I’m far from the typical reader of books aimed at young adults, but I enjoyed The Getaway List anyway, at least to a certain extent. The best parts for me were the beautiful friendships portrayed and the fact that the whole book is basically a love letter to New York City, in all its glory and grit.

Other than that, this book fell kind of flat for me. Riley is a new high school graduate and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She applied to a lot of colleges but wasn’t accepted at any of them. (Really? None? How high did she aim??) Tom had been her best friend but moved away to NYC a few years ago and they haven’t been in touch much recently. Both of them have strained relationships with their mothers (both single mothers, by the way), but at least Riley realizes her mother loves her, even though she was a bit controlling. Tom’s mother is too hands-off for comfort.

There is a lot of repetition so I think an editor could have cut some of the material in the middle of the book to make this a better reading experience. The slow burn of Riley and Tom figuring out they had more than a friends-feeling for each other now, was nice but predictable. I didn’t really “get” Tom’s behavior; Riley was much more fleshed out as a character (which makes sense since Riley is the narrator of the story). Miscommunication (or non-communication) is one of my least favorite tropes in romance stories, so that was a disappointing aspect of this book (and yes, I realize the protagonists were quite young).

Riley did a lot of maturing over the course of this NYC summer, so if you’re looking for a light coming-of-age tale, you might like this one better than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. All opinions are my own.

I didn’t love this one. I liked it enough but it wasn’t my favorite from Emma Lord.
It was missing something for me. I didn’t love our MC so maybe that’s why.

Overall it was a quick read and I still recommend it if you enjoy YA.

This book is everything that a chick-lit should be, light, easy to read, and a fun but predictable romance. Riley has graduated from high school and finds out that her mom has been keeping her from seeing her best friend, Tom, for the past four years, ever since he moved away to New York City. On a whim fueled by her anger and her desire to check off some things from their Getaway List, Riley decides to catch a bus and surprise him at his apartment. The Getaway List is a list they had created in the four years that they were apart, all made up of things they’d like to do once they got back together, and what better time to accomplish these things than the summer after senior year? Some of the things they do are easy and fun, others are more complex and need more resources and time, and what was initially just going to be a fun list for the two of them to accomplish, soon becomes a group effort as more friends are added to the mix. Riley and Tom eventually–almost painfully slowly–realize that they mean more to each other than just friends. All in all, this was quite enjoyable.

The Getaway List is such a fun YA coming of age story set in NYC the summer after graduating high school! Emma Lord's YA is some of my favorite with real, yet relatable characters.

The day after her high school graduation, Riley defies her mom and decides to go see her best friend who moved to NYC. After a fabulous weekend, she decides to stay for the summer and complete The Getaway List, a list of all of the adventures they were supposed to do since he moved to NYC. In their adventures they form a friendship with 2 others as they complete items on the list. Will running away help solve her problems?

I liked this book. It was sweet and I loved seeing Riley flourish in a new environment and figure out her place in the world. This book is about relationships and navigating your independence. The characters were fun and I enjoyed reading about their adventures around NYC. If you like YA or coming-of-age stories you'll enjoy this!

Thanks to Wednesday Books for my advanced copy via Netgalley. The Getaway List comes out tomorrow - January 23rd!

“Being here is my choice. And from here in out, so is everything else.” Gahhh I loved this book. Emma Lord is so great at romance. The connection and transition from friends to lovers was smooth and easy and had me just as giddy as Riley. The group of friends in this book each stand out in their own and the dispatch service was a ton of fun. I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley (THANK YOU) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Would recommend for fans of…
🗽 Found family
🗽 Friends to lovers
🗽 Delicious desserts

If you’re familiar with Emma Lord’s social media presence, you know that her brand is sunshine, rainbows, and desserts with a big splash of impeccable pop culture references, an energy that 100% transfers to her writing.

The Getaway List is her latest YA novel and it follows Riley and Tom, two long distance BFFs who reunite the summer after graduation and attempt to cross the items off of the “Getaway List” (a bucket list of sorts) they created throughout high school. What follows is an amazing NYC adventure that brings them, and their new friends, even closer together.

