Trish Doller

Reading Off the Map is a bit like an erratic road trip, darting from one destination to another too quickly without enjoying the scenery. Carla and Eamon, lovers at first sight who end up on a spontaneous road trip on their way to a wedding, cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time—but there’s something that just falls flat for me in this romance road-trip read. I really, really wanted to like this one because the first one in this series, Float Plan, was a favorite of 2021 and one I still think about years later.

In this story, though, there are some definite things that work, like the Ireland setting, an emotional dad-daughter relationship, and a wanderlust motif. But because a big part of this story is a dad with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and since my dad passed away from the same disease, reading about fictional characters with dementia usually ends up making me angry (probably a big reason this book is about 3-stars for me). Often in books and movies, most forms of dementia are usually portrayed as this soft fading of memory, and I have a hard time not projecting my own experience. To me, dementia is not quiet; it’s not soft; it’s not fading into the shadows of your own mind. To me, it’s violent, sharp edges that cut deeply and unexpectedly—full of sun-downers and hallucinations and losing much more than just memory.

I do love the way Doller mixes sensitive and humorous issues in her books, and I think this could be a book that’s right for readers who enjoy instant connection romance (there’s no slow-burn here) where the characters are focused on forging their own path—off-road detours and all.… (meer)

“But I’m starting to understand how sadness and happiness can live side by side within a heart. And how that heart can keep on beating” (248).

When you begin reading some books, you’re anxious to get through it, curious about what will happen. With other books, from the first few pages, you know you don’t want the book to ever end, savoring each stage of the story. This book is the latter kind. This book has so much of what I want in a summer read: heart and struggle, emotional rawness, but also fun, breezy things like sailing the Caribbean (definitely on my bucket list) and a hot, Irish love interest with emotional baggage of his own. It is the perfect mixture of depth and romance: A book that deals so tenderly with suicide and grief and healing from tragedy, but also includes so much life and beauty and joy alongside the sadness.

I love Anna’s journey through the Caribbean archipelago—all the lessons she learns about coming to terms with grief and accepting kindness from strangers and new friends and finding contentment and happiness in the beauty of people and places.… (meer)

Although this is the third book of the Beck Sisters series, it can be read alone. The previous two books add background and history to the plot.

Carla Black goes to Ireland to be maid of honor at her friend Anna’s wedding to Keane Sullivan. She meets Eamon Sullivan, the best man, at a pub where he is tasked with picking her up at the airport. Instead of them going to help Keane and Anna with wedding plans they go rouge. The two hit it off immediately and literally “go off the map” on their own adventures.

They eventually meet up with Anna and Keane for a mini adventure before joining the anxious family ready for a wedding! Will single girl, fly by the seat of her pants, Carla be wooed into reconsidering her thoughts in marriage? Does Carla and Eamon’s relationship end in Ireland?

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for allowing me to read and review this complimentary digital copy. All comments are expressly my own honest and unbiased opinions.… (meer)

This is another story about the Beck Sister series. These books can be read alone but you definitely miss out on the connections between the characters.

In book 1, Float Plan, Anna Beck turns the tragedy of losing her fiancé, Ben, into the adventure he had meticulously planned to Puerto Rico. Fortunately, she meets up with Keane Sullivan in a manner which seems clandestine. Ultimately, she hires him to help her maneuver the boat through the rough waters. Keane accepts the job as he was travelling to Puerto Rico for a job opportunity. During the trip, Anna and Keane learn more about each other including the challenges and pains from the past. The story explores love and loss, finding your place in life, and when to let go of the past. The boat trip provided healing as just like the sea, Anna encountered many unexpected situations in which she learned to be open and flexible allowing her to discover her authentic self.

In The Suite Spot, Rachel Beck, is a single mother still living with her mother since Anna has been living on a boat with Keane in the Caribbean. The father of her 4 year-old, Maisie, is not responsible or reliable parent. Rachel enjoys her night job in a concierge reception desk at a Miami Beach hotel, Aquamarine. After working there for 9 years, an inappropriate encounter with an influential patron, Mr. Blackwell, results in her termination. Wanting to start a new life, she packs up Maisie and moves to Kelley's Island in Ohio for an opportunity to work for a brewery. When she gets there she realizes that the owner, Mason Brown, is in need of her experience in hospitality than he originally disclosed. Her first impression was disappointment after moving so far for the job with her daughter. But, it soon turns to optimism when Mason confesses to having little experience with the hotel part of the Limestone Inn and Public House. Of course, life isn't all sunshine and roses. Maisie's father, Brian, decides he wants to be involved in his daughter's life and Mason deals with his own past issues. Ultimately, Rachel and Mason need to work together to make the hotel a success. Themes address family, starting over, resilience and compromise.… (meer)