{"id":269502,"date":"2025-06-03T00:13:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T00:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/books\/hit-the-road-with-these-10-road-trip-romances-modern-mrs-darcy\/"},"modified":"2025-06-03T00:13:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T00:13:31","slug":"hit-the-road-with-these-10-road-trip-romances-modern-mrs-darcy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=269502","title":{"rendered":"Hit the road with these 10 road trip romances \u2013 Modern Mrs Darcy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Let\u2019s continue our Summer Reading Guide theme<\/a><\/strong> by taking a look at road trip romances. This year\u2019s Guide includes a handful of fabulous novels (actually the number is six, to be precise) that happen to feature various kinds of road trips, but none of them are romances\u2014so we\u2019re talking about those today! This trope has so much swoon-worthy potential whether characters are traveling with a friend, coworker, rival, ex, stranger \u2026 the list goes on! Sometimes forced proximity leads to love and I\u2019m here for it.<\/p>\n

A road trip romance has so much to recommend for itself. I love a story with movement, and a road trip romance bakes that into the book from the first mile. The book\u2019s focus might be on experiencing the scenery along the way or how much the main characters are looking forward to or dreading arriving at their final destination. There could be any manner of travel delays from broken down-transportation to unforeseen weather complications. <\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the way the intimacy of the car leads to deeper conversations and a better understanding of one another. Not to mention the bond that emerges after that kind of sustained time together. The conditions are right for love and I\u2019ll never tire of reading these stories.<\/p>\n

I hope this list will give you an excuse for a vicarious vacation. There are so many more road trip romances out there and I can\u2019t wait to hear about your<\/em> favorites in the comments.<\/p>\n

