3.5 Stars. I have read Emma Lord before and loved her books, but this one missed the mark for me. The concept is cute for this Young Adult novel and I liked the characters. The problem I had with it was that it seemed very wordy, with a day-to-day commentary of what seemed like everything they were doing. It seemed like it was super long for the story that was told. It was also written in first person. I would have loved more of Tom's thoughts.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Norma Butikofer. The narration was good, although these old ears had trouble picking up what the male character was saying because it was a lot softer.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

This is as much a chronicle of a relationship as it is a a love story to NYC. Maybe people give romances short shrift because there are some repeating elements, but the good authors are able to turn those tropes into something unique experiences. Emma Lord is one of those authors. She makes each relationship feel fresh and new. In this one, I think she does an excellent job of capturing those buzzy adolescent relationships with authenticity. This is one that I will enjoy passing off to my romance-o-philes.

I will also enjoy sharing the audio version. The narrator had an easy pace and a nice vocal range. The warmth in her voice matched the sentiments in the book.

Thanks for the ARC! I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. The narrator did a great job portraying both of the male and female characters. This was a very sweet book aimed for the YA audience. The characters were super relatable. A good combination of romance, coming of age, and soul searching

I love Emma Lord - there hasn't been a book I've read by her that I disliked. She has a way of writing YA romance that feels less piny, anguish-y, and awkward than most other titles I've read.

What an absolutely delightful book to begin 2024 with. The story of Riley and Tom, best friends for ages, but separated by circumstances beyond their control early on in their high school career. They keep touch despite the distance between them, and after graduating, Riley is determined to reunite with Tom in NYC and complete their "Getaway List" - a list of adventures they hoped to complete after high school was over, but had since been less hopeful about given the distance separating them. Along the way, they connect with other friends from both NYC and home, who join in on their adventures.

It is a sweet story about friendship, with a little sprinkling of romantic love. It was a well-written, charming coming-of-age story. A joy to listen to.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook arc of this book. My second book of the year and already I have found a new favourite book!

This book follows Riley, a girl who after graduating realizes she doesn’t know who she is or what she wants. She decides to go visit her best friend Tom over a weekend so the two of them can complete “The Getaway List” which is a list that has a bunch of bucket list items on it. While in New York she starts to make some new friends and realize her feelings for her friend Tom, may not be so friendly after all.

Emma Lord is an author I’ve come to admire ever since I read Tweet Cute. This may even be my favourite book from her that I’ve read. I absolutely adore the writing style of her books and the way she creates such wonderful stories. I already know I want to reread this book when it comes out physically and annotate it.

Anyone who knows me, knows what a sucker I am for the friends to lovers trope and I loved the way the relationship developed between Riley and Tom throughout this book. A lot of the time the main character will already have a crush on the love interest at the beginning of the book when it comes to this trope so it was nice to see that Riley didn’t or at least wasn’t aware of it. We got to see the moment she realized that she had feelings for Tom which I just loved.

Their relationship as a whole was so sweet. I love how supportive the two were of one another no matter what. They always wanted the other person to do what made them happy. I just absolutely adored the romance between these two. They had me kicking my feet and giggling!

Another one of Emma Lord’s strengths is the side characters. I always adore them and this book was no exception. The friend group was one of my favourite aspects of this story. I loved the whole dynamic between them all and I loved each character individually. They were all so entertaining and I loved the individual relationships they also had with Riley. Along with that, the side relationships between characters was also super cute to see!

This was such a fun book and I loved it so so much! It’s a book that had me smiling from start to finish. If you liked Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson or Love Life and the List by Kasie West, this book is definitely up your alley. I highly recommend this book!

3.75 STARS

I thought that this, just like all of Emma Lord's books that I've read up to this point, was a cute coming of age story. I think this one dealt with a bit more of a difficult topic in regards to depression and parental issues.

I thought that "The Getaway List" was a fun concept that teenagers definitely would come up with to do, and getting to watch Tom & Riley (and the crew) go through and complete the items was really fun! It made me want to run away to New York for a summer.

Overall though, I thought that this book was very sweet and will leave you feeling like you got exactly what you went after in reading this book!

