You're the only thing that I'm chained to: THE ROAD TRIP.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Addie and her sister Deb are headed to the north of Scotland for their friend Cherry's wedding. They get an early start, but it does nothing to prevent them from getting into an accident on the highway when a car hits the back of theirs. Even worse, the driver turns out to be Addie's ex, Dylan, who is headed to the same wedding. With the car carrying Dylan and his best friend Marcus totaled, Addie feels obligated to offer them a ride--and soon Deb's Mini is packed with Dylan, the acerbic Marcus, Addie, Deb, and Rodney, a tag-along they gathered from Cherry's Wedding Facebook group. Now Dylan and Addie are literally forced together to confront their failed relationship... with an audience.

I loved Beth O'Leary's other two books, but this one was not for me. I did not care for any of the characters, beyond maybe Deb, and while this is supposed to be a romance between Addie and Dylan, it often felt like a serious exploration into Dylan and Marcus' friendship. The problem is that Marcus is pretty awful--a spoiled rich drunk who constantly interferes in Dylan's life and while we are sometimes given some excuses for him, they all fall flat. Dylan is also wealthy, and the "rich boys partying away their life" got boring quick.

The book is told in alternating chapters and alternating points of view--Dylan and Addie's. We get the present day road trip and then flashbacks to Dylan and Addie meeting and their relationship progressing. I did not care for the flashbacks and had no interest in their relationship and felt no investment in rooting for these two. The present day is supposed to be filled with crazy road trip hijinks, but they often felt forced instead of funny. My favorite parts certainly involved Deb and a trucker she meets named Kevin.

This story improves a bit near the end, even though it offers some serious and emotional moments, but by then it was too late. I did not care if Dylan and Addie got back together, because I never liked them as a couple in the first place. I did not care if Marcus redeemed himself, because he had been so awful all along.

I will certainly read Beth O'Leary's next book, because I've all truly enjoyed the others, but this one was a miss. 2.5 stars.

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