Gail Ward Olmsted

When her marriage falls apart and she loses her job, Jackie Sullivan decides to start over among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. Is she chasing a dream or Rick, the dreamy tour guide she just met? Fueled by an unflagging sense of humor and lots of caffeine, Jackie sets off to discover a whole new life: she's had her happy, now she wants her ever after.

Jeep Tour

Briar's Reviews

Jeep Tour is another stunning women's fiction novel by Gail Ward Olmsted.

Seriously, this lady KNOWS what I'm feeling and thinking! Just the quote alone "A series of unrelated and seemingly random events that can singularly cause stress and anxiety" is my life right now - college, working, life, EVERYTHING! Within this sweet, women's fiction are words of wisdom I never would have appreciated until I became an adult and finally understood what "adulting" meant! The metaphor comparing whack-a-mole made it even better, to be brutally honest. That's is how life feels sometime!

This novel is the first in the "series", but like the rebel I am - I read Jackie's daughter's story first! So, it was only necessary to read Jackie's story as well! The two books can easily be read apart, but if you want a little more sanity and understanding, reading them in order would be helpful. I do have to say, you can tell that Gail has improved in her writing (not that she was bad to begin with, but you can see the growth and I LOVE when that happens! I'm a nerdy little birdie for seeing authors grow and change into sophisticated and more talented authors!).

Now, back to the story!

Middle-aged Jackie is divorced from her husband and decided to go on an adventure and hop on a Jeep Tour. She ended up meeting uber sexy tour guide Rick, and he gave her his number! Rick is young, hot, and flirty! 

I related to Jackie in many ways - troubles with her job, a "Linda" in their life, troubles with relationship and wanting to just run away. But the one thing I really liked about Jackie was her ridiculous sense of humor! "Waa-mbulance" was one of the best comments I've ever seen, and I will definitely be entering that into my verbal thesaurus for the next time life gets tough. The accounting metaphors also had me chuckling, since I've taken some accounting classes (and the comments really fit how I see some of my accounting friends...).

Even the relationships in this novel felt real, which was shocking! I don't know many people who got divorced and started sleeping with their ex when the papers were signed, but Gail made me feel like I did! I felt like Jackie and Robbie could have been my neighbors or friends of mine! It was weird, but incredible. But that's raw talent for you! Although, sometimes I felt like this relationship was a little bit... tumultuous, or not healthy. Knowing the contents of the second book made me feel better about it, but there was still this ache in the back of my head going "NOOOO JACKIE NOOOO YOU DESERVE BETTER - NICE GUY AND GOOD SEX! YOU CAN HAVE BOTH! DON'T SETTLE FOR ONE!"

 The journey Jackie embarks on is definitely a beautiful story. The ups, the downs and everything in between will make you feel! It was a beautiful story to sit down, admire the summer air and fall into. It was a relaxing read, something that women's fiction definitely needs! 

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a soft, simple read with a little splash of drama and romance. It's a PG rated, flirty and fun book that will whisk you away into the life of a of truly incredible character. It's a must read that will be added to my shelf!

Five out of five stars!

I received a free copy from the author Gail Ward Olmsted in exchange for an honest review.