This was such a fun YA romance that made me not want to put it down. It’s got childhood best friends to lovers, found family, book lovers, and so much character development. It follows a girl and her childhood best friend as they explore New York together and complete a bucket list they made when they were kids. This is definitely worth the read for any YA romance lovers or anyone that wants to a fun adventure.

This was a cute book about friendship and what to do after high school. I enjoyed the friendships, both old and new and the adventured the characters went on. I liked to read about the relationships, both Riley and Tom had, with their mothers. Some parts were better than others, but in all it was a great book. I listened to the audio version and really liked the narrator.

Sometimes I fear YA books just don’t do it for me anymore 🫣🥺 and that makes me feel OLD!

✨a love letter to NYC 🏙️
✨coming of age story!!
✨single mother/daughter relationship
✨friends to lovers romance
✨a precious precious friend group 🫂
✨fresh out of high school teens trying to figure out what they wanna do in life (RELATABLE)
✨longtime friends trying to navigate becoming something more (more than one pair)

It was cute and hopeful but was missing a little OOMPH for me - I think it’ll be easy to forget 🤷🏻‍♀️ my favorite part was watching the friendships bloom!

I really enjoyed the premise and initial setup of the book. Riley stands out as a character who is taking a less traditional path by not going to college- that's not something we see a ton in YA. I love that she goes to New York to experience life on her own terms for the first time and takes the unexpected setback of her college rejections in stride. This book works best when following Riley's character growth. For example, it's easy to root for her when she reignites her passion for writing and stands up to her mom.

I do feel like Riley's voice and the dialogue of the main characters read much younger than I would've expected for a YA novel. The way the characters speak and act comes across as a bit more like middle grade characters than 18 year olds, despite the use of curse words and mention of more mature topics such as teen pregnancy. I think this story could have appealed to a bit of a younger audience than it's aimed at.

Other aspects of the book started to feel repetitive to me as the book went on. The plot is somewhat meandering; I would've loved their bucket list to feel more like a goal they were trying to achieve than a plot that's often relegated to the background of the story. Certain aspects such as all of the main characters being as directionless as Riley are hard to buy into. Their storylines somewhat blend together and it doesn't feel realistic that multiple characters openly state that they don't know what to do with themselves after high school. The characters feel like they could've been built out more. I also didn't really buy into Riley and Tom's romance; they didn't seem like they had chemistry or tension behind their interest in each other.

Overall, this is an easy to read story with certain aspects that work well, it just did not ultimately stand out to me.

It felt like this whole story was being a second tier of a friend group, constantly observing inside jokes and references to events I wasn't invited to, only to learn about the meaning of the references later. Between that and the will-they-won't-they tension between Riley and her best friend Tom, this book stretched for what seems a lot longer than a year. The most redeeming part of this story was the relationship between Riley and her mom, where we got to witness the most positively healing conversations between a new-adult daughter and her mother.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy.

This is a cute coming of age ya book. Narrator was great.

This was such a fun cute coming of age story. Emma Lord always brings such fun and loveable characters to her stories and it was no different with the Getaway List. I loved the friendships but I also loved how we saw the ups and downs with her Mom.

I had the audiobook for this arc and the narrators keep me engaged in the story. I highly recommend the audiobook.

This is the fourth book I have read by Emma Lord and it was just as good as her others! I love all of her books, she always has the most endearing and realistic characters and her books are so sweet without being cheesy or over the top.

Riley has just graduated from high school and is deeply missing her best friend Tom, who moved to New York City several years ago. On a spur of the moment decision, Riley decides to visit Tom for the weekend, and the two embark on a mission to do as many things as they can on their "Getaway List" -- a list they wrote when they were younger of all the activities they had hoped to do together.

As they are working their way through the list, they make new friends and rekindle old friendships, and end up with the sweetest group of friends. I loved each of the characters, and loved how unique they all were - they all contributed something different to the friend group dynamic as well as the book. Luca was probably my favorite of the supporting characters - I loved his earnestness and creativity.

I am a sucker for any books that are set in New York, and especially ones about friends having adventures around the city - and this did not disappoint. All the New York details were so fun and made it so easy to picture all of them.

This book also touches on some tricky dynamics with family relationships - specifically mothers - as well as women deciding to be single mothers by choice. Both of these topics were handled in a lovely way which isn't always easy.

As in Emma Lord's other book, there is a lot of good food talk in this one -- which I always appreciate in a book.

