Good at Being Alive

(4.5/5)
Romance ReviewContemporary RomanceRoad TravelElizabeth O'Roark
REVIEWED BY Kayne Spooner
Publisher: Dell
Published: 06/16/2026
ISBN: 979-8217298075

I’m a fan of Elizabeth O’Roark’s Devil series and this reminded me of books from that series, so that was fun.

The story starts off sad when Rebecca’s (Bex’s) dad, stepmother and stepsister die in a train crash and Theo, her father’s partner, shows up with news that their family travel business ready to go under. Before her dad was planning to do a TV show with Bex’s family traveling to popular destinations to try and save the business. Now, the plan is to do a show with Bex and Theo as newlyweds! This is where the fun begins! Bex is a hoot – she is so snarky and Theo is a straitlaced British CEO. Theo makes the travel plans for their European trip which will be filmed by a reality TV crew. It’s exciting as they travel to Iceland, Amsterdam, Naples, Capri, London and Paris and they grow closer as they get to know each other. Bex is beautiful, zany and so funny. She keeps everyone laughing, even as she is grieving for her sister. Theo also has his share of trauma after the death of his brother.  He tries to keep himself from falling for Bex (their banter is so funny) but we soon realize he’s keeping a secret. This was 4 and ½ starts for me. My full review will be at All About Romance closer to the release date, 06/16. Thanks to the author, Dell and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m a fan of Elizabeth O’Roark’s Devil series and this reminded me of books from that series, so that was fun. The story starts off sad when Rebecca’s (Bex’s) dad, stepmother and stepsister die in a train crash and Theo, her father’s partner, shows up with news that their family travel business ready to go under. Before her dad was planning to do a TV show with Bex’s family traveling to popular destinations to try and save the business. Now, the plan is to do a show with Bex and Theo as newlyweds! This is where the fun begins! Bex is a hoot – she is so snarky and Theo is a straitlaced British CEO. Theo makes the travel plans for their European trip which will be filmed by a reality TV crew. It’s exciting as they travel to Iceland, Amsterdam, Naples, Capri, London and Paris and they grow closer as they get to know each other. Bex is beautiful, zany and so funny. She keeps everyone laughing, even as she is grieving for her sister. Theo also has his share of trauma after the death of his brother.  He tries to keep himself from falling for Bex (their banter is so funny) but we soon realize he’s keeping a secret. This was 4 and ½ starts for me.