Thoroughly enjoyable! Are travel romances a novel thing these days? No, but this one manages to keep it fresh.

Many thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc!

This book was definitely heavier than I thought it would be. I was expecting more beach vibes and beautiful scenes and didn't really get that (which is weird because they literally travel the whole book). The miscommunication trope was in full swing (which definitely irked me) but ultimately I enjoyed how Dylan and Jack's banter but they weren't the most believable "we're-in-love-now" characters.

Loved this book! Great story with excellent character development and pacing. It had fun, it had sexy, it had serious.

I was hoping this book would have the same vibes as Love actually or the holiday, but unfortunately, the story fell slightly flat for me. I feel like this might be one of those books that I would have to give a second chance to, and hopefully have a better opinion...I also must add that in no way was it a BAD book, I just didn't match with it for whatever reason! I will definitely give it a second read in the future and hope for a more positive experience. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book was…fine, I guess. The travel elements were my favorite, and while I liked the romance, the plotting was just…off. I did like how Everhart dug into some hard-hitting topics, but there was too much telling and not enough showing for me. So it was okay, but I did almost DNF it a few times.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

I was excited for Wanderlust due to its fun premise. Dylan wins a radio show contest where she’ll be traveling the world, but there’s a catch. She has to travel with a random person they pick from her phone. Just so happens to be Jack, a guy she made out with at a bar and then ghosted. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. There was a complete lack of chemistry between Dylan and Jack, especially because he was so cold and dramatic. I didn’t really understand where the love even blossomed from. Although this wasn’t for me, I did appreciate the focus on pro choice, as well as the focus on following your dreams!

With a comparison of People We Meet on Vacation and Unhooneymooners I has high expectations and Wanderlust didn't come anywhere near that.
The premise sounded fun with winning a 6 week around he world vacation but the radio station would randomly pick from your phone contacts who you were traveling with and it was a guy who you met in a club but never saw again.

Unfortunately the characters were dull and I didn't feel any connection between them or felt like I was in a fun travel adventure reading this.

3 1/2 stars

I was drawn to this book by the colorful and creative cover and the blurb. I had high hopes for it and I really wanted to like it so much. The premise is clever - - being sent on a trip with a guy she hasn't seen since a fateful night when they kissed and then her world fell apart (totally unrelated to the kiss). Needless to say, he's not a fan of hers since she never reached back out to him after that night. Their trip is one fraught with underlying tension from the beginning. I liked getting the backstory of how Dylan and Jack initially met and how their lives led them to where they landed. They each had lives that had taken hits from different personal events and they influenced their decisions and affected what they chose to do.

As I said earlier, I really wanted to like this book but at times it was a struggle. It moved slowly for me during a good portion of the story. I found that at times there was simply too much detail about things that I didn't care about. And at other times, it just didn't feel like it flowed. It may just be me, but it fell a little short.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I loved the premise of a book with self-discovery and travel, but I didn’t expect the heavy hitting topics. While I appreciate them, I think I craved more of the travel and adventure story that the cover and synopsis promised.

I listened to the audio and loved the narration.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Putnam and PRH Audio for the gifted copy.

If you're looking for a romantic comedy novel that gives off How to Lose A Guy in 10 Day vibes but with social media madness and world travel, then this is the book for you!

Dylan writes for an online magazine, working on the fun little quizzes and articles, but she desperately wants to have her own exclusive column. On a whim, she enters a radio show contest and ends up being the lucky winner! She wins a radio contents for a 6-week paid for vacation around the world but - plot twist - the catch is she has to agree to travel with someone the radio show selects randomly from her phone contacts.

When they select Jack, a guy she randomly made out with at a club but then ghosted, Dylan's boss seizes on the opportunity to write a series of articles about their travels with a focus on a lust-filled second chance romance. Her boss then dangles the opportunity by offering her a full column if the series are successful and bring in enough clicks and likes. Dylan isn't interested in the romance, but is desperate for her own column, so she agrees.

Their travels get off to a rocky start. Jack is closed off and curt with Dylan. But as their travels extend they grow more comfortable with one another. The tension is high, the sparks fly, and they slowly develop from strangers to friends to maybe lovers.

While I was expecting a light and fluffy romcom novel, we got so much more than that. There are a lot of topics woven into the story that can be seen as controversial, but it brought a more serious layer to the story that I think only elevated it. There are topics discussed such as abortion, bi-sexuality, cyber bullying and overall societal and familial pressures and anxiety of disappointing the people you love. The characters had very real conversations and experiences that are relevant in today's day and age, and even though I personally have not experiences any of these things myself, it felt relatable and honest. I especially loved how the book shows how social media can be both a positive tool for self-expression, as well as a negative place that can lead to self-doubt and destruction. With the social media presence came some very good conversations about setting boundaries for yourself, as well as others.

