Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Road Trip
AUTHOR: A.F. Henley
PUBLISHER: JMS Books LLC
LENGTH: 125 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 2, 2019
BLURB:
For as long as Boyd can remember, he’s been pushing pins into a map. Carson City, Las Vegas, Albuquerque — all places he wants to see, for a dozen different reasons that wouldn’t mean a thing to anyone else. When he finally gets a chance to purchase the ’70 Plymouth Duster of his dreams, at a price that even he can manage, Boyd jumps at the opportunity.
Oliver seems like just another kid with a broken dream when their paths cross in Vegas. Against Boyd’s better judgment, he offers to let Oliver hitch along for the ride when Oliver confides the need to get out and get gone.
But isn’t long before Boyd realizes Oliver’s reasons for running are more complicated — and more dangerous — than Oliver let on. Boyd doesn’t like people who play hardball, and he definitely doesn’t like people messing with a man who’s managed to light a fuse that Boyd forgot he had.
REVIEW:
This wasn’t a bad little story. It’s a story of two different men finding their way in life and maybe finally finding their dreams. And it all starts with a car.
For as long as Boyd can remember, he’s had a map with pins in it, for places he wants to visit one day. But he wants to do it in a certain car, but the job he works as a mechanic barely pays him enough to do every day stuff, much less try to save. But he’s saved a little bit and keeps looking for that special car, when one day he finds it. On his way back home, he decides he’s going to make the trip he always wanted. Even if he couldn’t stay at the places long, he had his car and he visited. But in Vegas things changed, when his eyes caught on a bruised young man who looked like someone had shot his puppy. Boyd decides to give Oliver a new start and take him where he needed to go. Plus it gave him company on his trip. But what he didn’t expect from this prickly young Oliver, was to grow attached. And attached he did. So when trouble came to find Oliver, Boyd refused to let anything happen to him. But it means giving up a dream. Or does it?
A little bit of warning. There is a mention of thugs and abuse, but it isn’t a drastic thing until they try to hold up Boyd and Oliver at the end. And even then it’s not too bad. But just in case…
I grew up appreciating classic cars. The one thing I can actually say I appreciate from my father was the beauty of a classic car. So I get where Boyd is coming from with his dream. And when you find that dream, you will do all you can to grab it with both hands. Or at least I would. You might be eating ramen for a long long time after, but hey, you followed a dream. But what I love about Boyd, is as gruff and miserable as he may be, he took compassion on someone who looked like he really needed help. And Oliver did. He didn’t tell Boyd what the deal was totally. Only that he was running. And the bruises showed Boyd, he didn’t blame Oliver a bit for doing so. But because of Oliver’s past, and Boyd’s gruffness, they kind of got off on the wrong foot. But little by little, Boyd was showing Oliver it was ok to trust that there are some good people still out there and they grew closer. All because of a car and a dream, these two found something new in their lives they never thought they’d have. Friendship and possibly something more. And a new start to life.
It’s just a romantic story. With a little bit a trouble here and there, but it’s two men learning to cope with life and trying to live their dreams. No matter how hard they are.
RATING: 
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