The Getaway List by Emma Lord
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After graduation Riley is really missing how her life used to be and her best friend. They have a list of things they keep saying they’ll do together but seem to not talk much anymore. And thus Riley spontaneously shows up in New York to complete the list and spark up their friendship again.
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What I liked:
-Tom and Riley have such a sweet friendship that grows to more, but I loved the whole friend group they wind up making with others in New York.
-I could really use one of those “craft your own brownies” places in this book. It sounds delicious!
-At the beginning of the book I was annoyed with Riley’s mom, but later on Riley and her mom totally rock at communicating and I loved that so much. Good communication between characters is always awesome in a story.
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3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I liked this one but it didn’t quite grip me in an emotional chokehold like When You Get The Chance did.

Super cute and fun. I love the sense of adventure these too characters had. Even though they were young, it didn't feel like was reading about kids. I really enjoyed it.

Emma Lord is really good at telling coming-of-age stories that feel real and relatable.

Riley and Tom's friendship - born from a love of fantasy and a desire for adventure - is at the heart of this novel, but what really steals the show is the found family they create with old and new friends as they spend a summer in New York, crossing off bucket list items on their Getaway List.

I enjoyed watching as Riley figured out who she was and what she wanted from her future, as well as figuring out how Tom might fit into that future. The struggles of single parent-only child relationships were handled with kindness and maturity, and I thought the development and resolutions of those conflicts were well done.

Overall, this was an enjoyable Upper YA romance that deals with finding oneself and one's future amid a summer adventure with memorable characters and settings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC, and Macmillan Audio for an ALC. All thoughts are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Level: Upper Young Adult
Content: strong language, kisses

This book is another charming read by Emma Lord. I always enjoy reading her elevated twists on classic romantic comedies, and this was no exception. I always look forward to seeing what she will do in her next book.

18 year-old Riley has just graduated high school with rejection letters from every college she applied to and has no idea who she is anymore or what she wants. Despite her mother's objections, Riley decides to travel to New York City for the weekend to visit her childhood best friend, Tom.

Riley and Tom haven't seen each other since he moved with his mother three years earlier and he has been distant in their text messages but they reconnect effortlessly when they see each other in person. Riley decides to spend the summer in the city and together with their newfound group of friends, Tom and Riley work on completing the Getaway List of adventures that they had planned to get together to do when Tom first moved away.

The Getaway List is a sweet coming-of-age story about a group of 18 year-olds and their summer of self-discovery in New York City. The story is told from Riley's point-of-view as the main character but Tom and their friends Luca, Marielle and Jesse are all figuring out their next steps as well. Over the course of the summer, the friendship between the group strengthens, romances blossom, relationships with parents improve and each of the teenagers discover more about themselves. The Getaway List is also an ode to the magic of New York City and a great read for anyone who loves the city or wants to visit. A fun, uplifting YA read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love Emma lord and I was so privileged to get a copy of this arc.

This is a friends to romance story about Riley and Tom. Riley travels to New York after graduation to see Tom and check some things off the getaway list. A list they made together about stuff they wanted to do, or things they wanted to see.

Riley is in emotional turmoil as she has been rejected from
Numerous colleges and isn't sure where she will end up next year. It turns out NYC seems to fit her like a glove. But her mother has other plans for her. Can she be brave enough to tell her mother?

Tom had other plans as well. He was going to move out of the city and work with his aunt. He has a few things he has kept from Riley since they have been apart.

How will it all work out?

Grab a copy is this story. It was an absolute treat and a balm to my soul. Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for this absolute delight!

Emma Lord does it once again! She never fails to capture the perfect coming of age narrative. Her characters are always relatable and “normal” in the best way. She writes about the high school experience perfectly.

This book brought on a lot of emotions as I followed Riley through high school graduation and then stepping out on her own without her mother’s approval. There is so much development of self that occurs in this book. There are friendships renewed and friendships made. There are adventures around New York City that invite a reader to know a little more about a vast city. Riley and her Mom have hard conversations that lead to positive outcomes for them both.
This is a book that is for more than just the young adult audience. I was drawn into the story and found that Riley learned more about herself than I have bothered to in recent years of working life. What makes life something to look forward to? Adventures, even if they are as small as trying a new restaurant.
Something said in the book struck me - home is not so much a place as a feeling. Do you have a home or more than one?
Thanks to Netgalley, Wednesday Books and MacMillan Audio for the chance to look more closely at how I’ve been going about living.

