Name: The Road to Madison
ISBN: 9781635554212

Elle Spencer

Can two women who fell in love as girls overcome the hurt caused by the father who tore them apart?

The Road to Madison

As the sole heir to her family’s banking empire, a lot is expected of Madison Prescott. Falling in love with her childhood friend Ana Perez was not in the cards. As Madison’s father puts it, “A gay daughter? Married to the maid’s daughter? Running my company? Over my dead body.” By the time George Prescott dies, it’s been 15 years since Madison and Ana were ripped apart by his lies. They haven’t spoken since, but Madison has spent every minute waiting for this day to come. Unfortunately, it turns out time doesn’t heal all wounds. Why was Madison willing to give up everything in the face of her father’s threats, and why can she never tell Ana the truth about what really separated them? Caught between a present they can’t trust and a past they can’t forget, Madison and Ana must decide if this is their second chance, or their final heartbreak.

Jude Silberfeld

This is my second book by Elle Spencer (I didn’t read the novellas between Casting Lacey and this, don’t know why, didn’t happen yet). Casting Lacey was much more fun, and there’s a lot more angst in this one, but angst is okay, this story wouldn’t make sense otherwise. It's also nice to see this author is able to go in various directions.

At first The Road to Madison reminded me of At Seventeen (one of my favorite novels by Gerri Hill) but more from the rich girl POV. Then it got even more tragic.

The going back and forth in no logical chronological order lost me at times, but it wasn’t a real problem.

Also, the moment when Ana’s mother changes her mind about Madison felt slightly rushed, though I guess the shock of the revelation could explain it (I’m trying not to spoil anything so my apologies if this review is a bit muddled). 

While I was hoping Ana would see the light too, I get why she’d be reluctant and wary. And though I wasn’t a fan of the twist that brought her and Madison together (I’m not spoiling anything, it’s a romance, you know where it’s headed), I rather like Ana’s take on how every one had been treating her and trying to protect her.

All in all, I might not have loved The Road to Madison as much as I love Casting Lacey (which is one of my favorite books ever), but it was a very enjoyable (in an angsty way) read, that I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good romance, second chances and/or family issues.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.