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Boop and Eve's Road Trip
Eve Prince is done with college, with her mom, with guys, and with her dream of fashion design. But when her best friend goes MIA, Eve must gather the broken threads of her life to search for her.
Desperate to visit her sister, Boop, a retiree dripping with Southern charm, hijacks her granddaughter Eve’s road trip.
Along the way, Boop hopes to alleviate Eve’s growing depression—which, she knows from experience, will require more than flirting lessons and a Garlic Festival makeover. Nevertheless, she is frustrated when her feeble efforts yield the same failures that the sulfur-laced sip from the Fountain of Youth wrought on her age.
The one thing that might help is a secret that’s haunted Boop for sixty years. But in revealing it, Boop would risk losing her family and her own hard-won happiness.
Their journey through the heart of Dixie is an unforgettable love story between a grandmother and her granddaughter.
Desperate to visit her sister, Boop, a retiree dripping with Southern charm, hijacks her granddaughter Eve’s road trip.
Along the way, Boop hopes to alleviate Eve’s growing depression—which, she knows from experience, will require more than flirting lessons and a Garlic Festival makeover. Nevertheless, she is frustrated when her feeble efforts yield the same failures that the sulfur-laced sip from the Fountain of Youth wrought on her age.
The one thing that might help is a secret that’s haunted Boop for sixty years. But in revealing it, Boop would risk losing her family and her own hard-won happiness.
Their journey through the heart of Dixie is an unforgettable love story between a grandmother and her granddaughter.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2020
About the author
Mary Helen Sheriff
4 books134 followersMary Helen Sheriff lives in Richmond, Va with her husband, two middle schoolers, and two cats. She's a former teacher and a graduate of UVA, ODU, and Hollins University. She loves to read, write, travel, and drink wine with friends.
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August 21, 2020Winner of the 2020 American Fiction Awards for Coming-of-Age books!
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November 11, 2020
Boop and Eve’s Roadtrip
BY Mary Helen Sheriff
Mary Helen Sheriff wrote an incredible story about characters Boop and Eve that will stay with you long after you read this book. The characters had depth, are complex and I just love reading about them. This is Southern Fiction at its finest when you have a grandmother (Boop) and granddaughter (Eve) take a journey physically and emotionally through the heart of Dixie as they find not only themselves but the time to mend each others’ heartache, secrets, regrets, and disappointments.
The writing is written so beautifully, easy to read, a comfort and relatable story about women and our complex family relationships. I think that you would find this story a delight to read. I enjoyed this one a lot.
Sheriff is definitely a writer to watch – I look forward to her other works.
BY Mary Helen Sheriff
Mary Helen Sheriff wrote an incredible story about characters Boop and Eve that will stay with you long after you read this book. The characters had depth, are complex and I just love reading about them. This is Southern Fiction at its finest when you have a grandmother (Boop) and granddaughter (Eve) take a journey physically and emotionally through the heart of Dixie as they find not only themselves but the time to mend each others’ heartache, secrets, regrets, and disappointments.
The writing is written so beautifully, easy to read, a comfort and relatable story about women and our complex family relationships. I think that you would find this story a delight to read. I enjoyed this one a lot.
Sheriff is definitely a writer to watch – I look forward to her other works.
November 27, 2020
I love a good road trip story, and with all this COVID-19-being-stuck-at-home stuff going on...a road trip sounded especially appealing. This particular literary road trip features Boop and Eve, a grandmother and granddaughter. Eve is attending college in Florida where she is studying biology (at her mother's urging) even though she dreams of being a fashion designer. She is lonely and depressed, unhappy with the direction of her life, yet not wanting to disappoint her mother.
When her cousin/best friend Ally goes off the grid, Eve decides to journey from Florida to her family's beach house in Virginia. Her 80 year old grandmother, Boop, decides to tag along in order to see her sister (ally's grandmother). Along the way, the two women work through their emotions and secrets (both current and decades old). Boop dealt with depression in her past and hopes to pull Eve out of hers. Both Boop and Eve also have a difficult relationship with Justine (Eve's mom and Boop's daughter).
This was a sad and charming, yet ultimately uplifting story. I enjoyed my journey with these two women and they were both likable and relatable. The story touches a bit on how society has viewed a mothers role through different generations. The big takeaway though is the impact of keeping secrets from those that you love. I recommend this one for fans of Southern women's fiction.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
What to listen to while you read this one...
Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
when the party's over by Billie Eilish
I'm in Here (Piano/Vocal version) by Sia
Automobile by KALEO
Fountain of Youth by Local Natives
Forever Young by Alphaville
Savannah by Relient K
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
In My Secret Life by Leonard Cohen
When her cousin/best friend Ally goes off the grid, Eve decides to journey from Florida to her family's beach house in Virginia. Her 80 year old grandmother, Boop, decides to tag along in order to see her sister (ally's grandmother). Along the way, the two women work through their emotions and secrets (both current and decades old). Boop dealt with depression in her past and hopes to pull Eve out of hers. Both Boop and Eve also have a difficult relationship with Justine (Eve's mom and Boop's daughter).
This was a sad and charming, yet ultimately uplifting story. I enjoyed my journey with these two women and they were both likable and relatable. The story touches a bit on how society has viewed a mothers role through different generations. The big takeaway though is the impact of keeping secrets from those that you love. I recommend this one for fans of Southern women's fiction.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
What to listen to while you read this one...
Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
when the party's over by Billie Eilish
I'm in Here (Piano/Vocal version) by Sia
Automobile by KALEO
Fountain of Youth by Local Natives
Forever Young by Alphaville
Savannah by Relient K
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
In My Secret Life by Leonard Cohen
May 30, 2021
When this book becomes a movie, I want the role of Boop even though I don't physically look like her and could never pull off that Southern accent. I am in love with Mary Helen Sheriff's creation: a grandmother that can be such an extraordinary influence on her granddaughter.
