what a fun read! i really enjoyed this and loved getting to know the characters who i know you will fall in love with.
an adventure across france and a family full of love makes a fabulous read

This was a wonderful book full of heart! I loved all of the characters and the humor was spot on. I loved the personal growth theme and all of the sweet connections.

I devoured "Stuck in Second Gear" in one sitting! Carmen Reid's witty writing and relatable characters had me hooked. The story masterfully balances humor and heart, following a protagonist navigating life's ups and downs. I couldn't help but root for her as she faced laugh-out-loud moments and poignant self-discovery.

Reid tackles deeper themes like personal growth with ease, making this a fantastic read for fans of women's fiction and humor. The protagonist's journey is filled with quirky characters, hilarious moments, and heartwarming connections. Reid's conversational writing style draws you in, making it easy to become fully invested.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I haven’t read a book by Carmen Reid for some time and this lovely story has reminded me how much I enjoy her books. Easy to read with a great relatable storyline this book was devoured in a day. Lucie is still recovering from her divorce and in many ways, her life has changed . News that her ex Miles has moved on quickly and is getting married doesn’t help how’s she’s feeling but after a SOS call from her daughter Zoe, Lucie finds herself driving her and nephew Deva to France for the wedding. Deva has his own agenda with his Chanel obsession and along the way mishaps with the car find the trio running into two refugees. A touching storyline of love and hope which was charming from beginning to end . I’m now going to look up other books I might have missed by Carmen !!

This was such a fun book Carmen Reid!! It was so fun, and I loved every page. It had the most fun idea to it. I loved the main characters. Beautiful writing!

This was an arc read
Meet Lucie she's in her early fifties, divorced, her business has gone bust, her father has cancer & her relationship with her pregnant daughter Zoe is on thin ice, needless to say things are not going well & things get worse when she receives an invite to the wedding of her ex husband miles & his influencer fiance janneta in the south of France! Of course Lucie has no intention of going even though her dad keeps telling her to go & let her hair down. A week until the wedding Lucie receives a call from Zoe saying the euro train is on a 2 day strike, there are no flights available & the only way for her to get to her dad's wedding is by driving, she also gets a call from her ex sister in law saying her son Deva was also booked on the euro & he can't get their either so after some persuasion from her dad, Lucie agrees to drive Zoe & Deva to the wedding then she plans to have a 2 day break of her own.
Let the road trip begin, Deva is obsessed with coco chanel & wants Lucie to take detours to visit all the places coco lived & her flagship store in Paris,Zoe doesn't want to face up to the fact her partner Ravi doesn't want to commit & Lucie needs to reevaluate her life, there are laughs along the way but also some serious conversations take place. However, the car breaks down on a secluded road, there is no phone signal & they are miles from anywhere, while stranded Deva decides what he wants in life & the trio meet 2 brothers who are refugees trying to make it to the UK.
Eventually they make the wedding & while there, some amazing & eye opening things happen which helps the trio pave the way for the future.
This was an easy read which told a great story of finding yourself & becoming who you want to be. I would definitely recommend it & I will be reading some more books by this author

An interesting and fun read, When Lucie gets an invite to her ex-husband’s wedding in France she has no desire to go. However, her dying father talks her into it, and her pregnant daughter needs a ride. One adventure after another until she gets to the wedding, and has an eye opening find with meeting up with her old crush. Enjoyed this one, and would recommend.

Great book. I fell in love with the description and couldn’t stop reading it. The characters were endearing. I would read another book by this author. Bestseller!!!