Overview: Tom and Riley were best friends from the time they were kids. Then Tom moved to New York City with his mom when they're young teens and everything changed. Suddenly, Riley didn't have her best friend anymore. As they miss each other's major life moments, they create The Getaway List of all the things they'll finally do when they get back together. The summer after high school graduation, with neither of them planning to attend college in the fall, Riley defies her mom's wishes to go to New York and reconnect with Tom. Reunited, they let the Getaway List fill the gaps that have emerged in their friendship since they last spoke. Overall: 4

Characters: 4 Riley is a hyper, adventurous, and outspoken, but she also has a shy side. She's grown up being extremely close to her mom, who is a single parent, but a rift develops as she learns that her mom has intentionally separated her from Tom all these years. Riley isn't sure how to cope with the distance that develops between her and her mom, even as she's excited about a summer reconnecting with Tom and hopefully improving her writing. This struggle between asserting your full adult independence and still deeply loving and caring for your parents is the most compelling part of the book. She so desperately wants to be a fully formed adult, but her footing is shaky and unsure, and all of her defaults still operate on being a kid. Emma does a fantastic job of capturing how difficult it can be to figure out how to navigate that divide at the end of your teenage years.

Tom was the glue that held Riley's Virginia life together and the center of the friend group, but he shrunk into himself when moving to New York. Over the course of the summer, Riley sets out to help him rediscover his old confidence in the context of his new, confusing world.

The friend group they form in NYC and Tom and Riley's single mothers that heavily figure into the plot. There's Tom's distant friend they run into making deliveries for an app service who instantly becomes part of their mini friend group, and then they run into a boy at a creative writing class who sticks to them like glue. While there are compelling elements to this story of friendship, they didn't quite feel genuine. The friendships were just too instantly close without anything forging such a tight bond. Everything was just a touch too manufactured or contrived to fully sink into the novel.

Plot: 4 The book follows a loose structure based off the Getaway List to guide Riley's journey of coming into her own across a New York summer. I was surprised to find out the book was barely over 300 pages, though, because I found myself doing a lot of skimming and jumping around to the dialogue to get through it. The writing is solid, and many of the ideas are interesting, it just wasn't quite drawing me in as wholeheartedly as past Emma Lord books have unfortunately. There aren't enough points on the Getaway List to fully rely on it for structure, and the book unfolds somewhat aimlessly without much to support it. The characters just aren't strong enough to carry the book and the pacing felt somewhat off.

Writing: 4 Emma Lord has such a bubbly writing voice that is somewhat infectious, however, as someone who is twenty and relatively close to having credibly been a teen, the number of times the word "teenybopper" was used really threw me out of the book. It's a word I've only ever heard my mom use, and it just felt dated. I've never heard someone my age or my brother's age (he's seventeen) naturally use the word in speech. There were just a few moments like this that didn't quite click for a contemporary YA novel. I've loved Emma's past books, but there was just something about The Getaway List that didn't fully click with me.

Screaming, crying, throwing up at the ridiculous amount of cuteness and heartwarming feelings I'm currently experiencing because what the hell, Emma, there was no need to make this whole thing so deep.

Emma Lord has a reputation that precedes her, as in “one of the best YA’s voices of the past years”, and for a good reason.
Her books are funny, sweet, and full of chaotic and instantly lovable characters, but the story is always well set in a topic: sure, romance is the thing that makes you wanna read her book at first, but underneath it, there are serious topics, like a bad or non-existent relationship with a parent (or both) and the trauma of that reality, in this case.

Still, I'm not holding back and screaming at the top of my lungs that this one right here is her best work so far.
And I can't wait to see what her next book will be, then: “The Break-Up Pact” is out August 13th!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thanks SMP for the ARC

"The Getaway List" by Emma Lord is an uplifting and romantic read that leaves a lasting impression. While I personally felt a stronger connection to the characters in Emma Lord's previous novel, "Begin Again," I can appreciate the appeal of this story, especially for young adult readers. The adventures and hijinks that unfold in New York City may seem a bit far-fetched at times, but they add a fun and relatable element to the story that many high school and college readers can enjoy. Emma Lord's signature cheer and heartwarming narrative style shine through, making "The Getaway List" a delightful addition to her body of work. With its themes of self-discovery, reconnection with old friends, and the exploration of new possibilities, this novel is a feel-good read that will leave a mark on your heart.

