I had very high expectations for this book and although I enjoyed it it was definitely not my favourite. At times I found it slow and not as lighthearted and gripping as the other two. Was still enjoyable read.

This isn't quite as much of a fun, cosy read as Beth O'Leary's previous books, but I still enjoyed it.

I absolutely love Beth O’Leary but I felt so disappointed with the road trip I feel like a different author wrote it and that makes me sad. I couldn’t attach myself to the characters and I just couldn’t vibe with any part of the plot.

The story begins in dramatic fashion, with one car piling into another. Unfortunately, the passengers in both cars have history…and they’re on their way to Scotland for the wedding of a mutual friend. Their only option is to travel together in the undamaged car, and we realise how momentous this is as their history is revealed.
Dylan and Addie used to be a couple. They haven’t spoken in over a year, so we expect things to be awkward. This is made more so by the fact that Dylan’s best friend Marcus, who played a part in trying to split them up, is travelling with them.
The road trip does not go to plan. Chaotic experience follows chaotic experience, but the time together offers an opportunity for us to learn about how they got together and the circumstances of their break-up.
By the end of the book so much is resolved. The characters are not particularly likeable, but I get the feeling they’re not meant to be.

Addie and her sister Deb are on the way to a friends wedding when a car goes in to the back of them - unfortunately for Addie it is her ex boyfriend Dylan and his obnoxious best friend Marcus - Dylan's car is not roadworthy so they reluctantly decide to join the girls ( and random guest to the wedding Rodney who they are taking as part of a Facebook car share request!) The story of how they got to this point in their relationship is told in flashbacks and from the alternate points of view of Addie and Dylan. There were some very funny moments with Deb and Rodney .

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary is about a trip taken by two sisters, Addie and Deb to a friend’s wedding in the north of Scotland. Not long after starting out and already with another passenger who is also going to the wedding, a car bangs into the back of them.
The driver is Addie’s former boyfriend, Dylan and he has his best friend with him Marcus. The couple broke up two years ago and haven’t met since, although all of them are friends of the bride.
The girls then end up with another two passengers to fit into a min, all going to the same destination. After an eventful trip they all arrive at the wedding, some more welcome than others.
Highly recommended

Unfortunately for me this was a dnf. I couldn't keep my concentration with it and just couldn't really get into it. The blurb sounded so good but it just didn't hit the spot for me.

I've read a few of Beth O'Leary's books before and always enjoyed them, and The Road Trip is no different. I don't read romance stories very often, and I love how Beth O'Leary manages to find a twist on the genre that makes her stories fun and intriguing.

The premise of The Road Trip is wonderful and I'm simply in awe of the number of people Beth O'Leary can fit in a small car. There's clearly tension between the occupants and this provides a lot of hairy moments, but also some funny ones too. The protagonists are Addie and Dylan, and we hear most of the story from their point of view, as the timeline switches between then and now and we gradually learn how their relationship ended. I immediately warmed to the central characters, but they are extremely well supported by Debs, Marcus, Rodney and Cherry. I loved these characters too and I love the way the author has developed them so that we are also able to learn about their backgrounds, relationships and what makes them tick. She is brilliant at observing how people interact and how relationships works and this makes the characters feel incredibly authentic.

Among all the fun (and there is lots of it) Beth O'Leary touches on some serious issues and this gives both the characters and the story extra depth. I really appreciated the way she explores these issues, allowing them to unravel slowly for maximum impact on the reader.

I am looking forward to reading more by this author!

Whilst this wasn't my favourite Beth O'Leary I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Funny, charming, surprising with a whole host of interesting, well formed characters, I raced through this.

Beth writes so incredibly well that I feel transported with each book that I read. An auto-buy author!

This book was not what I was expecting based on the two previous books I have read by this author. Nearly a DNF.

After a car collision on the way to a friend's wedding with her sister, Addie finds herself face to face with her ex Dylan. They are all on the way to the same wedding in Scotland, so of course with one car out of action they offer Dylan and his best mate Marcus a lift. Not to forget they also have a passenger called Roger that cadged a lift to wedding but none of them knows.

