First, I love Emma Lord's YA romances! Second, Riley and Tom are just the cutest childhood friends-to-lovers couple you could ask for! Set in New York City, this is a coming of age story full of adventure, love, friendships, and figuring out life post high school graduation. This was delightful and heartwarming and swoony!

This was my second Emma Lord book and I enjoyed it much more than the first one I read. I loved the characters and the NYC setting. I enjoyed my time with this book but I think I just don't quite vibe with her writing style.

The Getaway List was a really engaging story about 2 best friends reconnecting and rediscovering their friendship, while discovering themselves.
I loved Riley and Tom's connection and enjoyed seeing them get to know each other all over again. The idea of the Getaway List was so fun and I loved that they finally got to cross everything off of it. Meeting new friends along the way was a bonus. And realizing the love they had for each other was the icing on the cake!

While Riley and Tom's relationship was the highpoint, family relationships played a big part in this story as well. They each had their fair share of motherly drama, with Riley's being too involved, and Tom's basically MIA. There was a lot to work through in those relationships, and I was glad to see that happen as the book went on.

This is another book that would be great on the big screen. Having read Edward Underhill's This Day Changes Everything, I could see these two books overlapping and converging on the streets of NYC- how fun would that be???

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I LOVED Emma Lord’s novel Begin Again, so I knew I had to read The Getaway List when I saw it coming out. This story follows Riley as she goes off on a coming-of-age adventure with her childhood friend Tom.

Right off the bat, I love all these characters. The friend group in this story is next level. You have someone for everyone to relate to. You have the nerd, the rockstar/popular friend, the sassy friend, and more. I loved the adventures the group went on and the lessons these teens learned from each other. The development and growth we see in all these characters is the winner of this story. While this story follows along with Riley, I really think the point of the story is how teenagers or young adults in this age group just don’t know who they are fully and have to find out for themselves who they are and what they want. I really enjoyed the talk between the mother and daughter and how the mom had to come to terms with her own past. As a mother, I found these scenes meaningful and memorable.

I have two small qualms with this book and the bigger of the two is that the story was a little slow at times. It seemed like there was a lot of repetitive days and feelings throughout where it was almost as if the author was filling space. I wanted these to flow smoother and keep me wanting to read. I remember that feeling with Begin Again and I was hoping for it, but it felt short at times. The other issue I had was the references to the movie or show they were constantly going on adventures for. I felt, as a reader, that I didn’t know much about this series for it to be referred to so much and almost felt confused as they went on adventures, which left me feeling disconnected from the book during those moments.

While those two small issues had me feeling separated from the book at times, my overall enjoyment of the book was not overly affected and I really enjoyed the story as a whole. If you loved Emma Lord in the past or just love really good YA Fiction novels with a lot of personal growth, The Getaway List is for you!

This adventure of Riley and Tom finding their true selves, true friends, and true love was cute. If I could go back to being 18 I would want to run off on adventures and have my own getaway list but since I can't I'm glad I got to live vicariously through these two friends. This was a cute book and a nice escape from life.

Im such a fan of Emma's books and getting to read this one early was SO Great. I really had fun with this one and loved reading it. She just writes such enjoyable books that allow you to get lost for the time you spend reading them.

This adventure of Riley and Tom finding their true selves, true friends, and true love was cute. If I could go back to being 18 I would want to run off on adventures and have my own getaway list but since I can't I'm glad I got to live vicariously through these two friends. This was a cute book and a nice escape from life.

Emma Lord is an amazing writer with so many different types of books. This one was YA and was definitely an amazing read. I'll be reading everything she writes.

Emma Lord’s newest Young Adult novel, The Getaway List is a heartwarming story about teenagers, their mothers and friendships. It’s a coming of age, rite of passage plot filled with all the angst which comes with growing up. It’s about two best friends, one of which moved away and how they attempt to reconnect on the same level as when they were younger. But they soon realize, their old selves are gone, and they must try and adjust to the new people they have become. But can they? As they try to find a balance between their new freedom, adult problems and still needing their moms in their lives, can they reconnect in a different way.

The day Riley graduated from high school was the day she decided to tell her mom she needed to spread her wings. Not being able to go to college the coming year, for reasons she doesn’t want to discuss, she makes the decision to go see her best friend Tom who now lives in New York City with his famous screenwriter mother. Since they moved a few years ago they have not seen each other, and their interactions have become less and less. So, Riley wants to get them back on track. Unfortunately, her mother feels that her being with Tom will only get her in trouble and forbids her to go. But, Riley, now feeling she is an adult and doesn’t need her mother’s permission goes against her wishes and ends up in New York.

What her mother doesn’t understand is that Riley and Tom had created a Getaway List of crazy things they wanted to do together. But then Tom moved, and they never had the chance to even start the list. So now, Riley wants to complete the list with Tom over a weekend.

But, when they get together, Riley finds they have become two different people than she remembers, although she sees a bit of the old Tom, he is more serious, adult-like. She realizes they have changed. They are not the same young kids with no problems who are just able to hang out and relax. Tom now has a job and with his mother away at the moment is responsible for an actual household.

But they decide to make the most of the time they have and start the list. Along the way, they get a bit of help from a couple of kids who they would have never even given the time of day. And as they all begin the list together, they begin to trust each other and tell their own pasts and fears and parental issues realizing they really aren’t any different from each other.

What happens is this group of semi-lost young adults discover the value of true friendships, family and feelings as their lives take on different directions and they contemplate what is next for them once the list is finished…if they can even finish it!

