Such a fun concept that definitely makes you daydream about traveling the world. A truly slow-burn romance, that took me awhile to get into, but ultimately I enjoyed. I wish books could step back from focusing on social media, but I guess that is now the times we live in. As a 28 year old I should be used to it, but sometimes I just wish in fiction instagram could not exist.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.

What an awesome read! The premise caught my eye: a woman wins an around the world trip from a radio contest but the catch is the station gets to pick *anyone* from her contacts to go with her. Who do they select but the starchy, posh Jack— the guy she ghosted after a great night out.

The lush setting descriptions have you feel like you’re cruising around the world with Dylan and Jack from the comfort of your couch! I did find myself googling travel destinations after I finished the book…

I especially am a sucker for grumpy/sunshine dynamics and felt this match delivered! Would have loved if there was one or two more love scenes since the burn was slooowwww but I appreciated the anticipation! Also appreciated the bi-rep and depiction of online bullying.

While Wanderlust by Elle Everhart was a fun read there were elements that continually took me out of the story.

Humor: 🤣🤣🤣
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Story: 📚📚📚
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the premise of this novel: Girl meets guy. Girl ghosts guy. Girl wins jet-setting trip from radio station. Girl must take guy she ghosted or forfeit trip.

This was a new, creative idea for a romance novel. And while the writing style was solid, the story tried to impart so many nuggets of wisdom that it felt preachy at times. I appreciate a good message in my romcoms—all my favorites touch on one or two social issues—but I felt like Wanderlust overdid it. There wasn’t a single topic that I disagreed with, and yet I still felt lectured.

I appreciated the MFC, Dylan’s, “take no shit” personality and playful sarcasm. And Jack, MMC, was quite the trooper, even in moments when he was dealt a little more than he deserved. The descriptions of the locations the two visited transported me and had me feeling my own strong sense of wanderlust.

I also like any novel that has swearing and a bit of open door spice (even though the slow burn was so slow that when the time finally came it felt a little awkward and lack luster).

Overall, this book had some ups and downs and the unique, creative premise alone is enough for me to recommend it.

Thanks to netgalley and publisher for arc.

Really liked this trip around the world! The details made me feel like I was in all those places! Jack is so sweet ah loved him! Biggest problem with this book was the painfulllllllly long slow burn and we got barely any of them as couple which was criminal! I also hated the big blow up fight didn't think it warranted such a big deal tbh.

Review:
The premise of this book is so interesting. When we meet Dylan, she is feeling stuck. She wants a column and her editor keeps moving the bar to get one. When she kears someone turn down the trip of a lifetime because they have to go with a random person from their phone she knows that wouldn't stop her. The random contact turns out to be Jack, a guy she met at a bar the night before her life changed months ago.

I really enjoyed Jack and Dylan's banter. Both when they were arguing and not getting along and as they started to understand each other a little more. I loved hearing Dylan's descriptions of the places they were going. Although The Blue Ridge Mountains are quite a bit of a drive from Sydney. I was disappointed in the places they went where we just skipped over the descriptions and it didn't feel like we'd been there at all.

I was truly worried that Jack and Dylan wouldn't work out their individual and joint dramas before they got back to London and I would've loved to see them go back and forth as they try to work through it, but ultimately it was interesting as they started and ended this journey together.

Synopsis:
Feeling stuck at work and tired of London’s dreary weather, magazine writer Dylan Coughlan impulsively rings a radio station one day only to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world. The catch? Her travel partner must be a contact randomly selected on her phone. And of course this stressful game of contact roulette lands on a number listed only as Jack the Posho, an uptight, unbearably posh guy she met on a night out and accidentally ghosted.

The two couldn’t be more different, and as the trip kicks off, Jack seems like he’d sooner fling himself into the sun than have a conversation with Dylan. But more is hinging on this trip than the chance to see the world. For the past two years, Dylan’s been relegated to writing quizzes (and only quizzes) at her lifestyle magazine after an article about her past abortion went viral—and not in the good way. If she’s able to make a series about their trip successful, her overbearing boss will give her a chance at a permanent column. Dylan’s willing to do anything to make the series a hit, even if it means embellishing her and Jack’s relationship to satisfy readers. But as the column’s popularity grows, so does the bond between Dylan and Jack, and Dylan is forced to consider if the one thing she thought she always wanted is worth the price she'll have to pay to get there.

A fun premise, but I was wanting more? I wish that there were more details about the various locations they went to on their vacation. So much time was spent at the first stop on the Sydney harbor bridge and then every other stop was rushed through, some only being a couple pages. I felt like I would have been more into the story if there was more detail about the places they visited and less about their awkward hotel encounters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for providing this ARC!

Wanderlust is a rom-com that features Dylan, a women's magazine writer who wins a radio contest trip around the world. Dylan quickly discovers that there is a catch: her travel partner will be someone randomly selected from her phone's contacts. Enter Jack, a guy who met Dylan once at a bar and has not spoken with since. Jack surprisingly jumps at the opportunity to join the trip, much to Dylan's dismay.

