
Grace J Reviewerlady
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Review to follow
Carlos
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Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。After reading some not so glowing reviews I came into this with low expectations so I’m really surprised that I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought I would。 I’ve only read The flatshare so I can’t compare it to what everyone seems to agree is her best book to date （The switch） but I think this was a good effort。 As in The flatshare， this is a mix of light and fun with some darker themes。 I absolute Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。After reading some not so glowing reviews I came into this with low expectations so I’m really surprised that I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought I would。 I’ve only read The flatshare so I can’t compare it to what everyone seems to agree is her best book to date （The switch） but I think this was a good effort。 As in The flatshare， this is a mix of light and fun with some darker themes。 I absolutely loved all the female characters， especially Addie and Deb and their relationship， but I also loved their relationship with all the other female characters with no pettiness or bitchiness involved。 Sadly， I wasn’t so impressed with their male counterparts。 Dylan was just meh and Marcus was an absolute jerk and I don’t think his redemption scene was enough to make up for his awfulness。Though not a new favorite， it was solid and now I can’t wait to have my mind blown by The switch。 。。。more
Danielle
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3。5 starsAddie and her sister are taking a road trip to a friend's wedding in the north of Scotland。 Soon after setting off， they get into a fender-bender with Addie's ex， Dylan， who she hasn't spoken to in two years after their traumatic breakup。 Dylan and his friend Marcus are heading to the wedding too， so they all head off together。This story was jam-packed with painful history and loaded secrets。 Addie and Dylan's relationship， and subsequent breakup， were heavily influenced by the meddling 3。5 starsAddie and her sister are taking a road trip to a friend's wedding in the north of Scotland。 Soon after setting off， they get into a fender-bender with Addie's ex， Dylan， who she hasn't spoken to in two years after their traumatic breakup。 Dylan and his friend Marcus are heading to the wedding too， so they all head off together。This story was jam-packed with painful history and loaded secrets。 Addie and Dylan's relationship， and subsequent breakup， were heavily influenced by the meddling of Marcus。 He was a complex character that I admit I didn't like。 He had reasons for the things he did， but he caused a lot of pain to the people he claimed to care about。 The flashback chapters revealed Addie and Dylan's relationship slowly， and I liked the back and forth element of storytelling。 Both Addie and Dylan had secrets and issues that they could've shared with each other but didn't， and hurt each other in the process。 I like that their issues didn't just get swept under the rug and they were completely honest with each other in the end。 （view spoiler）[One thing that was really hard to believe is that Dylan couldn't figure out that Marcus was in love with Addie。 It was super obvious that that was the reason he was trying to break them up。 He even asked Dylan to "have a go" at her at one point！ Dylan was also naive to believe Etienne's word over Addie's with the whole "cheating" storyline。 Very frustrating！ （hide spoiler）]The side characters were brief but quite funny and added some lightness to the story。 Overall very enjoyable。Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy。 。。。more
Emily
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First of all， I have to say another huge huge huge thank you to Tandem Collective and Hachette Australia for organising this readalong， and allowing me to be a part of it！ My first official readalong， and it was for one of my favourite authors！ The gifted books and snacks were so much fun。 Okay。 My review。 WOW。 The FlatShare is an all time favourite of mine （I think I account for half the global sales of that book， the amount of times I’ve gifted it 🤣）。 The Switch was so moving and beautiful and First of all， I have to say another huge huge huge thank you to Tandem Collective and Hachette Australia for organising this readalong， and allowing me to be a part of it！ My first official readalong， and it was for one of my favourite authors！ The gifted books and snacks were so much fun。 Okay。 My review。 WOW。 The FlatShare is an all time favourite of mine （I think I account for half the global sales of that book， the amount of times I’ve gifted it 🤣）。 The Switch was so moving and beautiful and special for me。 It made me nervous。。。 A third sensational book by the same author？ YOU BETCHA！ The two timelines throughout the story， helping us connect and understand the mix of characters and their backstories。 The intensity of some themes discussed， and the way it was handled， I thought was done so well with the care and respect needed to write about such topics。 This book was so more-ish， and with every page I finished I had a new found appreciation for it。 I adored the bond and caring relationship between Addie and Deb。 I loved Deb’s independent and strong nature， though I really connected with Addie and a lot of the things she felt。 Rodney was。。。 well， Rodney。 But also， what the HECK？！ Marcus。。。 Agh。 Marcus was Marcus。 And I still have mixed feelings about him， but I think with time I may grow to accept him and allow his story to sit okay with me。 Dylan was frustrating at times， and seemed very complacent with allowing negative things to happen that really didn’t have to or shouldn’t have happened。 But overall it was a really lovely ending， and I definitely felt as thought everything was tidied up very nicely in the end for everyone。 More-ish。 Un-put-down-able。 Heartfelt。 5 star book， without a shadow of a doubt！ If I could give this book more stars， I’m sure I’d end up giving it the whole damn Milky Way。 This book was sensational， and I am SO thankful to have this story in my life。 。。。more
