The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary: I’m so disappointed with this book. I adored The Flatshare, thought The Switch was cute, if a little cheesy, and had this title on pre-order for quite a while.
But this was an infuriating read. Switching back and forth in time, I was invested enough in finding out what happened in the past, but I probably should have marked this title as a DNF because I disliked everyone in this book. The characters were annoying, some intensely so. The romance was instant and absolutely not worth a second chance, and I found a large element of the plot to be intensely problematic. I might have found things more believable if the characters were older and had more life experience.
I thought that the story might benefit from a second read, but the book has been on my bedside table for a few weeks, as I can’t bring myself to pick it up. I’m probably not in the age demographic that the author had in mind.
I feel rather guilty about sharing a wholly negative review here, because just recently, I was on a Zoom Meet the Authors get-together and Beth O’Leary in person was lovely. 🙂
I’m hoping to enjoy her fourth offering much more.
My usual end of month book round-up will appear tomorrow.
This West London Life 
Oh what a shame to be so disappointed. I’ve read the other two of hers and enjoyed them too. You shouldn’t feel guilty about sharing a negative review, authors need constructive criticism about their work, as do their editors. As you say, maybe in this book she was aiming for a different audience.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t love everything that I read, can I. This one simply isn’t for me.
LikeLike
Thanks for the review. Not all books by favourite authors are a hit. My favourite, Louise Penny has/had two characters running through all her books, who I do not like (although I appreciate their character development & impact on the story as a whole). And then there are the books one loves, but dislikes the author … I think we know who I am talking about for me (wink wink). What’s that song, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad …
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure that someone else will be loving The Road Trip – it’s just not for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, that sounds like time and effort expended but without getting much back in return … Hoping the newer offering restores your enjoyment and faith in the author.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Plenty more books waiting to be read! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person