I got sucked into this romcom by the words “Road Trip”, plus the fact it was a novella, and I was looking for something short. Sara Jane Woodley’s story, The Last Chance Road Trip wasn’t quite what I expected. Yes, there was a road trip, but it took place over a measly weekend.
Val Reyes-Murphy and Ethan Holmes were best friends as children, and then dated in high school. But, Ethan broke her heart, and Val has avoided him every time he came back to Mirror Valley. This time, he returns after the death of his grandfather, someone Val loved, too. But, Pops, the man who loved treasure hunts and mysteries, left one more trick in his will. He asked that Ethan take a weekend road trip, accompanied by Val.
Val just started her first job after college, working as a receptionist at Brookrose Inn. But, the other receptionist is a romantic, and offers to take Val’s shift over the weekend so she can travel with Ethan. The two head out in Pops’ truck, heading to places that meant something to them when they were younger, everything from a waterpark to a petting farm.
Val and Ethan are twenty-one, both recent graduates. But, Ethan seems much more mature than Val is. And, frankly this second chance romance could have been more honest and romantic if the two had just talked to each other. That lack of communication seems to be a problem in a number of contemporary romances. I finished this one because I liked Ethan, and wanted the couple to have a HEA, Happily-Ever-After, even though the sweet story seemed so-so.
Sara Jane Woodley’s website is https://sarajanewoodley.com/
The Last Chance Road Trip by Sara Jane Woodley. Eleventh Avenue Publishing, 2022. 166p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I picked up a free copy from Kindle Unlimited.
Maybe a weekend road trip is about all that today’s frail youth can withstand? They never heard the song “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo?”
So much for that Pioneer Spirit.
I always liked that song. Wimps! My family went twice for a month at a time. And, Dad would easily do 500 miles a day, or more. This was no road trip. You’re right, Glen.
I love road trips, but it doesn’t seem like there was much about the trip!
You’re so right, Carol.
BEST Road Trip Book –
Handling Sin by Micharl Malone
On the Ides of March, our hero, Raleigh Whittier Hayes (forgetful husband, baffled father, prosperous insurance agent, and leading citizen of Thermopylae, North Carolina), learns that his father has discharged himself from the hospital, taken all his money out of the bank and, with a young black female mental patient, vanished in a yellow Cadillac convertible. Left behind is a mysterious list of seven outrageous tasks that Raleigh must perform in order to rescue his father and his inheritance.
And so Raleigh and fat Mingo Sheffield (his irrepressibly loyal friend) set off on an uproarious contemporary treasure hunt through a landscape of unforgettable characters, falling into adventures worthy of Tom Jones and Huck Finn. A moving parable of human love and redemption, Handling Sin is Michael Malone’s comic masterpiece.
I put it on hold, Kaye. There’s only one copy in the entire library system! But, no one is waiting, so it shouldn’t be long.
I loved a nonfiction book called The Majic Book by Douglas Brinkley. Brinkley, then a professor, organized a fully equipped sleeper bus to take students to over 30 states and 10 national parks, turning the trip into a travelling classroom focused on American literature, culture, and history.The Journey: The trip included visits to historical sites such as Monticello, Graceland, and Walnut Ridge, as well as meetings with cultural figures like Ken Kesey and William S. Burroughs.
I’ve read it twice. I know exactly where it is on my bookshelf. I may have to go back and reread it.
A weekend is a jaunt or an excursion. Not a road trip.
This is the same brain power that does an action movie where somebody gets from Dallas to Los Angeles in an hour.
Ha! I agree, Kevin.
A college degrees to be a receptionist at an Inn!
It was in hospitality, but, you’re right, MM.
If you’re wondering why people are questioning the value of college…
Good one, Glen.