This book had a lot of potential based on the plot alone. However, I felt like it could have been so much more. I could not help myself from making the connection between several plot points in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to this book. It very much reads as "Andie Anderson How-to Girl who writes fluff for a magazine but wants to write more hard-hitting pieces".

The characters were not incredibly interesting, and I did not see much of a connection between Dylan and Jack. In addition, I felt that the travel piece was really lacking; some locations got several chapters, and some locations were barely covered in a page. All of the ideas were there, I just think they could have been executed better.

I can honestly say I couldn’t imagine something happening like this but loved the premise of the idea. And think it would be the cutest tv show, too. We’ve all felt the feels Dylan is faced with in feeling stuck in a work rut and her actually winning the radio contest is one in a million, and the task of selecting anyone at random in your phone contacts, you just know the rom-com essence is going to end up with a strangers to lovers concept and overall an enjoyable read.

I absolutely loved this book. I feel like I need more time to digest, so I may come back and edit this, but my overall feeling is just...this book is important.

This book is important for bi individuals who get shamed/told "its ok because you can still be in a relationship that LOOKS straight". Because its who Dylan is! She is a wonderful person and she doesn't fit in this box that her parents feel like she should be in. This book is important for people who are speaking their truth and telling stories about abortion that they got because they have that CHOICE. Dylan's life was really screwed up when she told her story. And when she tells Jack, thats the first glimpse that the reader, and Dylan, get that says "he's a good guy". Jack is so different on the inside then his box that HE was forced into.

I just can't love this book enough. And the fact that the cliche third act breakup doesn't happen, because it happens in the middle and then they COMMUNICATE and Dylan gets to apologize? It's amazing to me.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and my reviews are completely my own*

I really enjoyed world traveling with Dylan and Jack. The whole premise of winning a radio competition like this is amazing.

The story started off so cute but overtime, I unfortunately started to dislike Dylan a bit. But nevertheless, Dylan and Jack deserved their ending and I couldn't stop my smile on the last few pages.

*Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a sucker for strangers to lovers, opposites attract, forced proximity, and travel trope romance books. Would one classify this as a second chance romance??

While at work, Dylan calls a radio station on a whim to enter a contest to travel around the world. Amazingly, she wins but has to take the trip with a rando from her phone contacts. And of course, Jack is picked. Jack from a pub many moons ago who she ghosted instead of going on a date with. But he agrees to go on the trip with her and unknowingly to them, sets up the perfect opportunity to connect & fall in love 🥰🥹

My first reaction is 4-4.5 stars. I love their interactions from the radio call to the very end. The ups & downs they had, including the fact that the third act breakup didn’t feel like it. It felt like growth in their friendship that was pivotal to their relationship.

I loved the character development and the flow of their relationship, my only complaint is the low spice. But honestly, it felt right and anything else wouldn’t have felt true to the story.

Huge thank you to NetGalley & Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is a beautiful debut from Elle Everhart & I can’t wait to read more of her books.

ARC Review

Rating ARC’s can be difficult because I review and rate based on how a book makes me feel, but I try to be more objective with these. I will say upfront that I loved this book! The premise was fun and just different enough to put a spin on familiar tropes, but not so outlandish that I couldn’t enjoy it.

Wanderlust is a single POV book that dips into rom-com territory but brings along a lot of big issues to tackle as well (abortion, family strife, LGBTQIA+ acceptance, online harassment and threats, and the environmental crisis).

What I really loved:
✔️ strangers to lovers
✔️ slow burn
✔️ grumpy/sunshine
✔️ second chance romance
✔️ forced proximity

There were a few things that had me wavering between 3 stars and 5 stars (so I split the difference) that either just weren’t quite right for me or may be difficult for others.

1. If a liberal view on big topics is a deal breaker for you, then this isn’t your book. I loved it, but some of the issues named above are very sensitive, so it won’t be right for everyone.

2. I feel like this book needed more development for Jack to understand his character better. It might have been better as a dual POV.

3. The unresolved nature of the ending makes my anxious brain itch! A lot of big issues were brought up and left hanging, and huge decisions were made and then… done. I don’t know if this was done intentionally so the author could continue the story in another book, or if other (less neurotic than me) readers would find it a satisfying conclusion but I felt like there was too much left open.

All in all, though, this was a really enjoyable book, and I’m putting this author on my list to watch for because I’d love to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to netgalley, Putnam books, and Elle Everhart for a chance to read this fantastic debut romance!

Read dates: 03/02/2023 - 03/04/2023
Goodreads review posted: 03/04/2023
Instagram review posted: 03/04/2023

If you won a radio show contest where the prize was an incredible trip around the world but you had to go with a person randomly selected on your phone's contact list, would you go?

