The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

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.

Paperback, 400 pages

Published June 1st 2021 

by Berkley

3.5/5

The Road Trip was one of my highly anticipated books of 2021.  I LOVED The Flatshare, it was my first rom/com and made me open my eyes to what I could be missing.  Next came The Switch which was just as enjoyable, so obviously I was looked forward to The Road Trip.

I am not sure if my expectation level was just too high or what but, yup there is a but. While I enjoyed parts of this book it didn't hit me like the other two did. 

The beginning was a bit slow, I didn't like Marcus at all and that's okay because there are always those characters around - reading would be a tad boring if one must like all the characters.  Part of the reason I steered away from anything to do with any type of romance novel is the insta-love trope and the aftermath.  For me this book was more of an insta-lust and it just didn't sit right.

The book alternates between Addie and Dylan's POV both in the now and then, I'm glad the author did that, seeing where they are now and what transpires in the past. I think Addie was the only one I really got to know and I loved her sister, Deb - she added that extra bit of hmp the book needed. 

The Road Trip is a story of second chances, self discovery and righting wrongs.  While it may not have been as laugh out loud funny as her previous books Beth O'Leary has touch on serious subject matters relevant today in a somewhat light hearted matter.  I liked the conclusion and for me that redeemed some of my feelings for the insta-lust part.

The Road Trip is in bookstores now.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading Of My Shelf Challenge.

Review: The Switch by Beth O'Leary

Leena is too young to feel stuck.
Eileen is too old to start over.
Maybe it’s time for The Switch…

Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen… So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love, and Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire.

But with a rabble of unruly OAPs to contend with, as well as the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – local schoolteacher, Leena learns that switching lives isn’t straightforward. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, and with the online dating scene. But is her perfect match nearer to home than she first thought?

Hardcover, 328 pages
Published April 16th 2020
by Quercus
4/5 stars

 

The Flatshare is one of my favorites reads this year. In fact, it might actually be my first rom/com, what have I been missing, right? So it only stands to reason that I preorder Beth O'Leary's new book The Switch from the UK. Release dates can be earlier there and BookDepository offers free delivery worldwide. A win-win.

Now the wonderful folks at Netgalley have launched a new app and offer audiobooks for review. It gets better...The Switch was available to listen to.  How could I say no to that? Well, I didn't and decided that a test of the app and a combination read/ listen was in order.

However, in the end, I ended up just reading it. The readers were wonderful in the audio but I just felt I’d enjoy the book more reading it myself.  Obviously this is my issue because most loved the audio.

The Switch is told from the pov of grandmother Ellen and her granddaughter Leena which gave this book a nice contrast in the narrative. Where Ellen is spunky and rather fearless in her adventures, Leena is burdened with past hurts but hid behind a cloud of keeping busy trying to ignore them.

The Switch is a delicious rom/com that tackles grief. Is that even possible? It takes a talented author that can do that with respect to the situation and make it work. Grief is such an individual thing, everyone handles it their own way and this book showed the effect it has on others.  I think I would have loved a little more interaction between a couple of players here on that level. But all in all, this was a great read and one I recommend.

Well done Beth O’Leary, you have cemented yourself as a go-to author, can’t wait to see what comes next...actually Road Trip does in 2021.

This book was part of my 2020 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge - #29

 

Review: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

What if your roommate is your soul mate? A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of ways.

Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.

Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He'll only ever be there when she's at the office. In fact, they'll never even have to meet.

Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes - first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea...especially if you've never met.

Paperback 366 pages

Published May 28th 2019

by Flatiron Books

5/5

I received this book through my Valentines SweetReadsBox and to be honest, it was an impulse purchase -I’m not into books labeled romance. Historical romance is good because I usually get a history lesson at the same time. Rom/Com is something new for me and being in the mood for something lite, but not too cute and fluffy, I grabbed this to take on a recent cruise and I loved it! Making my favorites list as well.

Told with alternating POV between Tiffy and Leon they communicated via post-it notes and texts. It was witty and made me smile, it felt natural and totally believable. Both of them have baggage they don’t share and were struggling to deal with.

What I really enjoyed were the many layers, it wasn’t just a romance story but dealt with other issues that included abuse and gaslighting. These serious subject matters were handled with the right balance and not minimized but brought upfront and center, it takes a talented author that can do that in the midst of a rom/com.

This is Beth O’Leary’s debut, she has set a high bar for herself. Her second book releases next month, The Switch and I can’t wait to read it.

This book is part of my 2020 reading of my shelf challenge.