Overall I enjoyed the book! I would have loved a POV from Jack, and I think it was a tad bit too long. I also would have loved an epilogue to follow up on Dylan and Jack's characters to find out where they've landed in the future after the events of the book ended. But I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a book that's both fun and poignant!

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Elle Everhart for an advance copy!

3.5 stars

Tags: strangers to lovers, opposites attract, forced proximity, slow burn
Spice: 2 peppers
Third person/single POV

What a fun summer romance full of adventure and travel!

Overall, I enjoyed this. Let’s talk about what worked for me:
- I absolutely adored the premise: these two end up on an around-the-world adventure via a radio contest
- the romance did click, and I was rooting for Dylan & Jack
- the personal growth for both characters was also strong

What I didn’t love as much:
- the enemies-to-lovers felt forced here— I feel like it was a little unnecessary
- the big blow up was also a little weird— I don’t know, I just didn’t buy into the controversy

I did find myself getting a little bored from time to time, but this was a perfect book to read while I was out jet setting myself and didn’t have a ton of time to sit down and devour a book. I’d recommend it if you love books centered around travel, or if any of the above-mentioned topics have piqued your interest.

Bonus points for LGBTQ+ rep and the exploration of deeper issues like abortion, career happiness, and family pressure.

I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down, it was such a cute read. I really loved the storyline and it was adorable, Dylan and Jack were great and Elle really had me hooked the entire story, I just kept waiting to see what would happen next between them. I loved the ending and am very grateful for being able to have gotten an earc of this book! Highly recommend this book if you're looking for a cute romance!

A fun read. Dylan and Jack met on a night out but then she never called. Now, after a radio competition lea as them together for 6 asks on a round the world trip will it be a second chance for them? A great, fast paced book.

The premise of this book is fun. I liked how the characters had been attracted to each other in the past. They both grew during the book and landed in happier places in the end.

Imagine winning a radio contest for a trip around the world but your companion is a random contact in your phone. Would you do it?

Dylan is a burnt out magazine writer and finds herself calling a radio station to win this 6 week trip of a lifetime. The lucky companion is Jack “the Posho,” someone she met at a bar and hasn’t seen in months. Jack also seems to be burnt out and commits on air to going on the trip with her. Things are a bit awkward at first until they start to warm up to each other.

There is a slow burn chemistry between the two as they stop in different cities around the world. I would have loved to read more about the different cities as some were just mentioned in passing. I loved the stark conversations that Dylan had about her being bi and her “Article” that showed how the internet can be a savage place.

Read this if you like:
✈️ Slow burn
✈️ Forced proximity
✈️ Travel romances

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this eARC. Wanderlust is out now.

There was just so much agenda in this book. I disagreed with a lot of it, respectfully of course, but it felt like by having the MC complain about different beliefs being pushed down her throat, it pushed her (or the authors) beliefs on us. A lot.

But the writing is great. I just wish it would’ve been more light hearted and RomCom and less opinions/beliefs. I mean there was A LOT.

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

When a book is described as a mashup of two of my favorites (People We Meet on Vacation meets The Unhoneymooners), I had no choice but to read it, and it did not disappoint! 🩷

Honestly, this sounds like the coolest idea and I would love to win a contest to travel around the world for 2 months! I did take a deeper look at who was still in my phone contacts and deleted a few people in case this ever happens to me. 😂

I loved the chemistry between Dylan and Jack, but was a little annoyed by some of the miscommunications. I also feel like there was something lacking with their travels. I would have loved more descriptions and recommendations in the book if anyone wanted to try and recreate this trip.
For that reason, I’m giving it 4 stars.

Tropes:
Forced proximity
Grumpy X Sunshine
a touch of enemies to lovers

CW:
Abortion
Bullying
Panic Attacks

Thanks so much to Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a good rom com read. The way the characters played off each other made the read really fun. I just wish the author used more descriptors with the main characters. I feel like I have no clue what they look like.

DNF @23%- This book had potential, but the main character is such an entitled jerk. There were times I thought she was seeming more relatable, but the using a cell phone while driving (especially when she hasn’t driven in ten years and is in a new place) just pushed it over the edge.

For real, though. My DNF has been on a hair trigger lately. But... buuuuut... I got to almost halfway through WANDERLUST and there's no chemistry, no explanation on how this improbable contest set-up is even happening (how is this dude just taking off work?), and these characters are kind of blah for me.

I'm just not feeling it.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: DNF at 46%