The Getaway List is a powerful story about learning to become an adult, the heartbreak and heartache of not being understood, and the importance of true friendship and honesty with oneself and others you love.

Thank you #NetGalley #WednesdayBooks #EmmaLord #TheGetawayList for the advanced copy.

This was such a fun YA coming-of-age/finding oneself novel. Something that I often struggle with while reading YA books is the writing, and how it reads almost cheesy. Emma Lord definitely does not fall into that category. Her writing is WITTY and FUNNY and so poignantly raw with emotion that I wanted to hug my Kindle while reading. This was such a cute story of living out a "bucket list" and reconnecting with old friends and making new ones in an effort to find your niche in life.

if Emma Lord's writing it, I'm reading it. while this doesn't dethrone When You Get the Chance, I'm starting to think nothing ever will, it's an all-time favorite. but this one was a delight that tugged at my heartstrings and had me laughing out loud. it was a love letter to New York but also to finding yourself. I feel like this leaned less romance than some of her other books but Lord has a talent for weaving both romantic and self-discovery plotlines together seamlessly.

The Getaway List is exactly the type of book I love and need right now. Riley and Tom have been best friends since they were eight. For the last few years, though, Tom has been in New York City, with Riley back at home. Together, they've created The Getaway List, various things they want to do when they finally get to see each other again. So, Riley heads to NYC right after her high school graduation. This hits all my sweet spots- found family, quirky characters with lots of heart, in a setting that makes me feel like I'm right there. I loved everything about this one and can't wait to read more by Emma Lord, who is one of my favorite go-to authors.

Emma Lord is an auto-buy author for me and I LOVED this book! I think that the concept was really fun and different from most other YA books that I've read before. The slow build of actual feelings between these best friends normally would bug me, but I loved that the pacing of the romance gave all of the side characters a chance to shine and really develop on their own.

There were a lot of kind of side plots going on, but the adventure aspect of it was so fun and kept me so sucked into the story.

10/10 will continue to recommend this book to other readers, especially YA readers.

The Getaway List
Emma Lord

The Getaway List is a YA novel with recent high school graduate, Riley Larson anxious to go to NYC to reunite with her childhood best friend, Tom Whitz. Riley and Tom haven’t seen each other in 3 years and a reunion needs to happen so they can work on their Getaway List. They collect a circle of friends and forge a new life, one Riley wants to continue rather than return home. The relationships, Riley and Tom have with their Moms has depth and realness to it. Riley and Tom’s relationship grows and they find their way navigating adulthood with a little help from their friends. Sweet, real without being too heavy. There are many YA readers who will love this book and its glimpse of NYC. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

It seems like you can tell authors that have previously published when you are reading a book. They seem to let the story flow and the characters act naturally. There isn't anything forced or unclear in the story line. And that is true in this book. I couldn't always tell where the story was going and things didn't always fall into the easy space. Which made it that much better.
I really enjoyed the characters dealing with their parents and learning how to become an adult themselves. The dialogue was so much fun. I laughed out loud at some spots. It was very believable and fun.
This is a great read for any time.
Enjoy!

This is the story of Riley and Tom- two best friends who were separated by a move, but who reunite to tackle a list of adventures they've named "The Getaway List." As the two work together accomplishing the tasks they set for themselves on the list, they also realize that they don't know each other quite as well as they used to, so their friendship needs some work.
I really enjoyed following these two on their way through NYC and as they work to balance independence and relationship. Both Riley and Tom are flawed people, but they are willing to give one another grace and support to work through the flaws and figure out life. I thought the plot was engaging and the main and support characters are likeable and well developed. I will definitely be recommending this book to students.

Thank you to netgalley for my copy of this book!
I find Emma Lord’s books to be hit or miss, and unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I just felt like there wasn’t much plot or character development, but I was determined to finish it and give it a shot to see if my opinions would change - they didn’t. I felt this way pretty much through the entire book.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was such a sweet, heart warming read. I loved the setting (NYC) and loved all of the big Apple vibes. The author did a fabulous job of making you fall in love with the characters, and rooting for them. I loved that the author brought heavier topics to light, but handled them so well. I really enjoyed this one!

All hail, Emma Lord, as she can do no wrong! Riley and Tom are best friends since childhood who have been kept apart by Tom's mom moving to NYC in 9th grade for work. Communication is hard while apart, so when Riley decides to take a spur of the moment trip to visit Tom after graduation, it's anyone's guess how that will go.

But you know what? It goes amazingly. The heart of this book is finding yourself and, most importantly, finding a crew of people who you love (and who love you) to help you blossom and be the best version of yourself you can be. Emma Lord writes friendship like no one else. I love love loved this book and LOVE LOVE LOVED the characters.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

On the day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes that she has no idea what she wants to do with her life and that she misses her childhood best friend, Tom, that she hasn’t seen in years. She packs her bags and goes to spend the summer in NYC with Tom where they can both finally complete “The Getaway List,” a list of things they’ve always wanted to do since Tom moved away. In NYC learns about herself, what she wants for her future and finds love.

This is more of a coming-of-age story than a romance. I loved the NYC setting, and the friendship of Riley and Tom. It was fun following them along checking off the adventures from “The Getaway List.” Riley’s character was relatable, she’s carefree and just trying to figure out what to do after high school, and I adored all the side characters. It was a book about friendship, self-discovery and the uncertainties of the future sprinkled with a little bit of friends to lovers romance. If you enjoy YA books, give this one a try!