Review: Open Road Summer

Open Road Summer

By Emery Lord

Published: April 15, 2014

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

My review:

What would it be like to be the best friend of a teenage Taylor Swift and go on tour with her? While there is some romance between Reagan and Matt, Open Road Summer is mostly a novel about friendship.  Lilah (known as Dee to friends and family) is a rising star in the country music world but she has just broken up with her boyfriend back home. The girls both have to deal with difficult emotional issues while also handling the paparazzi and stress of being on tour. 

What I really liked about this book was its emphasis on the importance of friendship and what it means to be a good best friend. Reagan may have made mistakes in her past but Dee was always there to help her pick up the pieces and she is determined to be there for Dee when she goes through hard times. Reagan also works hard to leave her past behind her and make better choices. Her relationship with Matt is sweet and he is genuinely a nice guy even though he is also a big music star. 

Overall I enjoyed this story of friendship, love, and country music.  The author also includes plenty of lyrics and details about the country music scene and what it is like to be on tour which  makes the story feel more authentic. I think Open Road Summer would be a great beach read and it is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Eulberg and similar authors.

Note: I received an e-ARC for review purposes courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher