TW: sexual assault, attempted rape, alcohol misuse/drug misuse - suggested addiction, stalking, cheating, infidelity, homophobia from a parent, neglectful and toxic parenting, depression
Rep: LQBTQ+ side characters - m/m relationship

My review may contain some vague spoilers so just be aware!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for granting me an eARC for this book (and also to the lovely Jess for sending me her physical ARC!)

Ah this is a difficult review to write because I love Beth O'Leary and I loved her first two books but this one just didn't quite hit the right note for me; I did have high expectations going in so it is partly on me that i'm disappointed with this one but it just didn't have the same tone as The Flat Share and The Switch and it seemed to be missing the same heart of the story.

I honestly didn't find any of the characters that likeable and it was difficult for me to really get invested in the love story of Dylan and Addie because we start post-break up and then dive backwards to the start of their relationship which really seemed to be insta-love. We don't really learn that much about them as a couple aside from the fact that they have sex a lot and argue about Marcus... I honestly couldn't really tell you anything about them as individuals or them as a couple. This is what O'Leary has done so well in her other books; build up each individual character so it feels like they're a well known friend but I just didn't feel it in this book. There was just a charm about them missing for me. The wider characters didn't do much for me either; Marcus was a pretty awful person and whilst I get that he went to therapy and all, that doesn't change the terrible person that he was to Addie - and to Dylan - and to all other women. Deb was great but she was limited and given that Rodney turned out to be a stalker it was hard to like him.

The whole side plot with Rodney the stalker and them attending the wedding just really threw the whole book off for me and really just pulled focus from our main characters. It just felt very random to be thrown in at the last minute.

This honestly just didn't quite do it for me and i'm really sad about this!

Beth O’Leary really impressed me with her first two books The Switch and Flatshare. I didn’t feel this quite lived up to the previous novels, but was still enjoyable. The novel centres around a group of 4 young people, former friends and lovers (plus a random Rodney) who end up forced to share a mini driving to Scotland for a wedding. The novel flits between past, when the group first met in the idyllic French countryside and Addie and Dylan first became lovers, and present events on the road trip. The story is also told alternately by Addie and Dylan which can be confusing as 4 different viewpoints on the story. The initial idyllic romance of Then has ended badly but in the Now it is clear that Dylan Has matured, as has his best friend Marcus who was instrumental in leading to the breakdown of the relationship. In the course of the road trip misunderstandings were overcome.
To be honest, I found myself feeling my age (35!) reading about youthful romances, excesses and foolish mistakes which I hadn’t felt when reading O’Leary’s previous novels. I felt cynical about the ending too! Maybe 10years ago I’d have given this 5stars, when I still dreamed of handsome English graduates writing me poetry and quoting Spenser like Dylan!
Well written and humourous, but aimed at a younger audience.

Love Beth O’Leary, loved this book! Whilst I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as The Flat Share, it had a great plot and fantastic characters, and was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It’s the perfect book to pick up for a trip or beach holiday (situation pending, of course!!), it’s the perfect escapist fiction!

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in rural 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 four-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?

I fell head over heels for this book and am bereft it has finished. I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt so connected to a read. Starting with the premise, O'Leary is already on to a win as it is just so great and yet so simple - throw exes into a mini, add in their nearest and dearest and you are in for one hell of a ride. This proved to be a highly entertaining, heart-warming read and I adored every page.

O'Leary writes this between the present and the past. Initially, I preferred the present day chapters but the past soon proves to be vital and I was hooked, wanting to get to the next reveal of secrets and learn everything I could about Addie and Dylan. This just has everything you could want in it; love, heartbreak, happiness, pain and laughter. This was a pure joy to read, albeit emotional as well!

O'Leary's characters are spectacular as well. I loved Addie and Dylan, more importantly though, I cared about them and their story. It was great getting to know them, learning about their relationship, seeing where it went wrong and discovering if they might be able to find their way back to one another. The other characters are great as well, all of them are just so realistic and likeable which helps massively. I have to shout out Rodney as well, you will see what a mean when you read this, but what a character.

'The Road Trip' is one of those books that you read, fall in love with and just know you will not be forgetting it. This was a sensational read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy.

I loved the Flatshare and enjoyed the switch, but this just wasn’t for me. It felt different in tone and style and I struggled to care about the characters.

