I enjoy a good road trip romance, and this one was even better because it was chock full of 90s nostalgia! It wasn’t all that long ago, but it’s crazy to think we used to go on road trips without GPS or cell phones. I also loved the references to all the 90s music and other pop culture moments. It was a real blast from the past. On the other hand, it also touched on some of the sadder parts of that time period, like the AIDS epidemic. Those bits were harder to read, but I thought they were handled with care.
Back to the romance, though – I thought Sam and Ash were so cute together. Sam was such a good guy with a huge heart. I love how protective he was of Ash. He didn’t know the guy, and there were definitely suspicious circumstances when they first met, but he still stepped up and made sure Ash was safe. Ash was cagey at first (and for good reason), but Sam’s kindness clearly meant a lot to him. He hadn’t known much of it before then. Ash was more than capable of taking care of himself, but I also found myself becoming protective of him as the story went on!
It was cute how Sam kept looking for ways to extend their road trip so he could sneak more time with Ash. It was insta-lust, sure, and a very quick progression to them falling in love (like a matter of days). But they were so sweet together, I didn’t even mind!
There was a bit of angst toward the end, but I was thankful it didn’t last too long. I wish we had gotten a longer peek into their future at the end, but the epilogue we did get was good. I’m going to assume these two went on to live a very long and happy life together!