Sheriff's characters are spot-on, flawed and hurting. Boop and Eve's Road Trip sneaks up on you with the conflict between mother and daughter, daughter and granddaughter. As a reader, I cheered for Boop to figure it out, straighten them out, straighten herself out. Because if she did, there would be hope for the rest of us.
Congratulations on a beautifully written tale of family and betrayal and forgiveness.
Sheriff's characters are spot-on, flawed and hurting. Boop and Eve's Road Trip sneaks up on you with the conflict between mother and daughter, daughter and granddaughter. As a reader, I cheered for Boop to figure it out, straighten them out, straighten herself out. Because if she did, there would be hope for the rest of us.
Congratulations on a beautifully written tale of family and betrayal and forgiveness.
September 6, 2020
I really enjoyed this one. When I first saw it I thought it would be a light and fun little book about the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter. Which it was, in part. But there was so much more grittiness to it I wasn’t expecting. I really appreciate books that are easy to read but still deal with important themes such as mental illness, self worth and complicated family relationships.
The book follows three women, Boop (grandmother), Justine (daughter) and Eve (granddaughter). Boop had a secret that filled her life with guilt and sadness, unable to be the mother to Justine either of them wanted and needed her to be. Justine was determined to be the opposite for her daughter, displaying love through picking out every detail of Eve’s life - her friends through to the career she’ll have. And then there’s Eve who’s filled with resentment towards her mother and feels like she can’t meet anyone’s expectations.
Boop can see in Eve the tell tale signs of depression, that once claimed 15 years of her own life, and feels the responsibility to help Eve. When Boop’s sister Vicky calls and needs help, Boop decides to invite Eve on a road trip in the hope the journey will do Eve some good. During the trip, Eve begins to trust herself stand up to her mother's expectations, while Boop finds a way through her past filled with grief and regret.
I’m a sucker for books about the discovery of long kept family secrets and Boop’s secret is utterly heartbreaking but also poignant social commentary of the opinions and treatment of disability and illness through the years. I don’t want to give too much away here, but I wish I could say so much more. You’ll just have to give it a read yourself (
The book follows three women, Boop (grandmother), Justine (daughter) and Eve (granddaughter). Boop had a secret that filled her life with guilt and sadness, unable to be the mother to Justine either of them wanted and needed her to be. Justine was determined to be the opposite for her daughter, displaying love through picking out every detail of Eve’s life - her friends through to the career she’ll have. And then there’s Eve who’s filled with resentment towards her mother and feels like she can’t meet anyone’s expectations.
Boop can see in Eve the tell tale signs of depression, that once claimed 15 years of her own life, and feels the responsibility to help Eve. When Boop’s sister Vicky calls and needs help, Boop decides to invite Eve on a road trip in the hope the journey will do Eve some good. During the trip, Eve begins to trust herself stand up to her mother's expectations, while Boop finds a way through her past filled with grief and regret.
I’m a sucker for books about the discovery of long kept family secrets and Boop’s secret is utterly heartbreaking but also poignant social commentary of the opinions and treatment of disability and illness through the years. I don’t want to give too much away here, but I wish I could say so much more. You’ll just have to give it a read yourself (
September 1, 2020
I appreciate books that are enjoyable to read, but with a deeper undercurrent and this novel delivers. Although on the surface it’s about a grandmother and granddaughter road trip, it’s actually about dealing with depression, developing a sense of self-worth and enough confidence to face disappointments, and finding the strength to grow into who we can become.
Eve is a relatable character – college-aged and torn between her dreams of fashion design and parental expectations. Boop meanwhile, regrets not being the mother she wishes she could have overcome her own depression and become. She tries to compensate through her relationship with Eve, her granddaughter, but is still mired in guilt over parental decisions she has grown to regret.
I loved how Eve and her cousin are able to learn from Boop, and how Boop herself is a fully fleshed out character with desires and flaws, completely avoiding common cliches of the wise ‘grandma’ advisor in novels. On the contrary, everything about these two characters reads as complex, fresh and interesting, from Eve’s interest in fashion, to her initial disdain of a town’s garlic festival. “Pageants and garlic are both ridiculous in their own right, but together?”
A heart-warming read full of cute Boop-isms such as “Seriously, life’s full of rotten eggs. Hope’s what keeps the chickens laying."
Boop and Eve’s Road Trip delivers everything you’d hope in a witty road trip book – with even more depth and uplifting feels than you might expect.
Eve is a relatable character – college-aged and torn between her dreams of fashion design and parental expectations. Boop meanwhile, regrets not being the mother she wishes she could have overcome her own depression and become. She tries to compensate through her relationship with Eve, her granddaughter, but is still mired in guilt over parental decisions she has grown to regret.
I loved how Eve and her cousin are able to learn from Boop, and how Boop herself is a fully fleshed out character with desires and flaws, completely avoiding common cliches of the wise ‘grandma’ advisor in novels. On the contrary, everything about these two characters reads as complex, fresh and interesting, from Eve’s interest in fashion, to her initial disdain of a town’s garlic festival. “Pageants and garlic are both ridiculous in their own right, but together?”
A heart-warming read full of cute Boop-isms such as “Seriously, life’s full of rotten eggs. Hope’s what keeps the chickens laying."
Boop and Eve’s Road Trip delivers everything you’d hope in a witty road trip book – with even more depth and uplifting feels than you might expect.
August 27, 2020
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Eve is drowning. She's stuck in college classes she doesn't want to take because her mom wants her to be pre-med. The friends she had started to make are drifting away, and her best friend is in California and not responding to any of her messages.
Boop is worried about her granddaughter, Eve, but is uncertain about how to deal with the depression that Eve is facing. She had her own dark times, and her own secrets, and did not handle them well in the face of a time that was much less understanding.
