3.5 stars

I'm an incoming fan of Emma Lord's but with the caveat that while I've really enjoyed some of her books, I've found others just okay. Though this one leans more toward the "just okay" end of the spectrum, the audiobook was still a worthy listen with a great narrator.

Riley and Tom are friends with a long history, but they've more recently been a little distant. Readers start off at Riley's high school graduation where we learn immediately that things are NOT going as planned for her. She's decorated her graduation cap with university rejection letters, and this fashion statement matches the title; there's simply a lot to get away from right now. That's where the getaway list - and a reconnection to Tom - come in.

Some of Lord's characters have really pulled at me. They feel round and developed, and I love rooting for them. These two were just harder for me to connect with in part because I found their reactions to each other and their general trajectory a little too predictable.

I was fortunate to receive both an electronic and audio copy of this book and devoured the latter, which does have great narration. This is the version I'll likely recommend to students when and where accessible. And while this one wasn't my favorite of Lord's collection, I did enjoy it overall and am looking forward to what she reveals to readers next.

Emma Lord is my favorite contemporary YA author. Her dialogue is funny, her characters are unique, and I love the relationships between the teenage protagonists and their parents. While she has some similar themes in each book—and many of the books are set in NYC—I think enjoyment really hinges on how well you connect to the specific cast of characters and their coming-of-age stories.

This book follows best friends Riley and Tom, who have been separated for years before meeting again for a summer in New York. Because their friendship is firmly rooted in the past and there are so many flashbacks, I didn't really fall for this story the way that I wanted to. It's still very funny and sweet with a large supporting cast, and I liked that the protagonist, Riley, strikes out on her own without conventional college plans. But I found myself less interested in Riley and Tom's past, and that dominates a large part of the book. If you want to read about the evolution of a lifelong friendship (and don't mind a lot of descriptive backstory), you'll probably enjoy this more than I did.

If you haven't read any Emma Lord, I loved When You Get the Chance (it made me cry!) and Tweet Cute. I am very excited for her first adult romance to come out next year!

And of course, thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

This was a cute YA contemporary romance. Quick read but well written with a fun storyline and characters. I've only recently started reading romance and would read more books by this author.

I loved this book set in NYC. It made me want to visit and made me feel like I was there all at once. Tom and Riley were adorable and relatable. Loved their love story.

This is now my favorite Emma Lord book. I really enjoyed Riley, Tom and their friends. I loved the adventuring around New York and them discovering who they are and who they want to be. This is such a great coming of age story. Andrew while friends to lovers isn’t necessarily my favorite trope, it was done so well here. I loved Riley and Tom’s friendship so much. Also, Luca, Jesse and Mariella were such great supporting characters. Honestly, my favorite part of the whole book was the humor. There were so many amazing puns and clever word play and I found myself laughing out loud several times. I did think that the story dragged the tiniest bit around the 70% mark, but I was still very engaged with the story. Highly recommend this one for fans of Emma Lord, friends to lovers and found family tropes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

The Getaway List is another hit from Emma Lord!

As Riley graduates from high school, she realizes that she's tired of her Mom dictating every move Riley makes, so she decides she is going to see her best friend Tom. Riley and Tom have been best friends since childhood. They created a "getaway list" of all the adventures they wanted to do together, but Tom moved to New York with his Mom over a year ago. With graduation over and no college acceptance letters for her, Riley decides that she will go see Tom and finish some items on the list. What happens next is a sweet romantic coming of age story with plenty of wit and charm that Lord is known for writing.

I can't wait to share this with my young adult readers!

This book was really CUTE! That word kept popping to mind as I read this. It read more like YA to me with some swear words sprinkled in.

I fell in love with all of the main characters and their bond together. Very sweet and fun book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Emma Lord is becoming one of my favorite YA/ 'new adult' authors. I read her release last year Begin Again and liked it a lot.

If you remember at all, a book that came out a long time ago, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Getaway List has the feel of it: in the sense of siblings who run away from home to the Metropolitan Musuem of Art in New York, it has a certain magic. Two kids, barely adults and their new friends, let loose in NYC for a whole summer without much of an adult presence.

Riley just graduated High school finally, and having been rejected for every 4 year university she applied to, plans to stay home and work as a barista in the coffee shop her mom manages in VA, and attend community College. However, her best friend Tom, who had moved to New York 4 years ago, hasn't seen her and she misses him. Riley was a bit of a prankster in high school and ended up suspended, so her mother put her in all these extra curiculars and kept her busy. Riley decides to go visit Tom for a weekend, even though her mom doesn't want her to go. Riley and her mom have a Gilmore Girls thing going on, although her mom just doesn't want Riley to end up like her.

Riley and Tom and their friends take to New York with their wings. Riley's friend Jesse and his band mates had planned to move to the city, and they met Tom's friend Mariella and met Luca in a writing class. Riley and Tom may be best friends, but there's chemistry between them and also secrets. They spend time fetching items as part of a delivery app, go see their friends play at a Millshake club, karaoke, and other things that are age appropriate. Riley wants to complete her Getaway List, which was written when Tom moved away.

As the summer goes on and Riley wrestles with her future plans, and her feelings for Tom, the group gels and works on completing the Getaway List. Only a secret threatens to break up the group, as well as the 2 possible romances in the group (there's a 3rd, and an odd person out). Riley has to be honest with herself and with her mom about what she wants. And who she wants.

Because Tom's mother works as a screenwriter and is on set on location in Hawaii, we don't meet her until the end. The lack of parents or adults around just turned 18 year olds in New York is wild and unrealistic. Especially with this generation of helicopter parenting. Even though the kids (sorry they're kids to me lol) have jobs, it seems hard to believe they can live in New York, and specifically Manhattan. But it's fiction.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Trigger warning for parental abandonment, mild alcohol use in 1 chapter, bullying in past. PG rated, no sex scenes. Book release scheduled for 1/23/24.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

I love all of Emma Lord’s works. Tom and Riley were fun and so cute.

3.5 stars.

I have enjoyed most all of Emma Lord's books, and this one was right on par with her other novels.

The Getaway List is about Riley, who just graduated from high school and feels completely lost about her future and who she is. On a whim, she takes off for New York to visit her old best friend Tom. Since Tom moved to New York, their friendship has been strained and distant. But Riley is determined to redeem her friendship with Tom and tackle their getaway list together, a list of things they promised to do together that has been on the backburner for years.

This was a cute and fun story, and exactly what I have come to expect from Emma Lord. I enjoyed Riley and Tom's relationship and watching it move from friendship to something more. There was a fun cast of characters who joined them in their adventures.

I did feel like the ending wrapped up too quickly. I wanted more from Tom and Riley as they realized their feelings for each other. It ended way too fast for me, but otherwise I enjoyed this one.

I am an Emma Lord fan, so take this review knowing how much I love her.

This book is one I would not want to give a young adult….

First, the glorification of disrespect. The age old cliche of “I am a teenager so I know better than any adult”. It hurt my heart to see a child blatantly flaunting her moms “stupidity” like she knew anything about life and adulting five seconds after getting her high school diploma.

I get wanting to spread your wings, and I think this just went too far.

And when the teen gets her way, it’s all good.

Also for a YA book 48 uses of the F word is crazy.

The Getaway List was a cute coming of age story. I thought Tom and Riley were fun main characters. I can see young readers relating to the pressures Tom and Riley experienced. I liked that the author highlighted different paths after graduating high school. I also liked that the secondary characters were fleshed out. I did struggle with some aspects of the book. There were points in the story where the writing felt clunky. I also found the story unrealistic. New York is hard to live in and I wish we saw the characters struggle a little more. Although the book read a little too long for my taste, I would recommend this one to the teens at my library! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

What a lovely, sweet, and poignant coming of age novel! It keeps the light and breezy touch that Ms. Lord is known for but burrows in with a depth and tenderness that resonates with anyone, young or old, who has felt lost on their journey to find themselves.

Riley's character is especially touching and relatable. She is so full of life and fire but yet still so young and unsure of herself and her place in the world. She has courage and the determination to overcome and grow, and that is such an impressive lesson for readers to experience as they follow her through that growth. The secondary characters are also enjoyable and easy to like, each with their specific quirks and gifts. Ms. Lord did a fabulous job of painting a picture of modern day teens in a positive way, while still uncovering their youthful inexperience realistically. I do think there are times the character's insights came across as much older than their 18 years and, given the world we live in, the ability to do many of the things they did may not seem completely viable.

Still, the messages, the struggles, and the hope shine so brightly that one can't help but adore both the characters and the story. It is truly a delight and one that leaves a sweet smile as the last page turns.

This was a sweet coming of age story - filled with adventures, found family, and growing up.

Riley just graduated and the first thing she wants to do see see her childhood friend in New York. She takes a bus to get there.. on her way she thinks about what she wants to do, who she is, and have they changed.

I think that is one of the major theme of the book - change is natural while growing up and that is something they come to terms with throughout the book.

Another is finding your tribe, home, and friends - their little group for this Getaway List was the best. The sweetest and not backstabbing or sassy mean at all. This is the kind of story with that you can vibe with if you are looking for a happy, zero stress story.

A favorite! Cannot wait to get a physical next year because man 2024 is rocking it with good feel books. Also zero spice! Which fits the story :)

Thank you netgalley for this earc for an honest review.

Emma Lord has a magical way of writing young adult books that appeal to everyone, and The Getaway List is no different. I am definitely not the target audience, as a 31 year old, but I can still appreciate a good young adult novel. The Getaway List has themes that are common in young adult novels, like parents not understanding you, wanting to find yourself, doing your own thing, etc but still feels fresh and new. I really enjoyed the characters and their relationships, and the ways they try to better themselves and each other!

Okay so this might be the first Emma Lord book that I didn’t LOVE. Normally she can do no wrong, but this one just didn’t hook me all that well and I found the plot device (the list) to be sort of silly and boring.

Not her greatest but she’s still an auto buy for me.

This is a cute, YA romcom read but wasn't quite as good as other books I've read by this author. I love the found family aspect but at times the story felt pretty juvenile considering all the main characters are 18+ and I felt like Tom and Riley's love story was underdeveloped.

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

Emma Lord’s newest is a better storyline than her last. I enjoyed the overall theme of his book. But the language was off-putting. Wished she had left it out. Best friends reconnecting and whole new mishmash of friends trying to figure out their place in life and New York City. Good solid read….except the language. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an arc of The Getaway List by Emma Lord in exchange for my honest review. This is a coming of age story of two best friends who met as children: a sheltered girl, Riley, and a boy, Tom,who has free to do whatever because his mom is often traveling for work. When Tom was in high school, he moved to NYC and they haven't seen each other since because Riley's mom kept her intentionally very busy with school activities. As soon as Riley graduates college, she goes to NYC to see Riley for a weekend and ends up staying longer. When they were younger, they wrote a Getaway List of various things to do and now that they are both in NYC, they are starting to cross off that list. In this book, Riley discovers who she is without the pressure of her mom, while Tom is also discovering how he can have a good relationship with his often distant mom.