Gemma
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From the get-go， the plot of this book had so much potential for tension， drama and emotion and it delivered on all fronts。 O'Leary's talent for witty dialogue， humour and believable characters， that we first saw in The Flatshare， is just as strong in The Road Trip and made this a highly enjoyable， moving and entertaining read。 The story is told from Addie and Dylan's alternating perspectives and in two time-lines， the present day where they find themselves on a road trip together to a mutual fr From the get-go， the plot of this book had so much potential for tension， drama and emotion and it delivered on all fronts。 O'Leary's talent for witty dialogue， humour and believable characters， that we first saw in The Flatshare， is just as strong in The Road Trip and made this a highly enjoyable， moving and entertaining read。 The story is told from Addie and Dylan's alternating perspectives and in two time-lines， the present day where they find themselves on a road trip together to a mutual friend's wedding in Scotland， and a flashback to when they first met during a summer in France。 I really enjoyed both of these timelines as they differed in tone and contrasted well to heighten the themes and emotions depicted in each。 The flashback sections were full of sexual tension， romance and a sense of freedom。 The present day sections were full of awkward tension， sentiment and unresolved issues。 There are some heavy and potentially triggering themes in the book， some of which I felt warranted further exploration， but would not really fit the genre so I understand why they weren't。 These darker topics are balanced well with the humour in the book， particularly in the dialogue which provided light relief and was often a joy to read。 There are some slightly contrived "set pieces"， and some of the issues were resolved a bit too quickly and easily， but overall I found this to be a really enjoyable read。 I also have to add that two of the side characters， Deb and Marcus， had fascinating back stories so would love to see a spin-off focusing on these characters。 Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the ARC。 。。。more
SH
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When Addie and her sister begin their road trip to northern Scotland to attend a friend’s wedding， they don’t expect to run into Dylan， Addie’s ex。 Or more like Dylan drives into the back of their car。 As a consequence， Dylan and his best mate， end up making the trip to Scotland together。 With three hundred miles ahead of them， the breakdown of their relationship soon starts to be told in a past and present storyline。 Their relationship is told from both Addie and Dylan’s POV， with plenty of tru When Addie and her sister begin their road trip to northern Scotland to attend a friend’s wedding， they don’t expect to run into Dylan， Addie’s ex。 Or more like Dylan drives into the back of their car。 As a consequence， Dylan and his best mate， end up making the trip to Scotland together。 With three hundred miles ahead of them， the breakdown of their relationship soon starts to be told in a past and present storyline。 Their relationship is told from both Addie and Dylan’s POV， with plenty of truths being revealed。 I enjoyed delving into their past but found myself enjoying the present-day story， particularly with the extra passengers in the car。 The dialogue was engaging and whilst there were some moments where the trip could have ended sooner， overall， this was an entertaining read。 I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Hayley （meet_me_at_the_library）
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review to come
Brandi Vance
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Beth O'Leary is fast becoming one of my favorite authors。 I loved The Flatshare， enjoyed The Switch and now The Road Trip！ Cute story of young love and second chances。 The characters are complex and relatable。 I think we probably know one of each of these people in our own lives。 The story is very well rounded， no loose ends。 Just a few steamy scenes included。 This is going to be a great summer read！ Beth O'Leary is fast becoming one of my favorite authors。 I loved The Flatshare， enjoyed The Switch and now The Road Trip！ Cute story of young love and second chances。 The characters are complex and relatable。 I think we probably know one of each of these people in our own lives。 The story is very well rounded， no loose ends。 Just a few steamy scenes included。 This is going to be a great summer read！ 。。。more
Hayley