The Getaway List is a coming-of-age story that follows Riley and Tom as they navigate that time after high school and before college. This, sadly, wasn't as big of a hit with me as some of Emma Lord's other books. Childhood friends to lovers isn't my favorite trope, and the getaway list wasn't as fun and captivating as some of the plot devices in Lord's other works. I wanted something a bit more whimsical or fun to escape into. The cast of characters, though, is absolutely delightful. Lord knows how to craft a found family.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR THIS ADVANCE REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

The Getaway list turned out to be the opposite. When I started it, I liked the idea and setting but there wasn’t that instant connection as it was with the first book. Anyway, It’s been years, and obviously, my reading preferences have changed. Riley and Tom are childhood best friends. Tom had to move to NY a few years ago but this change wasn’t able to break the bond they shared. The story is all about how some decisions made by parents can affect the lives of children and how they tackle those changes. I liked the concept and I was still there when Riley decided to visit Tom after so many years. I lost it when other characters started to jump into the story and suddenly entire book became so bland. I struggled to connect with any characters, their actions, and their decisions. The world setting didn’t help the case either, people from NY might feel connected to it but for me, it became so specific and made me disinterested in anything. So many things were happening but it seemed like everything was going in circles and doesn’t make any sense to me.

I know a lot of people will enjoy it but it wasn’t something for me.

So this book was a lot heavier than I anticipated. Normally I go to Emma Lord for feel good, YA. This book was that but it also hit on a lot of tough topics: relationship with parents, communication issues, boundary issues, and growth as a young adult. It is a YA book so it’s not as heavy as some of the adult books would be; however, it was heavier than I’ve seen from Emma.

I gave it 4 stars because I was looking for a light, fun read. While some parts had this- I didn’t experience it throughout the whole book.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.

It's me, hi, I'm just out here ugly crying at the absolute sweetness in this book. This book is everything I ever wanted from a childhood best friends (to sort of estranged but still bffs) to lovers. I also loved the arcs of Riley discovering her passion and her love of the city (NY) and her new friend group and navigating her complicated relationship with her mom (and the one between Tom and his mom) (I know I'm rambling, but this book had so much good subplots packed into it 😭)

TWs - negligent/absent parent, loneliness, teen pregnancy (mom of the MC)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

4 🌟

Such a fun coming of age book!

I am a fan of Emma Lord's so I was so excited to get my hands on this book! This was such a cute YA book. I loved how bold Riley was in her decisions, even though she faced a lot of uncertainty. And while there certainly is a love interest in this book (a few of them!), my favorite part was watching the friendships grow.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Wow. Emma Lord strikes again. I have loved her past works, so getting to read an advanced copy of this one has been very special. Thank you, NetGalley.

It was the perfect coming-of-age story and showed the reality of grappling with life after high school. When you graduate and your life is suddenly unstructured, it feels open and confusing, even if you’ve got a plan. Emma Lord managed to capture this feeling so well. Riley and Tom both had their unique struggles with this feeling. I found myself rooting so hard for them to figure things out.

Speaking of figuring things out, on top of learning to experience life outside of high school they also had to figure out their feelings for each other. This is an amazing friends-to-lovers romance. Their transition from friends to lovers wasn’t seamless, making it so much better. There were secrets and almost kisses, and a lot of adorable moments. Riley and Tom had a beautiful despite, and possibly because, of their life experiences.

Another great part of this book was the getaway list itself. Riley and Tom worked through a list of things that they missed the opportunity to do together. Through the journey of checking these off, they collect a little group of friends. There were all kinds of personalities represented that added much more to the plot. I loved the way they all interacted

I definitely recommend this book!

