THE RELATIONTRIP

Longtime friends and once-a-year travel mates admit and explore their new romantic feelings for each other while on a trip to Belize in Johnson’s contemporary romance.

Pittsburgh-based real estate agent Sloane Sanders, 31, is excited to be going on her annual trip with her best friend, Logan Murphy. The only chance she gets to see him in person is on their planned annual trips, which began when she was jilted at the altar six years ago yet still went on her planned honeymoon. Sloane offered him the extra ticket at the airport; Logan took it and was sympathetic support during “our non-honeymoon in Mexico.” Since then, they’ve stayed connected by texting often and taking yearly trips together. Meeting in the Atlanta airport en route to trip number six—this time to Belize—Sloane is jolted to realize that she finds Logan very attractive. Logan, meanwhile, has been in love with her for more than two years. He’s decided to share these feelings on this latest trip—and also the fact that he’s a successful writer of romance novels under a pseudonym. When Logan finally reveals his feelings, Sloane is responsive but fearful given her past and her parents’ recent divorce. Prolific romance author Johnson, writer of The Seaside Strategy (2022), has produced an enjoyable slow-burn tale; the couple effectively distracts themselves with several Belize excursions (such as ziplining) as they consider how to move their relationship forward. A particularly appealing element of this book is its depiction of a patient, perceptive hero, with Logan acknowledging, “I can write a happily-ever-after from start to finish, but life inside novels is rarely as messy as a single day a real human being lives....Sometimes I can’t even separate the many and varied emotions I’m experiencing at one time.”

A sweet friends-to-lovers tale featuring an engagingly skittish and sensitive central duo.