A Cross Country Christmas (Road Trip Romance #1) by Courtney Walsh – feel-good, cozy, and fun

A Cross Country Christmas is a feel-good and fun Christmas romance filled with road-trip adventures and lovable characters. It’s a story that left me smiling long after the last page.

Synopsis

Lauren Richmond isn’t a fan of Christmas.

Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy—namely, her duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom.

But this December, Lauren’s brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will.

Unfortunately for Lauren, she’s been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than ten years.

Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she’s stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois.

She’s circumspect and organized. He’s flirty and spontaneous.

She’s convinced that people don’t change. He’s trying to prove to her (and himself) that he has.

On this cross-country road trip, they’ll both discover that history doesn’t exactly repeat itself. . . but like any good Christmas carol, it does have a second verse.

Review

This was a delightful, fun, and lighthearted read from beginning to end. This road trip Romance follows Lauren Richmond, a type-A workaholic who has avoided going home for Christmas for the past three years. This year, however, her older brother Spencer insists she come home as he’s expecting his first baby. With no train tickets available and a fear of flying, Spencer arranges for his best friend Will to drive her cross-country to Illinois.

The catch? Will is Lauren’s childhood crush, a former party lover, and womanizer who once broke her heart. It took Lauren years to recover, build her life, and guard her heart fiercely. She plans to survive the trip with her carefully structured itinerary, but Will has other ideas—detours, no reservations, and plenty of spontaneity, turning the drive into his version of a vacation.

At first, the trip is rocky. Their opposite personalities and unresolved past tensions surface quickly, but with few options, Lauren reluctantly agrees to Will’s no-plan road trip. As they spend more time together, Lauren begins to relax, discovering a different side of Will. Slowly, her walls start to come down.

Lauren is a smart, driven, and witty woman who excels professionally but struggles with confidence in her personal life. Her messy childhood, marked by her parents’ bitter divorce and ongoing conflicts, left her wary of relationships. Spencer and her friends are her only constants. Will breaking her heart in her freshman year only deepened her fear of vulnerability, leading her to keep people at arm’s length. Watching her wrestle with her hurt and guardedness was heartbreaking.

While her initial bitterness toward Will was understandable due to their history, it was sometimes hard to sympathize with her harshness. As the story progressed, Lauren’s emotional growth during the trip was deeply satisfying. She gradually reclaimed her Christmas spirit, learned to embrace life’s unpredictability, and forgave Will long before she revealed truth of past.

Will, on the other hand, was a standout character. Once a selfish and untouchable young man, he has grown into a compassionate and attentive person, still grappling with past mistakes and learning to forgive himself. His reunion with Lauren serves as both a painful reminder of his former self. His determination to show Lauren he has changed, coupled with his patience and kindness even when she lashed out, made him incredibly endearing.

The trip transforms from a personal journey for Will into a mission to bring joy back into Lauren’s life. His efforts to make the road trip special for her, from rekindling her Christmas spirit to helping her rediscover happiness, were heartwarming. Along the way, he learned to accept his past with grace.

The secondary characters added depth to the story, particularly Will’s supportive and loving family. Their warmth and inclusion of Lauren provided her with the sense of belonging she had craved her whole life.

The romance between Lauren and Will is sweet and closed-door, with their chemistry shining through charming moments rather than overt passion. The festive settings, filled with Christmas decor and activities, enhanced the cozy, romantic atmosphere.

The climax, while predictable, was handled with maturity. Both Lauren and Will’s families played pivotal roles in helping them realize they were perfect for each other, making the happily-ever-after even more satisfying.

Overall, A Cross Country Christmas is a feel-good and fun Christmas romance filled with road-trip adventures and lovable characters. It’s a story that left me smiling long after the last page.

What to Expect

Opposites-Attract Romance
Childhood friends to haters to lovers
Road-Trip Romance
Christmas Romance
Sweet, Closed-Door Romance
Family Dynamics
Festive Atmosphere
Second Chances and Forgiveness
Light, Cozy and Feel-Good

Book Links

Goodreads | Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Have you read this or plan to?
What was your favorite road trip or Christmas romance?

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• A Cross Country Christmas (Road Trip Romance #1) by Courtney Walsh – feel-good, cozy, and fun
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