I grew up in VA and if you knew me from 2012-2019 my entire personality was “girl who wants to move to NYC.” While I didn’t end up in that city, I really connected with Riley’s feelings about NYC and how she felt at home there. Lore does an amazing job of capturing the feeling of stepping onto those sidewalks for the first time and being mesmerized by the sights, smells, and electric energy of the city. I loved pretty much everything about this book, but that indescribable New York feeling that coursed through the pages was my favorite part.

The Getaway List is out now (and I wholeheartedly recommend it if you’re looking for some cheerful YA). Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When Riley graduates high school, she has no idea what to do with herself. She has no plans but a lot of hopes and dreams. She decides it’s time to stop living her life for her mom but for herself instead. Riley hops on the next bus to NYC and her long-lost best friend, Tom. While there, she not only finds herself again but also adventure, new friends, romance, and a whole lot of fun.

This book is pure fun but it’s also sweet and hopeful and incredibly endearing. I love each and every character and what they bring to their little rag-tag group of friends. It’s about growing up and figuring out where you belong and finding friends that are like family and paving your own path despite what your parents want for you.

I love the friendships and romantic relationships and parental relationships. I just want to hug them all and see them live their best lives.

Read this book for
-the sweetest kind of YA
-found family
-adventure and hijinks
-parent/child relationships
-food and writing and photography
-NYC

So sick of hearing "just the same". It is written and used wayyyy too often. It might be less annoying if you read it, but when you listen to it, ughhh. Once, I heard it three times within a single paragraph. That killed my heart.

Anyway, apart from that, I thought it was very cute, very special. The MCs were very close friends who clearly both had a special place in their hearts for each other, and simply needed to find their way to telling each other.

I also thought the family themes in this book were spot on. Love when there is conflict and learning and facing reality and it was all very beautifully done.

Thank you to NG and the publisher for a free review copy. All opinions are my own.

Emma Lord is one of my favourite authors, every single book I've read of hers has been magical. And this one is the exact same. It is so well written, and it sucks you in immediately.

I think the only weird thing was at the end where they kiss and one of them was eating brownies and the other...licked their teeth to get more of a taste? That was fucking weird.

But honestly, I love seeing the growth of all the characters, and how they really come together. Besides that tiny thing - I really enjoyed it!

I love a good coming-of-age young adult story, so this one was definitely up my alley. We meet Riley, who immediately upon her high school graduation hops on a bus to NYC to visit her childhood best friend, Tom, where she ends up finding adventures, new friends and ultimately herself.

This was such a fun YA book. Riley was a relatable MC and I thought it was the perfect mix of light and fun while still having substance and exploring serious topics as she learns to grow and lean into who she wants to be. I loved the story of the friends she met and though there was a romance element, it felt like there was a lot more to this book than just that, which I enjoyed.

If you enjoy a light and fun YA book, I definitely recommend this new release!

Thanks to @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the free egalley in exchange for an honest review. The Getaway List is out now.

The Getaway List
By: Emma Lord

Genre:
Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

Red Flags:
Small amount of profanity, but otherwise a very clean romance read

Summary:
Like most high school seniors, Riley is left on graduation day with uncertainty. With her friends and classmates moving on with their plans, Riley is disappointed, being rejected from her top college choices, she has no clue what her future holds. To make matters worse, her best friend Tom is in Manhattan, and planning to take a gap year to figure out life. Riley remembers ‘The Getaway List’ a list they created together to discover the real adventures in life, a list that was cut short when Tom’s mom whisked him off to New York. Together, Riley and Tom decide to complete the list. It is through ‘The Getaway List’ that the main characters in the story rediscover life, their personal goals, and what their future truly holds.

Review:
I loved this read by Emma Lord. It is an engaging coming of age novel, with relatable characters, the plotline flows and transitions perfectly. It is fast paced, and has a theme that everyone can learn from, one of lasting friendships, the importance of bonds within family relationships, honesty, forgiveness and lasting love.

Thank you to Emma Lord, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.


#reluctantreaderreads
#emmalord #netgalley
#thegetawaylist
#advancedreaderreads

Emma Lord always creates such solid YA coming of age stories. I really enjoyed this one and the concept of Riley taking a gap year to find herself is intriguing and very relevant. The relationships among the characters were my favorite part of reading this one. Overall a very enjoyable read that will definitely appeal to YA readers!

