The Road Before Us by Janine Rosche Review

 Happy Wednesday Sweet Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you've taken the time to drop on by The Preppy Book Princess today for another book review.

I'm Kirby, and I'm delighted you're here.

This week I've been lucky that my hubby has been off for vacation days, and we've been enjoying getting to spend some time together doing some fun summery things.

We actually just got back from a bit of a mini quick road trip, and it's kind of fun exploring your own area, and seeing the numerous things that can practically exist in your own backyard that you've never taken the time to see before.

That kind of leads me into today's review, and it was definitely a fun treat to get to read and review this one for you all today.

I hope you'll all keep reading down below for today's full review.

The Road Before Us by Janine Rosche:

Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Publisher as Part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: May 21st, 2024

Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary/Dual Timeline

Synopsis:

How far would you go to fix the mistakes you've made and regain the trust you lost? For Jade Jessup, the answer is 2,448 miles. Once one of Chicago's significant financial advisors, Jade lost her credibility when her fiancé (and coworker) stole millions of dollars from their clients in a Ponzi scheme. Now she's agreed to help one of them--an aging 1960s Hollywood starlet named Berenice "Benny" Alderidge--seek financial restoration.

Jade sets off along Route 66 with Benny and her handsome adult foster son, Bridger, who is filming a documentary retracing the 1956 trip that started the love story between Benny and her recently deceased husband, Paul. Listening to Benny recount her story draws Jade into memories of her own darker association with Route 66, when she was kidnapped as a child by a man the media labeled a monster--but she remembers only as daddy.

Together, all three of these pilgrims will learn about family, forgiveness, and what it means to live free of the past. But not before Jade faces a second staggering betrayal that changes everything.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

Sometimes it feels like when you've read one road trip read, you've truly read them all. That's why it's wonderful when you stumble across one that's original and unique in every way imaginable, and that was the case for me with The Road Before Us. I've enjoyed Janine Rosche's works before, but this one ended up being my favorite by her. I should probably preface this review by stating that before picking this one, the majority of my knowledge of Route 66 came from the Disney Cars movie, and so I'm definitely not an expert. However, the synopsis sounded both fun and moving, and it was a title I was undeniably excited to read.

This lovely tale is a dual timeline novel where we mainly follow our two main protagonists, Jade and Benny. Jade tells her story from both the present and the past, while Benny's POV's are entirely told through passages looking back on her first experience with Route 66, many years prior. As the unlikely duo prepares to take off on this lengthy road trip with Benny's foster son Bridger, none can truly be prepared for the obstacles they'll face, the tough decisions they'll make, and the healing that begins to take place in the process.

At first glance, you may think this is going to be a fluffy, beach read, and while it does have some of those elements, the author also dives into a lot of tough subject matter that hits the reader hard. I appreciated how respectfully each of the topics was covered, and the grace that is shown to each person going through them along the way. Janine Rosche's writing is addictive, and it's always hard to want to put her stories down. Her characters start to feel like old friends, and I found my heart breaking right along with theirs along the journey.

If you're truly in the mood for a road trip read that's both whimsical and hard hitting, and unlike any you've read before, then this might just be the book you've been waiting for.

I appreciated that the faith element played a part of the story, that the romantic element is sweet and swoon worthy, and that the plot moved in ways I never anticipated. 

All in all, a lovely tale to pick up this summer, and one I'd love to reread again in the future.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Revell for allowing me to read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)