If someone had told me a year ago that I was about to fall in love, go on an epic road trip, ride a Triceratops, sing on a bar, and lose my virginity, I would have assumed they were on drugs.
Well, that is, until I met Beckham…
This book’s blurb immediately caught my attention starting with that opening line that I posted up above there ^^ and when I took a peek at the first chapter, it had me smiling and laughing from the first few pages and I just had keep reading to find out what happened next.
This was the exchange that made me fall in love with the book (it’s right from the first few pages) and it takes place in a funeral home which is where the book opens up with the Abby trying to pick out an urn. Then this gorgeous guy — a total stranger — walks in and starts talking to her…
“I’m sorry, are you here to pick out an urn or…?” I asked….
“No,” he answered simply.
“No?”
He shrugged his shoulders innocently. “I like coming and checking out the latest models. Never know when you’ll need one.”
I gaped. “Are you serious?”
Cue a sexy smile. Damn. “No. I was getting a slurpee across the street and I saw you walk in, so I followed you on a whim.”
I narrowed my eyes in confused. Of course. He’s too hot to be normal.
“So you’re a stalker?” I asked with a hard stare.
He smirked… “I prefer gravitationally linked by your presence.”
Eventually he gets her to admit that she wants to scatter these ashes on a road trip and this guy who she has never met before in her life pretty much invites himself along on her trip… if she’ll have him, that is. Their texts as she considered this crazy possibility were hilarious!
Abby: Why do you want to come on my road trip? …
Beck: I don’t like cliffhangers… Enter – girl buying an urn. She clearly lies about what it’s for an then takes off into the sunset? I have to know how it ends. Murder suicide? ….
Abby: What percentage of you wants to rape and murder me on the side of the highway?
The whole first half of the book had smiling non stop and often laughing right out loud. Beck was all kinds of swoony and charming, and Abby was a lot of fun and almost a little cynical in way that I really liked. I loved the writing style and all the little fun references to other favorite shows and books like that “Ten points for Beckindor.” line. LOL!!! The whole vibe was just… happy! Heartwarming. Carefree. I loved the little jokes, one liners, and Abby’s quirky but hilarious inner thoughts.
“Did they need to print the word ‘Magnum’ in bold, bright red letters?”
The road trip itself was a really great escape. I felt like went on one with them. These two complete strangers just headed out and enjoyed life… and along the way fell in love. It was sweet, fun, and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. And I also enjoyed that there was a bit of mystery and intrigue woven into the story. It kept my mind questioning everything and wondering about all the things I didn’t yet have answers to.
When their road trip was cut short, they were forced to face some very hard realities that took their lives in a different direction. The second half of the book had a bit of a different vibe than the first half and I have to admit that I didn’t quite feel the same connection to it as I did in the beginning and I was also a little frustrated with a certain decision that was made towards the end (I guess I just didn’t agree with the character’s decision and wished they’d have handled it differently) but regardless, don’t worry — it’s a happy ending with no cliffhanger so it does get all wrapped up. Overall, I liked this book and it was a quick read (even though it was a full length novel) that I pretty much read in one sitting and I’ll admit… it has kind of tempted me to go on a road trip 😉
Rating: 4 stars.
Standalone New Adult romance.
jenny says
I have to say that I do not agree with the 4 star rating. 4.5-5 maybe?? It was a beautiful story and well written!
Aestas Cross says
Jenny, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I’m glad it was a 4-4.5 for you but the beauty of reading is that not everyone has to have the same views on each book.
For me, my rating is reflection of my personal feeling towards the book. While many parts of the book were 4.5 (even 5 star) sections for me and I agree that overall it was a beautiful story, I also had issues with other parts of the book that I chose not to describe in detail in my review so as not to give spoilers for new readers but I can detail them very precisely if asked. So at the end of the day, it was a 4 star read for me which is still a very good rating that means I liked it a lot 🙂
Maree says
I really appreciate your honesty. It was a 5 star for me also but like you said, the beauty of reading is that it affects everyone differently. This book hit me on a personal level and so it was more emotional for me and the way I saw it through Abbi’s eyes.
Keep up the amazing work Aestas!