Side Trip

WOW!! Kerry Lonsdale has done it again — given her readers a fantastic story with realistic characters that keep you turning pages to the end. I have read every word that this author has published and she has become one of the few authors that I will buy her books without knowing anything about them because I know that they’ll be fantastic.

Joy is driving from California to New York City to start a new job and move in with her fiancé. She is travelling on Route 66 holding on to her deceased sister’s bucket list as she tries to experience all of adventures that her sister wanted to do but never had a chance before she died. In Arizona, she meets Dylan who is also headed to NYC but with his car broken down at a greasy spoon restaurant, he isn’t sure how he’ll get there. He is a musician and has several stops to make along the way to perform at various bars. They make a deal. She’ll drive him to New York and he’ll pay for gas. Only three rules apply: no exchanging of last names; what happens on the road, stays on the road; and if one of them wants to take a side trip, they both must agree. After spending 10 days together on their trip, they say goodbye at JFK airport in NYC and spend the next 10 years wondering ‘what if’.

This book is full of romance and music and suspense. It asks the question whether planning out your life and adhering strictly to your plans is the way to find happiness? Or does life need some spontaneity to be happy?

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This is a contemporary romance that is unlike any other book in this genre that I have ever read. It was light, humorous, mysterious and just plain fun to read! Joy Evers is going on a cross-country road trip from CA to NYC when she meets Dylan Westfield at a small diner in Arizona. Dylan’s car has broken down, and on the spur of the moment, Joy invites him to share her ride with her. They establish rules for their road trip that were spontaneously made but which made a big difference in their 10-day road trip acquaintance. Rule 1: No last names. Rule 2: Whenever one wants to go on a side trip, then they both must agree to go. Rule 3: What happens on the road stays on the road.

I really enjoyed the two points of view, that of Dylan and that of Joy. I looked forward to both equally because both added to the story in such an imaginative way! There were also two timelines, during the road trip (called before) and after the road trip. The books is not just a fluffy love story either since it makes you think. Do you need to plan out your life, and what if your plans change? Should everyone have a bucket list? Joy was using her deceased sister Judy’s bucket list when she met Dylan. Fate or accident? The entire plot was woven together so intricately well that the two stories of the main characters meshed perfectly. This is the perfect read for laughing, thinking and listening to some good music along the trip down life’s road, with unexpected turns and stops that will have you wanting more, even at the end!

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

OMG!!! What a fantastic story! This book was so very good!! I loved it!!! It had that An Affair to Remember feel to it. I almost started crying towards the end. It had a bit of a twist at the end too. Definitely recommend her books!!!
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the early copy

Wow! This is an amazing book. My emotions were all over the place and that is a fantastic thing to say about a story. When the reader becomes so involved in caring about the characters, the situations happening, and the ultimate outcome, that shows the great skills of the author.

Joy at age 13 made a bad decision. That decision then was made worse by decisions others made. She did the best she could at that young age, but now as an adult, she carries the guilt of what happened inside her, not wanting to express her feelings or truly feel free to live her life.

The guilt is eating Joy’s spirit away and she cannot see a way to be rid of it. In an attempt to relieve some pain, she takes a road trip on Route 66. This was a life goal of her sister Judy and she had a list of things to do on the trip. The fact that Judy is not around anymore and cannot take the trip herself is part of Joy’s guilt.

Joy meets Dylan near the beginning of her journey on Route 66 and he also is carrying burdens with him. They agree to travel together in Joy’s convertible Bug. Their relationship begins as driving companions, to temporary friends, to much more over the ten days of the journey. They become a salve to each other, to heal the wounds of the past.

The details of the journey on Route 66 were so interesting to experience. I never have taken the trip, but now, I feel like I did. There is a strong theme of music being felt deeply in the soul and what a musician’s life is like in this story. That was so informative and enjoyable to me, since I love music.

I believe the core of the story is about self-forgiveness and living “your” best life. I think that might be the bravest thing to do. To live the life you want and to be strong enough to achieve the goals you desire.

I highly recommend this book! It will be released on July 7, 2020.

I am a huge fan of this author’s work and I think this is a wonderful addition to her collection. I want to thank Kerry Lonsdale and NetGalley for giving me the immense pleasure of being an advance reader. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.

Wow. I loved this book. I was hooked by the premise–and the possibilities of all those what-if moments–but I fell in love with the characters and their transformations (apart and together). If you think it’s a simple love story, you’re wrong. (I mean, it’s Kerry Lonsdale, so you know there’s a twist.) I adored Joy and Dylan and couldn’t put the book down until I’d taken every side trip with them. Brilliant escapism.