Enter the power of a road trip! Though the book faces mental illness and complicated family issues with honesty and integrity, it also brings in all the light and laughter of a good road trip. Boop and Eve are travelling back to Virginia from Florida, with planned stops at the family's beach house and Boop's sister. Along the way, Eve's opportunities open up and she begins to see a way around her mother's expectations, while Boop finds a way through her past. I was invested in these characters. I cared about them and couldn't wait to see what happened. I laughed and cried with them, and I'm sad to leave them now that I've finished the book.
Eve is drowning. She's stuck in college classes she doesn't want to take because her mom wants her to be pre-med. The friends she had started to make are drifting away, and her best friend is in California and not responding to any of her messages.
Boop is worried about her granddaughter, Eve, but is uncertain about how to deal with the depression that Eve is facing. She had her own dark times, and her own secrets, and did not handle them well in the face of a time that was much less understanding.
Enter the power of a road trip! Though the book faces mental illness and complicated family issues with honesty and integrity, it also brings in all the light and laughter of a good road trip. Boop and Eve are travelling back to Virginia from Florida, with planned stops at the family's beach house and Boop's sister. Along the way, Eve's opportunities open up and she begins to see a way around her mother's expectations, while Boop finds a way through her past. I was invested in these characters. I cared about them and couldn't wait to see what happened. I laughed and cried with them, and I'm sad to leave them now that I've finished the book.
August 28, 2020
Eve Prince is deeply depressed. She has forfeited her love of fashion design for a career path that will actualize her mother, Justine's detoured dreams. Failing out of college with no friends or love interest to keep her there, Eve has no direction in life. When she receives a letter from her cousin and best friend Ally announcing that she has gone into hiding, Eve musters the strength to begin a road trip to find Ally and discover what is troubling her.
Boop is Eve's sparky grandmother. Recognizing Eve's depression as an illness that she herself has faced, Boop commandeers the road trip to help Eve arrive at a better emotional place. Along the way they encounter difficult relatives, a private detective, a possible love interest, and many interesting characters from their past. And they come to the realization that the biggest “road jams” that they have to face are the secrets that they have been keeping.
Boop and Eve's Road Trip is a compassionate look at a loving family, full of its own dysfunctions. Told with wit and humor, it is an assortment of characters who are, in their own distinctive ways, hiding from life rather than living it. As they take the ultimate road trip and free themselves of the influence of others, they learn how to be who they truly are.
Boop is Eve's sparky grandmother. Recognizing Eve's depression as an illness that she herself has faced, Boop commandeers the road trip to help Eve arrive at a better emotional place. Along the way they encounter difficult relatives, a private detective, a possible love interest, and many interesting characters from their past. And they come to the realization that the biggest “road jams” that they have to face are the secrets that they have been keeping.
Boop and Eve's Road Trip is a compassionate look at a loving family, full of its own dysfunctions. Told with wit and humor, it is an assortment of characters who are, in their own distinctive ways, hiding from life rather than living it. As they take the ultimate road trip and free themselves of the influence of others, they learn how to be who they truly are.
September 15, 2020
Every family has secrets and this family is no different! Eve is battling between her own dreams and the expectations put upon her. Boop, Eve’s grandmother, has been weighed down by the skeletons in her past. Each character with their own struggles, decades apart, but more in common than they think. As they set off on the trip of lifetime, the reader is put in the back seat with no idea what speed bumps lie ahead.
If you are a fan of The Joy Luck Club, you will love this story! Although there are obvious cultural differences, the theme of sacrifice, legacy vs. autonomy, and of the mother-daughter relationship, is analogous. Boop’s colloquialisms had me rolling with laughter one moment and reflecting on life the next.
As a Floridian, this book had me reliving my own journey up the East coast. The local flavor is palpable in each setting and author Mary Helen Sheriff does a wonderful job weaving through the past and present to bring the reader to their final destination. Buckle up!
***I received an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I do hope to see more from this author soon!***
If you are a fan of The Joy Luck Club, you will love this story! Although there are obvious cultural differences, the theme of sacrifice, legacy vs. autonomy, and of the mother-daughter relationship, is analogous. Boop’s colloquialisms had me rolling with laughter one moment and reflecting on life the next.
As a Floridian, this book had me reliving my own journey up the East coast. The local flavor is palpable in each setting and author Mary Helen Sheriff does a wonderful job weaving through the past and present to bring the reader to their final destination. Buckle up!
***I received an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I do hope to see more from this author soon!***
October 10, 2020
What a refreshing novel. I could not put it down. There were so many emotions all going on at the same time. The relationships between mother, daughter and granddaughter are all laid out for the reader to absorb and reflect on in their own life’s journey.
February 15, 2021
Way too country for me. “Might could” and “butter my biscuits” aren’t my cup of tea.
May 9, 2021
A heartwarming story of three generations of women within a family and the secrets, lies, and misunderstandings that divide them. While this debut novel is certainly a coming of age story for the granddaughter Eve, it is also a story of growth and change for her grandmother, Boop, and Eve’s mother, Justine, as well. Beautifully written, with lively dialogue and tons of Southern charm, Boop and Eve’s Road Trip is an entertaining read, but it is also undeniably poignant, for the author writes about delicate issues with tenderness and compassion. A must read.
May 23, 2022
3.5 A cute road trip book! Boop is an awesome grandmother. It would be fun to travel with her! Took me awhile to warm up to Eve. She sure had issues!
September 5, 2021
I can see why Boop and Eve's Road Trip won the American Fiction Awards! It is an entertaining, funny and poignant romp till the very end. The characters speak and think like no other characters ever!
"The air conditioner in the Gray Ghost had two settings: Cold as a Witch's Tit and Off."
"Even the dang seatbelt was an instrument of torture."
