Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars)

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.

The story follows Riley, a young woman who realizes she has lost herself in the pursuit of being the "Good Kid" for her mother, and in the process, has forgotten what she truly desires in life. The remedy? A summer getaway to New York with her childhood best friend, Tom, who is also the co-creator of "The Getaway List," a compilation of their dream adventures. This journey of rediscovery promises to help Riley reconnect with her adventurous spirit and set her on a new path.

What makes this book so captivating is the authenticity of its characters. Riley and Tom's reconnection feels effortless, reminding us of the pure and genuine bonds of childhood friendships.

Personally, I found myself laughing, shedding tears, and falling in love with all of the characters as they navigated their respective journeys. It touched my heart and resonated with my own coming-of-age experiences, inspiring me to plan an adventure of my own - here I come Boston!!

If you enjoyed Happy Place by Emily Henry, you'll undoubtedly love The Getaway List. Emma Lord's talent for character development and her handling of the friends-to-lovers trope are simply exceptional. I can't wait to take this book with me on my own adventures, just as Riley and Tom did with their list.

In summary, The Getaway List is a must-read for anyone seeking a heartwarming, romantic, and inspiring tale of self-discovery and the enduring power of friendship. Emma Lord has crafted a truly exceptional story that will leave you feeling uplifted and ready to embark on your next adventure, whether it's on the page or in the real world.
So so grateful to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest opinions. This was my first Emma Lord read and it most definitely is not my last!

Follow my own coming of age adventure on Instagram! Seriously this book really has inspired me and I am also so grateful for the beautiful friends I have in my life. Okay that's enough, gonna go happy cry now!

https://instagram.com/book.ishbaker?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==

I adored everything about this book. It made me want to drop everything and impulsively move to New York without a plan. The characters are so lovable and reading about felt like spending time with old friends. Emma Lord has a particular talent for creating a cast of characters bursting with love and life and utter warmth. I’ve already had the book on pre-order for weeks and can’t wait to give it another read when it arrives next year.

I don't know how, but Emma Lord is the queen of writing teenage drama in a way that is realistic, relatable, and heart-rending.

The Getaway List is the story of Riley. Well, really it's the story of Riley and Tom, even though the two haven't seen each in other in person in several years. But even that's not enough to keep them apart when Riley, having been rejected from every college to which she's applied, escapes to NYC to visit her best friend and finish their Getaway List. But New York isn't what Riley expected, and her relationship with Tom has changed for both better and worse, making Riley question how she's viewed the past and what she has planned for the future.

TGL is a story of many things that will make younger readers say, "I feel like this," and older readers remember exactly how it felt to feel that way. Tackling topics ranging from gaining independence, parent-child disconnect, new friendships, old friendships that have changed, and finding yourself without defining your life in regard to others, Riley and Tom's story is full of moments that will make readers tear up, squeal in delight, and laugh out loud. (Seriously, the scene where Luca is trying to be professional and accidentally ties his apron to a chair, resulting in him knocking over a vat of edible glitter and glitzing everyone made me cackle.) The relationships are gold, and the importance of honesty and sharing when things are hard is a lesson many people need to take to heart. Add to that an awesome to-do list that takes readers all around NYC, and you've got another hit from Lord.

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC!
Anything from Emma Lord is an automatic read for me and this book just continued to prove my point. The slow burn romances Emma writes are always so well done. The found family trope in this story was so sweet, and I loved that it wasn't just Riley that grew to have a found family but Tom as well who, until Riley got to New York, hadn't really been that social or had many friends. I loved seeing both of them grow as individuals over the summer but also the change in their relationship from friends to lovers. The adventures they go on with each other and their friends throughout the summer are so much fun to read about and help bring the characters out of their shells. Such a sweet story that I will definitely be reading again.

Emma Lord delivers a true love letter to New York City in this charming coming of age book about discovering who you are. A fun book that makes you wish you were there with them. Lord delivers a touching story about the highs, lows, triumphs, mishaps, rebellious, experimental parts of being eighteen that every teenager should read. She delivers.a mother/daughter relationship that has you calling up your own mom to just catch up. Lord gives a beautiful and chaotic relationship that is truly in the friends to lovers hall of fame.

