Name: celene's review of A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey
Item: A Thousand Miles
Rating: 5
Author: celene

Bridget Morrissey

After a decade of silence, Dee and Ben reunite for a road trip they once promised to take. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Dee Matthews is the cohost of the smash-hit podcast Did I Forget To Tell You?, where she interviews family, friends, and past lovers. Nothing is off limits, except for one man (known on the show only as Name Redacted) who happens to be her high school best friend Ben. During their senior year spring break, Dee and Ben took a road trip to visit Ben’s grandma. They buried a time capsule in her backyard, pledging to return in ten years to open it. Then their friendship fell apart in spectacular fashion. They haven’t spoken to each other since. Ben Porter’s life since that moment has been unexciting but comfortable, until his grandma reveals a family secret that flips his whole world upside down. Her dying wish is for him to stop doing what is safest and go after what he really wants. He starts by showing up on Dee’s doorstep with every intention of fulfilling their long-ago promise. Despite her reservations, Dee can’t say no. This trip could be her chance to give her listeners the Name Redacted interview they’ve been begging for—and finally put her unresolved feelings for Ben to rest. As the miles fly by, Dee and Ben's friendship reignites. But the closer they get to reaching their destination, the more apparent it becomes that their attraction to each other cannot be ignored. Their last adventure ended in disaster, and they’re about to find out if any hope of a future together is in the rear view mirror.

A Thousand Miles

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

After a decade of silence, Dee and Ben reunite for a road trip they once promised to take. It's going to be a bumpy ride. Dee Matthews is the cohost of the smash-hit podcast Did I Forget To Tell You?, where she interviews family, friends, and past lovers. Nothing is off limits, except for one man (known on the show only as Name Redacted) who happens to be her high school best friend Ben. During their senior year spring break, Dee and Ben took a road trip to visit Ben's grandma. They buried a time capsule in her backyard, pledging to return in ten years to open it. Then their friendship fell apart in spectacular fashion. They haven't spoken to each other since. Ben Porter's life since that moment has been unexciting but comfortable, until his grandma reveals a family secret that flips his whole world upside down. Her dying wish is for him to stop doing what is safest and go after what he really wants. He starts by showing up on Dee's doorstep with every intention of fulfilling their long-ago promise. Despite her reservations, Dee can't say no. This trip could be her chance to give her listeners the Name Redacted interview they've been begging for--and finally put her unresolved feelings for Ben to rest. As the miles fly by, Dee and Ben's friendship reignites. But the closer they get to reaching their destination, the more apparent it becomes that their attraction to each other cannot be ignored. Their last adventure ended in disaster, and they're about to find out if any hope of a future together is in the rear view mirror.

celene

this is like the most amazing emotional romcom book ive ever read this year oh my gawd losing my mind ??????

taylor alyse pisanie

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion/review. 

It's more of a 3.7 for me, definitely closer to a 4. I thoroughly enjoyed Dee and Ben's story. While things seem to be a bit silly on the surface, there are truly some deep and profound messages about finding yourself, accepting yourself, forgiving yourself, etc. I ended up highlighting more than a few quotes because they stuck out to me and I love when a book can do that. 

I think in some instances, Dee and Ben's relationship rekindling progressed a little too fast. As someone who has had long friendships that have ended, even if I was never in love with them, I truly don't think it would be so easy for me to slip back into old ways-especially not with that level of hurt still resting inside of me. To be honest, I wouldn't have minded reading a longer book for there to be more build-up and development. I think it would've possibly elevated this to a 4.5 or even 5 star read. 

Dee isn't the most likable person in the world, so I do find it interesting that I rated this book so high. Typically when I dislike a main character that much, my rating doesn't go above a 3. However, that is a testament to the author's ability to create a meaningful and impactful story. I still haven't been able to put my finger on what it was about Dee that irritated me so much, but I think it might be that she had a little too much "I'm not like other girls" energy for me. 

Overall, this book was a fun, good read. I'm not fawning over it, I won't be demanding all of my friends read it; but, it is a good little romance if you're in the mood for an easy feel-good read.

<i>”A promise is a promise. Five words. After ten years. There’s so much more that needs to be said beyond those seven syllables. But I took one look at her face, and the rest seemed unimportant.” </i>

I really enjoyed this. Our two MC’s have spent the last decade apart only to reunite to fulfill a promise to repeat a road trip they went on back when they were best friends. 

I liked that the formula of this was different. I LOVED how so much time passed but their dynamic hadn’t. The way everything unfolded felt right to me. 

I loved the banter, the dual povs and the overall rom com of it all. 

Kathryn

<i>”A promise is a promise. Five words. After ten years. There’s so much more that needs to be said beyond those seven syllables. But I took one look at her face, and the rest seemed unimportant.” </i>

I really enjoyed this. Our two MC’s have spent the last decade apart only to reunite to fulfill a promise to repeat a road trip they went on back when they were best friends. 

I liked that the formula of this was different. I LOVED how so much time passed but their dynamic hadn’t. The way everything unfolded felt right to me. 

I loved the banter, the dual povs and the overall rom com of it all. 

This was a fun ride ☺️

4/5⭐️

Heather Harrington

I read Morrissey's other book and thought it was fine, so I didn't exactly go into this with high expectations, but I ended up loving it. The road trip aspect was so fun, and I don't think I've read anything that utilizes that trope, but it was so good. I enjoyed Dee and Ben, but Dee had to grow on me because there were times I found her annoying. It was almost as if she said or did things for shock value, or to get a rise out of Ben, and it was a bit juvenile at times. Despite that, I thought they had an amazing relationship. They felt like best friends with their own language who just fall back into their routines no matter how long they've been apart. The banter and chemistry between them were great. I also liked how this touched on grief and family conflicts, and thought that added a nice depth to the story. Morrissey's writing was fast-paced and so binge-able. If you're looking for an entertaining rom-com, this is the one to pick up.

Abbey

‘A Thousand Miles’ by Bridget Morrisey is perfect for any lover of friends-to-lovers romance novels. The story centres around old friends Dee and Ben who reunite to embark on a cross-country road trip to visit the house of Ben’s deceased grandmother. Although I found the story to be a bit slow in the beginning, I greatly enjoyed the dynamic between Dee and Ben and found myself hoping that they could move on from the past and enjoy their time together. In my opinion, ‘A Thousand Miles’ is the perfect weekend beach read, however it is not necessarily a book that I could see myself picking up again to reread. ‘A Thousand Miles’ is the first book by Bridget Morrissey that I have read but after finishing it I will definitely be looking into her other titles. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc for this title!


Quote:

"Because it's enough for me to have him know I exist. I don't want to complicate it by having him know me. Or me him. We can be beautiful ideas to each other." 

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey