Title: The Mother Road
Author: Meghan Quinn
Release Date: January 12, 2016
Never in a million years would I have pictured myself as an axe-wielding, dragon lady, chopping up multi-colored flannel shirts into my very own plaid mulch. But here I am, chopping away my frustrations.
It all started when my brother, Paul, convinced me to go on one last family road trip across the Mother Road with him and my dad.. Just like old times, right? Wrong. What Paul fails to mention is his best man, Porter, will be joining us, who just so happens to be my childhood crush and the man who broke my heart four years ago.
What is supposed to be a fun, family bonding experience across Route 66 turns into a war of pranks, awkward moments and bathrooms full of dirty flannel shirts and day old beard clippings. Paul’s know-it-all attitude and Porter’s devilish charm brings me to the brink of my sanity on my seven day trek across the United States with three bearded men in a small 1980’s RV.
Excuse me while I try to pause my hysterical laughter long enough to write this review. It may be a touch difficult, though. Because every time I think of the ridiculous, slightly (okay, maybe more than slightly) juvenile humor, I crack up all over again. I spent a large portion of The Mother Road convulsing with laughter. In public. Yup, in the school pick-up line. At my daughter’s gymnastics. In a car park, waiting for my husband at the store. #NoRegrets. If only someone had knocked on my window or sidled into the seat next to me, I’d have told them, GET THIS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT BOOK.
Why? Ah, aside from the aforementioned side-splitting, childish AF humor, this book was a charming, sweet and swoony brother’s best friend romance (LOVE those), with the most realistically annoying brother/sister relationship and altogether fairytale-esque family dynamic. If fairytales focus on poo and wee jokes, and random Route 66 facts, that is. Bernie, Paul, Porter and Marley are this rag-tag group of travelers embarking on America’s Road Trip—in tribute to Mama McCann, gone but not ever forgotten—and they’re just…amazing.
Seriously, so amazing. Porter and Marley are, of course, the central characters; their second chance-y brother’s best friend romance this adorable little gem that started antagonistic, because apparently Porter was a dick four years prior to the start of the book, and blossomed into this sexy, steamy, funny, playful love that just made me smile. When I wasn’t laughing. I mentioned the laughs already though, so let’s move on.
I practically broke my face smiling through this book. I’d just finished reading a book that kinda, sorta tore my heart into ti-tiny little pieces and I needed this refreshing book to clear the air and make me all mushy, giddy, slap-happy again. And it did from the first chapter. With Paul’s poorly grown and groomed beard, and Bernie’s occasional—damn hilarious—dips into the bickering between brother and sister and friend, and the crazy games and traditions that this family had in Tacy, the RV, it was impossible that it not.
I don’t really know what else to say about The Mother Road. It was, to me, pretty perfect. It was all the things I love, signed off with this off-the-charts perfect ending that just, gah, SWOONED AND DIED AND LOVED AND LAUGHED. Essentially.
You know what? That’s enough. Here’s my summation: *flails* *cries with laughter* *smiles* *swoons* *panties melt* *falls down dead*
~ Review by Beth
I love a good road trip book and I adore brother's best friend romances so this was set up to be a sure thing for me. This was my first book by Meghan Quinn and I'd heard a little buzz so I sort of knew what to expect going into it—but I was still surprised by how often and how long I laughed out loud. This book is fucking FUNNY, in big ways and small. In ways that sometimes felt a little too over the top for my comfort zone and in other ways that felt so authentic and "real life" to me that I was nodding and laughing all "it's funny cuz it's true."
When Marley's brother (Paul) and Dad (Bernie) show up at her California apartment unexpectedly and unannounced, she learns they want to whisk her away on a seven day road trip along the "Mother Road". The trip will pay homage to Marley’s mom—who was the heart of their childhood road trips until she passed away—and will end at Paul's wedding back in New York. Unable to refuse, Marley agrees to go to celebrate the time with her family, and Paul's upcoming wedding.
She never expected that Porter Smith—Paul’s best friend and Marley’s first love—would be joining the trip. This is not good news. Marley has been in love with Porter for years, almost against her will and despite the fact that Porter demolished her heart four years ago and she hasn't spoken to him since. She's not prepared to share space with him, or for him to be (irritatingly) even better looking than she remembered him. And she’s especially not prepared for the fact that, after all this time and heartbreak, there may still be feelings between them.
Things are pretty frosty between Porter and Marley in the beginning. She's still nursing the wounds Porter inflicted when he smashed her heart to smithereens—and those wounds have been festering for four years, so they’re pretty ugly and raw. It was actually kind of hard for me to read at first. I'm a big fan of ooey gooey and there was no ooey gooey to be found in their first few interactions. When it finally did come, it was sort of abrupt and still not exactly ooey gooey. Sexy, for sure, but I might have liked a little more swoon in the build-up. However, what it lacked in swoon, it more than made up for in humor and then the swoon came out in spades later.
I really loved Marley and Porter, but a great deal of the charm of this book was in the whole family dynamic. Despite the fact that they're in their 20s, Paul and Marley fall into their childhood brother/sister relationship. That is, they pick on each other—mercilessly. Pranks and teasing and crude/vulgar taunts. The fact that Bernie sometimes joins in was both hysterical and adorable. The fact that they include Porter as part of their family made my heart explode a little bit. I loved this little family—even if sometimes my nose wrinkled in disgust at them. They have so much heart and affection underneath all that antagonistic banter. I loved the games they played and the memories they shared. I loved their quirk and irreverence, but I most especially loved how they dug deep and got real when the situation warranted. In particular? I loved Bernie so much. I want Bernie to be my dad.
And then—that ending.
Oh God, the ending. It's like all the swoon built up over the course of the entire book and just EXPLODED in the end. I cried a little bit. I smiled so hard. I fell so completely and incredibly in love with Porter Smith.
This book just felt good. There were so many feels and (aside from that frostiness in the beginning, which any woman who has ever been scorned will forgive) every single one of them was good, and warm, and fuzzy, and hilarious—and sometimes a little bit sexy. So, if you’re looking for a lot of fun, some wild and raunchy humor, and something to fill your heart with butterflies and smiles? This is just the thing.
~ Review by Shelly
Beauty blogger, Marley McMann is taking one last “family” trip across Route 66 in their 1980’s RV. A week trapped with her brother, Paul, her dad, Bernie and Paul’s best friend, Porter—who’s also Marley’s first love—can only mean sunshine and roses, right?
From the very first page, The Mother Road sucks you into the family drama dynamic and doesn’t let go. Between Marley and Paul’s sibling stupidity (beer hijinks, mascara usage on hair other than eyelashes), Bernie’s penchant for replacing swears with names of presidents, Porter’s secrets, Paul's girlish tendencies, and enough sexual tension between Marley and Porter to choke an elephant, you cannot turn the pages fast enough to see where this crazy RV adventure is going to take you.
Keep your tissues handy because you're going to need them to wipe the tears of laughter that will stream down your face. And, of course, there's lots of sweet and sexy moments, and lovely, poignant memories made on a fun and crazy family road trip. I loved every minute of this book and it brought me back to the family trips I took with my family growing up, only wishing the trips were as fun as this one!
~ Review by Missy
Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan Quinn has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if "It's Raining Men" starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.
Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing... enter her first novel, Caught Looking.
Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh, and she loves a good boob squeeze!
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