Some links (including all Amazon links) are affiliate links. <\/em>More details here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\n\t\"Hairpin\"Hairpin<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tA fun low angst road trip romance! Megan never planned on staying in Florida after graduation but years have passed without her even leaving the state. A friend\u2019s wedding in Quebec is about to change that. When her ex-friend Scarlett suggests they road trip there, Megan reluctantly agrees. As they grapple with what ended their friendship all those years ago and realize they\u2019re attracted to each other now, they also face a blizzard, Only One Bed, and time to figure out what they want with their jobs and each other. (Open door.) More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\"Peter\"Peter<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tIt\u2019s the summer of 1960 and Caleb and Peter have just graduated from college. Caleb is more than ready for a fresh start but first he has to figure out how to get from Boston to Los Angeles for his new job. He would rather do anything but accept a ride from wealthy Peter. Peter, on the other hand, is looking for any excuse to miss appearing at his father\u2019s presidential campaign events. He wastes no time convincing grumpy Caleb to let him drive them across the country. Their grumpy-sunshine dynamic makes for a fun, engaging read as they both consider each other and their respective futures in a new light. (Open door.) More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tHairstylist Jess Greene has focused on two things for the past decade: raising her half-sister Tegan and protecting their privacy at all costs. She doesn\u2019t want anyone, including Tegan, to know her mother abandoned them for con man Lynton Baltimore. A name more people know than ever courtesy of a popular podcast. When Tegan figures out the truth herself and makes an arrangement to talk with the podcast host, Jess has no choice but to join Tegan, host Salem, and producer Adam on the road to search for their mother. She doesn\u2019t know what to make of her feelings for Adam, how to let go of college-bound Tegan, or what they\u2019ll do if they find her mother after all. An insightful exploration of vulnerability, true crime ethics, and what we owe to our family. (Open door.) More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tAspiring ballerina Chloe Pierce dreams of attending a famous dance conservatory, but her protective mom forbids her from applying. When her mom is away on a trip, Chloe creates a secret plan to drive across the country to audition. What she doesn’t plan for is her annoying neighbor Eli and his dog Geezer hitching a ride. With an upbeat soundtrack and determination, Chloe and Eli grow closer as they deal with obstacles on the road. The title comes from the famous Jackson 5 song, and Kristina Forest includes a fun playlist at the end of her YA debut. (Chaste.) More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\"People\"People<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tGlobetrot with Alex and Poppy in this modern twist on When Harry Met Sally<\/em>. The pair of opposites once shared a ride home from college and their witty banter ignited a decade-long friendship. Now free-spirit Poppy lives in NYC, working as a travel writer for a posh magazine. Strait-laced Alex lives in their small Ohio hometown, longing to start a family and live that picket-fence lifestyle. Connecting once a year for an epic vacation, these besties were always in sync\u2026until they weren\u2019t. Now they haven\u2019t spoken in two painful years, and against all odds, Poppy is hoping one great vacation can save them. This will they\/won\u2019t they contemporary romance is every bit as playful as its tangerine cover. (Open door.) Don\u2019t miss WSIRN Episode 332: Beach Reads for Book Lovers<\/a> to hear about Henry\u2019s writing process and her summer book recommendations. More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\"Excuse\"Excuse<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tSometimes you need to blow up your whole life to find the pieces that matter most. When type-A high school senior Quinn loses her journal\u2014well, to say she freaks out is an understatement. Her whole life is in it, comprised of lists ranging from Movies with Intense Rewatchability to Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud. But then she gets a message from the blackmailer who tells her she has to complete one of her own lists before she\u2019ll get her journal back\u2014the one called \u201cTo Do Before I Graduate.\u201d Thinking she has nothing left to lose, Quinn decides to go for it\u2014and soon discovers that speaking your truth feels good, and maybe blowing up her life was the best thing that ever happened to her. Much road tripping is required as Quinn decides to face and then shape her own reality for the first time in her life. More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\"Applied\"Applied<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tAdam and Olivia can\u2019t stand each other and are horrified when they\u2019re tasked to bring a power plant online in Texas. Their business trip quickly goes awry with everything from their plane being rerouted, getting a flat tire, and sheltering from a heavy storm. When they\u2019re stranded at a tiny hotel without cell service, the forced proximity has them looking at each other differently. Frothy, smart, and totally escapist contemporary romance. (Closed door.) More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\"Mrs.\"Mrs.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tAfter a bad breakup, twenty-something, once-upon-a-time child actor Millie found solace in spending time alone in her apartment, and soon became best friends with her elderly neighbor Mrs. Nash. When Mrs. Nash died, she left Millie with a story and a last wish: that Millie travel to Key West with her ashes to reunite her with the true love she hasn’t seen in decades. When a cancelled flight wrecks Millie’s plans, she hitches a ride south with a handsome grump she once met at a reading for her horrible ex’s MFA program. Cue all the romance tropes: grumpy-meets-sunshine, peculiar airbnb with Only One Bed, and more. The sapphic 1940s love story unspooled in alternating chapters lent meaning and perspective to events in the present day timeline. Mara Wilson’s cheeky narration of this road trip romance made for fun and easy listening. (Open door.) More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\"The\"The<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tBestselling YA author Ally Carter\u2019s action-packed adult debut features a spy with amnesia, a gruff and handsome co-conspirator, a variety of European settings, and banter galore. The story opens when our spy protagonist wakes up in Paris and realizes she\u2019s in big, big trouble because it seems a whole lot of people want her dead, which is confusing, because she is NOT a spy. She quickly realizes this is an unfortunate case of mistaken identity: the bad guys are confusing her for her identical twin, a spy who’s seemingly gone rogue and is certainly nowhere to be found. To stay safe, she has to disappear\u2014and for that she needs the help of a very grumpy, very handsome secret agent. I zoomed through this fun and frothy audiobook, as narrated by Emily Ellet and Andrew Eiden. This would be a great one for fans of Alias Emma.<\/a><\/em> More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\"You,\"You,<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\tThis contemporary romance begins when Noelle\u2019s TikTok about her recently deceased grandmother\u2019s secret first love goes viral, and as a result she unexpectedly reunites with her old high school rival Theo. It turns out that Gram almost married Theo\u2019s grandfather Paul decades ago but never told Noelle, despite how close the two were. Currently unemployed and floundering in her life, Noelle decides to go on the should-have-been honeymoon road trip that never happened, with Paul and Theo joining her for the big adventure. Noelle and Theo have a chance to get to know each other as adults, making for a chemistry-filled, banter-laden good time. Joyce also thoughtfully explores grief and making peace with high school aspirations and expectations. This was such fun to listen to as narrated by Kyla Garcia; I especially enjoyed the intergenerational component of this tender (and sometimes steamy) story. (Open door.) More info \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

What are your favorite road trip romances? Please share in the comments.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. 15 breezy romance series for when you need an escape<\/a>, Take a vicarious trip with these novels set on planes, trains, and automobiles<\/a>,<\/strong> and 18 fresh and flirty contemporary romance novels for your TBR<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Hit\"Hit<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n