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2。5 stars rounded upI got back into romcoms in a big way after listening to Ms O’Leary’s The Flatshare and I equally enjoyed The Switch， so it was with quite some eagerness that I cracked open The Road Trip （metaphorically as it was an ebook）。 Sadly， while it was a decent enough read， it did not live up to my expectations。The Road Trip alternates between the past and the present。 We learn all about Addie and Dylan’s whirlwind and steamy get together in the South of France followed by the gradual 2。5 stars rounded upI got back into romcoms in a big way after listening to Ms O’Leary’s The Flatshare and I equally enjoyed The Switch， so it was with quite some eagerness that I cracked open The Road Trip （metaphorically as it was an ebook）。 Sadly， while it was a decent enough read， it did not live up to my expectations。The Road Trip alternates between the past and the present。 We learn all about Addie and Dylan’s whirlwind and steamy get together in the South of France followed by the gradual draining of passion as they go back into their everyday lives and finally their wrenching break up。 Now， nearly two years later， they are both going to a wedding and， as can only happen in this sort of novel， they end up with three other people driving from southern England to Scotland in a Mini。 There are multiple entertaining complications along the way， giving Addie and Dylan a chance to get to know each other again。So why didn’t this hit the spot for me？ Maybe it’s that I didn’t really like Addie and Dylan。 They are younger， much more attractive， and much less down to earth than their counterparts in the author’s previous novels。 Somehow this irritated me instead of making me want to root for them。 Dylan， in particular， seems particularly privileged in a floppy haired Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral sort of way （but with less charm）。 Addie as well as being gorgeous is frequently referred to as “tiny” - I’m not sure quite how small she’s meant to be but I， at 5’ 2”， never think of myself that way and so I found that annoying too。As with the author’s previous novels， there is some serious and even upsetting stuff mixed in with the road trip shenanigans。 This just didn’t sit comfortably with the frothiness of the rest of the novel， like a piece of broccoli dropped into your glass of Prosecco。 In her previous novels， I had found this tonal shift to be smooth and confidently handled， more like a shot of bitters into your sweet cocktail， making it more layered and complex （sorry， I know this simile could have been worked through better but it’s getting near lunch time）Maybe it’s that I read this rather than listened to it？ Perhaps the right readers would have brought some more charm to a story which it lacked on my Kindle。 Maybe I didn’t like the supporting friends and family quite as much as before？ Maybe the plot just seemed to drag a bit？Whatever it was， I feel confident that Ms O’Leary will write plenty of novels that I will seek out and enjoy in the future。Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the digital review copy。 。。。more
Abby | abbysbookadventure
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Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Cue the popular Tik Tok/reels song: “Oh no。 Oh no。 Oh no， no， no， no， no。” I recently finished The Soulmate Equation and really liked it and wanted another lighter， fast read to combat work chaos/stress， so I decided to start The Road Trip。 I haven’t read The Flatshare or The Switch but I have the latter and have heard good things in general。 I know this was a highly anticipated read， and was e Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Cue the popular Tik Tok/reels song: “Oh no。 Oh no。 Oh no， no， no， no， no。” I recently finished The Soulmate Equation and really liked it and wanted another lighter， fast read to combat work chaos/stress， so I decided to start The Road Trip。 I haven’t read The Flatshare or The Switch but I have the latter and have heard good things in general。 I know this was a highly anticipated read， and was excited to dive in。 This book is written in alternating “now”/”then” timelines。 Now， exes Addie and Dylan are trapped on a road trip together to a friend’s wedding。 Then， Addie and Dylan are meeting and falling in love。 The first 20% was exactly what I hoped - light， fun， takes place at a villa in France （I want to go to there！）。 I became concerned around ~20% by the lack of character development -- were we supposed to be rooting for these characters？ We don’t know them at all。 Why is Dylan so pathetic？ How on earth is he a POET？ Oh my god， there is nothing less sexy than Dylan randomly reciting poetry。 Wait， they’re suddenly IN LOVE？ But。。。there was no development of their relationship whatsoever？ What？？ It was at this point I should have DNFed， but I am stupid and thought it would turn around。 It did not。 Here are a few of the many things that I hated about this book:- The love story。 Seems to me that Addie and Dylan clearly don’t know or like each other yet we are told they are in love。 They are apparently deeply attracted to one another， as we are told over and over and over， yet there isn’t actual chemistry in the book， we are just told there is。 - These characters are all the absolute worst。 There is literally no character development for anyone。 Marcus is one of the most unlikable characters I have ever read in a book。 Dylan is the most annoying and I have absolutely no idea why we should be rooting for him and Addie to be together。 They’re all so unlikeable， except for Deb。- The Rodney storyline was strange and went nowhere。However， this is what really pushed me over the edge: In the “now” timeline， we know that Dylan dumped Addie but there’s a layered “secretive” aspect to it and we are waiting for it to be revealed。 I kept reading because I wanted to know what this big “secret” was。 It was revealed ~80% and it was horrible and SO not worth it。 I didn’t like the book up to this point， but the reveal turned this book from a 2。5 stars to a ZERO star read for me。 It was extremely problematic and not handled well at all。 I already wasn’t rooting for Addie and Dylan at all， but I became furious upon the reveal and was internally SCREAMING as I finished the last part of the book。 It was unforgivable。 These people SHOULD NOT BE TOGETHER。 They are HORRIBLE， pathetic people and I hate them。 I hate them。 I HATE THEM。 I HATE Dylan。 He doesn't deserve Addie and there is absolutely no explicable reason why Addie would forgive him。 I HATE THIS BOOK。 GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH。So like， you’ve been warned。 。。。more
