The Best Books About Road Trips to Read Now

Nora Nguyen is the pen name of Thao Thai, whose riveting literary fiction debut, Banyan Moon, topped my list of the best debuts novels of 2023. Having her romance debut in my stack this month is an absolute treat. 

Evie Lang's life is chaotic after losing her aunt and job. She inherits her aunt's San Francisco house but must go on a matchmaking tour in Việt Nam to claim it. 

Adam, working for a matchmaking business, joins the tour. But, despite their initial animosity, they realize that true love may be out there if they are willing to leap. Readers are off on a rollicking, unforgettable romance with this new adventure.

Release Date- 24 September 2024

Related- Thao Thai Interview (Book Gang Podcast)

The author of the New York Times bestseller Lucky returns with a captivating story about grunge-era musician Jane Pyre's quest to uncover the truth about her husband's disappearance. 

As one half of the famous rock duo, the Lightning Bottles, Jane faces public hatred and a teenage fan who claims to have evidence that her husband is still alive.

Together, they embark on a cross-continent road trip, bonded by their love of music that's being positioned as an excellent novel for Daisy Jones and the Six fans! 

Release Date- 24 September 2024

This literary fiction debut novel introduces readers to Bernie, who responds to Leah's ad for a housemate in Philadelphia as they form a deep friendship around their shared love of art.  

After Bernie's former professor leaves her a complex inheritance, Leah joins her on a journey to rural Pennsylvania to document America through words and photographs. 

Along the way, they engage with people from all walks of life, learning about themselves and the world through this uniquely crafted queer road trip story.  

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This is the fourth novel in the Meant to Be series, which offers readers a modern fairytale retelling of Disney's best love stories. The dynamic writing duo Christina Lauren offers a fresh take on Tangled.

Ren, who was raised off the grid, steps onto a college campus for the first time, where she meets Fitz, a guy with a meticulously planned life.

But, their lives change when an assignment leads to an unexpected road trip, and they realize their dreams may be closer than they think.

As you wait for this release, don't miss the other books in the series from Julie Murphy, Jasmine Guillory, and Zoraida Córdova.

Release Date- 25 June 2024

Related- Julie Murphy Interview (Book Gang Podcast)

Thirty-four-year-old Wren Waters believes that paying attention to the universe will bring exactly what you need. After two unexpected blows to her life, she turns to geocaching for solace. 

During a solo quest in Oregon, she meets psychologist Marshall Hendricks. But, what starts as a platonic road trip develops into something deeper as Wren learns more about Marshall.

Is it possible that the universe has finally gotten it right?

This heartwarming and humorous road trip story traces the unexpected bond between a college dropout and an octogenarian woman who hit the road and are now on the run from the law.

Tanner observes some peculiarities about Louise as she begins her role as her caretaker, including a locked shed and a news segment featuring a woman that looks just like her in an unsolved jewelry heist case. 

When Louise suddenly appears in Tanner's room at 1 a.m. with a packed bag, insisting they leave town immediately, the two explore an adventure of a lifetime. 

Don’t miss this Book Gang podcast with Colleen Oakely in today's embedded player.

Jenna never expected her marriage to fall apart. However, six months after her divorce, she finds comfort in her grandmother, Evelyn's upcoming visit to their hometown. 

Agreeing to accompany her on a road trip, Jenna learns about Evelyn's touching love story from the past, inspiring her to finally pursue her own happily ever after. 

Confino's storytelling alternates between the past and present, creating a captivating tale that has made it a favorite among many readers.

Colleen described this book as "quirky, funny, and beautiful- a combination only Jojo Moyes could pull off."

Moyes weaves an endearing story of a mother who is down on her luck and can barely make ends meet when her daughter is offered the chance of a lifetime to receive a scholarship for her excellence in mathematics that will cover 90% of her daughter's education.

Coming up with the other ten percent seems impossible, but she is determined to make this happen for her daughter.

When she hears of a math contest in Scotland that offers a cash prize, she must do everything she can to get her there, including hitching a ride with the most unlikely man who could ultimately change their entire world.

Moms of teens will adore this laugh-out-loud story.

Jessica and Emily Burnstein imagine a college tour with very different expectations.

For Emily, it's a chance to explore her newfound freedom and the possibility of an exciting future.

But for Jessica, it's an opportunity to reconnect with her estranged daughter and salvage their relationship. 

As this mother-daughter duo travels along the East Coast, Waxman rounds out the story with a bus full of well-written characters and fun side plots that make this a great little summer adventure story.