"The fact that Karl's VW bug sat in front of his trailer didn't mean he was home, since that piece of crap broke down more than it ran."
The road trip Eve and her grandmother, Betty "Boop" take is bittersweet with family drama. The lies and stories and dramas that affect generations of family are funny and hurtful at the same time. I think every reader will see a reflection of their own stories in this funny and moving book. I couldn't believe this was Mary Sheriff's first book, the prose and intricacy of characters is so well crafted. The depth and truth of the book stays with you.
"The air conditioner in the Gray Ghost had two settings: Cold as a Witch's Tit and Off."
"Even the dang seatbelt was an instrument of torture."
"The fact that Karl's VW bug sat in front of his trailer didn't mean he was home, since that piece of crap broke down more than it ran."
The road trip Eve and her grandmother, Betty "Boop" take is bittersweet with family drama. The lies and stories and dramas that affect generations of family are funny and hurtful at the same time. I think every reader will see a reflection of their own stories in this funny and moving book. I couldn't believe this was Mary Sheriff's first book, the prose and intricacy of characters is so well crafted. The depth and truth of the book stays with you.
October 14, 2020
Boop, Justine and Eve are three generations with lots of tension due to long-standing regrets, traditional expectations and unsaid hopes and dreams, respectively. Boop sees danger signs in her granddaughter's emotional health and decides to tag along on Eve's trip to find her best friend, who's mysteriously disappeared. The continual use of Southern cliches made me feel like I was traveling with them, and helped to give Boop a strong presence throughout the novel. A fun, poignant look at mental health issues, at any age, and the importance of staying true to what you most need to become who you are meant to be.
August 21, 2020
What a great story! I was lucky enough to get an advance copy to read and I enjoyed every moment. The struggles of a young woman paired with the spunk and wit of her vibrant grandmother made for a heartwarming, character-driven read.
October 16, 2020
Novel of a USA road trip
3.75*
Eve is a teenager at college. Her mother Justine has high hopes for her for future, she is pulling all kinds of strings to get her into medical college. But Eve’s passion is fashion and she is struggling with her mother’s determination and her own desires. Boop, Justine’s mother (and thus Eve’s grandmother) can see how much the young woman is under duress. Eve indeed is going through the motions but not really engaging with life and friends. All the rawness of youth is palpable.
Boop takes Eve under her wing and suggests a road trip to visit her sister Aunt Victoria in Savannah and so it is in the late Spring they both head out in Boop’s older car from Florida. Eve, in turn, wants to catch up with her cousin Ally, who has gone off grid and Eve is incredibly worried about her. Could she be at the Beach House? After their visit to Aunt Victoria they head off to see if they can find Ally. There is also the mystery of Davey, who is he and why does Boop feel such a pull?
This is as much a story about family dynamics as it is about a road trip. Victoria and Justine in particular have their own agendas that make them appear quite callous at times, brusque and uncaring at others. Eve’s adolescent aloofness is well portrayed.
As a UK English reader I did have a little difficulty engaging with a grandmother called Boop! It’s the kind of nickname you might give to a child or a pet in the UK. Although in truth the grandmother’s real name is Betty and thus Boop seems a natural progression on the name front (as in Betty Boop). The UK audience for this novel will, I think, be very specific: the author is American and much of the writing is heavily accented in US English; some of the concepts/phrases went over my head and occasionally I struggled to get the gist.
All in all a thoughtful and poignant coming of age read that offers an insight into US culture, thinking and family life. And offers an ultimate optimism that people do have the capacity for change.
3.75*
Eve is a teenager at college. Her mother Justine has high hopes for her for future, she is pulling all kinds of strings to get her into medical college. But Eve’s passion is fashion and she is struggling with her mother’s determination and her own desires. Boop, Justine’s mother (and thus Eve’s grandmother) can see how much the young woman is under duress. Eve indeed is going through the motions but not really engaging with life and friends. All the rawness of youth is palpable.
Boop takes Eve under her wing and suggests a road trip to visit her sister Aunt Victoria in Savannah and so it is in the late Spring they both head out in Boop’s older car from Florida. Eve, in turn, wants to catch up with her cousin Ally, who has gone off grid and Eve is incredibly worried about her. Could she be at the Beach House? After their visit to Aunt Victoria they head off to see if they can find Ally. There is also the mystery of Davey, who is he and why does Boop feel such a pull?
This is as much a story about family dynamics as it is about a road trip. Victoria and Justine in particular have their own agendas that make them appear quite callous at times, brusque and uncaring at others. Eve’s adolescent aloofness is well portrayed.
As a UK English reader I did have a little difficulty engaging with a grandmother called Boop! It’s the kind of nickname you might give to a child or a pet in the UK. Although in truth the grandmother’s real name is Betty and thus Boop seems a natural progression on the name front (as in Betty Boop). The UK audience for this novel will, I think, be very specific: the author is American and much of the writing is heavily accented in US English; some of the concepts/phrases went over my head and occasionally I struggled to get the gist.
All in all a thoughtful and poignant coming of age read that offers an insight into US culture, thinking and family life. And offers an ultimate optimism that people do have the capacity for change.
September 28, 2020
Boop and her granddaughter Eve are reaching a crossroads. One in which they are prepared to give up trying.
Boop has struggled for years with the guilt of what she did to her family years prior.
Eve has a major confidence issue. After years of being critiqued on every detail by her mother, Justine, including dismissing her passion for design, she has given up the will to fight back, or even put in an effort.
And I'll be honest, I didn't particularly care for either woman initially. While I'm sympathetic to the issues both women faced over time, I didn't care for their hopelessness. I wanted them to fight back and speak up, rather than cower in fear of rejection.
So when Eve's friend, Anna, appears to send out a call for help, Eve decides it is the perfect chance for an escape. This escape, once Boop becomes aware of it, turns into a road trip. While the idea behind this road trip may have been to escape their own personal problems, it may also be a chance for them to fix those problems along the way.
Going into this book, I thought it would be filled with zany adventures, as most road trip books tend to be. And while there were some places the two enjoyed along the way, the trip is more about coming clean to one another and finding a way to get the other past their own insecurities. With time, and patience on Boop's part, this does happen.
I didn't feel the story needed the added narration from the detective looking for Anna, which felt out of place with the rest of the story. However, Anna's disappearance does provide a link between the road trip and each character's recovery.
"You gotta stop giving away credit for the good stuff and taking on the blame for the bad stuff."
While it was a very bumpy ride, this journey is about forgiveness and understanding it is ok to have imperfections. It is about finding happiness for oneself, not for others. And I loved that positive message.
*An ARC was received via NetGalley for an honest review.
Boop has struggled for years with the guilt of what she did to her family years prior.
Eve has a major confidence issue. After years of being critiqued on every detail by her mother, Justine, including dismissing her passion for design, she has given up the will to fight back, or even put in an effort.
And I'll be honest, I didn't particularly care for either woman initially. While I'm sympathetic to the issues both women faced over time, I didn't care for their hopelessness. I wanted them to fight back and speak up, rather than cower in fear of rejection.
So when Eve's friend, Anna, appears to send out a call for help, Eve decides it is the perfect chance for an escape. This escape, once Boop becomes aware of it, turns into a road trip. While the idea behind this road trip may have been to escape their own personal problems, it may also be a chance for them to fix those problems along the way.
Going into this book, I thought it would be filled with zany adventures, as most road trip books tend to be. And while there were some places the two enjoyed along the way, the trip is more about coming clean to one another and finding a way to get the other past their own insecurities. With time, and patience on Boop's part, this does happen.
I didn't feel the story needed the added narration from the detective looking for Anna, which felt out of place with the rest of the story. However, Anna's disappearance does provide a link between the road trip and each character's recovery.
"You gotta stop giving away credit for the good stuff and taking on the blame for the bad stuff."
While it was a very bumpy ride, this journey is about forgiveness and understanding it is ok to have imperfections. It is about finding happiness for oneself, not for others. And I loved that positive message.
*An ARC was received via NetGalley for an honest review.
January 31, 2022
Boop and Eve's Road Trip was a delightful read with a bit of everything thrown in: self-discovery, family secrets, friendship, love, and loss. The characters were real and relatable, and I adored Boop!
September 28, 2020
your mom is overbearing, but I’d give anything to have someone love me that completely.” Eve bit back the inclination to volunteer. Instead, she said, “She doesn’t even know me. How can you say she loves me? She loves her idea of me.” “What if she loved you no matter what? Then it wouldn’t matter if she knew you.”
This book looks like a fun and simple book on the surface. It's about a trip Eve takes with her grandmother, to see her great aunt (and hopefully do her own side adventure at the same time.) As it turns out, the trip becomes one of those life changing experiences for Eve, Boop and also Eve's mom. As well as several other characters.
This book is about generations of women, the choices we feel we have to make, the regrets we have to live with, the sacrifices we make so that we don't have to let each other down and what it means to truly step into who you are and to support each other through that.
I loved every minute I spent with this story.
with gratitude to netgalley and She Writes Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
This book looks like a fun and simple book on the surface. It's about a trip Eve takes with her grandmother, to see her great aunt (and hopefully do her own side adventure at the same time.) As it turns out, the trip becomes one of those life changing experiences for Eve, Boop and also Eve's mom. As well as several other characters.
This book is about generations of women, the choices we feel we have to make, the regrets we have to live with, the sacrifices we make so that we don't have to let each other down and what it means to truly step into who you are and to support each other through that.
I loved every minute I spent with this story.
with gratitude to netgalley and She Writes Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
September 5, 2020
**All my reviews are spoiler free and are my honest opinion**
This Women’s Lit takes us on an adventure of a young woman who has had her life planned out for her and her spunky grandma.
Eve carries the weight of her mom's expectations on her shoulders. Unable to pursue her dream career and having her whole life planned out for her, Eve is looking for a way out. A way out of her mom's grasp, of her unexperienced life. But when her best friend goes missing, only sending her a cryptid email, Eve takes it upon herself to go and find out what is going on!
Concerned about her grand-daughter's well being, Boop decides to hijack Eve's little trip in hopes of easing her descend into depression, something Boop knows all too well. However, things begin to complicate themselves when Boop's own secrets begin to resurface. Secrets that might hint at what's going on with Eve's best friend disappearance...
Boop and Eve's Road Trip was an interesting story, filled with laughs and touched upon themes like depression, self discovery and healing. You really root for Eve to break out of the clutches of her mother and Boop's antics are just so funny. I really enjoyed how Mary Helen Sheriff tied in Boop's past as it further fueled the story and brought in an element of intrigue. I really felt for Boop and her dysfunctional family.
Women's Lit is a whole new territory for me and I'm glad that my first experience with it was through this book! I shall be on the lookout for more from Mary Helen Sheriff in the future.
This Women’s Lit takes us on an adventure of a young woman who has had her life planned out for her and her spunky grandma.
Eve carries the weight of her mom's expectations on her shoulders. Unable to pursue her dream career and having her whole life planned out for her, Eve is looking for a way out. A way out of her mom's grasp, of her unexperienced life. But when her best friend goes missing, only sending her a cryptid email, Eve takes it upon herself to go and find out what is going on!
Concerned about her grand-daughter's well being, Boop decides to hijack Eve's little trip in hopes of easing her descend into depression, something Boop knows all too well. However, things begin to complicate themselves when Boop's own secrets begin to resurface. Secrets that might hint at what's going on with Eve's best friend disappearance...