Catherine
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Finally， after just over a month， I’ve finished this book。 I can’t quite say why it took me so long - maybe it was uni， maybe it never fully grabbed me， maybe I just accidentally fell into the YouTube hole and forgot that reading existed。 Either way， this was a good read， with some really great parts as well as some parts that dragged/were problematic。 The past and present perspectives combined with two different POVs within those perspectives made it a bit difficult to keep up， but definitely m Finally， after just over a month， I’ve finished this book。 I can’t quite say why it took me so long - maybe it was uni， maybe it never fully grabbed me， maybe I just accidentally fell into the YouTube hole and forgot that reading existed。 Either way， this was a good read， with some really great parts as well as some parts that dragged/were problematic。 The past and present perspectives combined with two different POVs within those perspectives made it a bit difficult to keep up， but definitely made for an interesting story。 Not my favourite romcom ever， but for sure a whole lot better than all of the trash that I’ve read！3。5 stars 。。。more
Tricia
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A road trip to a glamourous wedding in Scotland with your quirky sister， your ex-boyfriend， his best friend who isn't your biggest fan， nor are you his， and a stranger that tags along for a ride to the wedding。 What's not to love？ I appreciate NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary。 I think this will be a great summer-read。 I enjoyed how the book alternated between their stories in the past and what was happening on the road trip， which was certa A road trip to a glamourous wedding in Scotland with your quirky sister， your ex-boyfriend， his best friend who isn't your biggest fan， nor are you his， and a stranger that tags along for a ride to the wedding。 What's not to love？ I appreciate NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary。 I think this will be a great summer-read。 I enjoyed how the book alternated between their stories in the past and what was happening on the road trip， which was certainly an experience in Murphy's Law。 Each of the characters was flawed， but I really could see the baggage that caused them to make the choices they made in the past。 。。。more
Rebecca （Bex the Bibliophile）
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Thank you to the publisher Quercus for providing me with an arc copy of this book via NetGalley。I wanted to love The Road Trip as much as I loved Beth O'Leary's previous books， sadly it just didn't hit the mark for me。 I found that I didn't connect to any of the characters， which led to me only somewhat enjoying my time reading it。 Generally， in a Beth O'Leary book， the characters are my favourite part， making me want to carry on picking up the book。 While I liked Addie and her sister Deb， I wou Thank you to the publisher Quercus for providing me with an arc copy of this book via NetGalley。I wanted to love The Road Trip as much as I loved Beth O'Leary's previous books， sadly it just didn't hit the mark for me。 I found that I didn't connect to any of the characters， which led to me only somewhat enjoying my time reading it。 Generally， in a Beth O'Leary book， the characters are my favourite part， making me want to carry on picking up the book。 While I liked Addie and her sister Deb， I wouldn't ever want to spend any time with Dylan and his best friend， Marcus。 Throughout the book， both of their behaviour just left me annoyed， and I couldn't get past their decisions。 I also didn't quite see the purpose of Rodney other than for comedic relief。 Although The Road Trip meant to be a romance， I didn't feel any chemistry between Addie and Dylan。 I found that the beginning of their relationship felt very Insta-lovey， which is not something that I like and didn't set them up well for the rest of the book。 And without giving spoilers， I wish that the ending had not happened the way it did; I think it would have been much more impactful。 As the book travels through both the past and present it was hard to get used to the pace of both timelines。 The beginning of the present moves very quickly and does draw you in。 But the past is very slow and felt as if Beth O'Leary could have told it in half the time。 It then starts to get a little bit strange because the roles reverse and the present is slow， but the past is fast。 After a while， I got used to this change， but it was still strange to switch between them both。 The one thing that I did love was that the road trip was set in a red Mini， which is the car which I own。 So I found it particularly hilarious when I realised。 Part of the story being set on a road trip was an interesting concept， especially as it forced the characters to talk about what happened eventually。 Overall， while I liked the premise of The Road Trip it lacked some of the execution that I have come to expect from Beth O'Leary。 It was still a good quick read but I don't think it is going to be one that I remember。 。。。more
Domenica Toomey
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I had so many feelings while reading this book， it started out as much a light hearted contemporary romance but I really felt most of this book was very toxic， it honestly screamed toxic relationships。 It explores these relationships in many forms like parent/child， romantic relationships and friendships。 It also has mention of depression and rape which overall have this book a very heavy feel， I honestly felt stressed and sick when I finished reading it。 I mean it was a good read but very full I had so many feelings while reading this book， it started out as much a light hearted contemporary romance but I really felt most of this book was very toxic， it honestly screamed toxic relationships。 It explores these relationships in many forms like parent/child， romantic relationships and friendships。 It also has mention of depression and rape which overall have this book a very heavy feel， I honestly felt stressed and sick when I finished reading it。 I mean it was a good read but very full on and at times was very serious。 。。。more
