Reviews

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

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remia1996's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

nikkigribuste's review against another edition

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2.0

had to dnf this one because it was a struggle to read - loved it in the beginning whilst i was getting to know the characters but jeez this dragged on far too long - definitely did not need to be 500 pages long

startledred's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cute, dark, a little splash of fun. Typical Beth O’Leary weepy laugh time

romanaromana's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

3 stars.

(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).

Well that wasn't really what I expected, but the bulk of what made The Roadtrip surprising - the presence of Marcus's character - was one of the things I liked the most. He was not a figure I expected to encounter, but I think Beth O'Leary wrote him really well. His flaws and red flags crept into Addie and Dylan's story in a way that was layered and believable. Of all the characters, he is the one who made me feel the most, which I never would have guessed.

But I suppose that's something that was lacking in Addie and Dylan in particular - I didn't feel much for them. Their characters weren't bad, but I just didn't care about them very much. I cared about them less as a pairing, to be honest, which shot down the whole romance element of this book, sadly. I'm usually a fan of second chance romances, but this was one of those instances where I think the characters would be better of staying apart. They had both struggled a lot when they were together, and had changed so much since the break up. I didn't read anything to suggest the future was particularly bright, so I couldn't really invest in their re=kindling relationship.

Something to credit was O'Leary's humour, especially in the present-day scenes on the roadtrip itself. I found the dialogue between the five passengers witty and natural and well-balanced. They bounced off each other well, with Deb being a particular highlight in these scenes. It made what could have been quite a tedious and static setting/premise into something dynamic and fun to read. It was a shame that this humour didn't really carry across to the other timeline, but I understand why O'Leary adjusted between the two, with the past narrative having more focus on the emotional rise and fall of Addie and Dylan's relationship.

So this was good but not great, and O'Leary's other works have been bigger hits for me. I would be interested in reading something more light-hearted from her, but then again she did write the grittier parts of this novel very well. I think she's good, is my point, even if this novel didn't quite thrill me.