Title: Maps for the Getaway by Annie England Noblin
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
If you love Susan Mallery, you won’t want to miss this novel of three high school friends who find themselves emotionally fractured when tragedy strikes, so they go on a road trip they’ll never forget and rediscover what made them “best friends forever.”
It was the road trip of their lives . . . and they did it without a map.
When they posed for a photo at their high school graduation, they vowed they’d be friends forever, but teenage promises are so easily broken, and now, thirty years later, they’re practically strangers.
Cici—stuck in a rut, married to a cheating husband.
Genie—caring for her ailing father but never getting any thanks.
Kate—everyone knows people who look perfect on Instagram are not.
And Laurie—the most successful of them all—now tragically gone.
So, to celebrate Laurie’s life, three former friends in a 1962 red Lincoln Continental convertible take the road trip of their lives—encountering male strippers, a boy band that has seen better days, crazy motel rooms, adopting a so-ugly-it’s-cute stray dog…and discovering that it’s never too late to live the wild life.
Because, sometimes, to find yourself you have to get away.
Review:
Maps for the Getaway by Annie England Noblin is a wonderful novel of friendship, new beginnings and self-discovery.
Although they have very different family lives, Cici, Genie, Kate and Laurie are best friends from the moment they meet. And yet, twenty years after their high school graduation, their only communication is the occasional text. But when they learn of Laurie’s unexpected death, they reunite for their dear friend’s funeral. Afterward, they make an impetuous decision to take a road trip to Las Vegas to attend their favorite teenage boy band’s reunion concert. Cici, Genie and Kate learn each other’s secrets as they laugh, cry and sometimes get angry, during their journey.
Kate is a lawyer whose long hours away from home have led to her recent divorce. Although not surprised, she is hurt their sons decided to live with their father. Kate has always projected a happy home life, so she has kept quiet about her divorce. Will she tell Cici and Genie that she is now single?
Cici is married to her high school sweetheart and the mother of two teenage daughters. Up until now, she has turned a blind eye to her husbands philandering. But when she sees him with his latest girlfriend, Cici reacts in a very unexpected and public way that goes viral in their small town.
Genie is a kindergarten teacher and she lives in her childhood home. Until recently, she was taking care of father who has Alzheimer’s. But when his condition worsens, Genie has no choice but to move him to an Alzheimer’s unit. Their relationship has always been fraught, but Genie does not let this get in the way of continuing to care for him.
Although Laurie is now gone, she is with her friends in spirit as they make their way from MO to Las Vegas. Genie is a planner who presents a strict schedule for them to follow on their road trip. Unused to taking time off, Kate is a little surprised that she is able to leave work behind. Cici tries to use the time away to come to terms with the end of her marriage. During their trip, they end up in some laugh out loud situations as well as poignant discussions about their lives past and present.
With chapters alternating between different points of view, Maps for the Getaway is a marvelous friendship novel that will resonate with readers. The characters are well-developed but it takes a little time for their individual voices to become distinct. The road trip is interesting with Cici, Genie and Kate finding themselves in some very unusual but funny situations as they unexpectedly meet unique people along the way. Annie England Noblin brings this heartwarming novel to a very uplifting conclusion.