Since her debut, Emma Lord has been an auto-read author for me. We've had our ups and downs with different releases through the years, but this was a hit for me! The Getaway List is a fun, coming-of-age romp that captures the thrilling unknown of young adulthood so well!

The cast of characters in The Getaway List felt so well developed, with each character's story and life unfolding to the reader throughout the story as our main character, Riley, began seeing beyond herself, appreciating that her friends had lives and secrets of their own. And the dialogue! Emma Lord is the queen of witty banter. The way her characters talk to each other always makes me smile.

The other thing that stands out in this story (and the other Emma Lord books I love) is New York City. The city is an additional character, an active force driving the story and plot. It creates a playground with endless possibilities, which ties perfectly with our characters' journeys in The Getaway List.

Really loved this one and am looking forward to what Emma Lord has in store next!

An Emma Lord book is guaranteed to put a smile on my face and this one did just that! The Getaway List is Riley’s journey of finding out who she is as she navigates the summer after high school graduation amidst college rejection letters. As the title implies there’s a list that must be accomplished, friends-to-lovers with a forced proximity trope, and a supporting cast to boot! I really enjoyed this fun YA romance.

I tried the ebook and the audiobook and just couldn’t connect with the characters. The plot wasn’t enticing enough to hook me, so I chose to DNF at 17%. Thank you to SMP for the digital ARC. This may be one of those YA books that I just can’t relate to as an adult. Even though this one wasn’t a hit for me, I look forward to reading other stories by Emma Lord.

I loved this book! It was such a warm and comforting read. I loved all the characters and the friends-to-lovers aspect. This was so hard to put down, but luckily I had plenty of time to read it over break.

This was about a girl named Riley whose best friend Tom moved away when they were younger. Tom moved to NYC, but they stayed in touch through the years. We start at Riley's graduation and learn that she doesn't know yet what she wants to do in the future, so she decides to visit Tom. They go on adventures and meet new people all while finishing a list they wrote together when they were younger.

All the characters in this book were amazing I loved Mariella, Jesse, and Luca as well as Tom and Riley. They all made this story so much better and their fun banter brought me into the book.

This book is great for anyone who wants a cute coming-of-age story, with a little romance.

Tom and Riley had been best friends for years when his mom moved Tom to New York. Riley felt lost without him. Drifting and often in trouble, Riley's mom pushed her in into activities she had no interest in. She spent high school trying hard to make her mom happy, but in the process she lost herself. Now 18 and recently graduated from high school, Riley is tired of pretending. For the first time, she defies her mom and heads to New York to visit Tom. What was supposed to be a weekend turns into a summer of new friends, new experiences and the discovery of just who she is.

The characters absolutely made this story. They were fun, interesting and engaging. Though they were only 18 and 19, I could identify with their problems, their insecurities, their hopes and dreams. The questions and issues they faced were things we've all dealt with, and maybe we still are. They were each feeling their way through the difficult transition from child to adult. I had great fun joining them on their adventures, experiencing their highs and lows, and even feeling pride in the people they were becoming. This is a fun, inspiring,, uplifting story that will leave feeling like a kid again - and maybe offer ideas to start your own getaway list.

I was introduced to Emma Lord’s writing in You Have. a Match but after this read I want to definitely read more. Great YA story that adults can enjoy alike. Always great character formation that you feel you are watching unfold.

Such a cute YA friends to lovers romance (just to clarify, there are no steamy scenes)! It was fun watching Tom and Riley's relationship develop. This was however an emotional book, which I also appreciated (typical coming of age issues, and both Tom and Riley had issues with their moms during the book). All the characters were well developed, and the side character group of friends were charming.

I enjoyed this sweet YA story about friendship, coming-of-age, and NYC!

I love NYC myself so I was fully immersed in the setting and the dynamic and banter between all the friends in the group was fun. I was glad to see growth in Riley's relationship with her mom. As a big list maker myself, I thought the Getaway List that Riley and Tom made together over years of their friendship was so cute and definitely something I would have done!

What kept this book from being 5 stars for me was that it just felt a little heavy for a good portion of it. Heavier than I expected this genre and author to be. I was hoping for a little more of the fun hijinks around the city than what we got. At times it seemed like there was a lot of "telling" rather than showing about Riley's emotions and internal thought processes rather than much action happening on the page.
All in all, another good story from Emma Lord that I will recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.