Back of Book: 

Lauren Richmond isn’t a fan of Christmas.

Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy—namely, her duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom.

But this December, Lauren's brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will.

Unfortunately for Lauren, she’s been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than ten years.

Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she’s stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois.

She’s circumspect and organized. He’s flirty and spontaneous.

She’s convinced that people don’t change. He’s trying to prove to her (and himself) that he has.

On this cross-country road trip, they’ll both discover that history doesn’t exactly repeat itself... but like any good Christmas carol, it does have a second verse. 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A sweet and heartwarming Christmas romance featuring a cross-country road trip between two childhood acquaintances. 

Lauren Richmond isn't excited to visit her family this holiday season. She wasn't always a grinch, but her parents' divorce truly put a wrench in the Christmas season. This year, she's doing everything to avoid going home. When her brother guilts her into going to meet his soon to be born child, Lauren has no choice but to accept Spencer's offer of traveling cross-country with his childhood best friend, Will Sinclair. The holidays just got about as awkward as possible, because Lauren used to have the hugest crush on Will—and Will broke her heart in return. Lauren is less than enthused about being stuck in a car with Will all the way from California to Illinois. However, she quickly realizes that Will is no longer the teenage boy that drug her heart through the mud. Lauren soon finds herself falling for Will once more. Is she crazy, or is forgiveness the right choice this holiday season? 

I wanted to start this review by saying that I gave this book a try solely because one of my favorite voice actors, Reba Buhr, was one of the narrators for this novel. I must say, I did love her performance, but I was pleasantly surprised by this story. This has got to be the most Christmas coded book that I have ever read and thoroughly enjoy, which I am super happy to report. I'm definitely checking out more of Walsh's holiday reads in the future. 

I'm actually about to embark on my own cross-country Christmas journey in just a few weeks, so reading this book had me super excited about that. I've never really been anywhere before, so this book was a great reminder to find joy in the littlest things and remember to just bask in the presence of those that you love. It's not always about the destination, after all. 

One of my favorite parts of this one is that Will and Lauren already have so much history together before this book even starts, which makes them super shippable. Lauren had a crush on Will literally her entire school career, and when they finally had a chance to get together in college, Will shatters her dreams. This leaves Lauren extremely untrusting of Will, which causes the beginning of their road trip to be filled with tension. Will had a bit of a rough collegiate career, and he doesn't even remember the incident that put a wedge between him and Lauren due to his past bad habit of heavily drinking. This obviously leaves the two with a ton to work out, but I love how realistic this conflict is. It also makes for the best type of second chance romance. 

The holiday vibes in this one are also impeccable. Will loves Christmas and spending time with his family, whereas Lauren hates all things Christmas and dreads the entire season. Will therefore spends the entirety of this novel bathing Lauren in Christmas events such as seeing a Christmas light parade, visiting Santa, going sledding, and even attending a Christmas ball. As the book progresses, Lauren's dislike towards Christmas (and Will) begins to slowly melt away, which leads to the most heartwarming holiday experience. 

The ending of this one is also so sweet. The reason that Will goes on this road trip with Lauren is so wholesome and I absolutely adore the way that the Sinclairs embrace Lauren as one of their own. It was so fun seeing Lauren and Will finally getting together. It didn't feel cheesy at all, despite the overabundance of Christmas in this book, which I found to be pretty darn impressive. 

Overall, "A Cross-Country Christmas" is one of the best holiday reads I have ever consumed. I must admit, I think the audiobook made me enjoy the story more than I would have if I would have read a physical copy of the book on my own, but I think that is actually a good thing! I loved the history between Lauren and Will, and the fact that they had so much to unravel about their past made this such a realistic feeling romance. The Christmas vibes were on point, and I would seriously recommend this book for your holiday TBR! 

Audiobook Note: Reba Buhr and Will Collyer did a phenomenal job at narrating this one. Reba Buhr is one of my favorite voice actors, so it is no surprise that I ate up her performance. Lauren is such a complicated character. She's organized and serious most of the time, but she's also terrified of spiders, so she's quite a diverse character. Reba did such an amazing job of showcasing every side of Lauren's personality. Will also did a phenomenal job bringing Will's side of the story to life. Something that I found really cool about their performances was that they narrated reoccurring characters in very similar ways, which I thought was really neat. A very solid narrative experience that I would definitely recommend! 

Back of Book: 

A fun-loving free spirit.
Her buttoned-up best friend.
And a cross-country wedding that could drive their platonic relationship toward something else entirely.

Simon Collier is my friend.

Heck, he’s been my friend for most of my adult life—and we couldn’t be more different.

I love late-night karaoke. He’s a homebody with a piano I’ve never heard him play.

I relish being the center of attention while Simon prefers to fade into the background.

My dresser is a disaster. He alphabetizes his fridge.

I suppose we’re a little like sunshine and rain. It’s why our friendship works.

Even though we’re total opposites, we get along like peas and carrots. He’s constantly saving me after failed romances, and I push him to live a little. . .even if that means dragging him out of his comfort zone.

If I can make him laugh, it’s a win.

He’s my safe person. Secure, reliable, fun to poke fun at.

Simon Collier is my friend.

But now, all that might change.

After another predictable break-up, I find myself in need of a plus-one for my best friend Lauren’s cross-country wedding. A wedding that reenacts the road trip where she and her fiance, Will, first fell in love. And despite his fussiness, Simon is the safest person to bring along because I’m not in the market for any more messy feelings.

Our friendship has been intact for over ten years, surely we can handle a week crammed in a car, sharing meals and playlists and nighttime secrets and single beds.

Right?

A Cross-Country Wedding is a sizzling but sweet, friends-to-more road trip romance. It is the second in the Road Trip Romance series & while it reads as a stand-alone, it may be best enjoyed after reading A Cross-Country Christmas.

Book Number: Two

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance

Review: ?