What if I hadn’t received a review copy of this book? Well then I wouldn’t have gotten to read about Joy and Dylan’s story before the publishing date of July 7th, and I wouldn’t have read way past midnight to finish this wonderful, unique love story, and I wouldn’t have ended up with a book hangover! Yes, I lost sleep reading this book but I’ll tell you, it was so worth it. The story of Joy Evans and musician Dylan Westfield who meet at an Arizona diner on Route 66. Joy’s on this Route 66 journey with her deceased sister’s bucket list intending to check off everything on that list for her sister on her way to a new life in New York City. Dylan is on his own journey on this same route also on his way New York City with scheduled gigs along the way. His car breaks down outside the diner where they meet and Joy reluctantly agrees to let him drive with her to New York City, where she’ll drop him off at JFK Airport. A few deals and rules are made and then this amazing journey begins with a few side trips along the way.

I loved the way it was told in before and after point of views of both Joy and Dylan. The reader really gets to know both characters and why they were on their respective journeys. Kerry Lonsdale never ceases to amaze me with her writing and storytelling. I was drawn into this story immediately and wanted to get to the end and at the same time didn’t want it to end because I just fell in love with these characters. It is a beautiful and emotional story about love, guilt, forgiveness and a lot of “what ifs” that gets you to wonder about some “what ifs” in your own life. And the twist at the end really makes you think about just that…..what if?

This is another Kerry Lonsdale book that’s going on my Favorites list. I absolutely, one hundred percent recommend Side Trip.

Thank you to Kerry Lonsdale, the publisher and NetGalley for the paperback and digital review copies. All opinions are my own.

Refreshing Departure. This book evokes both Laurie Breton’s Coming Home and Emily Bleeker’s Wreckage, and at least to this reviewer those are high compliments indeed – those two books easily rank among the best I’ve ever read. Here, Lonsdale breaks quite a bit from the mold she’s created for herself over the last few years and indeed the one primary commonality across her last four books is not present here at all. Yet she shows her true abilities as a storyteller in still telling a phenomenal story even without that particular device, and truly masters the road trip style tale in the process.

The *one* criticism I have here is that to me, the book could have done without the final chapter and epilogue. To me, the book ends *perfectly* right before that point – but your mileage may vary in this regard, and indeed with the last chapter in particular, Lonsdale does something that would be a spoiler to reveal, but which adds extra depth to the book.

Still, truly a phenomenal work, a very refreshing new style from this author, and very much recommended.

This is a contemporary romance that is unlike any other book in this genre that I have ever read. It was light, humorous, mysterious and just plain fun to read! Joy Evers is going on a cross-country road trip from CA to NYC when she meets Dylan Westfield at a small diner in Arizona. Dylan’s car has broken down, and on the spur of the moment, Joy invites him to share her ride with her. They establish rules for their road trip that were spontaneously made but which made a big difference in their 10-day road trip acquaintance. Rule 1: No last names. Rule 2: Whenever one wants to go on a side trip, then they both must agree to go. Rule 3: What happens on the road stays on the road.

I really enjoyed the two points of view, that of Dylan and that of Joy. I looked forward to both equally because both added to the story in such an imaginative way! There were also two timelines, during the road trip (called before) and after the road trip. The books is not just a fluffy love story either since it makes you think. Do you need to plan out your life, and what if your plans change? Should everyone have a bucket list? Joy was using her deceased sister Judy’s bucket list when she met Dylan. Fate or accident? The entire plot was woven together so intricately well that the two stories of the main characters meshed perfectly. This is the perfect read for laughing, thinking and listening to some good music along the trip down life’s road, with unexpected turns and stops that will have you wanting more, even at the end!

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I loved traveling Old Route 66 with Dlyan and Joy! Instead of chasing the sunsets, they went for the sunrises. Each having secrets, and sad tragedies haunting them. Will they truly open up because what happens on the Old Route 66, stays! And there are side trips but only if both agree! A fun summer Side Trip, with a few bumps along the way! Don’t throw the book, keep reading for you will love the trip!

I went on a road trip in the pages of Kerry Lonsdale’s upcoming release, Side Trip, and what a journey it was! Joy Evers leaves on her planned cross country trip from California to meet her fiancé in New York. Along the way she is going to honour all of the checkpoints on her late sister’s Route 66 bucket list. Offering to give a lift to a charismatic young musician when his car breaks down was not part of that plan. One day turns into ten, filled with twists and turns in the story that cleverly weaves in a dual timeline. This gripping story has all the elements necessary for an unputdownable read ~ engaging characters, surprises, humour, family, forgiveness and a promise to meet again ten years later. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. And then you will gasp ~ at an ending like no other. Seriously.