Review: The Long Way Around by Quinn Anderson

Title: The Long Way Around

Author: Quinn Anderson

Length: 300 Pages

Category: Contemporary, Friends-to-Lovers

At a Glance: I liked it but definitely didn’t love it like I hoped to. There seemed to be a fairly equal measure of things I enjoyed and things that, for whatever reason, didn’t gel with me.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: A wrong turn could lead to Mr. Right.

Sam Cooper is the definition of an introvert: shy, bookish, and the sort to think a wild Friday night involves ordering takeout. He enjoys his quiet life, but after a bad breakup, he’s been yearning for a change of scenery. Luckily, his best friend and former college roommate has the solution.

Wesley Reed—a jokester and expert Sam-handler—proposes an epic road trip to a wedding across the country. They’re both between jobs and boyfriends. Why not hit the open road and make some memories?

Stuck in close quarters for the first time since their dorm days, they’re both surprised at the heat that springs up between them. As best friends, they’ve shared so much over the years, so why does sharing a hotel room—and occasionally a bed—make them want more? Chemistry this smoldering is hard to ignore, but there are road blocks to their romance. Wesley’s keeping a secret, and Sam can’t rely on Wesley to drag him out of his comfort zone forever. If they’re not careful, their relationship may take the ultimate wrong turn.

Review: I’m constantly on the lookout for the perfect friends-to-lovers road trip book. And, I’m admittedly picky about them. It’s hard to measure up to the great ones—I’ve read a couple of great ones that have set the bar pretty high—but that won’t stop me from looking! It’s gotta be tough for an author to create that perfect balance of epic friendship with a side of simmering sexual tension and believable chemistry. When it works, it’s undeniable. And, when it doesn’t, it can be such a bummer. Quinn Anderson’s The Long Way Around was a mixed bag for me. Some things worked quite well, whereas other elements fell flat. It unfortunately wasn’t the amazing friends-to-lovers read I was hoping for, but it did have some enjoyable moments.

One of the things that worked really well was the portrayal of Sam and Wesley’s friendship and the transition into their deeper feelings. There is no question that these two guys mean the world to each other, and I love how supportive they are of one another. Anderson does a good job of showing both the depth of their bond and also, as the story progresses and the relationship starts to morph into something else, what they each stand to lose if things don’t work out. And, I liked how that relationship transition played out. The twinges of attraction and the strong physical pull they start feeling for each other take them both by surprise. It feels very real and natural, not to mention undeniable, but it’s also realistic how much their fear of ruining the friendship comes up. The friendship is equally important to both guys, and they just don’t know if it’s worth exploring anything else if it means that friendship would be at stake.

I mentioned that my reaction to the story was mixed…There were times when the dialogue and some of their interactions seemed over-the-top or immature. In fact, where the writing in general didn’t seem up to the standard of other things I’ve read by this author. But, then there were also times where the emotion or sentiment was so perfectly written. I absolutely loved this line, from a scene where Sam is trying to decipher what it is exactly that he’s newly feeling for Wesley…

“It was bigger than lust, deeper than longing, and so raw he was scared to poke at it too much.”

And, this line, that so perfectly captures part of the appeal of this trope:

“No. Sam had fallen in love with Wesley over the course of thousands of days, hundreds of shared memories, and an immeasurable number of small but priceless moments.”

Then the story itself had its ups and downs. There was some funny dialogue, and the guys actually did have fabulous chemistry and were very sexy together. But, the author employed an inner monologue device in the narrative that absolutely drove me crazy. I also quite enjoyed the actual road trip moments. There were some fun stops and cool mentions along the way. But, it was pretty obvious from very early on what Wesley’s big secret was going to turn out to be, and I had a bit of an issue with how it was handled. I don’t feel like his situation was given the seriousness or sensitivity that it deserved, and, as a result, I found myself having less and less patience with the book throughout the second half.

So, yeah…a bit of a rollercoaster. It was ok. I liked it but definitely didn’t love it like I hoped to. There seemed to be a fairly equal measure of things I enjoyed and things that, for whatever reason, didn’t gel with me. Different strokes for different folks, though…YMMV.

You can buy The Long Way Around here:
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