I have read, liked and happily reviewed the author’s previous two books. The writing continues to be great even in this story, but the story itself was not appealing to me.
I would recommend reading this for the author’s ability to draw characters and include conversations in the plot without making it seem stilted. The lead protagonists were once together, we are told, when they crash into each other (literally). They then make a very cramped road trip which is beset with problems. This half of the book was good, and if it was the only section, I would have rated it higher. In a dual timeline perspective, we are shown the past of how the original relationship progressed. The narrative swings between the past and the present and between the two voices, making for four different frames of reference, and this is where I was a little lost. Usually, I love a multi-pronged approach to the unravelling of secrets, just not like this.
An equal number of the supporting cast is lovable, and the other detestable, making for a vivid set of behaviours throughout the crazy road trip. I shuddered to imagine all those roadblocks that the people faced while on the road. There are some challenging friendship/family toxic dynamics discussed here which play a significant role in the events.
I will definitely pick up another book by the author, despite my reaction to this particular one, since I found the writing itself smooth and a quick read.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Superfluous Reading 