High school fiction at its finest! I think this is such an adorably cute young adult book chocked full of all the teen angst they face in a fun way. I loved how it addressed issues teens face in an engaging way.

4 stars – I love Emma Lord books! This book is no exception. We learn about Tom and Riley and their long-distance friendship. This is such a good story – all about coming to NYC, growing up and learning to make decisions for yourself. The characters are very likeable and the group dynamics are solid. You can’t help but love them all.

A big “Thank You” to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and Emma Lord for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for an independent, honest review.

emma lord never disappoints! i was so happy when i received this arc in my inbox because emma is very quickly becoming one of my favourite authors and this book was no exception! i loved it so much, the characters were great, it was a fun little found family <3 the adventures around new york made me feel like i was actually there, which i've never been there so i loved being able to read about exploring the city :) although one thing that bugged me was after a certain amount, i DID start to notice that the word "lawless" was used so many times ahahaha like me vs never having heard this word used in my life to suddenly it's in a book like 20 times lolz i guess that was just riley's fav word to, think? ahaha

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of The Getaway List! Honestly, there isn't much Emma Lord does that I don't enjoy. The Getaway List looks like a light and frothy summer romance book, but under the surface, there is so much more about shifting relationships, finding yourself, and making the decisions that are going to benefit you in the long run. Though I knew where we were headed, the whole point of the story is the getting there, and there were some twists along the way that I wasn't expecting. And just as in Tweet Cute, I truly wish I could sample the foods that this gang enjoys!

Overall, a fun romp that makes the reader think. Highly recommend.

Emma Lord is the president of Young Adult rom-coms! This novel is a treat. I would have devoured it as a teenager and loved it as an adult. This book has friendship, adventure, emotional depth and a full cast of fun and interesting characters. It’s a true YA, very clean, somewhat unrealistic at times, but a delight to read!

A delightfully escapist romp of a romance with lots of fun, adventure, and friends.

Is there truly anything more fun than curling up with an Emma Lord book? Her novels are like holding a ray of sunshine—sweet, swoony sunshine. The Getaway List is no exception, an absolute delight from beginning to end. This is the perfect read for anyone who’s ever felt lost in their own lives (so everyone.)

I unfortunately just did not feel a connection to these characters. The way Tom is portrayed in the beginning didn’t seem to line up with the Tom we meet when Riley gets to NYC, and the rationale behind the change didn’t match up enough for me. I do appreciate how Lord incorporates NYC into all her books, but I just didn’t feel as excited about this one as I have her others.

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

This was a super cute and fast read for me. It had all the requirements for a cute YA rom-com. I really enjoyed all of the main characters and their relationships. I felt like I could be part of their group (if I wasn’t 30 years older)
A fun read for an airplane.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC to read in exchange for my honest review

I haven’t read any work from Emma Lord and honestly requested this book by the cover art. Then I realized that Lord was a pretty well know and loved author. In regards to the book I could not get into the story. Maybe it’s because I’m out of high school and I’m the wrong audience for the book but I found it to be for someone younger.

Each time I get an email inviting me to read Emma Lord’s latest work I get so excited and know I have a great read in front of me. “The Getaway List,” was the perfect company as I sat on the beach last weekend. Another Lord YA classic, filled with love and friendship and of course a fictional food destination of my dreams.

Getting rejected from all 10 colleges she applies to, Riley Larson, graduates without an exact plan for what’s next, but knows it’s going to be better than high school. Celebrating her graduation with a McFlurry Riley decides to spend the weekend in NY with her best friend Tom. Tom and his movie director mother moved to the city years ago and Riley can’t wait to reunite with the one she caused the most trouble with. As the book says it’s always been TomandRiley, or RileyandTom, and when she arrives it’s as if they’ve never met. What is supposed to be a weekend escape ends up in Riley deciding to stay for the summer. At her mother’s dismay Riley and Tom spend the summer fulfilling the missions on their long ago made, “Getaway List.” Adventures inspired by their favorite book series, “Tides of Time,” like “3. Go on the ‘Tides of Time,’ exploration walk in Central Park,” and more basic things like “5. Go to karaoke.” They include their friends in an epic summer of antics all around the city- which is a character in the book.

Loved this one, as I do with all Emma Lord books, can’t wait to add it to my bookshelf when it is released in January!

Riley Larsen had just graduated from high school without a plan for college. On a whim, she goes to NYC to visit her best friend, Tom. After 3 years apart, their friendship is just as strong and there’s maybe some chemistry there. Riley and Tom gather a group of new friends to work through the “Getaway List” of fun excursions that Riley and Tom had planned throughout their 3 years apart. During the summer, Riley realizes she knows exactly who she wants to be.
In true Emma Lord fashion, the romance is sweet, but is not the whole story; this is a coming-of-age story with a focus on all of Riley’s relationships - with her self, her mother, her friends. Throughout the story, Riley grows into her self - gaining confidence and coming up with a plan of what she does and doesn’t want out of her life. Emma Lord does YA rom-coms so well, and The Getaway List is no exception. There are some nods to her other books and there’s always a bit of a nerdy element, which reminds me of my teenage years.

Had a really difficult time getting through this...the flow of this was disjointed and hard to follow.

Well, I just loved this book so much! Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes but even more so, I loved the themes of self discovery and friendship and family woven through this story. This wasn’t so much a young adult romance as it was a love story — in all the ways — and I was 100% here for all of it.

This book was very on brand for Emma Lord- lucky for me, I enjoy Emma Lord stories! Her characters are likeable and sweet and I enjoyed getting lost and reminiscing back into my new-adult days (which were nothing like Tom & Riley’s, but that’s what makes it fun!). 3.5⭐️ thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this novel!

4.5 Stars

Every year I read an Emma Lord book, it ends up as a favorite of the year and The Getaway List is no exception! Dare I say, it might even rival Tweet Cute as my favorite Emma Lord novel. I’m not going to lie when I read the synopsis and read the first chapter, I feared for my enjoyment of this book (I thought it would end up being a three stars overall) but if this reading experience taught me anything, it’s not to doubt Ms. Emma Lord because this blew my expectations out of the water. Luckily I was hooked from the 2nd chapter when she arrived in New York!

One of the things Emma Lord does well is characters and their dynamics. She makes the most loveable friend groups! Mariella (an up and coming app developer), Luca (an aspiring writer), Jesse (the head of a rock band), and Riley and Tom were all great individuals with their own problems they’re trying to figure out and distinct personalities and the way they support each other in whatever they are dealing with…ahhh…they just mesh so well together! They felt very much like real people and a friend group I would love to be a part of as they tackle the hijinks of The Getaway List!

I love a good childhood friends to lovers romance and it was done so well here with Riley and Tom. They were so cute together with Lord’s signature banter! I felt their chemistry so hard because we got to know each of them individually and how they became best friends and grew up together. It made them getting together satisfying! Of course they had their cheesy moments but what romance doesn’t! Together they helped each other become better versions of themselves!

Not to mention the New York backdrop!!! I mean most of Emma Lord's books are set in NY but this book felt like an homage to the city so I never felt the magic of the Big Apple as much as I did when I read this book. She really brought it to life and it felt magical! I’ve always wanted to go to New York so watching Riley find her home and settle in New York while she figures out her life was awesome and made me want to go even more!

Parental relationship exploration (which is also present in Lord’s other novels) is present and done well. Both Riley and Tom had issues with their moms and it was great seeing them work through their issues. Riley sort of resents her mom for never giving her a space to explore what she likes, what she wants and who she is which is why Riley runs off to New York to stay with Tom to figure that out. Tom’s mom on the other hand was barely emotionally present in Tom’s life because she was always so busy working on her newest film manuscript to even give him the light of day. Riley and Tom helped each other through each of the wounds their mom’s caused and reading about their healing was beautiful. I appreciate how the healing wasn’t necessarily wrapped up in a pretty bow for Tom by the end of the book because a wound like that takes time to heal.

I feel like a lot of people, especially those who have felt lost once or twice (or a thousand times) in their life, could benefit from reading Riley’s journey! She learns to find herself and what she wants to do for her future all while finding a perfect home for herself. This could be relatable and cathartic for a lot of people going through big changes as I know it was for me!

Emma Lord strikes again with a novel that’s relatable and all around feels like a warm embrace. If it’s not obvious already, I highly recommend this book! I can’t wait to pick up a physical copy so I can annotate it and place it on my shelf with my other Emma Lord novels and I hope you’ll join me on January 23rd, 2024!