The Road Trip

April 1, 2021

Addie and her sister Deb are heading off on a road trip to a friend's wedding when they get into a car accident. The driver of the other car? Addie's ex, Dylan. Addie and Deb take pity on Dylan and his friend Marcus--their car isn't driveable, and there's no public transportation where they're heading--and soon they're all packed into Deb's Mini, along with another guest, Rodney. Interspersed with the present-day narrative of their increasingly complicated journey are recollections from both Addie and Dylan of their initial meeting and how their relationship developed and eventually fell apart. Luckily for them, they suddenly have plenty of time in close quarters to sort through the misunderstandings and bad decisions that led to their breakup and decide whether to give it another shot. Though some readers will find it hard to have much sympathy for privileged Dylan, his character shows a lot of growth between the breakup and the reunion. Addie is a warm and viviacious heroine, and readers will root for her to recover from her emotional wounds. VERDICT This sweet second-chance romance will please fans of The Flatshare and character-driven romances.--Stephanie Klose, Library Journal

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 19, 2021
A pair of exes travel from England to Scotland for a friend’s wedding in O’Leary’s delightful third contemporary romance (after The Switch). Sisters Addie and Deb Gilbert are heading north in a Mini that’s seen better days when they’re rear-ended by Addie’s ex, Dylan Abbott, and his obnoxious friend, Marcus, who always did his worst to sabotage their relationship. Marcus’s Mercedes is totaled, so the sisters feel obliged to squeeze the guys into the backseat with Rodney, a friend of the bride’s who needed a lift. From there, the trip becomes an extended nightmare of hilarious breakdowns, rescues, and pit stops peppered with snide comments, hurt feelings, and rivalries old and new. The present narrative is interspersed with flashbacks to Addie and Dylan’s relationship and devastating breakup. Over the course of their misadventures it becomes clear that these two still love each other—but have they matured enough to make it work? As with her surprise hit, The Flatshare, O’Leary expertly balances humor and heart while introducing a zany cast of 20-somethings. Though some readers may balk at the grammar (“ ‘Sorry,’ me and Rodney say simultaneously”), the breezy, conversational tone fits the novel’s mood. Readers won’t want this crazy road trip to end. Agent: Tanera Simons, Darley Anderson Literary.

May 1, 2021
Years after a tumultuous breakup, a young woman finds herself crammed into the same tiny car as her ex for a dayslong drive to a mutual friend's wedding. Addie and her sister, Deb, are excited to be road tripping from their home in England to rural Scotland for their friend Cherry's wedding. They've planned the trip so perfectly that they don't even mind transporting a work friend of Cherry's, an overly apologetic fellow named Rodney. Unfortunately, only a few hours after they set out, they get rear-ended. It turns out the driver is none other than Dylan Abbott, the man Addie has spent two years trying to forget. Worse yet, the car Dylan was driving now needs a tow, leaving him and his best friend, Marcus, without transportation to the very same wedding. Before she can stop herself, Addie invites the men to ride along with her, Deb, and Rodney. Everyone piles into the Mini Cooper, and with each mile they drive, Addie and Dylan find themselves assaulted by memories and unresolved feelings. Meanwhile, the group dynamic, as a whole, is also less than perfect. As the journey progresses, the bickering between the passengers only escalates, creating a slew of awkward moments and surprising revelations. Told alternately from Addie's and Dylan's perspectives, the novel shifts between "Then," when they were falling in love, and "Now," when they are grappling with their unresolved feelings. As a picture of the past begins to crystalize, the author deftly portrays the passion the couple once felt for each other. Unfortunately, other than the sexual chemistry, they seem to be missing a true emotional connection, rendering their potential reunion somewhat less exciting. After the initial flashback scenes, which are quite engaging, Dylan gradually reveals himself to be so self-involved and undirected that his shortcomings weaken the intrigue of his pining over Addie. More fun is watching the other passengers in the car battle against each other as they navigate the uncomfortable ride, squishing into tight spaces and arguing over every possible topic. Despite its unevenness, the story is full of fun: quirky behavior, witty Briticisms, and gleeful slapstick humor. A second-chance romance shows the many potential pitfalls of road tripping.

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