Whilst on the course of the journey there are flashbacks to when Addie and Dylan met and became an item. They are told from the perspective of both Addie and Dylan, and to be honest I was glad when they were over and the book concentrated on the present day. I just couldn't get interested in this story.

At about 40% I began to wonder if I really wanted to invest anymore time in this book. I didn't care for any of the characters and was beginning to skim read. Some comedic moments from the journey and a lorry driver called Kevin did cheer me up a little. Then we find out what actually happened when Addie and Dylan split up, and the whole book changed for me.

I needed to read on and find out what would happen with Dylan and Addie and why exactly Roger was going to the wedding. I actually warmed to Dylan and Addie by this time and begun to understand the other characters a little more.

I am giving this book 3 out of 5 stars, mainly due to the drawn out first half of the book.

After loving Beth O'Leary first two books, I couldn't resist picking The Road Trip. I was expecting a funny lighthearted romance in the setting of a road trip with a tiny car and 5 adults and their luggage squeezed into them, and what I found was somehow so much more.

The story is told in double narrative and it has several time-lines so little by little you get to discover the main two characters background and how they have evolved and changed over the years. Plus, you get a pretty good insight in the two secondary characters too, which also play a key role in the story.

As mentioned, the story line is not as lighthearted as I expected, and it delved in several serious topics, especially about mental health, which I found were very well written and added complexity to the story and the characters.

As I see this author has already another book out, I cannot wait now to discover yet another story by her. I am sure she will keep surprising me.

I really enjoyed the flatshare by this author, but for some reason didn't get on with this one first time. Have recently revisited, I found it to be an entertaining, easy read with some great characters!

The second-chance romance worked to the story's advantage here. The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary is told in alternating timelines; the past: where Addie and Dylan meet and fall in love for the first time, and the present: where they’re broken up and forced back together on a comedy of errors road trip. Knowing that they would eventually break up made the timeline where they first got together all the more meaningful. (And added some interest to scenes I wouldn’t have cared for otherwise.) It also upped the stakes in the present timeline by showing all that lost potential.

What I liked best about this story was seeing how much each character had grown during their time apart to become the people they needed to be for their relationship to work the second time around. It made their reconciliation feel more rewarding.

Add in a cast of characters with such distinct personalities, all the mayhem of their journey, and Beth O’Leary’s signature sarcasm and wit; despite some bumps along the way, The Road Trip was an overall enjoyable ride.

One of my most anticipated books for 2021 and did not disappoint, The Road Trip isn't going down of my favourite Beth O'Leary book but it was still one of my favourite books of 2021.

I really enjoyed this and I have enjoyed all of her books so far. This was the least favourite of her books so far, but I still enjoyed it

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Before today I had read every single Beth O’Leary book except The Road Trip and I honestly can’t tell you why. This one has just been sitting on my kindle but I’ve never reached for it and I was so wrong not to. The characters were messy but loveable and the idea of them all stuck in one car together was brilliant. The comic humour of Rodney throughout was a lovely touch too!

The only slight issue I had is that I feel like Marcus got off very lightly. He literally stalked Addie and made her feel like she was going crazy. When she saws that she thought she saw him on her bins but she thinks she is going made, it really broke my heart. I’d have like to have seen a bit more consequence to those actions other than him having to apologise (which he does very half heartedly in my opinion).

Thank you for the review copy!

This is a blast from start to finish. The dynamics between the 5 characters are brilliantly written. I loved the now sections - seeing the tension from the very start and as we uncovered more of the history between them, each character developed in front of us. Deb was definitely a favourite of mine and we all need to be more Deb as she certainly tells you as as it is with no bells and whistles. A clever idea and one I’ll be recommending. Thanks to Bex and Lucy for the great buddy read.

If you have read Flatshare you will love this. Beth O’Leary has done it again! I wizzed through this book as I could not put it down. Well written and just a lovely story. Great read.