Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC! I loved this delicious slowburn where Dylan and Jack have time to evolve on their own journeys while they journey the world together. Dylan may not be a super sunshine, but Jack is a grump if there ever was one. 😼😼

I loved this book! The second I saw the comparisons to "People We Meet on Vacation" and "The Unhoneymooners," I knew I would enjoy it—and I definitely did. WANDERLUST follows Dylan, who is feeling stuck at her job and is given the opportunity of a lifetime when she wins a trip around the world. The only problem? Her travel buddy must be a randomly selected contact on her phone. Enter Jack, a guy Dylan once met on a night out and subsequently accidentally ghosted. Can they overcome their differences to have fun traveling the world together—and maybe even fall in love along the way?

I really enjoyed the romance between Dylan and Jack, but beyond that, it was a true joy to follow both characters' growth throughout the story. Both of them had been through some difficult things in the past, and I loved getting to see Dylan advocate for herself and discover what she wanted from both her career and her relationships, and Jack develop the courage to pave his own path and follow his dreams despite others' expectations of him. The book discusses some heavy and important topics, but does a fantastic job of addressing them while also balancing them with the more lighthearted aspects of the story. I wish we had gotten even more descriptions of the places Dylan and Jack traveled to, but otherwise, I thought this was a great summery read! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Wanderlust had such a fun premise and was quite an enjoyable read. I felt like I was in a whole other world. I loved that it dealt with some tough topics making it very relatable. Though starting out it was quite awkward between Dylan and Jack for obvious reasons but as they get to their destinations they both begin to open up and their chemistry becomes undeniable. I do wish that we got more of Jack's P.O.V; as well as more of Dylan and Jack's adventures while on their trip. It was still such a great debut novel by Elle Everhart.

Thank you to Putnam Books for providing me an ARC for review!

This was a really cute concept, checking the boxes for second chance romance (in a way!), grumpy x sunshine, AND forced proximity. The story follows Dylan, a writer working at a Cosmopolitan-meets-Buzzfeed magazine with dreams of getting an official column of her own, who wins a radio giveaway for a trip around the world. The catch? She has to bring along a random person from her contacts, who, of course, ends up being a guy she met in a club years before, a stuffy lawyer named Jack.

Let's start with what I liked: Dylan is bi, and it's initially mentioned in passing in a way that I really appreciated - I always love to see more representation without making it a huge plot point, and Elle Everhart did a great job of executing that. Dylan also discusses at length the harassment and doxxing she faced after writing an article detailing her experience getting an abortion, which again, is just huge to see mentioned in books, and I really commend Elle Everhart for including it.

That said, I found it harder than expected to get into the story. Sure, we're TOLD there's lots of tension the whole time, but I never really felt it at any point. In reality, Dylan seemed to really disproportionately dislike Jack from the beginning, and for way longer than what felt reasonable. I kept waiting for it to click, for me to want them together, but the moment just never really came. Everything was set up for me to feel the usual excitement of a slow burn, but it just never really connected for me, making the back half fall flat. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this one at this time, but I'm regretful that it didn't work for me!

Overall, I really do think Elle Everhart shows a lot of promise with this as a debut, and I'm hopeful that her next will better resonate with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and PenguinGroup for this ARC. When I saw this book was teased as a combination of “The People You Meet on Vacation” and “The Unhoneymooners,” I had to read it. I am so glad I did. This was a very quick read because I could not put it down. Between the gorgeously described locations and adventures the main characters experiences to the incredible chemistry between them, I was hooked.

Dylan is a writer and she works at a magazine called Buxom. One morning, while at another grinding day at work, she calls into a radio station contest and wins a trip around the world IF they get to pick one name in her contacts to go with her. The person picked happens to be a guy she ghosted a few months before. And let the adventures begin!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was fun, made me laugh but had enough serious issues that were so well done. I was very happy to see the author uplift an assertive bi character, and who deftly and unapologetically handles women’s healthcare, family dynamics and the pros and cons of social media engagement. I loved it!