Karen
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Loved it！ Review to follow nearer publication 29/4
Lily
，
This book was a standout for me - I think perhaps one of my favourite books from this year so far。 A big thank you to the Hatchette Aus team and Tandem Collective Global for gifting me a copy！The Road Trip starts out with a nightmare scenario for anyone - an accident on the way to a wedding which results in Addie， her sister， her ex-boyfriend （who shattered her heart into one thousand pieces）， his best friend （who Addie has a。。。 tumultuous relationship with）， and a random guy from the wedding Fa This book was a standout for me - I think perhaps one of my favourite books from this year so far。 A big thank you to the Hatchette Aus team and Tandem Collective Global for gifting me a copy！The Road Trip starts out with a nightmare scenario for anyone - an accident on the way to a wedding which results in Addie， her sister， her ex-boyfriend （who shattered her heart into one thousand pieces）， his best friend （who Addie has a。。。 tumultuous relationship with）， and a random guy from the wedding Facebook page。 From there ensues endless roadblocks， hilarity， heartbreak， and the surfacing of emotions that everyone in the car has worked hard to suppress。This book took me by surprise - I was always intrigued by the premise， but I was not expecting such an emotional knock-out。 It lulls you into a false sense of security， with witty banter， hilariously awkward exchanges， and you-have-to-laugh-or-you'll-cry complications， and then it whacks you with a freight train of emotion。 I felt as though I'd also been on a journey with all the characters， felt all their emotions as my own。 Beth O'Leary has done an astounding thing by taking her readers and plopping them right in the book， right in that gorgeous French summer， right in that stifling， awkward car， and it was almost impossible to conceive that they weren't actually real people， that I wasn't actually sitting there with them， watching everything unfold before me。I struggled to put this book down with how compelling and well-written it was - the back and forth between the past and the present worked flawlessly， the connections and slow unfurling of the backstory we weren't privy to brilliantly building up throughout the novel。 The anticipation of finding out what had already happened was almost， if not more， intense than finding out what would happen next。 It made it almost impossible to step away from - even when I did put the book down， I was still thinking about it。 The characters in this book were messy and flawed and oftentimes quite unlikable - which makes the fact that I liked them all very much even more astounding。 O'Leary's brilliant writing made it impossible to hate any of the characters， even when they were making horrific mistakes or undoubtedly in need of growth。 They were so undeniably real and human that you can't help but relate to them， even when they're messing up terribly。This book had me laughing， crying; had my heart breaking alongside Dylan's and Addie's; had me believing in the power of love， communication; of second chances and right-person-wrong-time。 Honestly， this book will stay with me for a long time， and I would highly， highly recommend it。 。。。more
Julie Brookes
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This book took a while to get where it was going 。。。。。。。。 some of the jumping around got a bit tedious after a while and it did seem drawn out 。。。。。。。 there were some funny bits and the concept was good but something just seemed off with it 。。。。。。。。 it was ok
Tracie
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Addie and her sister Deb are on an early morning road trip to Scotland for a friends wedding。 They gained an extra passenger being Rodney。 Something very unexpected takes place， the mini they are all travelling in is in a car accident。 The culprits are no other than Dylan and Marcus going to the same wedding。 Dylan is Addie's ex boyfriend and they haven't seen each other for two years after a terrible breakup。 They decide to all go on the road trip together。 The road trip starts off very awkward Addie and her sister Deb are on an early morning road trip to Scotland for a friends wedding。 They gained an extra passenger being Rodney。 Something very unexpected takes place， the mini they are all travelling in is in a car accident。 The culprits are no other than Dylan and Marcus going to the same wedding。 Dylan is Addie's ex boyfriend and they haven't seen each other for two years after a terrible breakup。 They decide to all go on the road trip together。 The road trip starts off very awkward but it turned out to be a classic trip from the music playlist， snacks， traffic jams， emergency toilet breaks and of course some good old fashioned banter。 I found myself laughing throughout the book and rolling my eyes at Marcus。 The story is told by both Addie and Dylan's point of view from the two timelines of then and now。 This book had some great twists and they made the book even more enjoyable。 If you can picture me squealing with excitement when I opened up the book package @hachetteaus sent me you are 100% correct。 I had high expectations for this book and Beth O'Leary definitely succeeded。 This is such a beautiful heartfelt story about second chances and finding yourself。 Do yourself a favour and read this beauty you won't be disappointed。Thank you Hachette Australia for the advanced copy for an honest review。 。。。more