Ah, to be young and falling in love with your best friend.

I LOVE Emma Lord’s writing. She has a knack for capturing the uncertainties and possibilities of adolescence with humor and heart. I loved all the characters and their found family vibe exploring NYC!

The story is ultimately about finding yourself, or at least having the freedom to do so even if you don’t know quite who you want to be, but it has a really sweet childhood friends to lovers undercurrent.

Both Riley and Tom have some issues in their relationships with their respective moms that I felt could’ve been explored even more deeply. A few of the conflicts and explanations didn’t *quite* land for me and left me wanting just a little bit more. I didn’t love this as much as the other Emma Lord books I’ve read, but it still made me feel wistful and nostalgic, made me laugh, and was immensely enjoyable!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley- thank you!

I have started the last few years with an Emma Lord novel. Her books are memorable and reflective and just a positive way to start out a year. I really enjoyed this one. I liked Riley and Tom and liked the lessons they learned in this coming of age novel. It was both deep and fun and an easy read.

I am so honored to read this one early. If you ever loved an Emma Lord book you will love this one. Found it kind of unnecessary that literally all of the guys who were her friends were all crushing on her at one point but ended up with other characters and that's the only way they don't get with her. Plus the end felt kind of too nicely wrapped up but still was very heartwarming and I related hard to not knowing what your doing with your life.

Emma Lord absolutely never disappoints! Her characters are sweet, funny and utterly relatable. Riley and Tom are #bffgoals and I love their story so much!

I loved this group of friends! Riley and Tom are such sweet best friends, and getting to experience their reunion after so many years apart was like getting a warm hug. I loved their friend group too, though! Mariella, Luca, and Jesse were such lovely characters. And I loved that we got to learn more from their personal stories as well. I want to be part of this friend group in real life 🥰

Riley’s relationship with her mom, and Tom’s relationship with his, were heart wrenching and heart warming in equal measure. I love when YA novels really delve into the parent child relationships. This is so true to real life, and so many books in this age range tend to just gloss over the parents place in the teen’s life.

I loved everything about how Lord described New York! I’ve only been there once, but she perfectly captured the essence of the city, from my personal experience. Seeing it through Riley’s eyes, the eyes of infinite possibility and adventure, made me miss it and want to go back again!

This is a beautiful story of finding out who you are and what you want out of life. It’s about love and friendship and how your friends truly become your family in your first years away from home. I loved it and I know you will too.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave The Getaway List 5 Stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I have read all of Emma Lord's books. They're the cutest! This one centers around Riley and Tim right after high school graduation. They go through New York City with a getaway list that they made before Tim moved away in 9th grade. I loved everything about this book.

sweet, cute, utterly ADORABLE. a must read for all YA lovers. thanks for the ARC and i'm looking forward to everyone getting to know these characters!

Loved the premise of "The Getaway List"! Two childhood friends reunite years later to accomplish their bucket list in the middle of NYC, with a cast of pals and some past to work through.

I really enjoyed the audio version of the book, but about halfway through, things seemed to get a bit stagnant. Lack of communication, redundant plot points, and unrealistic financial situations made this less than exciting for me to love.

Hoping a lot of others will enjoy it more than I did :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to hear/read this advanced copy, in exchange for my honest opinions!