Boop and Eve's Road Trip was an interesting story, filled with laughs and touched upon themes like depression, self discovery and healing. You really root for Eve to break out of the clutches of her mother and Boop's antics are just so funny. I really enjoyed how Mary Helen Sheriff tied in Boop's past as it further fueled the story and brought in an element of intrigue. I really felt for Boop and her dysfunctional family.
Women's Lit is a whole new territory for me and I'm glad that my first experience with it was through this book! I shall be on the lookout for more from Mary Helen Sheriff in the future.
August 16, 2026
Boop and Eve's Road Trip by Mary Sheriff
Boop and Eve's Road Trip follows Eve Prince, a young woman who feels like she's reached the end of just about everything. College, relationships, her dream of fashion design, even her relationship with her mother. When her best friend disappears, Eve sets off to find her, only for her Southern grandmother, Boop, to invite herself along for the ride.
What begins as a search becomes a journey through the South between a grandmother and granddaughter, both carrying things they haven't completely shared with the other. At its heart, this is a story about family, forgiveness, and figuring out who you are when the people who love you already have their own ideas about who you're supposed to be.
I read this physically for the Curvy Cajun Collective Fable Book Club and finished it in a single day.
📖 Storytelling — 3.5
This is a hard one for me to judge because I don't have personal experience with any of the three perspectives at the center of this story. I don't know what it's like to be a college-aged woman trying to figure out who she is, a grandmother looking back on decades of family history, or a mother caught somewhere between the two.
But I didn't need those experiences to understand what these women were feeling.
The relationships are written well enough that the emotions come through on the page. Eve is struggling to figure out who she is and what she actually wants from her life. Boop is carrying her own history while trying to repair things with her sister and help her granddaughter. Then there's Justine, who has to confront the possibility that the life she wants for her daughter might not be the life her daughter wants for herself.
Those three generations give the story its heart.
Underneath the road trip and the search for Eve's friend is a coming-of-age story that isn't limited to Eve. In different ways, all three women are being forced to examine their relationships, their choices, and the things they've left unsaid.
More than anything, this became a story about family and forgiveness, and I thought Mary Sheriff handled those themes really well.
👥 Character Work — 3.5
The relationships across the different generations of this family are deep and lush, and that's where Boop and Eve's Road Trip really shines.
Boop and Eve make a wonderful team. Their relationship feels warm without being perfect, and by the time the final pages arrive, they're characters you genuinely wish you could spend a little more time with. Their road trip gives both of them opportunities to learn about each other, but also to confront parts of themselves they've been avoiding.
Justine added another layer that I appreciated, especially as a parent. I can understand that instinct of wanting what you believe is best for your child, even when your vision for their future might not match the future they want for themselves. That conflict gives her more depth than simply making her the overbearing mother standing in Eve's way.
And the relationships don't stop with those three. As more of the family tree comes into focus, you begin to see how decisions made by one generation have continued affecting the ones that followed.
Most importantly, the character growth feels earned. The people we meet at the beginning aren't quite the same people we leave at the end, and Sheriff plots that progression well.
⏱️ Pacing — 4.0
Boop and Eve's Road Trip is a very fast, easy read.
I started and finished this one in a single day, and the road-trip structure lends itself perfectly to that kind of reading experience. There's always another destination, another conversation, or another piece of this family's history waiting around the corner.
Even with some of the heavier topics being explored, the book never feels weighed down by them. Sheriff keeps things moving while still giving the emotional moments enough room to land.
Sometimes you want a book that requires you to slow down and really work through it. Other times, you want one that you can sit down with, fall into, and suddenly realize you've read the entire thing.
This was definitely the latter for me, and I loved that about it.
✍️ Prose & Style — 4.0
Mary Sheriff's writing is lush and lyrical, but what stood out to me most is how much understanding there seems to be behind it.
With a story built around multiple generations of women who don't always understand each other, it would have been easy to make someone the villain. The mother who won't listen. The daughter who doesn't understand. The grandmother who thinks she knows better.
Sheriff doesn't really do that.
Instead, her writing allows you to understand where each woman is coming from, even when they're completely at odds with one another. Nobody has the entire picture, and nobody is completely right. They're simply a family trying to love each other while carrying their own expectations, regrets, and mistakes.
The lyrical quality of the prose also fits the Southern setting beautifully without making the story difficult to read. There's warmth to it, even when Sheriff is dealing with heavier subjects.
I thoroughly enjoyed her writing and the way she brought this family to life.
❤️ Emotional Impact — 2.0
I enjoyed Boop and Eve's Road Trip, but when I really think about the impact it had on me personally, this is where the book falls considerably shorter.
This isn't a book I'm likely to return to, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to most readers I know. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad book. In fact, there are several things here that I thought were done very well. It simply didn't connect with me strongly enough to leave much of a lasting impression once I finished.
This feels like a book where knowing the reader really matters. If complicated family relationships, generational differences, mothers and daughters, forgiveness, and finding yourself are themes you naturally gravitate toward, I could see this hitting much harder.
My wife will be reading it shortly, and she's actually a prime example of the kind of reader I'd recommend this book to. I'm interested to see whether the parts I appreciated from the outside connect differently with someone who may relate more personally to these women and their experiences.
For me, though, this was an enjoyable one-day read that I was happy to experience, but one I'm also comfortable leaving behind now that it's over.
🥃 Barrel Proof Score
📖 Storytelling 3.5
👥 Character Work 3.5
⏱️ Pacing 4.0
✍️ Prose & Style 4.0
❤️ Emotional Impact 2.0
Average: 3.4
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0/5
🥃 Final Pour
I think knowing who to recommend a book to can be just as important as knowing whether you enjoyed it yourself. Boop and Eve's Road Trip isn't going to become one of my personal favorites, but I can already picture the reader who could absolutely fall in love with it. Sometimes that's enough. Not every good book has to be your book, and part of being a reader is learning to recognize the difference.