5.0

A million thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this title! Emma Lord's books are quickly becoming fan-favorites of mine, from the way she creates her characters to her special knack for weaving humor into any situation, and The Getaway List is no exception. In fact, it's become my new favorite Lord work, with Begin Again taking a close second. The Getaway List is perfect for fans of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist and Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, as Riley and Tom quickly evolved into incredible characters that perfected the art of the 'friends-to-lovers' trope. I empathized with Riley and her mom's relationship on a different level, as it reminded me of conversations with my own mother (and also called me out for needing to communicate better with her). This title is surely going to become a hit when it releases and I can't wait to see it shine.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for a complimentary eARC of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you liked Emma Lord's Tweet Cute like I did, you might enjoy this coming-of-age story aimed at young adults. Riley is in Virginia, graduating from high school with no clear path ahead of her. She's been rejected from the colleges she's applied to and isn't sure what to do with her life. Her best friend from childhood, Tom, moved to NYC three years prior and they keep in touch via text. Except lately Tom hasn't been too responsive. The two share a bond that involves an old book series called Tides of Time and subsequent television show. Over the years, the two have created The Getaway List, sort of a bucket list for young adults; some of the locations are from scenes of the television show, others are just things they want to do together like go camping. So what does Riley do? She grabs a bus to New York City, despite the protests of her mother, who is afraid her daughter is going to make the same mistake she made (getting knocked up as a teen).

Soon Riley and Tom find their tribe in New York and have all sorts of adventures, crossing off events from The Getaway List. There's also a hint of romance as Riley realizes she has feelings for Tom beyond BFF but doesn't want to act on them and ruin their friendship. Both Riley and Tom have complicated relationships with their single mothers, so that's another dynamic in the book. I really liked how friends were all starting out and finding their way in the world. Highly recommend.

Really enjoyed this one. It’s a new adult—just graduated from high school story. It definitely felt like a YA book. Fun adventures in NYC, strong group of friends, friends with feelings type.

The Getaway List is a cute, quirky coming of age story, with a side of (best childhood) friends to lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Lord’s witty writing in this love note to New York City. The found family is made up of a lovable cast of characters, who get up to some hilarious shenanigans together. My main issue, however, is that the pacing was off for me; at times it really felt like it dragged. I’m giving it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc!

If you have ever read and enjoyed any of Emma Lord's other books, you are bound to enjoy this book as well. While it is it's own very unique story, it shares common themes that appear in her other books, like a character who loves photography, almost-new-adult protagonists, creating an app, New York, family, etc. And while I predictably enjoyed this book, it wasn't quite as top tier as her other books, in my opinion.

This is mainly because of personal opinion. As I have gotten older, I'm slowly starting to realize that YA is not always an absolute hit for me anymore. Yet, one thing I do love about this book is the age of the characters. There needs to be more young adult novels that focus on what to do after high school. I know plenty of them exist, but rarely are they ones that really get pushed at young adult audiences. I think the most popular one I have seen is either Today Tonight Tomorrow or Again, but Better. But these books are crucial to readers and really can help those who are nearing or are this age to feel better about not knowing what happens next.

So, you may be wondering why this book missed a little for me, and I think the main thing is the lack of chemistry. Though Riley and Tom do have SOME chemistry, it isn't as off-the-page as the romance in Tweet Cute. I'm convinced that nothing can beat Emma Lord's debut, maybe because that's my expectation for all of her books to be like that now, and I'm no longer blown away when her books are just great YA novels instead of shockingly-great... I guess what I mean is that my high standards are really getting in the way. My favorite of her books, You Have A Match, is mainly a favorite due to personal reasons. For one, there was the setting, and secondly, the existence of an incredibly passionate main character.

Though I haven't yet read Begin Again, I did notice two things that were new within this book compared to the other three I have read: the existence of a friend group that really was at the forefront of the novel, and having characters who were writers. I think this was incrediblely done, and I hope to see more of her novels with these themes.

But, mostly, what I really want now is for Emma Lord to write a fantasy novel. Maybe something like the Tides of Time series mentioned in the novel? So, Emma, if you're reading this, or if your publisher or agent is, I have a pitch for you: write a fantasy or sci-fi novel. Keep the same chemistry levels between your characters, but the stakes will be so much higher, and you might even find yourself a new audience to bridge your contemporary books to fantasy books. It will be excellent! Think of the chemistry between the characters in The Lunar Chronicles! Emma, you could write that!! But you also have the humor that would keep it lighthearted. I just have the feeling that any fantasy or sci-fi you would write would have a vague Rick Riordan-esque feel to it, and I mean that in the absolute best way. So please consider it. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

This book is precious! I love a found family, friends to lovers, NYC adventure. The characters were distinct and likeable

This was my first book of Emma Lord’s, but i will definitely seek out more of her titles!