The Road Trip

I loved Flatshare and The Switch, but this novel by Beth O'Leary just didn't sit right. Much of the book was well-written, with shifting perspectives between Dylan and Addie in the "then" and "now," but it is very difficult to portray realistic relationships that have been complicated by the toxic involvement of others. Some of the simplifications here honestly ruined things for me, which was a huge bummer since I was really looking forward to this release.

At the chronological if not actual beginning, Addie just seemed too emotionally healthy + assertive to put up with the arrival of the obviously toxic Marcus like 5 days into a summer fling and let a relationship with Dylan continue to develop under those terms. I get why she was more show more downbeaten later on to set boundaries vs. seemingly risk losing Dylan, but when she thought it was Dylan coming to her room and it turned out to be Marcus, I don't get why she didn't slam the door in his face or why she didn't demand an actual apology after he said he knew he owed her one. There were a LOT of red flags of which Addie became immediately aware, and I have a hard time buying this early "happy" part of the past romance. Also, Dylan is totally drunk driving at the first flirty car-racing scene -- was that supposed to make us root for him?

That said, suspending my disbelief that Addie managed to fall in love with Dylan during their summer fling, which made it hard to root for them NOT to break up even earlier, much less not stay broken up, there were other issues:

1) The serious topics addressed (TW: attempted rape, drug/alcohol abuse, emotional abuse and gaslighting, stalking, manipulative behavior, etc) were taken a bit too lightly / oversimplified in the interest of making it light/funny in a way that seriously affected the novel's impact. It was both too serious and not serious enough, and the frivolity with with some of the serious topics were "resolved" took me out of the story.

2) The disjointed chronology camouflaged but did not compensate for the lack of adequate character development at certain points, (I mean, yes, I've known people as truly manipulative and narcissistic as Marcus, and I get why Dylan was blind to his behavior for the most part, but the interim relationship period of "Marcus super-obviously negging Addie to her face in front of Dylan, and sabotaging their relationship by having a alcohol/drug-induced meltdown that interrupts literally EVERY relationship milestone of Dylan's and Addie's OVER THE COURSE OF AN ENTIRE YEAR and somehow we're supposed to believe that Dylan didn't pick up on it AT ALL? There should have been at least one reaction from Dylan about how blatantly Marcus was interfering in his relationship.) and in retrospect, it did not distract me from the fact that just because I the reader did not know certain things at different times, that the characters DID have the information. It raises some questions about consistency in character development and progress along a redemption arc.

Spoiler: If we are to believe that Dylan has actually done the character growth he has done by putting all this work into therapy, etc, such that he is now semi-defending Addie when Marcus tries to lambaste her during the roadtrip for her perceived past cheating, and that he believes that his past friendship with Marcus was toxic and that he HAS a lot to apologize to Addie for, I do not comprehend why: (1) he is on a road trip with Marcus -- even if Marcus is changing his behavior and making the rounds within his friend/family group -- to give Marcus the opportunity to apologize to HIM if he hasn't actually done that already, and especially, (2) why he would even consider putting Addie in a position of feeling guilted into driving them to the wedding when HE KNOWS Marcus doesn't know the truth about what happened, hasn't even apologized to HIM about how he sabotaged the relationship and did all the other crap, and certainly shows no indication that any of what he did to Addie is even on his radar. It seems like it negates the character growth we're supposed to believe Dylan has undergone: He knows how seriously he fucked up in believing Marcus's "proof" that Addie cheated on him without even letting her tell her side of the story, and it does not seem reasonable that someone who is that "sorry" about how he failed his girlfriend in the aftermath of her sexual assault would be willing to expose said ex to continued abuse from the guy who didn't deserve the full story because of his track record in how he used Addie's vulnerabilities as weapons. And instead he says "Marcus has changed. Is changing. Just look out for it--please. For me. I want you to know I wouldn't be in a car with Marcus if he was still the man you knew when we were together." Just because he is willing to give Marcus margin to redeem himself doesn't mean he should be willing to give Marcus rein to hurt Addie even more than he already did.

