A Cross Country Wedding

Can I just go on record and say that Courtney Walsh is the queen of writing wholesome, happy books that are worth swooning over? 

A Cross-Country Wedding is the follow up book to A Cross-Country Christmas, and it was everything I hoped for and more. When we met Maddie Rogers in the first book, I so wanted there to be more to her story. And boy, did the author deliver. 

Our heroine is set to go on a road trip that will mirror her best friend's road trip--the one where Lauren and her fiancé, Will, fell in love. The only problem? Maddie needs a date for the road trip, because it's not just any cross-country trip--it's a wedding. But her last relationships?...Let's just say that she needs something safe and friendly.

Enter friend zone Simon.

The two could not be more opposite. 

Maddie thinks her life is a mess, and she believes Simon has his together. Simon has a new start-up company and a life plan. Maddie has...well, not that. Maddie orders milkshakes for breakfast, while Simon is a gluten-free kind of guy. And don't get me started on the packing and the way they take their coffee. 😉

Simon is safe. No worries about feelings or romance on this trip. 

Or so Maddie thought...

🧡🧡🧡

I could not put this book down. This friends to lovers, forced proximity trope worked so well. The dynamics between our main characters was incredible. The nostalgia of getting to relive some of the first book was such a great tie-in. Also, we receive glimpses into the backstory of our hero and heroine with flashbacks sprinkled throughout the story. 

Maddie thinks she is hiding a pretty serious life problem, but Simon is on to her. He's her best friend, after all. Both Simon and Maddie had situations in the past that were coloring their future with self-doubt, and it was interesting to watch them work through their emotions and encourage one another along the way. 

Maddie's character development was one of my favorites I've read in a while. On the outside she is the fun-loving, spontaneous type. But Maddie has depth. Her best friends see her for the amazing person she is, but Maddie struggles to know her own worth. She has a dream, but she doesn't know how to make it a reality. Plus, she's had circumstances in her life that make her feel less than. I enjoyed how Simon encourages her to find her true worth. 

I wasn't sure how Courtney would bring these two together when one was adamantly against a romantic relationship. But let's just say that it involves that fact that Simon is tucking away a pretty incredible talent behind that strait-laced exterior. 

I cannot give enough stars to A Cross-Country Wedding. You can read this as a stand-alone, but why would you? Reading A Cross-Country Christmas gives this one even more meaning. Grab them both. You won't be disappointed!

🧡🧡🧡

About the 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.

Author: Courtney Walsh

Title: A Cross-Country Wedding

Publication Date: August 16, 2023

**I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my honest thoughts.**