Name: mariola's review of Off the Map by Trish Doller
Item: Off the Map
Rating: 3
Author: mariola

Trish Doller

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been traveling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out―literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it.

Off the Map

Abigail | 

 "Just so you know, I'm going to kiss you again, but this time I'm going to mean it."

mariola

Sarah Sammis

Eamon owns a 1973 Landrover. He's had plans to go overlanding across Europe but his previous girlfriend wasn't interested. Plus his family seems to have other plans for him. Now he meets Carla who has been doing everything he can only dream of. So they end up going camping, off roading, surfing, and taking the most circuitous route possible.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...

Petaco

This is not my kind of MC. She was not likable and the insta-love was insane... and I love insta-love. I did not like either of them or their poor decision making. (view spoiler)[ Also, this may sound heartless but I think her dad conveniently and peacefully died. It was just too neat. I feel like the whole dementia angle was added to give the MC depth. It didn't work, she was still super shallow. (hide spoiler)]

I want to scream from the mountain tops how much I loved this book. I want to follow Carla around the world and hear her stories of Biggie and all the adventures they’ve ever had. I want to sit shotgun in the jeep and go off roading while soaking it all in. Then I want to runaway with Eamon and create a dream life. 

but seriously, read this book. It’s for the wanderlust, dreamers out there. For the daddy’s girls or the “one of the boys” girls. This broke healed me and broke me all at the same time. I loved it. 

Tropes: instalove

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I want to scream from the mountain tops how much I loved this book. I want to follow Carla around the world and hear her stories of Biggie and all the adventures they’ve ever had. I want to sit shotgun in the jeep and go off roading while soaking it all in. Then I want to runaway with Eamon and create a dream life. 

but seriously, read this book. It’s for the wanderlust, dreamers out there. For the daddy’s girls or the “one of the boys” girls. This broke healed me and broke me all at the same time. I loved it. 

⚠️ TW TW ⚠️ 

Alzheimer’s 

Carla Black is no stranger to travel, having spent most of her life on the road, first with her father and then on her own, so traveling to Ireland for her best friend, Anna's wedding is no big deal.  Eamon Sullivan, the brother of Anna's fiance, meets Carla at the airport to drive her to the wedding site, but their trip ends up taking lots of twists and turns as Carla shows Eamon what it's like to spend time on the road, but their trip together offers much more than either of them planned.

Off the Map is more women's fiction than a romance, but Eamon does serve as a romantic lead character, even though very little is revealed about him and there is very little conflict between them.  This story is more of a journey for Carla to discover what she wants out of her life and her relationship with her father, who is suffering from dementia.  While the plot does tug at the heartstrings, it seems like a story that has been written many times before.  What stands out is the description of the landscapes and landmarks of Ireland.  It is also enjoyable to revisit the relationship between Anna and Keane from The Float Plan.  Overall, Off the Map offers some humor as well as raising the issue of the emotional toll of dementia, but romance is a very small part of this story.  

Lynn Braden

Carla Black is no stranger to travel, having spent most of her life on the road, first with her father and then on her own, so traveling to Ireland for her best friend, Anna's wedding is no big deal.  Eamon Sullivan, the brother of Anna's fiance, meets Carla at the airport to drive her to the wedding site, but their trip ends up taking lots of twists and turns as Carla shows Eamon what it's like to spend time on the road, but their trip together offers much more than either of them planned.

Off the Map is more women's fiction than a romance, but Eamon does serve as a romantic lead character, even though very little is revealed about him and there is very little conflict between them.  This story is more of a journey for Carla to discover what she wants out of her life and her relationship with her father, who is suffering from dementia.  While the plot does tug at the heartstrings, it seems like a story that has been written many times before.  What stands out is the description of the landscapes and landmarks of Ireland.  It is also enjoyable to revisit the relationship between Anna and Keane from The Float Plan.  Overall, Off the Map offers some humor as well as raising the issue of the emotional toll of dementia, but romance is a very small part of this story.  

So much better than I expected. Probably falls more to the "chick lit" side than the "romance" but the romance is solid and spicy enough. Great story. 

Amanda

i thought this was going to be a quick and lighthearted read and for a lot of it, it was. but the underlying conflict in the story wrenched my heart and had me in tears a few times. i really loved how carla and eamon’s story unfolded and i loved their instant lust for each other so much. there was no official epilogue to the story but i think the final chapter did a good job of serving as one. 

thank you St Martins and Trish Doller for the galley! 

kelly bee

i thought this was going to be a quick and lighthearted read and for a lot of it, it was. but the underlying conflict in the story wrenched my heart and had me in tears a few times. i really loved how carla and eamon’s story unfolded and i loved their instant lust for each other so much. there was no official epilogue to the story but i think the final chapter did a good job of serving as one. 

thank you St Martins and Trish Doller for the galley! 

mariola &
Off the Map by Trish Doller

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Off the Map by Trish Doller