Robin’s Rave Reviews 2026

Contemporary Romance – Mystery – Beach Read

ROAD TRIP by Mary Kay Andrews: a summer romp in Ireland with romance, Irish whiskey, family secrets, colorful characters, an art heist of an Irish aristocrat’s portrait, and two American sisters researching their ancestral ties to the subject of the painting.

Yes, please! Doesn’t that sound amazing? Pull up a chair next to the pool or beach this summer with ROAD TRIP in your beach bag.

Book Summary

Maeve and Therese’s mother has recently passed away. Maeve, the conservative, rule-following sister, carries a grudge against free-spirited Therese who was no help during their mother’s illness. Therese was off chasing her acting dreams. The funeral has brought the girls together, but they don’t have to like it.  Friction slows progress to get the house ready to sell, but Therese, nearly destitute, and Maeve, her job on the line from her time off caring for her mother, could both use a financial boost from its sale.

A painting of an Irish aristocratic has hung in their living room their entire childhood.  Their mother claimed a famous artist painted this distant relative’s portrait.  After a similar painting went to auction, the girls realize this one could be worth a million dollars.  An art expert explains they must know its provenance to authenticate it. Tracking how it was handed down from the family who commissioned the painting means using the money Mom saved for them to explore their roots in Ireland. Their mom’s intention was to  bring them closer together after her death. The girls just might kill each other first.

Maeve and Therese arrive in Ireland and stay at an inn on the Tarrymore House estate, the manor where their grandmother grew up and lived before she emigrated to America. While on tour of the estate, Maeve meets Liam, a local whiskey maker. Maeve will be heading back to the States soon, but her interest in him grows.

While they’re there, the girls dig into their family background, which stirs up some unfriendly responses, including from crotchety, old Lady Esme Rossington. She doesn’t want anything to do with these American relatives stirring up the past. She’s especially dismissive when Therese asks about a 1970’s art heist at Tarrymore carried out by the IRA. The girls must solve this cold case and make the connections needed to authenticate their painting, but they just might kill each other first, if someone else doesn’t do it first.

My Thoughts

Who doesn’t like an adventure in Ireland with romance? If you have Irish roots, or want to pretend you do, ROAD TRIP by Mary Kay Andrews will be a fun, light read for you. Keep in mind, if you’re a Mary Kay Andrews fan, this isn’t her usual Southern beach/coastal book. It starts in Savannah, but most of the story takes place in Ireland.

Personally, I’ll take a romance set in an American coastal town every day, but Ireland and Scotland are my next best places! The story’s set-up in Savannah was a bit too drawn out for me because I couldn’t wait to get the girls in Ireland.  MKA fills the story with the romance, mystery, and masterful storytelling she’s known for.

I loved the Tarrymore estate and the local color. You may find yourself longing to get a whiskey or Guinness at an Irish pub or to wander the Irish countryside. As the spring rains in Ohio turn my world into an intense green, I’m reminded of the lush Irish countryside in this novel.

I’ve always wanted a sister, but I also recognize having a sister doesn’t guarantee you’ll get along as adults. Maeve and Therese are as opposite as you can get, but both experience personal growth. They stay true to themselves and yet mature as people and in their sisterhood.

Liam is a boyfriend readers will swoon over – a great guy with a kind heart, a wonderful family, a good job, and, of course, an Irish accent. The romance world calls his type of character a cinnamon roll love interest, an overall good man to fall for.

You, reader, at first may find Lady Esme Rossington’s personality crusty at best, but your heart will soften for this strange, old bird. One of the few Rossingtons left, she lives like a shadow of the aristocratic family she comes from. Men have overlooked and underestimated her her whole life. Now in her 80’s, she’s set in her ways and is very private. The girls must crack through the hard exterior to truly understand past events that affect uncovering the provenance of their portrait.

I always enjoy that Mary Kay adds mystery to her romances to keep the suspense high. As the girls try to piece together what happened generations ago, they encounter some strange and dangerous events. This story will also attract readers interested in learning about family lineage. The girls dive into genealogical research, conversations with the locals about their family, letters they were given that their grandmother wrote, and even stumble upon family gravestones. I felt that the girls, through their research, began to see their ancestor as a real person, not just a portrait of a stranger. They discover that women in their family are strong and have been for generations.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this novel. The opinions are my own. ROAD TRIP by Mary Kay Andrews comes out June 2, 2026. Pre-ordering is VERY helpful to authors. I suggest ordering through Bookshop.org since they help support independent bookstores across the country. Order here. Book mail of a new release is the best!

About the Author

Mary Kay Andrews, a native of St. Petersburg, Florida, is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels. After a 14-year career as a reporter, she left journalism to write fiction. Harper Collins published her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, in 1992. She wrote ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Trocheck, but in 2002, she began writing under her pen name, Mary Kay Andrews, starting with Savannah Blues.

Mary Kay and her husband divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, Georgia. On Tybee they’ve restored two beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide, for the rental market where she displays treasures from her “junking” passion.

Also a co-founder and co-anchor on the Friends and Fiction weekly podcast, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patty Callahan Henry, and Kristin Harmel interview authors every Wednesday at 7 PM ET. It’s a great way to discover new titles and authors! Join the Friends and Fiction Facebook group or go to their YouTube channel where you can watch live and catch up on older episodes. Maybe I’ll see you there!

If You Like…

If you like the description of ROAD TRIP by Mary Kay Andrews, check out my past reviews on these recommendations: The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan and The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel.

Would you be so kind to share my book reviews with a friend? 

My book reviews can be conveniently delivered directly to your email box whenever I post  (1 – 2 times per month)! Sign up here.

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

@author.robin.shelley