The Road Trip

By: Susanne O'Leary

Narrated by: Melanie MacHugh

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

An absolutely hilarious, unputdownable summer story about two best friends who pack their bags for the trip of a lifetime and promise to start living life to the fullest.

Maddy and Leanne are in need of a miracle. Maddy can't bear to wash another pair of her husband's underwear, and if he continues to drone on about golf, she might just scream. Leanne can't stand living with her overbearing mother for a second longer, and she's one disapproving eye roll away from a nervous breakdown. But their luck changes when they win the lottery.

Setting off from Dublin, Maddy and Leanne lease a red convertible, winding through Europe and heading for the sun-drenched French Riviera. But the pair have their own reasons for their adventure. Maddy has never forgotten her summer romance 20 years ago with a gorgeous Frenchman, and Leanne plans to track down the father who abandoned her as a child.

Among glorious sunsets and buckets of bubbly, Leanne and Maddy are searching for answers after years of wondering "what if?". But there just might be some surprises in store along the way....

A hilarious and heartwarming story about friendship, living life to the fullest, and making the most of every moment. Fans of Fiona Gibson, Carole Matthews, and Lucy Diamond will adore this uplifting, fun-filled story.

©2018 Susanne O'Leary (P)2018 Bookouture

Loads of fun!

Enjoyed the ups and downs! Maddie and Leanne are such a hoot! Looking forward to the next installment.

Fun, adventurous & romantic

Such a beautiful story with lots of reality, fun, adventurous, friendships, some romance, beautifully described scenery and history. Look forward to the next chapter.

Enjoyable Story, Fantastic Narration

When we first meet Maddy and Leanne, we learn they are part of a group of schoolteachers who have hit the lottery and have each won GBP200,000, so how awesome is that? This windfall couldn’t have come at a better time in their lives. Leanne’s life is under control by her mother and Maddy’s life consists of children who no longer need mothering and a husband who values his bloody golf clubs over his wife. Both of these women need a fresh start in the worst way. They keep the win to themselves and decide to go on a holiday. Leanne is on the search for the father who left when she was a child and Maddy is searching for the man she fell in love with when she was a student in France over twenty years ago.

Along the way from Dublin to the French Riviera, they meet many interesting characters, secrets are revealed, truths are told, tears are shed and life is lived with many humorous moments.

I liked Maddy and Leanne and their decision to take off on a massive holiday adventure was very exciting. Blogging it as they go also holds great appeal to me. We’ve all entertained the question of ”What is the first thing you would do if you hit it big in the lottery?” and for these two ladies, the answer is simple and I really liked that.

I went with the audiobook format of this story and I absolutely loved the narration performance of Melanie MacHugh. The story starts in Dublin and Maddy and Leanne are Irish, so obviously, listening to this book, one would expect Irish accents and this one didn’t disappoint. Ms. MacHugh’s narration was excellent. The voices of each character were distinct and brought them to life, giving me a better understanding of their personality, which enabled me to connect with them.

This was the first book for me by this author and I have the second book in this series, A Holiday to Remember which sees Maddy and Leanne’s adventure continuing. I am looking forward to reading that one as there are several loose threads in this story and I am curious to see how it all comes out.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this story to readers of women’s fiction, chick-lit and stories that feature exciting locale settings.

Decent Summer reading

The Road Trip was my first experience reading a book from Susanne O'Leary, and it was a delightful enough novel about friendship, dreams, and letting go of the past.

The premise of this novel is perfect for Summer reading. Basically, two friends, Maddy and Leanne, win the lottery and decide to go on the trip of a lifetime - a road trip around Europe. Both girls have something that they are seeking along the way. Maddy is looking to escape a dead marriage and find a past fling in Paris, and Leanne is looking to break free from an overbearing mother and reconnect with her long-lost father.

Following Maddy and Leanne on their trip, as a reader was entertaining and thrilling. I found myself enjoying their mishaps and experience. The descriptions of each city and hotel were simply gorgeous.

Nevertheless, I only rated the story a 3 out of 5. I chose this rating as a few of the situations seemed almost outlandish. Additionally, I found Maddy's character to be temperamental and slightly irritating ... especially towards Erik. I mean, I understand where the character's attitude came from, but, as a reader, I still found that it irked me.

Overall, despite some caveats, I did enjoy reading "The Road Trip." It was a nice, light-hearted read that was perfect for patio reading in the sun. I will be sure to check out the next instalment, "The Boat Trip."