From the publisher:
New from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Summers at the Saint and Hello, Summer!
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.“A cozy romp that touches lightly on multiple genres to spin an intriguing tale: murder mystery, IRA art heist, coming-to-America immigrant story, justice for elder financial abuse, dual rom-com narratives, and an earnest story of two sisters learning to appreciate each other again. A delightful tale with vivid characters.” ―Kirkus
“With well-developed characters, a taut plot, and a keen sense of place, this lively tale is perfect for the beach bag.” —Publishers Weekly
https://bookshop.org/a/123058/9781250372888
“The pacing is consistent throughout the entire story, making the entire reading experience enjoyable. These characters shine under Andrews’s established hand, and their story arc is very satisfying.” —Library Journal
Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors, and this may be her best book yet! Road Trip is the kind of novel that sneaks up on you with its heart.
Sisters Maeve and Therese Dunigan haven’t spoken in years, and for good reason. Maeve is the dutiful one — tightly wound, reliable, the sister who stayed behind in Savannah to care for their mother. Therese is the opposite: impulsive, unapologetic, gone for seven years and only now returning home for the funeral. When they reunite to sort out their mother’s estate, they expect very little — and that’s almost exactly what they get. Instead of an inheritance, they discover their mother quietly mortgaged the family home to bankroll a Texas televangelist. What she left them instead is $9,000 in cash and a strange, legally binding request: travel together to Ireland and uncover the story behind the elegant oil painting that’s hung in their childhood home for generations.
What follows is equal parts mystery and reconciliation. The painting — brought over by their great-grandmother a century ago — may be worth a fortune, and chasing its provenance pulls the sisters into their family’s Irish roots. The story alternates between present-day Ireland and a historical thread that slowly reveals how the portrait became entwined with the Dunigan family in the first place, touching on emigration, hardship, and the pull of home.
The real pleasure here isn’t the treasure hunt, though — it’s watching Maeve and Therese figure each other out. Their relationship starts in old resentment and miscommunication, all sharp edges and unspoken hurt, and gradually softens into something like understanding. Maeve, admittedly, can be grating for long stretches — her rigidity occasionally makes you want to shake her — but that friction is the point. Watching two people who’ve spent years assuming the worst about each other slowly reconsider is genuinely moving.
Ireland itself is practically a character: the small villages, the pubs, the wary-then-welcoming locals of a place like Tarrymore all come alive on the page. The historical sections — following the painting’s journey and the immigrant story behind it — add real weight and texture.
Ultimately, Road Trip is a story about what heritage can heal. It’s about two very different women learning that forgiveness and identity are often found in the same place — sometimes literally, on the other side of an ocean. Warm, satisfying, and easy to sink into, it’s a lovely blend of family saga, light mystery, a touch of romance, and travelogue that will especially appeal to readers who love stories about sisters, secrets, and the past that shapes us. I loved it.
7/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
ROAD TRIP by Mary Kay Andrews. St. Martin’s Press (June 2, 2026). ISBN: 978-1250372888. 448p.
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