I listened to this one and really enjoyed the narrator as well.

I am eager to read her next one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Riley's childhood partner-in-crime Tom moved away due to his mother's job in the entertainment industry, so they created The Getaway List (a sort of teenage bucket list for when they are reunited) and the last few years they have seen little of one another, with Riley's mom seeming to be actively keeping Riley from Tom due to their mischievous misadventures. Usually harmless and sometimes even beneficial, their shenanigans included random acts of kindness, like when they paired up to anonymously leave thoughtful little gifts in the lockers of friends who seem down. Now based in New York, Tom works for an the Dear, Love Dispatch app that pairs anonymous gifters with consenting recipients (and one thing on the list is for Riley to make a delivery for the app). Riley doesn't want to spend her summer post-graduation working in her single mom's coffee shop, and maybe wants to write, so she rather spontaneously decides to go visit Tom in New York. Mom vehemently disagrees... but Riley is eighteen and off she goes. The weekend turns into the summer, and Riley intends to stay and make a go of a life in New York.

The writing is strong--NYC details are vivid, the emotions shimmer off the page, and Lord's "chaos beans" are fully fleshed out characters, as are authentic supporting characters across a range of ethnicities and sexualities that becomes a quick clique: Tom's quirky best New York friend Marissa; Luka, a new buddy met in a writing class who might have a crush on Riley; Jesse, Riley's old boyfriend; Di, who might have a crush on Jesse. The subplot of who likes who and the subsequent angsting adds drama, as does the conflict resolution between Riley and her single mom, and Tom's estrangement from his own career focused mother.

In spite of the time and distance, Riley and Tom pick up their friendship warmly... but the temperature increases when she realizes he movie-star handsome friend has gotten tall, muscled, and well, even hotter. Neither seems to want to make any romantic leap that could jeopardize their friendship, but the chemistry and FEELINGS are there and this slow burn has many romantic moments, even before they declare themselves (there is some passionate kissing, but any further details are left behind closed doors). Their initial meet cute was over a fantasy fandom, and part of their getaway list is based on locations, fanfic, and events central to the invented Tides of Time franchise. Pop culture mentions may eventually date the story, but Taylor Swift and McFlurries are perennial.

Norma Butikofer's spectacular narration gives Riley a unique voice. Her native New Yorkers have the perfect twang, Tom's tone is deeper, and Marisol's clipped, faster paced Latina accent adds spice.

I received a free advance readers copy (and listener's audio edition!) of #TheGetawayList from #NetGalley; this will post to The Hip Librarians Book Blog on January 23, 2024.

This was a lovely young/new adult romance. I listened to the audiobook which was well-performed and had me engaged the entire book.

Riley just graduated high school exhausted from the multitude of activities she was encouraged to do any time she wasn’t working for her mom at the cafe. She finds herself mourning her best friend, Tom, and looking at The Getaway List, a bucket list they had created but never been able to do. In inspiration she finds herself traveling to New York City to be with Tom, to leave her home and to hopefully find herself in the process.

While there was definitely romance in this book-it really wasn’t the focus of the book. Riley and Tom (and their friends) just living in the moment, enjoying life and figuring out what their future might look like was the book. It was charming and innocent and just a feel good story.

The Getaway List
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Super cute feel good story. She writes with humor & like your talking to your Best Friend. You will want to cheer on the characters & rally behind them.

3.75★ - rounded up because it was a sweet coming of age story.

This book was such a heartwarming read and gave all of the summertime feels, perfect for the cold winter that I’m currently in! This was full of adventure, friends, and a touch of romance. A group of young adults are trying to figure out what to do next during the summer after high school graduation, all while trying to make it in New York City. I appreciated the BIPOC and lgbtq+ representation. I love that so many authors are including a more inclusive space for readers, including Emma Lord.

Tropes: coming of age, found family, big city dreams

Spice: None.

I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Lord delivers again with fun characters that one can imagine as friends. Riley's decision to visit her friend Tom and tackle the remainder of the Getaway List they made before he moved made for an interesting adventure. I love the focus on the friendship between Riley and Tom. While it is obvious they have feelings for each other, they took a backseat to the support they needed to give each other over their relationships with their moms. I really enjoyed the narration and found myself not wanting to turn it off.