A review by emilywemily6
Off the Beaten Path by Madison Wright

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was cute! I knew nothing about this book when I decided to listen to it. It’s a nice cozy book for late fall/early spring vibes. The small town in the mountains was a cute setting, though I would have liked more about the setting. While I liked both of these main characters a lot individually, I really didn’t like their interactions at the beginning of the book. They hated each other as neighbors but in a really superficial way (lots of pranks on her part) that just didn’t make sense to me. He cared too much about her behavior instead of ignoring her. But I really liked seeing their relationship grow once they got over the fact that they had already been messaging on a dating app. Though that transition from “enemy neighbors” to friends felt kind of abrupt. The pacing of their actual friendship/relationship was much better. I also loved June (the daughter) and what she added to both the story and how she was a great lens through which to see both the love interests and how their relationship was. I liked how mature everyone was about the ex-wife. The end of the book wrapped up a little too perfectly but it was still heartwarming.