Review by Booklist Review
Mackenzie's outstanding, sweet debut will find many fans with its broad appeal. After investing seven years in her perfect career and love life, Alice Cooper suddenly ends up "jobless, hopeless, and fiancéless" all at once. She has always loved books, so with her unexpected free time, she signs up for a three-week literary bus tour of Great Britain. The comedy of disasters starts with endless travel issues leaving her scrambling to not miss her tour. Frustrated and stressed, she unleashes her wrath on a man who jumps in front of her as she tries to retrieve her destroyed luggage, only to discover that the rude man is her tour guide, Robbie Brodie, ready to take her on what looks like a rickety bus. Meanwhile, her companions on the tour are all women over the age of 60, with whom she expects to have nothing in common. Is this impulsive adventure doomed to disaster? It turns out that Robbie not only looks gorgeous in a kilt, but knows his literature and is a top-notch tour guide. But he is definitely off-limits, right? Readers will enjoy the abundant gentle humor, intergenerational friendships, and armchair travel--as well as the slow burn of a tasteful romance.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of MacKenzie's cute debut rom-com, stubborn, list-loving Alice Cooper loses her job and her fiancé, sending her into a six month tailspin that she tries to get out of by booking a women-only three-week literary bus tour through England, Wales, and Scotland. Unfortunately, her plans go awry as soon as she arrives. The tour turns out to be for elderly retirees, and the tour guide and bus driver, Robbie Brodie, is none other than the rude Scotsman who shoved Alice out of the way at an airport service desk when she was trying to find her crushed suitcase. Alice declares Robbie her enemy, but Robbie delights in Alice's antagonism--which swiftly turns to attraction. Though the goofy misunderstanding keeping Alice and Robbie apart undermines Alice's supposed intelligence, the kooky backstories of Alice's traveling companions and her growing bonds with them are a real treat. Anglophiles and armchair travelers will adore this. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Alice steps off the plane in Edinburgh still reeling from her 36-hour travel nightmare and the six-month long slide in her personal life. She thought she had checked every box on her to-do-by-30 list: engagement to a decent guy, stable job, and security. But her predictable yet dependable college sweetheart turned out to be a cheater, and her job is no longer worth getting out of bed for. An extensive literary travel tour around the UK, an actual adventure, seemed like it would be a welcome respite before attempting to put her life back together. Alice is less than impressed, though, when she realizes she is the youngest person on the tour in a converted school bus nicknamed Rosie, and when she learned that the rugged yet rude Scottish man she encountered at the airport is the tour guide Robbie. Three weeks with Robbie and a group of unpredictable seniors is not the adventure Alice had in mind, but it may be just what she needs. VERDICT Mackenzie's debut is a rewarding, banter-filled enemies-to-lovers rom-com that checks every box with a cozy cast of supporting characters, laugh-out-loud moments, and two main characters readers will care about.--Nicole J. Suarez
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