Child narrators can be tricky, but Starla Claudelle's spunky spitfire voice has become one of my most beloved in historical fiction.

This coming-of-age story is about a nine-year-old girl who runs away from her Mississippi home in 1963 and befriends a lonely woman, embarking on a life-changing road trip. 

As Starla journeys to Nashville to reunite with her mother, who abandoned her when she was three, she discovers more about what it means to be family.

If you love the found family trope, you'll love these beautiful discoveries that go beyond racial and societal barriers between these two characters.

Please take advantage of my interview with the author when you finish.

Grace Johnson's life seems to be on autopilot when her husband drops a bombshell that he wants a divorce. Grace is left with a choice; either to wallow in self-pity or to join her eccentric mother on a road trip to Graceland to celebrate her seventieth birthday. 

Through this journey, she begins to understand her mother's fixation on Elvis and the fractures in their relationship.

You can hear more in my Kristen Mei Chase interview as we discuss the unexpected ways it brought her and her mother together through this fictional journey on the Book Gang Podcast.

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In this heartfelt enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance, Rosemary and Logan, once childhood best friends turned bitter rivals, are reunited by a heartwarming mission.

As they venture on a road trip with their beloved English teacher, Joe, in his final months, they rediscover the bond they thought lost. 

This multigenerational tale unfolds with Chocrun's signature lightness and humor, revealing beautiful surprises and touching moments from their teacher's past.

As someone who cried a few tears through this one, I recommend having some tissues handy! 

Noelle Shepard is mourning the passing of her cherished grandmother when she comes across old photographs of her grandmother with a mysterious man and a love letter. 

Intrigued, she decides to use TikTok to track him down, becoming a viral sensation.

But, to her unhappy surprise, the grandson of the mystery man responds – it's her former high school rival.

As Noelle unravels the secrets of her grandmother's past, sparks fly between her and Theo in this fast-paced enemies-to-lovers road trip story.

This 2024 Summer Reading Guide debut selection introduces readers to Sarah Adler, who offers readers quirky romances.  

Millie heads off on a solo road trip to fulfill her elderly neighbor's final wish: to reunite with a long-lost love from eighty years ago. 

But when she faces road trip hurdles, she has to hitch a ride with a grumpy former acquaintance and finds an unexpected connection.

For readers who love historical fiction, this dual-timeline tale set in 1944 Key West delivers a delightful blend of humor, emotion, and romance. 

You can hear Sarah Adler's surprising discoveries as she penned this romance on the Book Gang podcast in this episode- The Most Unique One-Bed Tropes in Romance.

Related- Best One-Bed Trope Books

If you've dreamed of going on tour with a band, this romance was one of my favorite romantic escapes this year. 

The story opens with Evie's children stumbling upon some unusual relics in a box of her belongings, including a shadowy image of an iconic lead singer of the fictional band, Mayluna, entangled with a woman in the recording studio. 

The woman, only captured in shadow, amuses Evie's kids because she shares so many overwhelming similarities with their mother, including a bracelet she still wears. 

So begins one of my favorite kinds of stories of a mother's secret life and love affair that their children never knew about, including Evie's wildly successful stint as a journalist writing under a penname who managed to snag an elite assignment covering the alt-rock band who rose to fame through the 1990s. 

Hit the road with the band in this love story that celebrates romance AND the sacrifices we make for familial love.

This funny novel is among my favorite Emily Henry books, and its signature witty banter made me laugh out loud especially in the road trip scenes.  

It's about two best friends, Poppy and Alex, who go on ten summer trips together. They vacationed together annually until two years ago when they ruined everything and have not spoken since.

Poppy decides, though, that enough time has passed and that she wants to contact Alex to see if he will join her for one last trip so they can, hopefully, repair the damage that's been done.

This novel offers discovery flashbacks to their past trips, helping to build deeper connections with these characters and piece together the rift that led them here in the first place. 

When Joy Evers heads out on a cross-country road trip with her deceased sister's Route 66 bucket list in hand, she expects it will be an uneventful drive across the country, checking the list along the way.

The last thing she expects is to meet singer-songwriter Dylan Westfield. But, with a broken-down car, he's desperate for a ride to his next gig.

She offers to drive him to New York in her brand-new convertible, but a deal is struck between them.

As they journey across America, they agree to three rules: no exchanging last names, what happens on the road stays on the road, and if one of them wants to take a side trip, they both must agree.

