finished reading

Let's see... how to start... the narrative arc is told from four perspectives from Addie's present, Addie's past, Dylan's present, and Dylan's past, and the narration zings, it was a little confusing keeping track of past and present.  Added to the main protagonists is an ensemble, each with a complex backstory.  So the cast of characters is thrown together in a small-ish car for a 10-hour road trip to an extravagant wedding in Scotland.  This is the formula for a fun, charming story.  But the author tackles heavy themes from alcoholism, homophobia, sexual assault, estranged parents, and depression, all making for a somewhat darker story.  The author seems to be tackling too much with too big of a cast.

From the publisher:

What if the end of the road is just the beginning?

Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry’s enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven’t spoken since.

Today, Dylan’s and Addie’s lives collide again. It’s the day before Cherry’s wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland - he’ll never get there on time by public transport.

So, along with Dylan’s best friend, Addie’s sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart - and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.