Bottom line: the ending comes off as a cop out and it all ends WAY too quickly in the middle of the wedding reception as they have their "second first kiss." Sure, maybe Dylan has matured some and done some therapy work ... but the earlier version was such a low bar, he still isn't a good boyfriend prospect despite the "improvement." AND he hasn't even apologized for anything other than abruptly breaking up with her after her sexual assault when that was just the cherry on the top of everything! Like, he needed to apologize for how he treated her while they were dating! He was clearly demonstrating during the "now" timeline how he would continue to prioritize his wants over Addie's needs (seriously? he's hurt that he didn't know her sister had a baby? like, he removed himself from her life.... that's what HAPPENS); why on earth would she take him back?? Especially after Marcus' creepy obsessive and stalker behavior in trying to break them up in the first place is just dismissed/forgiven as him being in love with her too? Dylan needed to own his role in letting Marcus do that! Addie doesn't owe Dylan another chance just because he says he loves her. Needed at least another 100 pages of resolution to end the way it did. show less

Actual rating: 2.75/5

I read two of Beth O'Leary's other books, The Flatshare and The No-Show, and enjoyed both despite some issues, so I approached The Road Trip with fairly high expectations. Sadly, this one was a bit of a miss for me.

The premise was really interesting: two sisters, one ex, one best friend and a random person are forced to travel to a wedding in a very, very small car. What could ever go wrong? Knowing Beth O'Leary's style by now I was expecting a poignant story wrapped in some humour but, while her writing is flawless as usual, this book didn't really hit the mark. The main issue I had with this was I just couldn't care less about any of the characters. And the main couple I was supposed to be rooting for? I actually show more wished they would break up for good, so... not a great result.

The story is told in a dual POV (Addie's and Dylan's) and across two timelines, alternating the present-day road trip and the beginning of Addie and Dylan's love story. If I'm being honest, I wasn't too keen on the past timeline except in that it served to slowly unveil the reasons that brought them to break up. This summer romance honestly felt a bit too much like insta-love, with absolutely no reason for either of the characters to be as possessive as they were that early on in a mostly physical and quite superficial relationship. Nothing wrong with that if that's what you're going for, but their actions and thoughts just didn't seem to match up, with them portraying this as the most amazing love story ever when in truth it just wasn't that deep. When the big reveal of the reason behind their break-up came along after being teased for most of the book, I was frankly disappointed and more than a bit annoyed.

The road trip part of the story was much more engaging and had plenty of funny moments as well as some more insightful ones, where characters were given a chance to develop. These were still few and far between though, with the result that I actually did not care about the characters, not even enough to hate the most unlikeable ones. There was also a particularly problematic situation regarding one of the characters, which wasn't really tackled in the way I would have expected having read the author's other works. That being said, I did like the way the conversation around mental health was handled and the way one character matured by the end of the book, even though his behaviour had been appalling up to that point and it didn't really feel as though that was fully addressed.

Despite these issues, Beth O'Leary's writing is captivating, so much so that I was still entertained and had no problem finishing this book. I also alternated the ebook with the audio version, and the narrators made all the difference. Josh Dylan and Eleanor Tomlinson were absolutely perfect in this and added loads of charm to characters who would otherwise have had very little. Honestly, I may have enjoyed this book even less had I only read it, but the audiobook improved my experience of this.

I'm still curious to read The Switch and whatever Beth O'Leary writes next, but this one was very disappointing.

CW: This book contains mentions of: sexual assault, stalking, toxic friendship, alcoholism, and mental illness.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. show less

The Road Trip is Beth O’Leary’s third entertaining romcom novel, following her success with The Flatshare and The Switch.

Addie, her sister Deb and rideshare passenger, Rodney, have just begun the eight hour drive from Chichester to Scotland to attend a close friend’s wedding when they are rear ended by a Mercedes. The driver is Addie’s ex-boyfriend, Dylan, accompanied by his best friend, Marcus, heading to the same event. With the Mercedes out of action, Addie reluctantly offers the pair a ride in Deb’s Mini Cooper.

Unfolding from the alternating perspectives of Addie and Dylan in the ‘Now’ and the ‘Then’, the physically uncomfortable conditions created by five adults crammed into Deb’s car are almost secondary to the show more emotionally fraught atmosphere caused by the tumultuous history between Addie and Dylan in particular. I thought the narrative structure worked well to reveal to what happened between them in the past, and their current status with one another.

