I’m a great fan of books by Caroline Bond because her books leave readers dwelling on an interesting aspect of life.

This one is no exception, a slow burn start might fool you into thinking it’s a simple travel adventure about two women who became friends by chance. It isn’t, there are so many more themes dealt with, gently introduced throughout: life; aging, friendship, family and a real sense of a woman’s worth as she matures.

The characterisation is fabulous, two very different women: Thea, bold and strong willed, filled with adventure; Denise, a wife, a mother, a worker and a homemaker, weighed down by responsibilities.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the two women gradually grow in strength, learning to complement each others personalities and needs beautifully. A real nod to the ‘Thelma and Louise’ film but better framed for a wider appeal.

A lovely homage to the film Thelma and Louise, and a heartwarming story of female friendship and strength.

Thea and Denise first meet in the hotel toilets at a business event. Denise is impressed with Thea's confidence and they gradually form an unlikely friendship.

Denise is taken for granted and treated like a PA by her husband, whilst secretly battling the menopause, and Thea has her own struggles, including a selfish ex-husband and a crumbling relationship with her teenage daughter.

When Thea invites Denise on an impromptu weekend away, she initially balks at the idea of leaving her husband and sons to fend for themselves, but quickly realises this is just what she needs.

Initially, Denise is cowed by Thea's determinedness, but soon grows in confidence herself, and in being able to stand up for herself and her friend, learns that Thea is not as confident as she seems and has struggles of her own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I thought it was well-written and interesting. The blurb describes the fact that it is set around a road trip but this is only a small part of the focus on a developing relationship. I think it is quite rare for anyone to begin a new friendship in their fifties and the book describes how Thea and Denise are forced into revealing things about themselves and discovering things about each other as their relationship develops within the confined space of a Mini. Some of what happens is predictable but that does not lessen the enjoyment of this realistic tale.
I completely recommend reading this book if you prefer your beach reads to have depth and not just light romance, it's excellent. I'm signing up to follow this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Good characters, writing and premise it held my attention to the end. Quick light read for summer!

'Thea is confident, sorted, determined to have fun, but there are sorrows beneath the surface of her life.

Denise is struggling under the weight of her many commitments and in desperate need of some excitement.

When these polar opposites meet, and unexpectedly become friends, they realise they're both looking to escape.

So begins a road trip that leads them far from home and yet closer to their true selves.

But they can't outrun their pasts forever and when things start to become complicated, both women have an important decision to make. Do they give up or keep going? Turn around or drive on?'

This book was a surprising gentle read, and it was lovely to slowly get to know Denise and Thea along their journey. Opposites in so many ways, but both on a life-changing trip to reveal secrets, find themselves and discover the way forward.

Would make a great move in the vein of Thelma and Louise, a truly fun book.

Thea and Denise are two very different women, both facing their own personal crossroads and looking for a way to escape. Pretty much polar opposites the pair aren’t an obvious friendship match, yet when their paths cross several times in one week, they each see something in the other that draws them together.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

St Albans is the starting point for a British road trip in this journey of self-discovery and the tale of an unlikely friendship between two older women. Thea and Denise are very different, both facing their own personal crossroads. The pair aren’t an obvious friendship match, yet when their paths cross several times, they each see something in the other that draws them together.

Thea has a teenage daughter, Ella, she has a well-paid job and appears to be confident with her opinions and an unapologetic attitude, the latter, things which unassuming Denise wishes were true for herself, but there is also a guardedness to Thea. Denise, married and with three teenage sons, Aaron, Lewis and Joe is taken for granted by her husband, Simon and her life is full of dull routines. Denise works in Simon's business. Thea decides to take off for a few days to seek out some excitement, and reluctant Denise seizes on the opportunity and goes along, too.

Thea and Denise share the narrative and the book gives the reader a peep into their current lives before they set off, then packs in a number of events that get closer to the core issues both are fighting. I was confident that Caroline Bond would do justice to the stories of the women, having read a few of her books before. The two ladies' problems and internal struggles are expertly portrayed, as is their blossoming friendship. Sensitively written and poignant, with topics touching on marital disillusionment, difficult family relations and menopause, I could relate to the masterfully created Thea and Denise very easily. Humorous, razor-sharp and uplifting, the ending is a good one.

A special thank you to Corvus, Caroline Bond, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read. This review is my unbiased opinion.

I did enjoy this book, but it took a while to get going which was an issue for me. I think the backstory could have been shortened to make the opening more gripping, but it's worth persevering because it's a sweet read about the very relatable main character Thea and Denise. The road trip element is a fabulous nod to Thelma and Louise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books, Corvus Books for the advanced copy.

