Author: Olivia Wearne
Publisher: Harlequin Australia
Year of release: 2020
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, General Fiction
Release 2nd December 2020
Rating 🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis
When Ruby and Angela embark on a Grey Nomads road trip, the last thing they expect is a tiny stowaway; one who will turn them from unsuspecting tourists into wanted kidnappers and land them in a world of trouble. As their leisurely retirement plans unravel, Angela’s relationship with her brother Bernard goes from bad to worse.
Bernard has his own problems to contend with. Adrift in life, his career as a news presenter has been reduced to opening fetes and reading Voss as an audio book (a seemingly impossible task). His troubles are compounded when his wife starts dating a younger man and a drink-driving incident turns him into a celebrity offender.
As Angela and Ruby set about repairing burnt bridges and helping their unexpected guest, and Bernard attempts to patch together his broken life, they discover that even after a lifetime of experience, you’re never too old to know better.
Review
Angela and Ruby live two doors down from each other, one day Ruby becomes sick Angela brings her soup the two soon form a strong friendship; Angela a make-up artist and Ruby the school nurse, the pair have both since retired. In celebration of their retirement the duo decide to embark on a grey nomad’s trip in their newly acquired Winnebago, this trip begins like any other, neither one ever expecting that they’ve recently acquired a runaway on board. Once innocent tourists turn into wanted kidnapers, things soon go from bad to worse; can the pair restore equilibrium in their once peaceful lives?
Bernard finds himself drifting through life, a once celebrated and respected news anchor in the community now finds that window is fast closing reducing him to talent shows, opening fetes. His most recent opportunity comes performing a reading of an audiobook of Voss which causes Bernard nothing but trouble, it’s not only in his career that Bernard finds himself off target, his estranged wife Mia has begun seeing other men, younger men. Can Bernard find his way onto solid ground at work and at home?
If you’re after an easy, pleasant read this summer then consider adding The Grand Tour.
In my opinion The Grand Tour was a good debut novel, I see this being very popular with the mature readers as I believe they would be able to appreciate the events in the story more so then younger readers.
I loved the concept of this story; I was eager to start my holiday with Angela and Ruby thanks to the detailed writing I was able to visualise the world and the character’s described to me although at times I wondered if the layout could’ve been improved by alerting the reader when the perspective had changed.
The book was lacking in the excitement factor for me, there was no wow factor, no element for surprising me, whilst the characters were likeable, I can’t say I connected to them, they were somewhat bland as the story progressed, I wanted more detail in the closing chapters especially when it comes to the character of Ruby. The ending felt like the reader has to make up their own mind, this was a disappointing element I would’ve liked to explore more of the family dynamic between Ruby her daughter and granddaughter.
Whilst this book made me smile at different times I will say I struggled to find that laugh out loud moment but that is just this reviews opinion.
With continued thanks to Harlequin Australia for sending a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.