The road trip itself is beset by a chain of mishaps, from endless traffic (it’s a Bank Holiday weekend) to a breakdown, punctuated by Deb’s need to pump breastmilk, country music singalongs, and Marcus’s less obnoxious tantrums, providing plenty of humour. There’s always an edge of tension though as Addie and Dylan try to navigate their unexpected reunion, complicated by the presence of Marcus who played a significant role in their breakup.

O’Leary’s characters are interesting, all with their own lighthearted quirks, but many of them also struggle with serious issues such as clinical depression, alcoholism, addiction, sexual assault, and difficult family dynamics, making this story a little darker than her previous novels. And while there is a happy ever after for Addie and Dylan, as befitting the romance genre, it’s more mature than a fairytale ending.

Funny and engaging with a bit of edge, I enjoyed The Road Trip. show less

Beth O’Leary is one of the many authors on my reading lists who gets an automatic “yes, please” when I see that she has a new book out. The Road Trip did not disappoint – but its characters are more deeply flawed and complicated than I was initially expecting. Once I settled into the story, though, I couldn’t put it down.

The story is told via alternating timeline – THEN and NOW – as well as from the standpoints of our new main characters – and exes – Addie and Dylan. Recently graduated from university, they come from different worlds – Addie is to be a school teacher, grew up middle class with a loving family, whereas Dylan comes from wealth and privilege, a dysfunctional family, and he doesn’t know what to do with show more himself now that he’s graduated from Oxford. (Yes, you can read that last bit with a plummy accent. I did.)

The story starts out entertainingly, and the road trip itself has some really great, laugh-out-loud moments. (How can it not? Just the idea of five grown adults crammed into a mini lends itself to some great situations.) But it’s the flashbacks where the story – and the conflict – unfolds, and this is what gives the story real depth. I thought the book’s structure really lent well to letting the story unfold.

They first meet at a posh villa in Provence – where Addie and her sister have been spending the summer as a caretaker, while Dylan is (initially) the lone guest of what should have been a family trip. Dylan and his friends have grown up with wealth and privilege, and oftentimes come off as immature and spoiled.

Still, there is a lot that readers can relate to, as this is really a story about forgiveness on many levels – family, lovers, and friends. Can we forgive the ones we love? What about those we once loved, and who hurt us – what does it take to forgive them and get back together (or move on happily)? Can we forgive ourselves for our own bad behavior (or choices)?

Dylan has been let down by his controlling, father (and his weak mother who loves him but won’t stand up to his father.) He’s a complicated person and at some points in the story I struggled to like him, but mostly because he is a bit wishy-washy about what he wants in life. Which, in all honesty, probably just makes him human (albeit, a frustrating one). His wealth has not protected him from a lack of direction or mental health issues.

I think we all have that friend who really toes the line in one way or another, but for whom we will tolerate their bad behavior because we love them – and because they need us, and us them. In this story, this is Marcus. I really struggled to find any redeeming qualities he held – he’s manipulative and selfish, although you can see glimpses of charm – and he does his damndest to drive a wedge in Dylan and Addie. And despite all this, I might have forgiven him by the end of the story.

Alternately, Addie’s sister Deb provides a lot of lightness in the book and is an anchor for Addie, and I really adored her. (She might have been my favorite character of them all!) Addie and Deb’s parents are refreshingly average (compared to Dylan’s family) and helps ground Addie’s character all the more.

DO Addie and Dylan belong together? (Or, as my question was – is Dylan the one for Addie?) The ending ties things up a little too neatly and I wanted a little…more. (An epilogue would have been perfect.) This couple has been through a lot, and while the story is about forgiveness, it’s also about trust. Does Dylan have his feet? I have more questions. (Maybe I just need someone to discuss the book with.)

There were moments in The Road Trip where my heart broke for both Addie and Dylan, and others were I laughed out loud. (And a lot of moments where I really wanted to light Marcus up.)

While this might not be what I was initially expecting from the author based on earlier books, once I dropped my expectations and settled in, I really enjoyed the ride. The Road Trip is a story of forgiveness, and one with both laughter and pain and a whole lot of emotions. I’m giving it a solid four stars.

I was provided an advance copy of the book by the publisher via Netgalley show less

This story alternates between Now and Then. In the Now, Addie and Dylan, who broke up over a year ago, are both driving to the Scotland wedding of a mutual friend. A minor car accident results in one car being towed and five wedding guests cramming themselves into Addie’s sister’s mini for the rest of the trip.