Boop and Eve's Road Trip follows Eve Prince, a young woman who feels like she's reached the end of just about everything. College, relationships, her dream of fashion design, even her relationship with her mother. When her best friend disappears, Eve sets off to find her, only for her Southern grandmother, Boop, to invite herself along for the ride.
What begins as a search becomes a journey through the South between a grandmother and granddaughter, both carrying things they haven't completely shared with the other. At its heart, this is a story about family, forgiveness, and figuring out who you are when the people who love you already have their own ideas about who you're supposed to be.
I read this physically for the Curvy Cajun Collective Fable Book Club and finished it in a single day.
📖 Storytelling — 3.5
This is a hard one for me to judge because I don't have personal experience with any of the three perspectives at the center of this story. I don't know what it's like to be a college-aged woman trying to figure out who she is, a grandmother looking back on decades of family history, or a mother caught somewhere between the two.
But I didn't need those experiences to understand what these women were feeling.
The relationships are written well enough that the emotions come through on the page. Eve is struggling to figure out who she is and what she actually wants from her life. Boop is carrying her own history while trying to repair things with her sister and help her granddaughter. Then there's Justine, who has to confront the possibility that the life she wants for her daughter might not be the life her daughter wants for herself.
Those three generations give the story its heart.
Underneath the road trip and the search for Eve's friend is a coming-of-age story that isn't limited to Eve. In different ways, all three women are being forced to examine their relationships, their choices, and the things they've left unsaid.
More than anything, this became a story about family and forgiveness, and I thought Mary Sheriff handled those themes really well.
👥 Character Work — 3.5
The relationships across the different generations of this family are deep and lush, and that's where Boop and Eve's Road Trip really shines.
Boop and Eve make a wonderful team. Their relationship feels warm without being perfect, and by the time the final pages arrive, they're characters you genuinely wish you could spend a little more time with. Their road trip gives both of them opportunities to learn about each other, but also to confront parts of themselves they've been avoiding.
Justine added another layer that I appreciated, especially as a parent. I can understand that instinct of wanting what you believe is best for your child, even when your vision for their future might not match the future they want for themselves. That conflict gives her more depth than simply making her the overbearing mother standing in Eve's way.
And the relationships don't stop with those three. As more of the family tree comes into focus, you begin to see how decisions made by one generation have continued affecting the ones that followed.
Most importantly, the character growth feels earned. The people we meet at the beginning aren't quite the same people we leave at the end, and Sheriff plots that progression well.
⏱️ Pacing — 4.0
Boop and Eve's Road Trip is a very fast, easy read.
I started and finished this one in a single day, and the road-trip structure lends itself perfectly to that kind of reading experience. There's always another destination, another conversation, or another piece of this family's history waiting around the corner.
Even with some of the heavier topics being explored, the book never feels weighed down by them. Sheriff keeps things moving while still giving the emotional moments enough room to land.
Sometimes you want a book that requires you to slow down and really work through it. Other times, you want one that you can sit down with, fall into, and suddenly realize you've read the entire thing.
This was definitely the latter for me, and I loved that about it.
✍️ Prose & Style — 4.0
Mary Sheriff's writing is lush and lyrical, but what stood out to me most is how much understanding there seems to be behind it.
With a story built around multiple generations of women who don't always understand each other, it would have been easy to make someone the villain. The mother who won't listen. The daughter who doesn't understand. The grandmother who thinks she knows better.
Sheriff doesn't really do that.
Instead, her writing allows you to understand where each woman is coming from, even when they're completely at odds with one another. Nobody has the entire picture, and nobody is completely right. They're simply a family trying to love each other while carrying their own expectations, regrets, and mistakes.
The lyrical quality of the prose also fits the Southern setting beautifully without making the story difficult to read. There's warmth to it, even when Sheriff is dealing with heavier subjects.
I thoroughly enjoyed her writing and the way she brought this family to life.
❤️ Emotional Impact — 2.0
I enjoyed Boop and Eve's Road Trip, but when I really think about the impact it had on me personally, this is where the book falls considerably shorter.
This isn't a book I'm likely to return to, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to most readers I know. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad book. In fact, there are several things here that I thought were done very well. It simply didn't connect with me strongly enough to leave much of a lasting impression once I finished.
This feels like a book where knowing the reader really matters. If complicated family relationships, generational differences, mothers and daughters, forgiveness, and finding yourself are themes you naturally gravitate toward, I could see this hitting much harder.
My wife will be reading it shortly, and she's actually a prime example of the kind of reader I'd recommend this book to. I'm interested to see whether the parts I appreciated from the outside connect differently with someone who may relate more personally to these women and their experiences.
For me, though, this was an enjoyable one-day read that I was happy to experience, but one I'm also comfortable leaving behind now that it's over.
🥃 Barrel Proof Score
📖 Storytelling 3.5
👥 Character Work 3.5
⏱️ Pacing 4.0
✍️ Prose & Style 4.0
❤️ Emotional Impact 2.0
Average: 3.4
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0/5
🥃 Final Pour
I think knowing who to recommend a book to can be just as important as knowing whether you enjoyed it yourself. Boop and Eve's Road Trip isn't going to become one of my personal favorites, but I can already picture the reader who could absolutely fall in love with it. Sometimes that's enough. Not every good book has to be your book, and part of being a reader is learning to recognize the difference.
August 28, 2020
There is a saying in the Southern US, “We don’t hide our crazy, We parade it down the street!”. It was not always that way, especially with people that are in high society or in political families. They had to guard their reputations, keep them untarnished and make sure that they are respected.
The protecting of past secrets leads to the plot of the book. It involves secrets of the past that need to come to light so that healing can be happen.
I was drawn to this book because it has multi-generations of a family; Grandmother, Mother and Daughter, and their complicated relationships. I love books that have an older, wiser character that knows not to sweat the small stuff and can guide the younger people to what is important.