Over a decade, this Sliding Doors story follows Joy and Dylan's slow-burn love story, exploring the what-ifs along the way. This was my first Kerry Londsdale novel and it was such a fun romance!

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Nicole is an excellent writer for your book stack if you love family-friendly dramas with mystery.

Baart’s family traveling story inspired this fictional tale of unexpected mother-daughter travel influencers documenting their travels for their social media fans. 

In this suspenseful mystery, Charlie and Eva never intended to become social media celebrities, but fame finds them after a photo of Eva goes viral.

After two years of documenting their adventures in a vintage Airstream trailer, they settle temporarily on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Eva is finishing her senior year of high school and applying to college while her mother longs for their old life on the road.

But when she goes missing just days before her graduation, Charlie becomes the prime suspect due to their growing tension. 

This book would be fantastic for a book club as it grapples with privacy around social media and some surprisingly timely elements that plague our world and rob us of deeper connections with those around us.

I have read Station Eleven twice and would be more than okay with a third loop with this novel, but I have yet to indulge in this television series. Let me know if you enjoyed the adaptation, as it is on my bucket list!

This beloved dystopian road trip story offers a unique perspective on a pandemic world through the journey of a group of traveling actors trekking together during a flu apocalypse.

I enjoyed the audiobook and found it interesting that two versions were available, with the UK having its own version. If you are reading this one again, try switching audiobook narrators for a fresh experience.

Related- A Meet The Author Road Trip

This 2020 book club book was a hit with fans of 11/22/63!

Amidst the chaos of JFK's assassination, a loyal member of the New Orleans mob finds himself in a precarious position. With knowledge of the President's murder, he knows he's next on the mob's hit list. 

Desperate to evade his fate, he flees to Las Vegas, seeking refuge from an old enemy of his boss.

But when he meets Charlotte, a stranded housewife with two daughters and a dog, he sees an opportunity to cover his tracks by posing as an insurance man and offers to help her reach California. 

Maben & her young daughter are trying to escape their difficult life, and the mother must use her last dollars to provide shelter for them through the night at a hotel.

However, to earn money to get them through the next day, Maben finds herself involved in the murder of a police deputy, and they must flee before she is caught.

She pulls over Russell, a man who has just finished his prison term for a crime he committed at gunpoint. He is now involved in a crime he did not commit in this riveting page-turner.

Michael Farris Smith certainly has a way with words and I was sucked into this book from page one. If you are just in the mood for a good story, this book is beautiful and satisfying!

Colleen Oakley highly recommends this heartwarming middle-grade road trip adventure, perfect for sharing with your children.

For five years, Coyote and her dad have been on the road in an old school bus, escaping the pain of losing her mom and sisters in a car accident.

But when Coyote learns that the park where they buried a memory box is about to be demolished, she devises a plan to get her dad to drive back to Washington state in just four days, finding unexpected connections along the way.

Once you finish it, dig into Coyote Lost and Found offering readers a beautiful standalone companion that takes place one year later this story.

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This deeply profound and meditative examination of a young life interrupted by illness showcases a wise woman beyond her years as she navigates her unusual life's pause.

Throughout this journey, she begins to chronicle her experience through a newspaper column that brings connection with unlikely people.

These letters that sustained her through her cancer treatment later inspired her to take a road trip to meet them. 

Throughout a 100-day, 15,000-mile road trip across the country with her dog, she meets these strangers and finds a deeper connection to their stories and her own. 

Initially, I wondered if I was prepared to read about a young woman's battle with cancer. 

But Suleika Jaouad's writing transforms her story into a captivating and enlightening adventure that offers readers a captivating page-turner.

Related- Books on Grief and Loss

Although I am sure many of you have read this book, I only read it more recently.

In the wake of her mother's death, and after her marriage fell apart, twenty-two-year-old Cheryl Strayed set out on a daunting adventure to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a trek spanning over a thousand miles through the wilderness of California, Oregon, and Washington State.

This story is heart-poundingly WILD, and I have found myself breathless as she has set out on this adventure without the knowledge or preparation required to make this trek.

We hike trails with Strayed and hitchhike to different destinations as she makes her way along the west coast.

Readers may experience significant anxiety knowing that she faces exceptionally challenging conditions while hiking alone on these trails without adequate equipment.

If you love this book, watch the movie adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon, currently streaming on HBO Max or available through Prime Video.

Don't miss our Celebrity Book Club Deep Dive Podcast with Tiktok influencer, Tellthebeees.

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