Another brilliant book by Beth O'Leary. This is her second book I have read. Stuck in a car giving your ex and his obnoxious friend, your sister and an extra wedding guest a lift from the South to Scotland. Does not sound like a fun trip. Delving back in the relationship history of all the intertwined parties is illuminating and funny. You see how the characters develop and grow as they age from late teens to late twenties. There are a few surprises along the way, just like real life throws in to the path when you least expect it. Enjoy, I did.

This was an enjoyable story. It is a second chance story not only about 2 lovers but also second chance friendships. Whilst there is comedic moments, the underlying story is raw in emotions. At times it felt very intimate as we learn the love story of Dylan and Addie through present moments and flashbacks. It is told via dual points of Dylan and Addie and you can really get lost in their story. The comedy that is provided through Deb, Kevin and Rodney is a needed breather between the love story. This is the first time I have read a book by this Author, but look forward to reading more in the future.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. I am voluntarily reviewing a complimentary eARC and providing my unbiased opinion of the story.

Oh I loved this book.
As a follow up to The Flat Share, this exceeds expectations.. Addie and Debs are travelling to Scotland for a wedding. In the car is Rodney, no-one quite knows who he is, but he's begged a lift. Before they've gone far, an accident occurs when Adde's ex, her great love, drives in to the back of her. Add another two passengers to the car and you have a road trip.
I loved the unfolding story of the love affair, the old and the new. And I was really rooting for Dylan and Addie.
Joyful

Not my usual type of read but overall it was a well written, funny book with good characters and I can recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Addie and her sister Deb set out of their first road trip since deb gave birth for their friends wedding, they’ve planned every snack, song and stop. Not long into their drive a driver slams into the back of Deb’s mini and the driver Dylan, Addie’s ex boyfriend who she’d not seen since their heartbreaking demise two years prior.

Addie still had hours mentally to prepare to see Dylan but the universe had other plans. Dylan’s car is done for and he and his toxic best friend Marcus squeeze into Deb’s mini for an 8 hour drive. The car is jam packed of people it’s bursting with tension, feelings and secrets. Slowly each one of them looses patience and the gloves come off.

They can avoid their messy past any longer. Someone in the car deserve forgiveness while others deserve to be exiled. After another bump in the road the party question whether they will make it to the wedding. A story of love, friendship, heartbreak and forgiveness.

I loved this book, so vastly different to the Flatshare and The Switch and perfect in its own way. I loved the formatting and past and present POV for Addie and Dylan. Very honoured to have been able to read this one in advance.

Having read and enjoyed The Flat Share by the same author, I was worried that I may not have enjoyed this book as much, but I was wrong. I found this one to be just as enjoyable if not better!
Told in parts of then and now by two of the main characters, we slowly learn what happened in their relationship for it to break down the way it did and will they be able to put things behind them after two years and move on?
The story is easy to follow, the characters are great- I loved them all! I loved the storyline, I had many laugh out moments whilst reading too. I can’t wait for more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An enjoyable read about friendships, road trips and second chances. Told in dual timelines - then and now- this is an easy read that will while a few hours away in front of a cosy fire or on the beach.

While I warmed to some of the characters, particularly Deb, it was difficult to be as invested in the story of Addie/Dylan and the Dylan/Marcus friendship.

With both The FlatShare and The Switch, there were characters who had interesting stories and a totally unexpected dynamic. While the Road Trip has its twists and turns (including dodgy characters who you wouldn’t want to be in the same room with, never mind a mini) it’s just not got the same tug on the heartstrings.

So all in all, a good read but not quite up there with the author’s two previous books. I look forward to her next book

This is the 3rd book by the author, I have loved the first 2 however I was disappointed as I did not enjoy this completely. There were parts I enjoyed but overall not so much. There were times I felt the characters related to the lead couple were far more fun and interesting.

This was my first book by this author. It was an enjoyable read. The string of bad luck and hilarious situations that the five of them have on the way to wedding, was at times very laugh out loud. The back and forth to the past and then the present, especially for the first half of the book, I thought was a little confusing for me, I was just getting into the present road trip story and then it would switch back. However the back story and character development was very important to the present day situation.
The bond between Marcus and Dylan was interesting and there were times I wondered if Marcus had feelings for Dylan or not. I could see Dylan’s dilemma of wanting to help his friend who is spiralling out of control or ignoring him. When the full story came out I couldn’t help but like Marcus a bit more. His fun ‘changed’ personality on the road trip was very entertaining through out and I loved his off the cuff unfiltered remarks. I have to say Rodney was also a funny interesting read, and I could never have thought he was the twist that he was, on some levels you just can’t help but feel sorry for him.
Dylan and Addie were an interesting couple, their love was there from the start, and it took bring apart to show them how much they meant to each other, but until Marcus changed they really were always doomed as a couple.

