Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was very excited to have been approved since I know that Emma Lord will always deliver a sweet, wholesome, feel-good read.

The Getaway List definitely fit the bill. The cast of friends, old and new, that Riley gathers in NYC were adorable and perfectly quirky and the author's love for the city shines through on every page. The loving but complicated mother-daughter relationship between Riley and her mom felt realistic as did her 18 year old quest to truly find herself on her own terms.

There were some parts that were a bit slow for me but overall found it enjoyable and would recommend to YA readers and fans of the author.

This book had a great setting that really immersed you in NYC culture temporarily. The extended cast of characters added to the storylines. I did feel that the end was a bit rushed and I didn't feel a great resolution with his mom but otherwise it was enjoyable to read!

1 Sentence Summary: It’s Riley’s high school graduation and she has no idea who she is or what she’s going to do now—she was rejected from every college she applied to and has spent the last four years only doing what her mom wants—until she makes an impulsive decision to move to NYC for the summer and visit her childhood friend Tom to complete The Getaway List, a list of everything they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away.

My Thoughts: This was so cute!!! Emma Lord never disappoints. It was very well written and the perfect mix of fluffy cuteness and heavier emotions.

I loved all of the characters and the relationships—the romance and the chemistry and the FRIENDSHIPS omg why do I not have a friend group like this? Riley and Tom were so cute together. Childhood best friends to lovers?? Come on, so freaking adorable.

Also, the communication in this book??? Next level. Riley’s whole friend group was so good at talking to each other and having healthy communication. (And for someone whose least favorite trope is miscommunication, this was greatly appreciated.)

Okay, and tell my why all of Emma Lord’s books make me want to one, move to New York, and two, eat dessert?

(Oh, also, I love when books have other books in them that don’t exist in real life. Like, I want to read the Tides of Time series now, even though it’s not a real series!)

Recommend to: Fans of adorable YA contemporary novels featuring NYC shenanigans, amazing friendships, and friends to lovers romance.

(Warnings: swearing; parental neglect)

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Immediately after graduating high school, Riley leaves behind her uncertain future to NYC to visit her long lost, best friend Tom. While reconnecting with her friend, falling in love with NYC, and gathering a new group of friends, Riley finds herself.

A sweet, fun read with some great tension between Tom and Riley throughout.

Loved every minute of being in Riley's head as she narrates through this sweet, heart-felt coming of age novel. 'The Getaway List' is full of witty banter and New York City fun and shenanigans! It's also full of just-graduated-high-school teenagers finding themselves and trying to navigate their next move, to figure out what is best for them; not necessarily what their families are trying to push onto them. I loved this small group of close friends and especially liked the dynamics between Riley and Tom.

Highly recommended YA reading!

3.5 rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this new to me author. I really enjoyed the storyline and plot. It was quite cute at times. However somehow the story fell a little short for me. I liked the characters enough but I wasn't really deeply invested into them as I feel I am for other books. The romance was cute but at times I felt the story dragged on a bit or it's just that I wasn't super invested in it. Cute read and id definitely recommend for lovers of young adult books or NYC. I want to go to that brownie place!! Loved that plot point!

Pub date: 1/23/24
Genre: YA, coming of age
Quick summary: Riley graduates high school with no college acceptances and no clear plans for the future. So she heads to NYC to visit her BFF Tom, and an impromptu weekend turns into a summer to remember.

I love coming of age stories, and a summer in NYC with a best friend is such a fun plot starter. I liked Riley as an MC - some teens feel older than their ages, but Riley really felt like a new high school grad trying to figure everything out. I also enjoyed getting to know Tom as Riley helped him open up about his struggles with his family. There are some romantic elements, but ultimately this is more a story of friendship and finding oneself. This was a 3-star read for me because there was a little too much going on plot-wise, but I enjoyed the chance to visit NYC through teenage eyes!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another perfect book by this author. I could not get enough of Riley. Her growth as a character was absolute perfection. Emma Lord writes YA books that remind me of 90s romcoms in the absolute best way.

The Getaway List ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is such a feel good YA romance.

Riley and Tom are childhood best friends who were separated in high school. Riley lives in Virginia and Tom moved to New York with his mom. After graduating Riley impulsively decides to take a trip to see Tom. They make a plan to tackle some of the items on their “Getaway List” while she’s there. With the help of friends they accomplish them. Riley decides that she wants to stay in New York to find herself while Tom leaves for North Carolina. Will their friendship turn into more?

I loved Tom and Riley’s characters and how much they grow throughout this book. The friend group is great too and I liked how each one of them overcame their own struggles. I also liked how this is a closed door romance but also just a sweet romance too.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @dilemmalord for my arc. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Emma Lord is an auto-read author for me. She has not put out a book yet that I dislike, and this falls in the same category. This might even be her best. I loved the friendship between Riley and Tom so much. I also loved all the side characters in this book. By the end they felt like they were my friends too. The setting was also just so dreamy. I love all books set in New York City. Books that include a plot about writing also just make me so happy. I felt like this book was made just for me. Truly, no complaints and no issues.

I love Emma Lord's books and this one was just as great. There might be some pacing issues, and some things that just feel like they could ONLY happen in a YA book, but overall this was a very enjoyable read! I absolutely loved the characters and felt like I was a part of the group too. Super fun read!

Emma Lord, back at it again with another comfort read.

While I’ve pretty much aged out of YA, Lord has a way of bringing me back to my younger years in such a visceral way.

Riley, Tom, and friends were such a fun group and I found myself immersed in all their New York adventures. The romance between the characters was sweet and not overdone. I really felt like Riley was living the dream of most small town high school kids.

Lord really hit the mark on describing the feelings of someone entering adulthood without a true sense of direction. This book was smart, fun and sent me back to my early adult years.

I love Emma Lord's books so when I saw this one on NetGalley I knew I had to review it. This book was a very sweet and fun summer romance. I loved the whole premise of the Getaway List and completing it. I also really enjoyed all of the relationships in this book specifically the friend group and Riley and her mom's relationship. The only thing I will say is there were some points where I felt like the story was dragging and I wished it would speed up. Overall another fantastic book by Emma Lord!

This was absolutely darling and perfect for fans of Emily Henry searching for their next sweet romance! "The Getaway List" was the absolute perfect romance I was looking for, it had all the warm feels and was just so wonderful. I actually read it again right after I finished it because I loved it that much. If you love contemporary romance, if you are craving the 'will-they'won't-they', if you enjoy adorable characters finding their way to love, then this book should be on your list to read for it! I loved everything about this book, and highly recommend it!

Emma Lord never disappoints! I loved this heartfelt story about friends coming back together. I felt immersed in the setting and was loving the concept of a list of fun things to get through together. I would definitely recommend this to friends and had a great time reading!

To be fair, I started this just before I got sick and was barely able to read for days. However, I enjoyed the friendships, the angst between Riley and Tom, and the fun New York dessert scene. While I felt this one dragged on a bit and I admit to skimming the last 30%, Emma Lord is hands down an automatic read for me and I am looking forward to her adult debut!

Emma Lord's The Getaway List is a delightful and heartwarming story that effortlessly weaves together self-discovery, rekindled friendship, and unexpected romance. This book is a breath of fresh air, leaving you with a smile on your face and a yearning for your own adventure.

This book was so sweet and heartfelt, I loved it. With New York City almost serving as a character itself, the setting and this group of teens finding their way in the world was a perfect recipe.

I loved Riley and Tom’s friendship, even before it developed beyond that. It was so strong, even with long distance and years without seeing each other in person. They had a true bond that felt like it really could withstand anything life might throw at it. The gentle growth of their love was heartwarming.

I loved Riley’s relationship with her mom. They struggled and it felt truthful to what a relationship between a mom and a teenage daughter, where they most definitely disagreed and had misunderstandings that created hurt and strife. It was obvious though that Riley’s mom would always be there for her daughter, no matter what. Riley knew it already, but it was moving to see the reality of the security and depth of that being driven home for her during her summer with Tom who was facing the lasting issues of not having that relationship with his mom.

I loved the entire friend group as well. It’s easy to be transported back to that age and knowing so many changes were coming as everyone heads off in new directions. The pressure of feeling the expectation to have a path for your life figured out at 18. Learning how to navigate and hang onto the things that matter while allowing space for growth. I felt all of that here and was so endeared to this group of teens.

This book brought the emotions with a lightness that didn’t downplay the real challenges being faced. It was a joy to read.

The moment I started reading this book, I took a huge sigh of contentment. I adore Emma Lord's books, her writing, the relationships, the banter, and the references. In typical Emma Lord fashion, we're given Taylor Swift, baked goods, and New York City. Those BROWNIES. I need them.

I love this take on what happens after graduation. This time in someone's life is up in the air, the world is open, it's (hopefully) magical, and we follow Riley to New York where she assembles an adorable friend group, each dealing with their own thing. Each character brings their own puzzle piece to the group and I enjoyed the dynamics.
I'm a big sucker for friends who haven't seen each other in years and finally reunite and things have changed - they're attracted to each other and don't know if their crush is returned, and of course, there's always some obstacle :P
It was fun taking a journey with them on their Getaway List and I enjoyed the added mystery of the 'Dear, Love' gifts. As a writer, I enjoyed Riley & Luca's creative stories and writing journey. & I'm glad we got an epilogue to see where everyone ended up.

Such a fun, enjoyable read!

I love Emma Lord's previous books so I was excited to read another book by her. I was not disappointed. The Getaway List is about a teenage girl who just graduated high school who travels to New York and reconnect with her best friend that moved away. This goal is to complete the getaway list - a list they made of things they wanted to do together since Tom moved.