Wanderlust did its job and gave me the feeling of wanderlust, of wanting to travel the world and see the sights our main characters saw. The book transported me to so many different and exciting places alongside Dylan and Jack!

Dylan is unsatisfied at her magazine job, and when she wins a trip around the world, she finally has the opportunity to get her own column. The catch about the trip? The radio station got to pick a random number from her phone to travel with her, and they choose Jack, a man she met at a club and made out with but never talked to again. Her boss decides to spin it as a one night stand turned second chance romance, and Dylan is forced to write articles about the trip along the way, drawing plenty of attention to herself and Jack.

This book was fun. I loved the experiences Dylan and Jack have in various cities like Tokyo or Sydney, where their time was well written and detailed. I loved the concept of writing articles about her travel and how she started posting more on insta about her trip, turning more to the travel influence sphere as she went.

I did want more, though. Some of their travel was mentioned through only a paragraph or two, and parts of the book just flew by without much detail. The pacing was slightly off, with some cities receiving multiple chapters and others in the middle only a page. The middle part was where the conflict was happening, which would make you think we would get more information there!

I also would have liked more of the connection between Dylan and Jack. There were only a few moments throughout the story where I could feel their bond growing, while much of it was the two of them being awkward with each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I'm giving this one 3.5 rounded up to 4!

This was a quick, fun rom-com with a cute premise. I loved the details about the places that the main characters went, but it definitely could’ve been flushed out a bit more.

I would’ve loved to know more about:
- Jack: I know he’s tall and maybe gangly and supposedly posh…but how so? What posh things did he do? What else did he look like?
- Their first night: if the connection was so great, why didn’t Dylan call back? Why didn’t Jack try harder before? I loved the idea of a second-chance romance with the ONS, but I'm having trouble understanding what happened with the first chance.
- Some of the cities: the first few cities started out with a lot detail, but by the end, it felt like they were in each city for a sentence each and all the sudden, they went from 4 days into the trip to 6 weeks into it.

It definitely wasn’t bad, but as another reviewer put it…”it’s a relatively average read”. I see the potential here and with a few changes, this could go from surface level and a little lacking to a great read! Overall, enjoyable. I would definitely give Elle Everhart another chance in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

There were some good bits, but the slow burn was too slow for me. And it did often feel like a commercial for Instagram and being pro-choice. Nothing intently wrong with either of those things, but it did make me feel like the book was more contrived rather than just telling a story for me to enjoy.

An enjoyable read with unexpected depth, as both main characters are working through some pretty significant issues in their personal lives. What I liked best is that they supported each other in dealing with those issues, even when they were upset with each other -- that support wasn't revoked in a fit of pique. Very slow burn, no heat until the last few chapters of the story, but the relationship between the two mains is well written and feels believable.

I was intrigued by this book due to the travel aspect included in the main plot. While it didn't focus too much on the travel/tourism aspect of each location the characters visited, it was just enough to feel like I could imagine being there. The romance aspect remained pretty calm / restrained for the most book, but the romantic tension built throughout. There were some heavier topics included within the main plot, including: privacy/right to consent, social media, bullying, homophobia, and abortion. A wide range of topics all wrapped in to one story, and while a few times it got on the verge of preachy, I understand that for some people, it may be good to hear about these things from this less obvious source to start thinking a bit deeper on these important topics.
I enjoyed reading this book for a fun summer read.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I think I liked this book? There are some heavy topics- ie: abortion, homophobia, online bullying. So Dylan and Jack’s banter throughout the book helps to keep it a little lighter and comical. I loved the travel aspect and would have loved a bit more detail location-wise. This is definitely a cross between The People we Meet on Vacation and the Unhoneymooners, but there’s not a ton of spice and it’s a very, VERY slow burn. Overall a decent book, would definitely be a quick beach read!

This was a DNF at 25%. My expectations for the story were very different from the story I partially read. Not bad, just not what I wanted. However, I know there are many readers who will be big fans of the social issues the author takes on. I was hoping for a fun travel romp. This was not that.

Wanderlust by Elle Everhart was a pretty enjoyable read, I liked the main characters and loved the idea of the story. An around the world trip with a catch you have to go with a random person in your phone contacts. When Dylan wins the trip and she agrees she is paired with Jack who she met one night out and never called again. I liked the writing style by Everhart I found both characters enjoyable for the most part and they worked well together. There were some heavier topics brought up in the book so it was as light a read as I was expecting but did feel it was balanced well. This was 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for me would recommend though I agree with some of the other reviewers and wish there had been a little more detail on some of the cities they visited. I want to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun summer or beach read. It's a lighthearted romance and features nice descriptions of the places they travel to.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Elle Everhart’s debut novel is an enjoyable read. Everhart addresses some heavy topics - abortion, social media responsibilities & homophobia within a family. Since such heavy topics arise I felt that the friendly banter between the two characters of Dylan & Jack was a good choice by Everhart to keep the novel on a lighter side. Dylan & Jack are so entertaining together because they are so opposite one another but they manage to balance each other out nicely. Both characters have doubts about themselves however the other is able to help them through these self issues. Finally, since the book does begin with Dylan winning a radio contest to travel around the world Everhart paints beautiful pictures of different places & culture. This is a worthwhile read.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!

Elle Everhart's "Wanderlust" is a captivating book that offers an irresistible escape for travel enthusiasts. Through exquisite prose and vivid descriptions, the author transports readers to enchanting destinations around the world. The protagonist's journey of self-discovery and the tantalizing touch of romance add depth to the story. Everhart's love for travel shines through every page, evoking a sense of wanderlust and inspiring readers to embark on their own adventures. "Wanderlust" is a delightful read that will leave you yearning to explore the globe and savor every moment of life's extraordinary journey.

Overall a fairly enjoyable read! I saw a blurb that this is like a cross between People We Meet on Vacation and The Unhoneymooners, and I think that’s a fairly accurate description.

This is definitely a SLOW BURN. There is -no- spice until the last 40ish pages of the book. I honestly thought this might be closed door, that’s how long it took to ~get to it~.

As a MC Dylan struck me as a little… immature? I don’t know that that’s totally the right word, but to me, she was a relatively relatable MC but kind of unsympathetic as a lot of the issues she had would have been solved by some better communication skills & some therapy.

I don’t feel like any of the parts of the book were extremely memorable. As I was thinking back on the book to write my review, I was trying to think of scenes that impacted me… and I came up with nothing.

I had high hopes for the travel portion of the book, but I feel like that kind of disappointed. The most descriptive travel scene ended up a pseudo-lecture on melting glaciers & climate change. I was really looking forward to more descriptive scenes of their destinations, and I didn’t get that. I actually almost missed some transitions from destination to destination—I think headings of each destination when they moved around would have been a great addition. Also, some places were completely glossed over. Would have loved at least a FEW paragraphs in each destination.

I also think it would have been cool to read Dylan’s articles in their entirety at the end of each destination. It would point out transitions easier for readers and it could add in some descriptive destination content. They went on and on about how Dylan was writing about the places and not including Jack in her articles, but we didn’t get much (if any) of that in the actual book.

CONTENT WARNING: Abortion is a fairly heavy plot line (no graphic depictions or anything like that, but it is talked about a lot and is a driving force for some plot points) so if you’re sensitive on that subject, this might not be the one for you.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute!

I loved traveling the world, and going on all of the fun adventures with Dylan and Jack! Definitely a slow slow burn, but I think it was worth the wait.

The fact that the characters won a holiday through a radio contest was so fun and old school. Does that even happen anymore??

My only complaint is that I wished it was dual POV. I would have loved to get Jack’s perspective on the trip.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read/review this ARC. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

A cute, romance read that takes you all over the world!

Magazine writer Dylan Coughlan impulsively enters a radio contest and wins the trip of a lifetime-a trip around the world! But there’s a catch. Her travel partner will be chosen randomly from her phone contacts. Contact roulette lands on Jack the Posho, a one-night stand she accidentally ghosted. Dylan and Jack couldn’t be more different. There goes not a day without a small argument until they learned to get along.

At first glance, it gives an enemies to lovers vibe. But the focus isn’t solely on romance as Dylan and Jack begin to open up to each other. Dylan’s trying to get her own column in the magazine while living with the backlash of a past article. Jack’s trying to figure out his next step after being done living under her parent’s expectations. They might’ve started on the wrong foot but Dylan and Jack bring the best out of each other and became each other’s support system.

Other notes:
✨ I appreciate the around the world tour and highlights.
✨ Romantic/ sexual tension build-up that will leave you in a cliffhanger. It’s a sort of “just kiss already” moments.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. It was a slog from the first chapter and I made it about a one third of the way before abandoning it because I was miserable. Thank you for the opportunity.

This debut novel is an excellent take on a slow-burn, second-chance romance—and one with a surprising amount of depth. But what really drew me in here was not the love story (even though it was perfectly satisfying) but the travel elements: Everhart’s writing is so descriptive that I felt like I was there with the characters on top of the bridge in Sydney, at the robot café in Tokyo, and seeing the Empire State Building for the first time. She did an excellent job of bringing each destination to life. I really enjoyed this one!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the plot of this book. It is fun and fast paced to keep things interesting.

Wanderlust is such a charming and witty debut! I loved Dylan’s voice - very effortlessly contemporary and hilarious. Her vibrant personality against Jack’s uptight demeanor made for wonderful banter as they traveled and grew closer. I was happy to see a book not shy away from the topic of abortion and allow so much on page discussion of it. Dylan and Jack communicated so well and it made watching them overcome their hurdles very fulfilling.

I absolutely adored “Wanderlust.” This was such a joyful read that really packed in quite a lot of emotion. I loved the evolution of Jack and Dylan’s relationship. One of the best parts for me was actually the realistic portrayal of honest communication, not only between Jack and Dylan but with parents, employers, and friends.

I also loved the setting of an around the world trip, I’ve certainly got new places to visit as a result of reading this book. This will be a perfect addition to our Summer Beach Reads shelf, a great choice for anyone who has got the travel bug (or wants to!)

Thank you Net Galley and GP Putnam for the opportunity to read this one early!

This was an enjoyable rom-com read that had an interesting concept. I liked Jack and Dylan was ok most of the time. The chemistry between the two during their world vacation was fun to read. The reason I didn’t give 5 stars was I wish there was more depth to some of the locations they visited. There was also some glossing over the time they spent together because a chapter would pick up with action happening between the two days later. It’s a solid debut and a 3.5 star read to me. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!