ALPHAreader
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'The Road Trip' is British author Beth O'Leary's latest women's fiction book。 After the overnight success of her 2019 debut 'The Flatshare' （which I *loved*） and rising popularity with 2020 title 'The Switch，' her third book in three-years was hotly anticipated and eagerly devoured by her increasing fanbase。 And - look - I really enjoyed it。 I did！It's just 。。。 in the last half of the book; I'm talking the sprint to the finish at 50-pages or so， I had this epiphany I now can't shake and it's kin 'The Road Trip' is British author Beth O'Leary's latest women's fiction book。 After the overnight success of her 2019 debut 'The Flatshare' （which I *loved*） and rising popularity with 2020 title 'The Switch，' her third book in three-years was hotly anticipated and eagerly devoured by her increasing fanbase。 And - look - I really enjoyed it。 I did！It's just 。。。 in the last half of the book; I'm talking the sprint to the finish at 50-pages or so， I had this epiphany I now can't shake and it's kinda clouded my whole reading of it。 The story is told in alternating chapters by protagonists' Addie and Dylan， and jumps between 'Now' and 'Then'。 In the 'Now' - Dylan and his friend Marcus are en route to a wedding when they've suddenly hit the car in front of them and had a right fender-bender。 The car in front just so happens to have Rodney， Deb， and Deb's sister Addie - Dylan's ex-girlfriend he hasn't spoken to in two-years， and all of whom are also traipsing out to the same wedding。 A détente is reached and it's agreed that they'll all squish into Deb's mini and make the 8-hour trek from Chichester to Scotland to make the wedding in the nick of time。 In 'Then' Addie and Deb are caretakers at a villa in Provence for a summer， where Dylan appears after his family cancelled on a cozy trip， and he's decided to traipse out to his friend's empty villa on his lonesome to get some poetry written。 What he doesn't count on is the beautiful caretaker Addie， who takes his breath away and the two tumble into a summer romance that evolves into so much more 。。。 In the 'Now' Dylan and Addie have been separated after a cataclysmic break-up that's painstakingly alluded to and pieced together in the flashback chapters。 What becomes clearer and clearer however， is that Dylan's best-friend Marcus is somehow deeply involved in their break and thus his presence in the mini makes everything all the more delicate for Dylan and Addie's already-awkward reunion。 And look， without giving too much away; here is the realisation I came to that kind of clouded my overall enjoyment of the book 。。。 and this *might* be a Spoiler， so; （view spoiler）[While I read a little bit of 2014 TV series 'Lovesick' in here， （Dylan/Addie/Marcus kinda reminded me of Dylan/Evie/Luke - I can't believe the same name as Johnny Flynn's character is pure coincidence。 And then I just could not shake the idea of Joshua McGuire's Angus as Rodney！） the bigger connection I found was 'Love Actually'。I could not shake the connection that Marcus was maybe a head-nod to Andrew Lincoln's Mark character， and the love-triangle he's in with Chiwetel Ejiofor's Peter and Keira Knightley's ugly hat-wearing Juliet （remember the video scene？！） That scene - of Juliet turning to Mark with bewilderment， after watching the wedding-video he filmed （all shots of her， turns out） and saying; "But， you never talk to me？ You always talk to Peter。 You don't like me！" those lines are basically where a good portion of 'The Road Trip' and Addie & Dylan's complicated， messy love affair lives。 And that's ~fine~ but it maybe does more heavy-lifting for the anti-Love Actually backlash that's been steadily sprouting in the nearing 20-years since the film came out。 You know what I mean; all that 'The case against Love Actually' stuff。 Because - truth be told - a book that largely hinges on toxic men being toxic to innocent women merely for ~existing~ and being beautiful is not a great place to be reading for some 401-pages？ And for me it was a case of; once you connect it， you can't un-connect it - y'know？ （hide spoiler）]So yeah。 I liked this。 Not as much as 'The Flatshare'， and Beth O'Leary isn't yet up there with the likes of Mhairi McFarlane for me。 But she's a good， reliable read - and fab company on cold April nights。 Reading this also made me want to go back and re-watch 'Lovesick'， and also look up and see if O'Leary has a fourth book scheduled yet （she sadly， does not - but I'm sure her ongoing success means an announcement is imminent！） It was just that last little sprint to the finish， and a hurdle in （maybe？） the inspirations that pulled me up short。 3。5/5 。。。more
Lauren
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A massive thank you to TandemCollectiveGlobal and Hachette Aus for my arc。 When I say unputdownable， I mean it。 I finished this book in one sitting。 I absolutely loved this book as I have with the authors previous books too， Beth O'Leary is seriously becoming one of my absolute favourite authors。 The way her writing has matured and that it can go from light and heart warming one moment to heart breaking and leaving me sobbing the next。 Wow。Realistic characters， hilarious situations and all in th A massive thank you to TandemCollectiveGlobal and Hachette Aus for my arc。 When I say unputdownable， I mean it。 I finished this book in one sitting。 I absolutely loved this book as I have with the authors previous books too， Beth O'Leary is seriously becoming one of my absolute favourite authors。 The way her writing has matured and that it can go from light and heart warming one moment to heart breaking and leaving me sobbing the next。 Wow。Realistic characters， hilarious situations and all in the setting of a road trip？ What's not to love about this book！ 。。。more