Wanderlust was a really cute rom-com, funny characters, grumpy sunshine. My three stars just means it was ok and I didn’t devour it! Still something I would recommend to any travel lover!! The traveling felt kind of rushed at times, but didn’t take away from the romance.

Wanderlust
By: Elle Everhart
Review Score: 3 1/2 Stars

Five Key Feels
-I love the overall premise of this story, and how Dylan and Jack began traveling together.

-I loved reading about their travels, but I wish there was more about certain locations.

-This book really showcased the good and the bad sides of social media.

-I enjoyed the evolution of Dylan and Jack’s relationship as the trip goes on.

-Some of this book felt a bit too preachy for me, I feel like some of the storylines didn’t really add to the characters.

———

Wanderlust was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 7/4/23

I went into Wanderlust with really high hopes. Two people with minimal contact are taking a trip around the world? Sounds like a ton of fun.

I did enjoy the locations they went too, although, as I mentioned above, I wish there was more detail about certain places.

I also enjoyed Dylan and Jack’s relationship. It was fun to see them figure each other out, and really build some great chemistry.

This book, however, felt a bit ranty and preachy to me at certain points. There is some triggering content that honestly, I do not feel was necessary to the story. This book seemed like a fun and funny adventure, and all of that negativity weighed it down a bit.

With that being said, I did still enjoy this book and I do recommend it.

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Wanderlust is a really cute strangers to lovers/grumpy sunshine story about Dylan a writer and Jack a lawyer, both find themselves after meeting once, traveling the world together. Dylan on a whim, frustrated with her existence working at Buxom (a magazine company), calls in to a radio contest to win a trip to travel around the world… and shockingly wins! The only catch, the radio station gets to randomly pick someone from her phone to accompany her on the journey of a lifetime. They choose Jack, who at first she honestly couldn’t even remember who he was. Regardless they jet off on a trip of a lifetime and slowly find their way to each other’s hearts, but not without a lot of grump (from Jack).

I really loved this book, it felt like a mix of “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren and “Just my Type” by Fallon Ballard, though still uniquely its own. I didn’t want to stop reading, I loved the character growth and Dylan’s strong character, willing to fight for herself and stand up for what is right.

Wanderlust was a really enjoyable debut! It has such a great premise: magazine writer Dylan spontaneously enters a radio contest for a trip around the world, but there’s a catch — she has to go on the trip with someone randomly selected from her phone’s contacts. Her travel companion is Jack, a man she met at a club several months ago and never contacted again.

Dylan and Jack aren’t happy to be traveling together at first, but it was a joy to watch them warm up to each other. I loved reading about all the places they visited and the different activities they did as they fell in love.

My review makes this book sound light, and parts of it are, but there are also some heavy themes, so take care while reading. The year before the story starts, Dylan wrote an article about an abortion she had in college and was subsequently harassed and doxxed. She had to move while dealing with receiving death threats, and her very Catholic parents didn’t support her through any of it. Jack also has a difficult relationship with his parents, who pushed him into a law career. He has a difficult experience in his past with someone breaking his trust in a very public way (I don’t want to spoil anything), and that plays into his conflict with Dylan writing about him.

Despite some of the more serious aspects of the story, overall I thought this was a fun read. After reading it, you’ll also wish you won a trip around the world — and had someone like Jack to travel with.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

For the most part, this was a fun romance read (though it also dealt with some heavy topics). The travel premise was cute (though it seemed like it was always a big rush to get to the next destination). I felt like this really needed Jack's POV though to help tell the story.

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

I am lover of rom coms and while this one had a great premise, it didn't quite do it for me. The characters lacked the chemistry, the slow burn that I look for in these novels. I was not invested and kept wishing Dylan would just give Jack a chance to express himself a little sooner instead of always assuming he's as posh as they come. Still enjoyed it but not my favorite!

Really like the premise of this book, and both main characters! Wish there was a little more detail on the destinations they visited on their trip, but still enjoyed it overall.

I absolutely loved this book! It was the perfect escape that truly encapsulates the magic of reading by getting to visit wonderful places without leaving the comfort of your own home. Needless to say, I devoured this book in one sitting.