Five disparate people (including two ex-lovers) squashed in a MiniCooper travelling from Brighton to Scotland - what could possibly go wrong? The answer is - just about everything, as you would expect, given the character dynamics. The ‘will they, won’t they’ get together again’ romantic scenario is played nicely with flashbacks to their previous relationship, and there’s much extra intrigue on the side to keep the interest flowing to the end.

What can I say about this book only that I absolutely loved it.

I lived with Addie and Dylan in Provence, I could see the vineyards, smell the lavender and feel their passion. Their story hooked me in and I was rooting for them the whole way.

If you want love, drama, pain, suspense, you will love this book. It is heartwarming as it is sad .The characters are so well thought out and you can almost see Dylan's floppy hair and Addie's tiny everything throughout the whole story.

I loved loved loved it!

Having enjoyed Flatshare and The Switch by Beth O’Leary I was looking forward to reading the Road Trip and wasn’t disappointed. This is a Romcom about a couple who meet and fall in love in France where Addy is working at a friend’s villa and Dylan is on holiday at the villa. The couple have an intense relationship for a while before Dylan goes off travelling as he had planned to do. On returning to the UK events transpire to push them apart. We are given all this information gradually as the story unfolds but the ‘Road Trip’ refers to a journey to Scotland to a mutual friend’s wedding. Dylan had planned to travel with his friend, Marcus and Addy was going with her sister, Debs. When Dylan gets distracted at the start of the journey because he sees Addy, he ends up driving into their car. Because Dylan’s car is now unable to be driven, they all end up in the car with Addy and Debs and another wedding guest, Rodney. This is an uncomfortable journey for Addy and Dylan in many ways, but there are numerous events that happen along the way some of which are laugh out loud, while others are quite sad. We are also given flashbacks as to how this couple broke up and events leading up to it. There are a number of complex issues raised in this story such as Dylan’s relationship with his controlling father and also his relationship with Marcus who is also quite controlling. There are a lot of different characters in this book which can sometimes lead to confusion when following a story but the descriptions of these people are so well described it is easy to work out who is who. This book feels like a bit of a departure from Beth O’Leary’s other books with a slightly more serious tone but still very enjoyable. The sort of book that keeps you guessing until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book in return for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc!
I read The Flat Share last year and I absolutely fell in love with Tiff and Leon do when this came up I had to request it!
I stayed up late last night to finish it and I absolutely loved it!!!
Who knew so much could happen on a road trip?! I loved how the story went from Then to Now so we could find out how Addie and Dylan met and then to now.
I love Addie and Dylan so much and I loved all the characters apart from Marcus. I understood why he was like he was but he was still completely horrible.
The characters were all different and they made me laugh, imagining them all stuck in that car!
I can't say anything else without spoilers but if you loved The Flat Share you must get this!!!
Released 29th April 2021.

Two years after their breakup, Addie and Dylan bump into each other, quite literally. On their way to a mutual friends wedding Dylan drives his car in to the back of Addie’s. Now they, along with three others, must car pool to Scotland.

This was a great read. I have loved every one on Beth O’Leary’s books and this was brilliant. I loved the slow retelling of Addie and Dylan’s love affair.

Having been a massive fan of Beth O’ Leary’s two previous books, The Flat Share and The Switch, I was extremely excited for this latest offering ‘The Road Trip”

It tells the story of Addie and her sister Deb who set off on a girlie road trip off to Scotland to go to a friend’s wedding. With a work colleague of their friend also in tow, they set off on what should be a great weekend. However, when a coincidence means that they meet up with Addie’s ex Dylan, well it is safe to say that the road trip suddenly takes several different turns! With a car then full of luggage and many secrets, this journey to Scotland was never going to be straight forward...

I am very pleased to say that I loved this book and continue to be a massive fan of Beth’s writing. You are drawn into the story from the very beginning and connect with the characters straight away (although I did struggle to connect with Marcus for some reason, couldn’t get an image of him in my head at all!) and you are fighting all the way for everything to work out. Whilst it may not have some of the heart-warming feelings that The Switch provoked it does bring some very important issues to light and these are tackled in a very sensitive and appropriate way. Would recommend this book to all, thank you to Beth, Netgalley and Quercus Publishing for the advanced reader copy.