My Review
After Maeve and Therese Dunigan's mother passes away, they meet at their childhood home in Savannah. They could not be more different; Maeve is a by the rules professor, while Therese is a rule breaking actress. They are both single, out of work, and at odds with each other. Three things happen that change everything: they discover their mother had mortgaged their family home and they are in financial straits; they find out that an old ancestral portrait hanging in their home may be worth a great deal of money; they learn that their mother saved money for them to take a trip to Ireland together, as her last wish. They go to Ireland to learn about their ancestry and the mysterious painting. They discover more mysteries there, possible romance, and twists and turns that effect them both.
I wanted to read Road Trip because I love Mary Kay Andrews' books. She is one of my favorite writers and I always enjoy her summer reads.
This was such a delightful, engrossing book! I found myself going slowly because I wanted to savor the story. I liked Maeve right away, and Therese grew on me as a character as the book went on. I loved Liam, the Irish whiskey distiller, the gruff and quirky Esme, who is a previously unknown relative, and of course Esme's cocker spaniel, the memorably named Sinead O'Cocker.
I enjoyed the Irish inn, the countryside, and the mystery that unfolded there about their great-grandmother Kathleen. Kathleen is at the center of their history. She disappeared in the 1920's along with a family portrait and a mysterious murder, traveling to America and a new life there. The glimpses of her life in Ireland, and later in America, are fascinating.
Road Trip is an absolutely perfect summer read, especially for anyone who enjoys some armchair travel and a mystery mixed in. It is sure to be one of my top 10 books of 2026, and I highly recommend it.
PS - I have to add that I found Celtic Relaxation Music at Spotify a perfect soundtrack for reading this novel!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.