This is Mary Helen Sheriff’s debut novel and she definitely has written a gem. While I thought I was choosing to read a story about a fun road trip, I was so wrong. This book is deeply emotional, tackling some very sensitive topics with grace and love. I recommend it very highly.
I want to thank NetGalley and She Writes Press for giving me the pleasure of reading the complimentary Advance Reader Copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.
The protecting of past secrets leads to the plot of the book. It involves secrets of the past that need to come to light so that healing can be happen.
I was drawn to this book because it has multi-generations of a family; Grandmother, Mother and Daughter, and their complicated relationships. I love books that have an older, wiser character that knows not to sweat the small stuff and can guide the younger people to what is important.
This is Mary Helen Sheriff’s debut novel and she definitely has written a gem. While I thought I was choosing to read a story about a fun road trip, I was so wrong. This book is deeply emotional, tackling some very sensitive topics with grace and love. I recommend it very highly.
I want to thank NetGalley and She Writes Press for giving me the pleasure of reading the complimentary Advance Reader Copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.
October 29, 2020
Boop and Eve's Road Trip is a powerful novel that demonstrates the harm that family secrets can inflict. Sheriff almost sneaks up on us with the serious side of her story. From the title, one might think this will be a fun, easy-going read, and it is very enjoyable. The use of colorful expressions, especially by Boop, Eve's grandmother, brought a smile to my lips more than once, and I grew up with a mom who had a lot of lively sayings herself.
But this book is so much more than entertainment. In painful discussions and revelations, the story unfolds to reveal the multiple secrets that have been kept by members of this family, and how they led to hurt feelings, anger, self-doubt, and depression. Sheriff skillfully handles how her characters come to terms with their past deceptions, and those of the people they love. A very engaging novel with a deep psychological understanding of the devastating effects of the tangled web of family deceptions.
But this book is so much more than entertainment. In painful discussions and revelations, the story unfolds to reveal the multiple secrets that have been kept by members of this family, and how they led to hurt feelings, anger, self-doubt, and depression. Sheriff skillfully handles how her characters come to terms with their past deceptions, and those of the people they love. A very engaging novel with a deep psychological understanding of the devastating effects of the tangled web of family deceptions.
September 16, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed delving into this book, not only because it was a charming story of young Eve’s “coming of age,” but also because it speaks eloquently to the power of intergenerational family love to support and heal us along life’s journey. Eve’s journey was not proving to be an easy one. As a college freshman, she suffered from depression and the results of questionable choices in ways that could have been devastating. Her issues were not totally unlike those that had beset her feisty and charming grandmother, (Betty) Boop, many years before. But Boop had learned many things along her own journey and is finally ready to share those lessons with the younger generation. I recommend your joining Boop and Eve on this funny, heart-wrenching, heart-warming road trip. I know I’m very glad I did! I was genuinely sorry to reach the last page and have it end.
October 11, 2020
I loved this story, focused on family relationships and truth. Boop and her granddaughter, Eve, take a road trip to find Eve’s cousin and best friend, Ally. The road trip comes at a time in Eve’s life when her self doubt leads to depression. Boop reveals her long road to healing after suffering a major loss, resulting in severe depression. Justine, Eve’s mother, has been pressuring Eve to attend college and enter medicine, which Eve has no interest on at all. The way the relationship between the three women develops is at the heart of the book, as the discussion of mental illness is also essential to the story. Thanks to NetGalley for this wonderful book, which I highly recommend.
August 30, 2020
What a spectacular debut book! I couldn’t put down this heart-warming story of the road trip adventures of a grandmother and her granddaughter. My favorite part was Boop (the grandmother) and her wonderful sayings. I snorted with laughter so much my husband looked over and asked if I was okay.
Mary Helen did a masterful job creating unique characters who loved, fought, and supported each other during a tumultuous time in their lives. The author handled the challenges of mental illness with grace.
I look forward to reading future books by this talented author!
Mary Helen did a masterful job creating unique characters who loved, fought, and supported each other during a tumultuous time in their lives. The author handled the challenges of mental illness with grace.
I look forward to reading future books by this talented author!
October 11, 2020
Boop is estranged from her daughter, Justine, and Justine is estranged from her daughter, Eve. Sound familiar? Sheriff takes this multigenerational mother relationship and twists it until you ache for all of them. Boop and Eve's road trip starts the journey toward healing them all, but it's not without its difficulties. The author did an amazing job creating characters with great intuition and loving hearts that made very real mistakes. I know them. I ached for them and rejoiced with them, laughed and cried with them. Highly recommended book!
October 23, 2020
A wonderful book about relationships
Boop and Eve's Road Trip dug deep into the relationships among different members of the family and the origins of those relationships. Boop felt like the grandmother everyone would want to have, but she was haunted by a secret that had ruined the earlier part of her life. Eve had age-appropriate angst, enhanced by a lack of understanding of why her mother tried so hard to control her. Watching all the problems work themselves out in the course of the story was affirming. An enjoyable read.
Boop and Eve's Road Trip dug deep into the relationships among different members of the family and the origins of those relationships. Boop felt like the grandmother everyone would want to have, but she was haunted by a secret that had ruined the earlier part of her life. Eve had age-appropriate angst, enhanced by a lack of understanding of why her mother tried so hard to control her. Watching all the problems work themselves out in the course of the story was affirming. An enjoyable read.
August 13, 2020
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish and had trouble putting it down. I was seriously so sad when it ended. I felt like I had a new circle of friends. Loved seeing their relationships and how they evolved over the book as everyone grew to better understand each others’ perspectives. I especially loved Boop and her warmth and humor. Bravo! Can’t wait for the next one!! Reminded me of “Waiting to Exhale” by Terri McMillan. A big, fat happy feast of a book!
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