Short and Sweet Review
Riley recently graduated from high school and she feels like she doesn’t really know who she is. She’s spent the last four years trying to be a good kid for her mom but now she just feels like she’s been suppressing herself. Riley decides on a whim to go to New York and visit her friend Tom, who she made a “Getaway List” with. The Getaway list is a list of things Riley and Tom want to do together and now’s their chance to cross somethings off. Riley isn’t sure what to expect after not seeing Tom in a while but they both fall into their same rhythm and even make some friends along the way to help accomplish things.
The Getaway List is a book that I found to be slow and unfortunately because of this and how bored I was I didn’t connect to the characters at all. Let’s start with Riley. Riley is our main character and apparently she has a knack for getting into trouble especially when she’s with Tom. Her mom has been keeping her on a tight leash and she’s even been doing her best to keep Riley away from Tom, because of this tight leash that Riley has been on for the past 4 years when she graduates she thinks its time to cut the cord. Riley decides to spend the entire summer in New York City to try to figure out who she is. I think my main issue with Riley is how much her and her mom were arguing over Riley leaving and how Riley felt like she didn’t have any freedom. I dreaded any conversations between the two because it just felt like a dark cloud would pass over the book. Tom on the other hand has been alone because his mom’s scriptwriting career has taken off. Tom felt a bit abandoned and like there wasn’t much of a relationship left between him and his mom, he even thinks of leaving New York to go stay with his aunt at her winery. The funny thing about this book is that Riley and Tom tried to pass it off as if they were just friends but they obviously wanted to explore the next step I just think it was ridiculous that it took them so long. We also meet a few other characters like Mariella, Luca, and Jesse. These three tag along with Riley and Tom to try to help them complete the getaway list. I did like the addition of these characters because they added great insight and they were just fun. What’s also cool is that Mariella and Tom created an app for deliveries so we see Riley complete a few that take her around the city.
Overall, I thought the book was just okay it’s not one that I would rave about. I didn’t connect with Riley or Tom and I kind of found that book to be bland and while reading it I felt like a mindless zombie just trying to get through the book. I did like the elements like trying to finish a adventures on the list and being in New York and their friend group, but the things going on in their personally lives especially Riley weren’t pulled together all that well for me.

Sometimes we read books that are good but don't always make sense outside of the story, and The Getaway List falls into that category for me. Riley graduates high school, and has no idea what comes next, so she takes off on a bus for New York City where her long-lost best friend Tom has been living since his mother made it big as a writer. It would seem that Riley is a big personality, yet she fell through the cracks at school and wasn't accepted into any colleges. Also, her mother simply lets her go to New York on a bus minutes after graduation. What?

There is a lot of plot setup that goes along the lines of parents do not know best, so just throw caution to the wind and go after what you want. But there are also a lot of fun New York adventures with blossoming romance and budding friendships and hanging with the band. It doesn't make sense outside of the world in the book, but it is so much fun.

So, while I liked the book, my rational brain went into overdrive. I read a lot of YA, a side effect of my job, but this one hit differently.

Emma Lord has such a way of writing stories geared towards my age group, and I absolutely love it!
The way she wrote this friendship and romance and all of the Swiftie references?! I loved this so much!

This was just so sweet and endearing and the cover perfectly encapsulates the general vibes of the story!

Emma Lord’s books are always a win for me, and The Getaway List was no exception! I loved the strong sense of place, with NYC essentially being its own character. I’m not in the target demographic as a 37 year old woman, but I still found Riley and Tom to be so relatable as they struggled to figure out who they were and what they wanted. The secondary characters in the found family friend group were also well written and really likable. The slow-burn, will-they-won’t-they, friends-to-lovers romance was cute and easy to root for. Despite the tension and distance between Riley and her mom through a lot of the book, they also had some really sweet moments that I loved. I loved The Getaway List, and highly recommend it if you love a delightful and adventurous coming of age story. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for early access to this book!

Well, I might be the only one, but I did not like this. Riley is an annoying character and her mom is even worse. I can't believe a grown woman would be such a brat to her adult daughter. Riley and Tom are best friends who are obviously in love with each other from the very beginning but they are too silly to realize it. Or something. I didn't like the app. I didn't like how they pretended to be such great friends but the thought of romance never seemed to materialize. And if they really were THAT close it seems weird to not really speak for years. The peripheral characters are the best part by far. The ending really tipped me over the edge with 1) the green hair being remembered many years later in NYC and 2) the disgusting brownie teeth thing. No thank you.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Lord manages to craft another wonderful and heartfelt YA Story. When Riley graduates from high school she realizes she spent her whole life trying to be perfect and she doesnt know who she really is. She decided to to see her friend Tom in New York for the summer. The two of them have been friends since they were little and created The Getaway List together. The list consists of all the fun stuff they want to do together. They reconnect and start to work on the list together but Riley soon realizes that her feelings for Tom have changed. The Getaway List is so charming and cute! I loved it!

A solid 4 star read that I absolutely enjoyed! A super cute and sweet will-they-won't-they/coming of age story about high school best friends getting their first taste of independence as they navigate New York City after graduating college.

I loved all of the characters, they were well developed and flawed. There were times I wanted to reach out and hug each one of them, then other times I wanted to shake them by the shoulders and yell at them to get their s**t together.

I found myself laughing and crying in this. This is the first book I've read by Emma Lord and I definitely want to read more now!

Highly recommend this if you're looking for a sweet YA romance that is a quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it. The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List — a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away — will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future. Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s scriptwriting career pulled him away. But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.

This was the book I needed as a teen. My past 18-year-old self related to Riley so much. This was the story of my dreams, moving to NYC for a gap year. Finding myself? Who wouldn't wanna do this? The friend group Tom and Riley put together was so perfect. Each one of them brought a different perspective to the group. The family drama with Riley and her mom was really relatable. I loved how it played out. Overall I enjoyed this one!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 1/23.

Emma Lord's best yet, I think. This is such a wonderful coming-of-age story. The growth–the conversations and introspection that happen around that–is something I can always count on, with Emma Lord's characters.

I loved Riley and Tom (Tom and Riley). I loved their friend group.

I loved their New York adventures. I loved it so much that it's making me want to plan a trip East!

But what I loved best of all was how this made me think about being a better mom to my kids. Truly, it's one of reasons I continue to read YA books. And the good ones stick with me. This is a good one.

Thank you so much for the ARC, Wednesday Books. I had a wonderful time reading this!

5 stars

Main Characters:
-- Riley – recent high school graduate, hasn’t been accepted to any college she applied to, loves to write, lives with her single mom who co-manages a coffee shop in Virginia, decides to take the bus to New York to spend a weekend with her best friend Tom and ends up staying the summer
-- Tom – also a recent high school graduate, intends to take a gap year, moved to Manhattan with his screenwriter mom the summer after his and Riley’s freshman year of high school
-- Jesse – graduated with Riley, his band The Walking JED is moving to New York
-- Mariella – former classmate of Tom’s, wants to be a photographer
-- Luca – wants to be a writer, meets Riley and Tom at a writing class and is a little obsessed with Tom’s famous mother

I can always count on Emma Lord for a fun, quirky, well-written young adult story when I want (need?) a quick read that I know will put a smile on my face. The pacing of Lord’s novels is perfect, and she really seems to grasp the frenetic physical and mental energy of young adults. I think it can be challenging for author’s to write young adults well, and they can sound either too mature or too childish. As the mother of a teenage daughter, I can tell you that Lord’s characterization is spot on.

-- “Far as I know, I’m going to be stuck in Falls Creek until I Falls Croak.”
-- “Tom is my all-time best but worst friend—best because we would literally die for each other, and worst because in the last year he’s texted with the frequency of a prehistoric rock.”
-- “What is he going to do, suspend me again in the last five minutes of my high school career? Been there, permanent recorded that.”

Riley narrates her own story in The Getaway List, as she graduates high school missing her best friend and completely uncertain what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Her solution is to hop on a bus from Virginia to New York to spend the weekend in Manhattan and maybe, just maybe, check off some things on The Getaway List she and Tom started after he moved away:

1. Go on a road trip once we’ve got our licenses.
2. Take the Tides of Time interactive fiction writing class.
3. Go on the Tides of Time exploration walk in the Central Park.
4. See the Walking JED live in concert.
5. Go to karaoke.
6. Go on a camping trip.
7. Be “Dear Love” Dispatch coworkers.
8. Make custom brownies at Brownie Bonanza.
9. Actually see each other in our corporeal forms.

When Riley decides on a whim to stay in New York for the summer, she and Tom are determined to check off as many things on the list as possible. Along the way, they enlist the assistance and company of Mariella, Jesse, and Luca, who also help Riley discover what she really wants. We know there will be a happily ever after, and this book actually has several, which adds a nice touch.

I loved seeing Riley develop over this one summer away from home so that she could realize who she wants to be, both together with and separate from Tom and her mom. She also learns a lot about her best friend that she didn’t appreciate or understand at all. Drama permeates every corner of life at 18, and Riley and Tom are no exception. This is a great read for teens and young adults…and parents who might want a peek into the scrambled heads of their teenagers. 🙃