It’s the sort of awkwardness and angst I find interesting to read about. But the Then, about how Addie and Dylan met and the time they were together, was a lot less appealing -- some wild partying, the manipulations of a toxic friend and the sickening anticipation of everything going painfully wrong.

I was impressed with the way O’Leary builds tension and weaves these two storylines together, but wonder if the effect of show more having certain revelations occur at critical moments meant there wasn’t always enough space in the narrative to address them fully. Maybe some important things are glossed over?

Instead of watching the Then unfold, I’d have preferred to see the part In Between, in which Dylan and Addie each make sense of the difficult things in their lives (including but not limited to their break-up) with the support of counselling. show less

Dylan and Addie had one of those whirlwind romances. Meeting while Addie was housesitting during a summer vacation, they connected immediately and didn't want to let the relationship go at the end of summer. They started to make a life together until...things changed.

Now, almost two years since they broke up, Dylan and Addie find themselves forced to road trip together to the wedding of a mutual friend. Along the way they discover their feelings for each other have never changed, but that doesn't change the things that happened in the past leading to their breakup. They'll have to reconcile who they were then with who they've become on their own since the breakup if there is any chance for a future.

I started The Road Trip in high show more anticipation. I loved Beth O'Leary's previous book (also my introduction to the author). I appreciate the fact that The Road Trip, while someone similar in tone and of course writing style to O'Leary's previous book, it still managed to surprise me.

The thing is, it took me quite a while to actually warm up to both Dylan and Addie. I think it's a very typical thing for us as humans to choose sides. We've seen this in various fandoms with the evolution of the veritable "team". I couldn't decide whose "team" I was on for the longest time with this book. I couldn't really assign the villain card to either Dylan or Addie for whomever was responsible for the end of the relationship which is something that I feel I am prone to do. Find the "good guy", find the "bad guy".

Looking back on the story I think this was a calculated set up by Beth O'Leary as we are slowly lead into the events of "Then" getting the full picture of what happened between Dylan and Addie.

The story is told in alternating sections of "Now" and "Then". At first, I didn't care for Then. In knowing where Dylan and Addie end up in the Now, I was more interested to see how, and if, they could move forward rather then rehashing what has already passed. But as the story got going, I appreciated the Then sections as really giving us a full picture of both Dylan and Addie. Who they used to be countered against who they are now. I think it's important for this picture in order to see whether or not they can move forward from what happened.

Beth O'Leary builds and builds the tension. Hinting at the way things were, leading readers into events that irrevocably change both Addie and Dylan. The Road Trip wasn't a quick read for me. There were times when I could too clearly anticipate how things would turn out and I had to put down the book and start again later. But I think it's a better read for taking your time and truly taking in all it has to offer.

I like that Beth O'Leary understands that to root for Dylan and Addie together, we have to root for them as individuals as well. Dylan comes from a relatively affluent family. He's never really had to get serious about growing up and being responsible with money. That's not to say he's a snob, he just doesn't understand that not everyone can afford to fix their problems with money. It's an area of contention between Addie and Dylan because Addie is definitely someone who has gotten by with very little at times. It's certainly not the only thing where they're different, and not the only problem that arises, but I think it's a statement of how oftentimes people who might love each other just aren't together at the right time in their lives in order for a relationship to work.

It's not all doom and gloom. I think Beth O'Leary balances the more serious parts out pretty well with the rest of the ragtag group of quasi-friends/acquaintances also road-tripping their way to the wedding which includes Addie's sister along with Dylan's friend (who was a huge area of contention between Dylan and Addie while they were together). I loved the sisterly connection between Addie and Deb, the drop-everything to be at your side kind of relationship. Equally, the brotherly bond between Dylan and Marcus kind of runs perpendicular to that. They would do anything for each other, but sometimes that can do more harm than good.

Overall, it was a surprising read in that Beath O'Leary made some choices and some turns I wasn't expecting but ended up really giving readers a thoughtful, often heartbreaking book about love and relationships. Beth O'Leary has become an auto-buy author for me. show less

I really enjoyed this comedic and romantic story of two exes who get trapped in a car together on their way to a wedding of a mutual friend. We learn about their past and how their relationship ended and other secrets are revealed. You will be rooting for these two to reunite the whole way through. It had a Bridget Jones sort of vibe to it and I think it would make a fantastic movie.