road trip

Stops Along the Way

by Anna Sortino

coming May 19, 2026

(3.5 / 5)

I want to thank Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

I liked this book for the most part – it was quick to read and pulled me out of an impending reading slump. I’m always up for a fun road trip, which was a big part of the story. There was a lot of disability representation since Iris, the narrator, had hearing loss and her sister, Amelia had vision loss. I liked that both of their disabilities were normalized while still showing some of the challenges they experienced. There’s also a pretty big gaming theme, which I thought was fun. The romance that developed was cute at first, but then things just felt confusing and changed quickly. I ended up losing interest in that part of the story by the end, especially since the pace changed and there was a jump in time. In the end, I think I would have liked to see a bit more character development with a less rushed ending, but the book did keep my interest pretty well along the way.

Mistakes We Never Made

by Hannah Brown

(3 / 5)

I went into this one knowing that there’s a lot of lower reviews for it, but I’m interested in the 2nd book, so thought it would be nice to start here. It was readable enough and kept my interest, but I can also see what people didn’t like about it. Emma, the FMC, wasn’t exactly likable and could be pretty self-centered, even though her intentions were good. She does improve over the course of the book. Finn was more likable than Emma, but I honestly wasn’t feeling the romance between them very much. I think there’s times from the past where they both messed up. I didn’t get the best vibe on Sybil, the runaway bride, but I also detected a lot of jealousy on Emma’s part. It was frustrating to reach the end of the book and not even find out some of the answers I was hoping for. In the end, it wasn’t necessarily a bad book, but definitely not a favorite either.

June 24, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

When You Get Stuck with Your Famous Ex

When in Rotheberg #2

By Lia Huni

(3.5 / 5)

After 20 years, Rachel is reunited with her ex who is now a famous country music star. A lot of chaos ensues, with an unexpected road trip and pet hijinks. I didn’t like this book as much as the first one, but it still kept my interest enough. I didn’t really feel the romance until towards the end, which was probably a factor. I thought some of the situations that came up were too unbelievable and felt out of character, plus there’s some deception along the way that just didn’t sit right with me. Suspending some reality though, this book certainly didn’t have a dull moment!

January 20, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

When the World Tips Over

By Jandy Nelson

Coming September 24, 2024

(4 / 5)

Dizzy, Miles, and Wynton are siblings whose father disappeared 12 years ago, and each are facing their own challenges. Then a mysterious rainbow-haired girl appears, affecting each of the siblings in their own ways.

When the World Tips Over is a book that dives deep into the dynamics of family, following a story that spans generations. Through the book, we follow the perspectives of 4 different characters along with notes from some other characters, plus the story of a family’s ancestors. It’s a lot to keep track of, but all of these pieces are interweaved in a way that slowly reveals a bigger picture while holding a feeling of mystery and destiny. There’s a sense of magical realism throughout, which gives the characters and story an almost fairy tale type feel. The book is quite long, and at times I felt like it was moving much slower than I prefer with not a lot of action… but I think that it’s just the type of book this is: very introspective and focused more on the characters than the plot. It was sometimes a bit depressing, yet thought-provoking enough to keep me wanting to read more, even when I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going. There are certainly some interesting surprises along the way that I didn’t see coming!

Thank you to Penguin Teen, Dial Books, and BookishFirst for the free review copy of When the World Tips Over! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

July 14, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

A Wedding in the Sun

By Leonie Mack

Coming May 17, 2024

(4.5 / 5)

Jo and Adrián are on a flight to Spain to attend the wedding of their ex-spouses, not something either of them is looking forward to. When the plane has to make an emergency landing in France due to bad weather, the two “exes” end up traveling together, trying to get to their destination despite everything going wrong along the way.

A Wedding in the Sun was a quick and enjoyable read. I really liked both of the main characters, who felt so imperfectly human. While they are going through some incredibly difficult situations and are understandably stressed, over time they are both able to admit to their flaws and accept each other as they are. Both characters go through a lot of growth as they process the grief from their previous marriages ending. Despite so many things going wrong on their journey, there’s also a sense of optimism about the positive experiences they wouldn’t have had otherwise. I loved the adventure of the road trip, from the Pyrenees mountains to the beaches of Spain.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Wedding in the Sun! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

April 23, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

The Prince & the Apocalypse

by Kara McDowell

Coming Soon on July 11, 2023!

(5 / 5)

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! It was one of those books that captured me from the very first page and was so hard to put down, even when it was well past my bedtime, and I was losing sleep. The book flowed beautifully and kept me captivated until the end. Who knew a book about the apocalypse could feel so… fun? There’s action, adventure, romance and a dash of comedy that feels like the perfect combination. And this book filled me with emotions that I could feel long after finishing the last page. I think anyone who likes young adult romance will enjoy this book.

The story follows the perspective of Wren Wheeler, the girl who always had a plan until it all fell apart during her senior trip to London. By chance she meets the (fictional) crown prince of the UK, and when she misses her flight back to the US amidst an impending apocalypse, she asks for his help to get back home to Chicago. It’s quite an adventure from there as the two travel across Europe together. I really enjoyed the pairing of these two characters who seemed so different from each other at first but ultimately brought out the best in each other. The story felt so real and really made me feel. I was so sad for this book to end, and it didn’t end quite the way I would have liked, but… well, I don’t want to give anything away, so you’ll just have to find out on your own.

The Prince & the Apocalypse was my first book to read by Kara McDowell, but I would love to read more of her books in the future.

I received a free advance copy of this book through NetGalley. All of the opinions in this review are completely my own.

May 1, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0