Dylan is on the brink of getting her own collumn. If she can write a good series about this trip, perhaps her overbearing boss will finally let her have her chance.

Dylan is willing to do whatever takes, even if it means embellishing the series as a "second chance romance" between her and her randomly-selected-contact vacation-mate Jack. But the more time they spend together, the more she gets to know Jack, the more their bond grows. Now she must consider if her dream job is worth the price she'd have to pay to get it.

This was such a fun and interesting premise! I loved that we got to visit so many places with them and it gave me a serious case of Wanderlust ✨️ I enjoyed the story, and appreciated all the other topics covered beyond travelling and the romance.

I do wish this was a dual POV; it would have been nice to have Jack's perspective. I also didn't care for Dylan too much but that's purely due to personal preference. Given those things, it was the reason I wasn't too invested in the romance aspect of their relationship.

Overall, a great debut by Elle Everhart.

Thank you for the ARC!

CW: abortion (past), strained family relationships

This book was not for me. First let me say that the cover is misleading in that you think you are picking up a breezy, fun romance, but instead I found large parts of the subject matter to be heavy and dark. In keeping with current trends, this book ticks every Woke checkbox (abortion, LGBT main character, etc). Additionally, I found the main character to be very hateful and unforgiving toward her family for having beliefs different than hers, even though they made efforts through the story to hear her side.

I love to read romances for the heartwarming stories. Here, rather than reading a fun story, I felt like an agenda took center stage and was being shoved down my throat the entire time. If you are anywhere other than far left politically, I would steer clear.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam for my ARC.

This book makes me want to enter every radio contest! I thoroughly enjoyed the ridiculousness of a free world trip for two. There were so many times I felt the same emotions as the main character, Dylan, as she navigated her relationship with Jack - this is all thanks to Everhart's writing.
As someone who has been to a few of the places Everhart took these two, she did a good job of highlighting the bit of the locations.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Dylan is stuck writing for a boss that doesn’t appreciate her. So when she wins a radio contest for a trip around the world, she takes it! The catch? The radio show pulls a random contact in her phone to go with her.

Jack is stuff lawyer that Dylan met once at a bar. She doesn’t remember him, but he remembers her and tells the audience that she never called him back.

As they travel the world, they begin to slowly open up. They share their feelings of hurt, hope, and acceptance. It was awesome to read the growth that Dylan and Jack had not only together, but also just themselves.

This book was a cute, fun, and easy read. I thought it had an original concept and really enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading more from Elle Everhart!



📘: Wanderlust by Elle Everhart
🗓 Pub Date: July 4, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Everhart, and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads. Will review on retail once published!

It took me exactly one paragraph to be all in for this sparkly romcom with real-life stakes. It’s not just that MC Dylan’s crackling sarcasm is delightful, but that her world is so immediately immersive. A writer irritated with her life and crappy boss, dealing with the trauma of her family abandoning her after she was doxxed online and received real-life death threats for a courageous yet controversial article she wrote, Dylan desperately needs a break. When she wins a radio contest all-expenses-paid trip around the world but learns she has to do it with a guy she accidentally ghosted, we’re off to the races. When Jack arrives on-scene an uptight curmudgeon, Everhart flips the grumpy/sunshine stuck in close proximity trope. With two deeply flawed and hurting characters who constantly surprise each other (and the reader), you’re not only invested in the romance,  you want them both to be okay. The slowest of slow burns, their crackling chemistry keeps you turning the pages, screaming at them to get out of their own way and just kiss, already, and when they finally get together, the steamy payoff is delicious. With British wit, charming characters, and emotional layers, it’s almost like Richard Curtis, Nancy Meyers, and Greta Gerwig got together to make a romcom.

What would you do if you won a trip around the world, but had to go with a person picked randomly from your cell phone contact list? This is how Dylan ends up traveling with Jack, a man she met on a night out but never called. Aside from the romance and important discussion present in this book, I absolutely loved "visiting" the different countries with Dylan and Jack. Lots of wandering and lusting ;)

I was riveted from the very start of Wanderlust. What a fantastic premise for a book! Our main character, Dylan, wins a radio giveaway for a trip around the world. The only catch--she has to go with a person randomly selected from her contacts. When the DJ calls her new travel partner--who Dylan does not remember--"Jack the Posho" sure remembers her. They met at a night out months ago and he tells the radio audience Dylan never called him back. He had the restaurant selected and everything.

These two set off on a trip around the world, visiting a new city every week while Dylan writes about their travels in hopes of drumming up enough engagement so her editor gives her her own column at the magazine. The adventures in each new country were delightful and this book also deals with some heavy topics like Dylan writing about her own abortion years ago and the online harassment that still follows her.

Jack is a wonderful romance hero who's supportive, sweet, and always in tune with Dylan.

While this book feels like an escapist read, it's also a story about standing up to hate and the power in taking back your voice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Elle Everhart for an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The romance didn’t keep me entertained and I didn’t care for the main characters.