tiffany
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I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley ！！---------------find me on instagram @tiffanyhubooks and twitter @tiffanyhu22 ！！ I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley ！！---------------find me on instagram @tiffanyhubooks and twitter @tiffanyhu22 ！！ 。。。more
Jessica Howard
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Parts of this （the present-day road trip） were DELIGHTFUL。 I laughed out loud so many times。Parts of it （the flashbacks to two years before） were good。。。 and parts were really painful。 There was one character in particular who made me SO ANGRY。 And I was so annoyed that another character couldn't see through their machinations。 Parts of this （the present-day road trip） were DELIGHTFUL。 I laughed out loud so many times。Parts of it （the flashbacks to two years before） were good。。。 and parts were really painful。 There was one character in particular who made me SO ANGRY。 And I was so annoyed that another character couldn't see through their machinations。 。。。more
Gemma
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Beth O'Leary has officially become one of my 'go to' authors。 This book captivated me from the moment I started reading and at no point did my attention wane。 The dual perspective and flitting timeline was seamless- adding just enough suspense to keep me wanting more as well as offering greater depth into each character- both main and minor。 I was fully invested in everyone in this book- O'leary has a knack of writing real people， so detailed and emotively that you feel like you know them， livin Beth O'Leary has officially become one of my 'go to' authors。 This book captivated me from the moment I started reading and at no point did my attention wane。 The dual perspective and flitting timeline was seamless- adding just enough suspense to keep me wanting more as well as offering greater depth into each character- both main and minor。 I was fully invested in everyone in this book- O'leary has a knack of writing real people， so detailed and emotively that you feel like you know them， living their journey with them。 There was a great mix of humour and at the same time， covered current and hard hitting topics with taste and respect。 I truly loved this book and love her voice。 。。。more
Niamh
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I was very kindly given an e-ARC of this book via Quercus Books and Netgalley。 TW: Sexual assault， depression， abuse of drugs and alcohol， mentions of death Didn't think I'd be saying that about a romantic comedy， huh？'The Road Trip'， Beth O'Leary's third novel， recaptures some of the charm that made 'The Flatshare' such an excellent book， particularly in that the plot of 'The Road Trip' takes turns you're not expecting and plays with the ensemble cast in an interesting and comic way。 One of the I was very kindly given an e-ARC of this book via Quercus Books and Netgalley。 TW: Sexual assault， depression， abuse of drugs and alcohol， mentions of death Didn't think I'd be saying that about a romantic comedy， huh？'The Road Trip'， Beth O'Leary's third novel， recaptures some of the charm that made 'The Flatshare' such an excellent book， particularly in that the plot of 'The Road Trip' takes turns you're not expecting and plays with the ensemble cast in an interesting and comic way。 One of the huge strengths of this book is the jumping between then and now。 In the now， five people are squashed in a Mini trying to get to a wedding with lots of history between them （and one stranger）。 In the then， we learn how that history came to be - from meeting in a villa in Provence to the struggles of maintaining a summer fling when you get back to reality。 There's so many road trip books out there， I think this was a really nice twist on a familiar genre。 However。 It's not perfect。 And I did have some real issues with this book。 It relies incredibly heavily on the miscommunication trope， which I hate。 Addie and Dylan， the main characters， NEVER talk to each other about their feelings。 Addie always walks away， but worries privately about things。 I get not talking is for the sake of conflict but UGH。 It's incredibly irritating。 Both of the main characters in the before time kind of suck。 I'm not entirely sure if we're supposed to feel sympathetic for either of them， but they're both awful to each other and complete wet blankets to the people around them。 Dylan's spine has clearly on holiday and Addie refuses to talk about her feelings or say when something is wrong， both of which is entirely frustrating。 These are two people who SHOULD NOT betogether - and the fact that they've only been together for like six months kind of makes it all feel a little juvenile。 Speaking of juvenile。。。Marcus。 I can see what the author was going for with his character。 And I appreciate that he wasn't just your typical frat-boy asshole - there was some depth to him。 However， the explanation for said depth comes so， so late in the book that you'll spend the majority of it hating him。 And even then。。。it's difficult to feel sympathy for him。 The eventual conclusion to his plot arc feels cliche - I think there's so much more that could have been done here。 Something new and bold and interesting to go with the rest of the book。 I also dislike the 'character gets sexually assaulted and make it part of the plot' element because it's not given enough time to develop。 But that might just be a personal thing。 Otherwise， it's a fun， thoughtful and occasionally funny book that makes for a quick， spring read。 。。。more
Linda Leone