St Albans might sound like a relatively inauspicious starting point for a British road trip novel that has shades of Thelma and Louise about it, but it does no disservice to this compelling journey of self-discovery and tale of an unlikely friendship between two mature females. Thea and Denise are two very different women, both facing their own personal crossroads and looking for a way to escape. Pretty much polar opposites the pair aren’t an obvious friendship match, yet when their paths cross several times in one week, they each see something in the other that draws them together..

On the surface Thea appears supremely confident with vocal opinions and an unapologetic attitude, all things which unassuming Denise wishes she were, yet there is a caginess to Thea that belies far more serious complications. Denise is taken for granted by her husband and three teenage sons, her marriage is crumbling and in between her commitments to the family business and visits to her obnoxious father-in-law, her life feels like a treadmill of routine. Meanwhile Thea is staring into the abyss and when she makes the decision to take off for a few days and seek out some excitement, an initially reluctant Denise seizes on the opportunity and asks to go with her. Thea and Denise share the narrative and despite the first forty percent of the book providing a glimpse into their current lives before they even take flight, the final sixty percent packs in a number of cathartic events that gradually peel back the layers and get closer to the core issues both are battling. As the road trip rolls on it is a joy to see the growing trust between the two women, and their support and encouragement as they spur each other on to make the difficult decisions they both face.

I was sceptical that Caroline Bond would do justice to the stories of two women, each dealing with their own problems, and portray both their own internal struggles and burgeoning friendship convincingly. Kudos to the author, however, as she does just that and writes perceptively and sensitively about everything from the menopause to marital disillusionment and fractious family relations. As someone around the same age as Thea and Denise, I found this book both relevant and life-affirming and Bond excels at creating believable characters with depth. Although Thea is the impetus behind the road trip, and the character dealing with the most critical concerns as the novel opens, I felt the actual story afforded more of a focus to Denise, perhaps because she is the more open of the two. Thea’s reluctance to offload however definitely made her the slightly more intriguing of the duo. My only reservation regards the final chapter, which gives a sense of closure to both women’s journeys and offers a snapshot of their futures, whereas I felt an open-ended resolution for readers to muse on might well have been more fitting.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It did take a while for me to get into it, but once the road trip began I really liked it. I found the beginning slightly slow, but this was because it was introducing us to the main characters, Thea and Denise, I understand that we needed a backstory and a basic introduction but I feel like it could have been slightly shorter. As soon as I saw this book, I immediately thought of Thelma and Louise, and there are many similarities throughout so if you like that film then I am sure you will love this book.

Thea and Denise's friendship was a joy to read, I love how they are so different and you would not think that they would be friends but once you get to know them more you can understand why they work so well together. I found them both very likable, I especially liked how the narrative was split between them and this helped me connect with the both of them.

I really think this would be a great summer read. It is easy to read, fast paced and it is a really nice story.

Thea and Denise follows two middle aged women who form an unlikely and different bond. The book is split into dual point of views from both Thea and Denise. At first appearance, the women could not seem to be any more different. Thea is reckless and a force of nature while Denise is more placid and sticks to her routine. However, when Thea’s personal life begins to crumble and Denise starts to feel trapped in her mundane day to day activities, the two women set off on a road trip together.

First of all, I really loved the attention that this placed on women, especially mothers. All too often, when a woman becomes a mum, her identity is erased by society and this book highlighted that struggle. It also unapologetically talked about the dream of freedom from responsibility, even if that’s from children that you love. I think that this was definitely my favourite aspect of the book as so many things that are considered taboo topics, such as menopause, are discussed. It was quite a niche subject that was spoken about really well!

I wouldn’t quite say that I ‘liked’ both Thea and Denise, but I certainly found them interesting and wanted to find out more about them and their relationship together. Because their relationship was so developed I felt like others were lacking. Obviously the most important aspect of the book was them, but for there to be relationship issues with Denise and her husband I felt like I needed to know more about them and see them more as a couple.

I also thought that the ending felt quite rushed to me and to be honest I’ve never been a fan of a look many years into the future epilogue. That’s just a personal taste and for me it didn’t really add much to the book.

Overall, this was a fun read and I liked that it made me think more about motherhood, individuality, freedom and female friendships.

I quite enjoyed this book. I seem to like road trip type books, and the characters were good. Not going to give anything away, but I would say this book is worth a read, and is well written.

This book was a thrilling ride from the beginning. The author’s style places the reader in the book in each scene for an entertaining journey. Awe-inspiring . . . The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced, I couldn’t put it down.