Although some of the locations around the world weren't absolutely necessary to the plot (and as a result were just glazed over), the cities we visit in depth are so fun to read about. Everhart's writing and setting descriptions are stunning, Dylan's voice is so captivating, and the rest of the cast brings so much vibrancy to the pages. I couldn't help falling in love with Dylan, Jack, and of course Gwen (because who doesn't love spunky best friends?)! Both characters exhibited such great growth as a result of being together and leaning on each other, which was so heartwarming to read.

The feminist message is so empowering, well-written, and necessary for women to read in the aftermath of the overturning of that pivotal court case recently (which I won't mention the name of because of spoilers). The discussions of these heavy topics were handled very well, and for that, I truly commend the author.

Overall, this was a very refreshing and quick read to anyone who wants to take a quick trip around the world in under a few hours. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the eARC!

Talk about Wanderlust! This book gave me a serious want to travel. I loved that this covered a little bit of everything- work woes, family issues, abortion, travel, romance. What a fantastic debut novel.

The story follows Dylan Coughlan, a lucky magazine writer who wins a radio station's once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world. The only catch is her travel partner has to be randomly selected in her phone. Drumroll, please ... she will be traveling with ... Jack the Posho ... a guy she met at a club and accidentally ghosted.

The premise was interesting enough however, I felt the story focused on the wrong details. There weren't enough descriptions about the places, nor did they capture the excitement of traveling the world. The book is called Wanderlust, but it did not portray Dylan or Jack with a strong desire to travel. Dylan and Jack banter is okay, but Dylan constantly goes overboard and becomes cruel. Even learning about her backstory didn't help me understand her as a character. Jack developed throughout the story, but I felt like Dylan's character development was rushed towards the end and was not believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP PUTNAM for sharing this digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

It’s mistitled. It’s not about wanderlust. It’s about a woman winning a trip and being forced to travel to secure her job. Wanderlust is a state of mind and totally missing in this story. Honestly, she lost me completely when she tried to call chivalry sexism. Soooo ridiculous.

This book is an alluring combination of "The Unhoneymooners" and "People We Met on Vacation and "Layover"," with hints of enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes.

Dylan Coughlan is the luckiest person who wins a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world by calling a radio station, but her reward comes with a catch: she must take this trip with a person randomly selected from her phone contacts. That person turns out to be the man she met in a bar and ghosted her afterward, whom she calls "Jack the Posho."

There are many things I enjoyed about this premise, starting with the characters' witty banter, palpable chemistry, and the descriptions of the places they visit. However, I was a little disappointed that even though the book is advertised as focusing on the main character's ghosting incident, there wasn't much discussion or explanation about why Jack did it. Dylan keeps calling him "posh," but there are not many clues about his manners or appearance to support her point.

The other thing that bothered me was Dylan's cruelty in wanting to avenge Jack for not contacting her. It took me a while to connect with her character because her meanness tone seemed exaggerated. It felt like a one-sided enemies-to-lovers trope, where the only one attacking the other was the heroine, as Jack was clearly reluctant to go on this vacation from the beginning.

Overall, the positive aspects of the book outweighed my criticisms, and I decided to round up my rating from 3.5 to 4 stars. It's an entertaining, feel-good, self-growth novel, and a great choice for a beach read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP PUTNAM / G. P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

I don't think it was that bad, just not for me. A half-baked romance with a plot that relies too much on social media, and not even in consistently interesting or realistic ways. 2.5 stars.

This book made me want to pack a bag and travel the world. I really enjoyed the premise. The characters had good depth and their stories were unique, but relatable. The experiences Dylan and Jack had throughout their travels sounded fun, but I wish the story had included more of their adventures together. There is a lot of time spent talking about posting to instagram and dealing with internet trolls. While these are important to the story, it started to get repetitive.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (one scene without a lot of detail, can easily be skipped if that’s not your jam)
I was provided an advanced copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

WOW what an insufferable main character. She’s so rude to Jack for the majority of the book. Jack might be on the blunt side, but he’s not outright rude to her the way she is to him. I felt very disconnected from this story because I didn’t care about the character who was doing the telling. I really didn’t have anything to root for, so it was very difficult to get through the book.