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The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary is the second book I've read by this author。 I loved the first book and enjoyed this one as well。 Addie and Deb setting off on a long car trip to a friends wedding when they are rear ended by another car。 The driver is Addie's ex Dylan。 They all end up sharing a ride for the rest of the trip。 Lots of drama amongst the group who do not all get along。 The story is told in a then and now theme which I like。 The characters are definitely flawed and have their redeeming The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary is the second book I've read by this author。 I loved the first book and enjoyed this one as well。 Addie and Deb setting off on a long car trip to a friends wedding when they are rear ended by another car。 The driver is Addie's ex Dylan。 They all end up sharing a ride for the rest of the trip。 Lots of drama amongst the group who do not all get along。 The story is told in a then and now theme which I like。 The characters are definitely flawed and have their redeeming qualities。 I just didn't like them nearly as much as the characters in the previous book I read by Beth。 A good book that didn't quite meet my high expectations。Thanks to netgalley and Quercus Books for the arc 。。。more
Nickey
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Imagine driving to your friend’s wedding in a Mini Cooper with your sister and a “random passenger”， when all of a sudden you are tail ended by two men in a Mercedes （who just happen to be your ex and his best friend）！Addie and Deb set off to Scotland for their friend’s wedding。 They have a passenger called Rodney who was on the Facebook guest list for the wedding so they had offered him a lift。 Dylan and Marcus are also driving to the very same wedding。 When the lads crash into the mini， Addie Imagine driving to your friend’s wedding in a Mini Cooper with your sister and a “random passenger”， when all of a sudden you are tail ended by two men in a Mercedes （who just happen to be your ex and his best friend）！Addie and Deb set off to Scotland for their friend’s wedding。 They have a passenger called Rodney who was on the Facebook guest list for the wedding so they had offered him a lift。 Dylan and Marcus are also driving to the very same wedding。 When the lads crash into the mini， Addie and Deb offer that they all travel together to the wedding。 This leads to some laughs， tears， heated discussions， accusations and more。This is written in “then” and “now” chapters so we discover much more about the previous relationships between all of the friends。 As for the characters， they are all believable。 Deb is my favourite。 Not afraid to speak her mind and she made me laugh so many times。 I did get extremely infuriated with Dylan for being so easily led and Marcus for being such a d*ck！ Rodney did seem to be a bit of a spare part until around half way through the book and didn’t appear to have much of a personality。 Most of the book is set on the road as the group encounter various mishaps along the way。 The book also dealt with some more serious issues from the past， which I think were well written into the storyline。To find out if they actually made it to the wedding on time， read it！ I’m sure you won’t be disappointed。One of my favourite romcoms so far this year。Thank you to netgalley， the publishers and the author for an arc。 Really pleased to have discovered Beth as I haven’t read anything from her before。 Her two previous books have now been added to my “must read” list。 Publication date : 29th April 。。。more
Craig / Phil
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Thank you Hachette for sending us a copy to read and review。A fun and witty rom com that will capture your heart。Addie and her sister， Deb are ready to go on a road trip to Scotland for a wedding。They set out early to avoid traffic but before you know it， the car behind slams right into the back of them。Addie is shocked to find out that the driver is Dylan， her ex who she hasn’t seen since their awkward breakup two years ago。Dylan and his best pal Marcus are also on their way to the wedding。Feel Thank you Hachette for sending us a copy to read and review。A fun and witty rom com that will capture your heart。Addie and her sister， Deb are ready to go on a road trip to Scotland for a wedding。They set out early to avoid traffic but before you know it， the car behind slams right into the back of them。Addie is shocked to find out that the driver is Dylan， her ex who she hasn’t seen since their awkward breakup two years ago。Dylan and his best pal Marcus are also on their way to the wedding。Feeling like she has no choice， Addie offers them both a ride and they accept。Soon her mini is over crowded with tension， secrets and too much baggage。Addie and Dylan must confront their past relationship in a tight space。Everyone has a opinion， everyone is starting to get uncomfortable and things get awkward but the real question is， “will they make the wedding on time” ？A contemporary fiction read， a genre that Beth is having the time of her life writing stories about and it comes through on the pages。I really enjoyed Beth’s two previous books and my expectations were high but I found this one just slightly slow and fell flat in a couple of places but the overall plot was entertaining and enjoyable。Adventures， mishaps， arguments， humour， love and second chances all wrapped up in a bag of an agreeable read， something for everyone。The story provides the reader with a good mix of emotions， laughter and real life。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Road Trip
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Road Trip&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Road Trip&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0