Publication Day Review: Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
Road Trip
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Narrator: Kathleen McInerney
Published: TODAY, June 2, 2026
Audiobook: 14 hours 59 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: May 6-17, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Pack your bags for a summer journey shaped by family secrets, long-buried history, and charming men with Irish accents.
Maeve and Therese Dunigan haven’t spoken in years. Raised under the same roof in Savannah, the two sisters could not be more opposite—Maeve the rule follower, Therese the unapologetic rebel. But when their mother’s death pulls them back together, they inherit more than just grief: a mysterious painting that may be worth millions…if it’s real.
Determined to uncover the truth—and desperately in need of the money—the sisters set out on a journey to Ireland, tracing their family’s roots and the origins of the portrait. What begins as a search for answers soon becomes something deeper—a reckoning with the past, as they uncover secrets that span generations and reshape everything they thought they knew about their family.
With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm.
Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.
Jessica’s Review:
Mary Kay Andrews is back after two years with a new summer beach read, and I was beyond ready for it! Bonus points for having Kathleen McInerney narrate and most of the novel taking place in Ireland! Listening to this made me want to go revisit the Emerald Isle!
Now this is not your typical MKA beach read to start the summer. It’s a mystery with family history in it! It was intriguing to see what direction the story was going to go in. It was still very enjoyable!
We have sisters Maeve and Therese who are estranged, and total opposites! They come together after the death of their mother and discover that a painting they grew up looking at may just be worth millions! But to do that they must travel from Savannah to the other side of the world: Ireland. Along the way they learn more about their family history, each other, and some they have romance of course! The novel has a colorful cast of Irish characters, including an English Cocker Spaniel named Sinead O’Cocker.
Kathleen McInerney is always superb, but she even got the Irish accents as well. Whenever I see her name attached to a book, I have to listen to it. If McInerney narrates it, you know its going to improve on an already good novel!
Having been to Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2007, as I listened to the novel I had fond memories of my trip there with my aunt and of course Road Trip makes me want to go back. MKA’s novels always have so much fun in them and I was so happy to be able to listen to an advanced copy. MKA is a favorite and an auto read of mine.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Here are a few pictures from my Ireland Trip back in 2007:
At Blarney Castle
With my Aunt!
Having a pint of Guinness in an Irish pub! (and I did drink the whole thing!)
At the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland
ALC Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
Mad Mabel
Author: Sally Hepworth
Narrators:
Hannah Frederickson
Jenny Seedsman
To Be Published: April 21, 2026
Audiobook: 9 hours 20 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: March 1-6, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea—or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.
Because Elsie hasn’t always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller—Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she’s kept her secret buried for decades.
Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest—the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.
So Mabel does what she’s always done best—she takes matters into her own hands.
Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who’s finally ready to tell her side of the story?
Sharp, surprising, and wickedly funny, this is the unforgettable story of a woman who’s spent a lifetime being underestimated—and is about to prove everyone wrong. Again.
Jessica’s Review:
Meet Elsie “Mad Mabel” Fitzpatrick: The youngest girl to be found guilty of murder in Australia. She a rude, crotchety, old ‘Karen” at 81 years old. She has been living a quiet and ‘normal’ life until she discovers her nemesis neighbor dead. Suddenly she becomes the center of attention of… Well… Everyone because of who she was. She is all over the news and all she wants is to be left alone.
We have two time periods with Mabel telling us her story in the past and present. The narrators are superb! I adored Jenny Seedsman as present Mabel. She was perfection and her narration really brought Mabel to life! Hannah Frederickson was also wonderful, but Seedsman made the audiobook for me! I am #TeamMabel and enjoy every second, she is so gruff and honest. And just when you think you have Mabel figured out the reader meets young Persephone. I just loved their relationship! You just never know who you may gain as a friend.
Just when you think you have the story and its direction figured out, Hepworth surprises us by bringing everything full circle in a shocking and unexpected way.
Many thanks to the publishers for granting me an arc and alc. I enjoyed this one and almost always enjoy a Hepworth novel! Be sure to read this one come April 21!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK (Mad Mabel will be released in the UK on July 9, 2026)
Audiobook Review: Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson
Without a Clue
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Published: February 17, 2026
Audiobook: 8 hours 43 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: February 24-28, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
When a mystery writer mysteriously dies on a cruise filled with rabid fans, his protégé (and personal assistant) teams up with a rugged cowboy and fellow writer to crack the case. One part Only Murders in the Building, one part Book Lovers, and a whole lot of laughs, Without a Clue will keep readers guessing and swooning until the very end.
If there’s one thing Penelope Mae Dupont prizes most, it’s her composure–her ability to stay calm in the face of stress. It’s a vital trait in her job as a personal assistant to renowned mystery author Hugh Griffin. But when Pip organizes a book cruise featuring The Fabulous Seven–seven celebrated authors from different genres who have supported each other through thick and thin–her famed composure is in danger of sailing away. One boat, hundreds of devoted readers, and seven Big Personalities. What could possibly go wrong?
Disaster strikes when, on the second day of the cruise, Hugh is found murdered. And, in the face of gross incompetence by the on-board security force, Pip realizes she’ll need to be the one to discover who did it. With the ship stranded in the middle of the Atlantic and no help on the horizon, it’s up to her to unravel the mystery. Along with her friend Nash–a dreamy Western author who’s just as rugged as the cowboys he writes about. As Pip’s composure starts to sink faster than a leaky dinghy, Nash becomes her anchor in a storm of clues and red herrings.
With Nash at her side, Penelope dives into the murky depths of the mystery, navigating treacherous waters filled with unexpected twists and turns. No one, not even a desperately hopeful mystery sleuth named Pip, could anticipate the wild ride ahead. Whether she likes it or not, she is on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and maybe, just maybe, she’ll find love along the way.
In this laugh-out-loud funny Clue-meets-Emily-Henry rom-com, Penelope Mae Dupont is about to find out that in the world of mystery and romance, you have to risk going overboard to find the truth.
Jessica’s Review:
This was such a fun novel to listen to! And Karissa Vacker narrated it: She is a narrator I look out for, so when I saw this one, I had to listen to it!
We have Penelope (Pip) who has organized a book cruise (that would be so much fun to go on!) featuring The Fabulous Seven and the cruise is seemingly going well until… we have a murder of one of the seven! And it was committed by another one of the seven! On board security is useless so Pip finds herself having to ‘catch’ the killer… without harm coming to anyone else. And along the journey comes a possible love connection… or is it?
Again, Without a Clue was so much fun! The listener gets a little bit of everything: mystery intrigue, murder, and maybe a love connection! Come on this cruise and follow Pip figure out just what is going on! You’ll be in for an adventure all the way unto the end! I was not expecting the novel to go the way it did!
If you need a fun read with some murder and intrigue, give Without a Clue a read or listen! Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an audio copy to listen and review. I enjoyed this one!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK