The Getaway List by Emma Lord released in January of 2024. I've been putting it off because after completing this, I have no more Emma Lord's to read until 2025. A sad day, indeed...But that day has come. I started the audiobook this morning, because I just couldn't resist anymore and sure enough, I binged it all in one day.

This story is unsurprisingly sweet and cute, full of heart-warming character moments and a #goals Found Family that I wanted to be a part of. I really enjoyed it!

In this story, we meet our MC, Riley, on the day she graduates from high school. She realizes that she's been working so hard the past 4-years, trying to do everything her Mom wants, that she hasn't had any time for herself. She's at a point when her classmates are moving on to their next steps, and she doesn't even know what she wants her next steps to be. It hits her like a truck.

Riley also realizes she misses her best friend, Tom, who moved away years ago to New York City with his Mom, and she needs a chance to reconnect with him. Being with Tom, before he moved, those are the last times she really remembers being able to be herself. She misses him and their easy connection. Needing the freedom to explore options for what the future may have in store for her, Riley plans an impromptu trip to NYC. Sadly, her Mom doesn't support her decision and the two get in a row. Her Mom tells her she can't go.

But Riley's 18-years old, it's time she start making decisions for herself. Even though she's not leaving under the best of circumstances, her mind is made up and off she goes.

The reunion between the two friends is a little uncertain at first. They haven't seen one another in corporeal form in years. Nevertheless, before long, like true friends, it feels like they've never been apart. After a few days, Riley is feeling more like herself than she has in a long, long time. She decides it would be best if she stay for the Summer. She and Tom have begun to check off items from their Getaway List, and it just feels fated.

There's also something else brewing in Riley's mind. What are these butterflies she's getting in her stomach whenever she's with Tom? This is a whole new feeling, one she just may now be ready to explore.

One of the things I love most about Emma Lord's books is the journeys that the characters go on. Her books are very much Contemporary, with Romance being more of a subplot, which works for me. I'm not a heavy Romance Reader and the books I enjoy the most with Romance in them, tend to focus a lot on other things going on in the protagonist's lives other than Romance; such as family or career issues.

This book is truly about self-discovery for Riley. She's lost herself in trying to make her Mom happy, and doing what she needs to do to be the good girl. She's been doing what her Mom wants, but finally comes to a point where she recognizes she needs to start making decisions for herself.

She's at that fantastic crossroads in life, just after high school, where all obligations of childhood are completed, and it's time to start take the first steps into adulthood. The world is literally her oyster. I liked her desire to reconnect with Tom, and I definitely understood her motivations for tracking him down. It was fun watching them reconnect and being along for the ride as their feelings for one another evolved.

My favorite part, however, was the Found Family that Lord created around Riley and Tom. They were both having difficulties with their Moms, and the added support they received from their friends was so needed. There was a line in the book, I didn't flag it, so don't quote me, but it was something along the lines of, 'family isn't who you share blood with, it's who you'll spill blood for'. That hit in a special way with this book.

If those are the kind of vibes you enjoy in your Contemporary stories, you need to check this one out. It delivered all of that and more. The mix of funny, heart-warming moments, with more serious, quieter moments, was beautifully-executed, IMO. Overall, I thought this was such a gratifying story. Lord wrapped everything up in a lovely little bow, and I walk away with a big smile on my face. I'm so happy that I finally made time for this; that I finally caved and read the last Emma Lord book that I have left to read. Emma, I will see you in 2025!!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Clearly, Emma Lord is one of my go-to authors and I cannot wait to pick up more from her.

Her brand of sweet will never get old to me. I eat it up like ice cream with every available topping on it!!

A coming of age story about Riley who just graduated from high school and takes off to visit her best friend Tom who moved to New York City a few years prior and she hasn't seen since. As she and Tom spend time getting to know each other all over again, Riley makes friends in the city and finds people who care about her. Although her mother wants her to come back home she decides to spend the entire summer there so her and Tom can work on their Getaway List-a list they created years ago of thing they wanted to do together.

I always enjoy reading Emma Lord's YA novels and this one did not disappoint. The characters tend to remind me a little of some of myself at that age and always up for adventures. A quick, fun read which would be perfect for the summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wendesday Books for the advanced readers copy.

When Riley graduates high school she realizes she doesn't know what o do with her life so she goes to New York to visit her best friend.
Will she find what she's looking for?

This delightful book explores breaking free from parental controls, the importance of a support network, and the necessity of having hard conversations in order to grow. These aren’t themes often found in YA, and I even wondered if it could be a genre-bender and be on the New Adult shelf as well. But like all wonderful books, there are relatable moments, characters, and emotions for any age reader.

This was a super cute and fun read! While I did enjoy Riley and Tom, I did struggle with the YA portion. I couldn't help but cringe a little and get annoyed with the immatureness, but overall I did enjoy the story. I loved their connection and Riley was definitely relatable.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Emma Lord never disappoints. Even though I haven’t been reading as much YA recently, I will always pick up the new Emma Lord. I love that this was set the summer after high school. I also loved the strong emphasis on friendships. It was such a fun summer read and the setting of NYC was perfect. It was also the cutest friends to lovers romance. Riley’s relationship with her mom was such beautiful part of the book that made me cry at the end when they finally got to talk it out. I thought the relationships were complex and well developed, and overall I had such a good time reading this. I will definitely continue to pick up Emma Lord’s books!

Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a good, fun, light hearted YA novel and for that, I always turn to Emma Lord. THE GETAWAY LIST was a very cute story about Riley trying to figure out her life after she graduates high school. She does what all young adults wish they could do and moves to NYC to be near her best friend Tom where they start trying to check things off their "getaway list" they made as kids. I liked the progression of friends to lovers for her and Tom. I also like how Riley's life evolved as she made new friends and followed her passion. This was a really sweet story about finding yourself and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more from Lord.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me, which makes me so sad because I adore Emma Lord. There wasn't anything specific I can point to for why it didn't work for me, I just found myself not excited to pick it back up. 3 star rating based on what I read before DNFing - I liked it, but not enough to continue.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

emma lord does it again! this book was absolutely incredible and I just freaking adored the entire storyline.

this was the perfect coming-of-age story as our main character riley takes a big step and moves to nyc for the summer to reconnect with her best friend and figure out who she is and what she wants to do. the character development throughout was so well done and each character's storyline was well though out and carried throughout the book, with several subplots that added to the story so well. this idea of growing up and learning to make decisions for yourself was so impactful!

also the setting was so fun - it truly felt like this book was a love letter to New York City and made we want to go back and visit so bad. the friendships were also such a highlight of this book; the friend group that develops throughout and the way in which the characters bond in such a genuine way was so heartwarming.

and then of course the romance! tom and riley's relationship was my favorite thing EVER and I was literally smiling all through the end. even just in the smallest of moments, from their body language to the small acts of kindness and just showing how well they knew each other through minute actions was so extremely special and one of the best relationships I have read about in a while.

ultimately, I highly recommend picking up this book if you are looking for a fun, nyc summer, friends to lovers YA romance! so so good!

This was a cute book. I like the story and the characters it was a good book to just sit and get sucked into that world.

The Getaway List was incredibly cute, cheesy, and very New York. It really brought back memories for me when I lived in NYC for the first time in college while doing an internship. Emma Lord describes the energy of the city perfectly and her writing captured it well. Parts of Riley's story felt a little unrealistic for all these 18 year olds running around the city but it was still so fun. This book felt like eating candy the entire time and I loved the romance aspect of it as well.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a huge fan of Emma Lord since I first read Tweet Cute in 2020. I think she writes a really good, standard YA book. And The Getaway List has all the hallmarks of an Emma Lord book: there's shenanigans, friendship, a romance, a parent plotline, and lots of food. But I just didn't feel the spark of this book. It might be because it feels just like an Emma Lord Book. It is starting to feel repetitive, and I would love to see her break out and do something totally different instead of just staying in the safe zone. For that reason, I am still excited to read her adult romance coming out later this year, because I am hoping it will be a change of pace. But in general, I just couldn't connect with the characters in this one, and it didn't feel like there was enough depth, even though it was trying.

I haven't read Emma Lord before, but I was pulled in by the blurb. Overall, it was a cute book. I liked the characters. Nothing mind-blowing, but an easy read.

Emma Lord is one of my favorite YA authors, and she really stole my time and attention with The Getaway List! This was such an adventurous and fun take on a young adult romance, and I loved the friends to ‘lovers’ trope focus as well as the New York City setting. Riley is such a great character, and I loved her progression as the book goes on. She finds new friends, solidifies and molds her relationship with her mother, and finds more of herself along the way as she and Tom reconnect and do various items on their list.

The audiobook is a treat to listen to, and I highly recommend it as the way of reading The Getaway List. Norma Butikofer is a talented narrator, and she made this book and all of its intricacies come alive. It wouldn’t be a Lord book without some drama, and you will find that plus some unraveling of secrets as the climax approaches. If you ever wished you had chosen a different path in life or are still trying to follow and fulfill your dreams, this story will hit you right in the gut. It was such an emotional and uplifting journey and I’m glad I was here for it.

So I’ve officially read every single Emma Lord book thus far, and my favourite is still her debut “Tweet Cute”, but this one comes as a close second. I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I was anticipating; ‘cause her last few books were not my faves.

But what I did love from this particular book was the New York setting and the found family trope. I find that the essence of family, whether it’s found or not, always play a strong role in her books; which in my opinion makes her stand out as a YA author. And even though I’m not typically a fan of a slow burn romance, I didn’t mind it as much here as the friends to lovers element made more tolerable to read.

Overall, this was super cute summer read. I would also recommend this if you’re looking for a great coming-of-age book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a super cute YA romance that fans of Emma Lord will eat up! It's also a thoughtful coming-of-age story that will resonate with teens who aren't sure what their future holds. Recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for a copy of this ebook! I'm giving this 2.5 stars as I got to about 70% and it totally got boring for me. The story really started off strong and I was super into it but then it got really hard to finish. I lost the connection that Tom and Riley seemed to have and it just didn't hold me and get me to turn the pages like it did in the beginning. Maybe it just wasn't the story for me but I'm hoping to try another book by the author in the future for a second try.

“You don’t need stars, Riley. You are one. You have your own gravity and I cannot f*cking wait to see what you do with it.”

What Worked: This is a fun story about childhood friends reuniting for the summer and bashing about NYC. It’s got some excellent and fun scenes as they go about their bucket list adventures, but the real gems in this novel are the side characters and their subplots. You’ll definitely fall for these guys as much or more than the main characters. This is a classic young adult rom com that all fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.

What Didn’t: It took me a while to get into this book. I started it a few times, but I couldn’t break through the first couple chapters. As an educator, I had too hard of a time believing the “I’m so random I didn’t get accepted into any colleges” schtick. Once I broke through that barrier, however, it was more enjoyable. The adventures are a fun element to the story, but I was anticipating more than just “get a milkshake.”

Rating: Liked It

When You Get the Chance still remains my favorite Emma Lord novel – competitive coworkers with a Broadway twist… excellent!

I am a list person. Grocery lists, task lists, Christmas lists, book lists - I make them all. So when I initially read the summary of The Getaway List and saw that it was by Emma Lord, I was so excited to read it! Emma Lord is an "always ready author" for me, so I had high expectations. I'm happy to report that every single one was met.

The characters in this book are all great. None of them are perfect, just like real life. I love the friendship and relationship between the two main characters, as well as the friendship with their circle - friends from school as well as new friends from New York. The book is full of fun adventures - I almost felt like I was exploring New York City for myself! Trope wise it is friends to lovers, and while enemies to lovers is my favorite, friends to lovers is always so refreshing!

The Getaway List is another amazing book from Emma Lord. I can't wait to read the next one!