Road Trip

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Synopsis

Brand-new from New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews! The Queen of the Summer Read is back with her first novel in two years!

Maeve and Therese Dunigan are sisters–but the two have been estranged for years. They could not be more opposite: Maeve, a rule-follower and Therese, a rebel. But when their mother’s death brings the family back together, the two find that they have inherited a painting–one that could be worth millions and could save each of them from their respective wolves at the door. The only issue is, the painting might be a fake and the only way they can solve the problem is to find the original. This means a road trip–to Ireland, to their family roots, and to a mysterious crime that occurred years ago. With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm. Can Maeve and Therese find the real painting, remove a family curse, solve a cold case, and actually survive without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.

Synopsis source: The StoryGraph

Review

Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
HB&W Rating: 3.5 stars | 1 flame
View on StoryGraph, Goodreads
Buy on Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Pub Date: June 2, 2026

I really liked the premise of this book and that it takes place in Ireland. The Irish small town setting was so lovely. I found the mystery very interesting and the story grabbed me right away.

I haven’t read many MKA books, only The Santa Suit and The Homewreckers, which were both 4 star reads for me. This book felt different than those—less cute contemporary romcom and more mystery with a dash of romance.

I struggled with the pacing a bit. It felt more drawn out than necessary. Also, I was expecting more humor and banter and didn’t really get that. This felt more serious than the blurb would lead you to believe, but it had its moments.

This was definitely more of a plot-driven story. While I liked the characters well-enough, they had moments when they annoyed me and I wish there was more balance between character development and plot. I thought it a little peculiar that the two estranged sisters, who are so different from each other, when put in a forced bonding situation didn’t seem to have much more than a few on-page bonding moments shown. Everything else was focused on the mystery they were trying to solve or they were off doing their own things. Still, I enjoyed the story quite a bit and was interested to see how everything was explained in the end.

All in all, I enjoyed the mystery and the setting, even if it was a bit more serious than I was expecting for a MKA book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Until next time,

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