The open road, scenic views, quirky roadside attractions…what’s not to love about a road trip? Add in some forced proximity—days together in a car—and a snowed-in, just-one-bed situation, and you’ve got one of my favorite tropes: road-trip romance.
Stuck in my house during the pandemic, I dreamed of travel, and those imaginings turned into my new romantic comedy, 23 and You and Me. The heroine, Sunny, and the hero, Gabe, drive together from Columbus, Ohio, to Las Vegas to meet the three siblings Gabe doesn’t know he has until a DNA test reveals that the people who raised him were not his biological parents. Sunny and Gabe begin the journey as strangers and complete opposites, but during the interminable cross-country drive, they become friends and eventually lovers.
What’s an essential part of any good road trip (besides gallons of coffee)? The music, of course! Sunny is an actress, and her playlist is full of Broadway tunes she loves to sing, from jazz standards to “Let It Go.” Gabe is enchanted from the first moment he hears her carpool karaoke. (Yes, it’s a he-falls-first trope—my personal fave!)
Here are five songs you’ll find in 23 and You and Me.
“Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the Funny Girl Soundtrack
The setup of the novel is that Sunny, an out-of-work actress, has taken a job at a sketchy DNA testing company so she can repair her broken-down car and get to auditions in Los Angeles. When Gabe calls to ask about his unexpected test results, Sunny is the customer service representative assigned to tell him that the results are right. Turns out, his parents never told him he wasn’t their biological child.
The daughter of two A-list actors who left their child’s upbringing to their staff, Sunny has always yearned for a happy family. Although there’s nothing she can do about her dysfunctional one, she knows she can fix Gabe’s. So, as a final act of defiance to her terrible boss, she hands Gabe his siblings’ contact information. When she finds out Gabe doesn’t drive (for reasons he’s not ready to reveal), she offers to drive him to Las Vegas on her way to Los Angeles.
After a few days’ consideration, Gabe takes her up on the offer. At her apartment, he finds Sunny packing while she sings “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the musical Funny Girl. Instantly, grumpy Gabe is charmed by her bell-like voice and sunshiny outlook.
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen
Although this song isn’t mentioned in the book, Sunny dreams up a royalty-themed musical revue. I know “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” would be on Sunny’s road-trip playlist. Who doesn’t dance in their seat to this boppy tune by the incomparably theatrical band, Queen? (I saw them this year with Adam Lambert on lead vocals, and it was as flamboyant and captivating as you’d imagine.)
“Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Just before they reach Las Vegas, Sunny and Gabe stop for the night in a small town. They walk into the local bar and find that it’s karaoke night. In her element, Sunny insists they sing a duet. As they team up on “Shallow” from A Star Is Born, the sexual tension boils over, and they realize their feelings are anything but shallow. When they make it back to the motel, cue the fireworks!
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by George Michael and Elton John
After Gabe meets his siblings in Las Vegas, Gabe’s sister takes Sunny out for a girls’ night at a piano bar. When one of the dueling pianists loses his voice, Sunny steps to the microphone. I couldn’t resist throwing in one of my favorite George Michael tunes, especially a duet with piano man Elton John.
“We Will Rock You” by Queen
I won’t spoil the ending, but Gabe turns the tables on Sunny and sings to her as he’s (ahem) rocking her world. It’s another Queen song, “We Will Rock You.” And he does the job!
Want to listen to these songs and more? You can find the full playlist on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0p8b2x4QTvtE3vtyrOvIsn?si=6d5f1cb8e93f4d67
Two strangers on the road to Las Vegas. What could go wrong?
Some might call Gabe grumpy. He prefers safety-conscious. As CEO of the happiest place in Ohio, Beach Island Amusement Park, it’s a responsibility he takes seriously, especially since his parents were killed on one of the coasters there years ago.
Sunny has a different legacy: she’s Hollywood royalty. Too bad she quit her last acting gig in an award-worthy blowup. But even after being fired from her humiliating job as a DNA testing company customer service rep, she refuses to let real-life drama crush her spirit. She takes one thing with her: contact information for a stranger’s siblings – siblings Gabe didn’t know he had. She’ll give him a second chance at a happy family if she has to drive him to Las Vegas herself.
Which is exactly what she does. On the road, snowstorms, a swoonworthy karaoke duet, and motels with only one bed help these two opposites see they’re not so different. But love? That’s a jackpot too unlikely even for Vegas. Or is it?
Romance Contemporary [City Owl Press, On Sale: October 15, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781648984785 / eISBN: 9781648984792]
Michelle McCraw loves reading kissing books and working in tech. One day, she decided to combine her two interests, and now she writes steamy, nerdy contemporary romance that just might make you laugh. Her Synergy workplace romance series features characters who unashamedly love science, engineering, and technology. Her latest series, 40 and Fabulous, features heroines who find passion in the second acts of their lives.
Her novels have been finalists in the RWA Vivian Contest, the Contemporary Romance Writers' Stiletto Contest, and the Windy City Romance Writers' Four Seasons Contest.
A native Texan, Michelle has shoveled snow during nor’easters and knows the proper response when someone yells “O-H.” She now calls Georgia home, where she doesn’t miss snow AT ALL. She enjoys reading, traveling, drinking bourbon, and spoiling her extraordinarily ill-behaved but adorable dogs.
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