THIS BOOK! I loved it. I loved every second of it. It was so funny - the writing had me cracking up throughout the entire thing. The characters were great and so real. I obviously wanted to reach the end but I also didn’t want it to end. I already want to reread it.

Charley, recent divorcee & lawyer, sets on a chaotic, unexpected roadtrip with her best friend, Ethan. Charley, thrives on concrete foundations, literally & figuratively.
Ethan & Charley have always known each other better than they know themselves. While Ethan accompanies on this road trip with a purpose, they finally see the sparks flying like everyone else around them.
Will Charley be able to live a life of spontaneity with Ethan?
This book was a little bit of a slow burn for me, but I kept finding myself waiting for a free moment to read & find out what predicament they would find themselves into next.
I was super excited to read this as Ellie Palmer is a new author to me. I’m so excited she was my first new author of the year as I’m trying to read at least one new author a month.
Thank you to Penguin Random House + NetGalley this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie Palmer has officially been added to my 'Auto-buy" authors list!
I love the MN setting! Grand Marais!! I love Charley and Ethan.

The chapter titles kept me pulled in! I could never do "just one more chapter" after reading the next title!

This line: "He makes it safe to be me." gave me all the feels.

Colin Firth is the correct answer. #iykyk

Mostly, this book honors the relationships between sisters, particularly as new relationships enter our lives and our lives pull apart in the distance that those relationships take us.

Charley Beekman is having a rough go of it. She is one year out from a divorce that everyone (excerpt her) saw coming, her job is slowly driving her insane, her best friend Ethan isn't speaking to her, and now her sister is eloping to northern Minnesota with her on-again off-again boyfriend of a decade plus. With her need to be in control of her life and her surroundings, all of this chaos is not serving her well. The only logical choice she has is to figure out a way to stop this elopement from happening so that her sister doesn't fall prey to the same fate that she did.

As Charley and Ethan travel north in his camper van, readers are taken on a journey through the story of their past friendship - one that goes back to middle school - and the current state of their relationship. They use the trip to rekindle their bond and Charley allows herself to open her eyes to some of the feelings that may have been present between the two of them in the past. But Charley is a planner and Ethan is a free spirit. Charley needs stability and Ethan can just pick up and go. Anywhere With You explores how love may ask you to. make compromises to achieve happiness, but you have to decide whether or not they are ones you are willing to make.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

3.5 ⭐️

I kept reaching for this book even after I put it down for the night. I needed to keep reading to know what happened on the road trip and what secrets the forest was holding. This book had me giggling at many different parts.

Charley's life was upended when her husband peaces out of the marriage. This was not part of her plan or her schedule. I enjoyed when Ethan came in and upended her life even more by showing her you don't need to have every moment planned.

While you know what's going to happen the moment you start the book, the book jumped between the present time and glimpses into the past. I enjoyed that the past chapters weren't just about her friendship with Ethan. It covered her relationship with her family and friends, and we understand why she is the way she is.

Charley needed therapy, and there were times I felt for Ethan and Laurel. (This is what kept rhis book from being a 4 star... sometimes you just need to listen and grow). She projected so much of her beliefs on them, and really, she needed to talk to a therapist. This also would have helped her relationship with Rich, but he was already checked out before the marriage began.

**thank you to Netgalley and Putnam Books for the copy in exchange for my honest thoughts**

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review. This was a cute but uneven romance. Childhood friends to lovers isn't my favorite, and this one is ok. The writing is good and the banter is quick. I just didn't get a true sense of why these two were in love.

I really enjoyed this friends-to-lovers romance overall, but there were a few things that made me scratch my head. The writing itself is absolutely beautiful—the author has an incredible way of capturing the heroine’s experiences and thoughts. Her inner dialogue felt so real, and I found myself truly invested in her journey. The author’s phraseology is spot-on, making the heroine's perspective so relatable and vivid.

That said, the plot was a bit frustrating at times. The heroine is supposed to know her best friend better than anyone, but her complete ignorance of his feelings—especially considering their history—drove me a little crazy. I get that people can be oblivious, but this felt a bit overdone, especially given their shared past. It’s hard to ignore the fact that he clearly had feelings for her when they were younger, and the lack of recognition for that on her part made the emotional payoff feel less satisfying.

That being said, the grand gesture at the end was everything! It really showed the heroine’s growth and was the perfect way for her to win back her best friend. Even with the plot's little bumps, the author’s talent for writing emotional, heartfelt moments shines through.

In the end, I liked the book enough to buy it, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cute, easy read with a satisfying conclusion. Just be prepared for a bit of eye-rolling when the heroine stays a little too clueless about the hero’s feelings. Still, I’m looking forward to more from this author!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Putnam for allowing early access to this book for my honest review. Y'all are the swellest!

Charley is one of those characters that you wouldn't mind smacking a time or two then giving a big hug. The tension and chemistry between her and Ethan were great! I really enjoyed this story and will be reading more by this author for sure.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review this! 4.5 / 5 stars.
I LOVE a good friends to lovers romance, particularly one rooted in suppressed, long held feelings, and this absolutely delivers. Charley and Ethan have always been best friends who clearly care for each other, but following a messy divorce, their simmering tension boils over on a road trip to watch her sister get married. This has a ton of cute antics along the way and dabbles in dual timeline as we see their relationship blossom over time. Their chemistryt is intense when things finally bubble over (although firmly rooted in just slightly spicy, mostly closed door) and the 'third act breakup' is really believable.

I think this flourishes from the writing style (the prose and interiority are just suberb), the relationship between Charley and Laurel (THIS is how to write sisters), and most importantly some of the inner demons Charley battles from her lifelong exposure to 'love'. While this is all heart and antics for most of the book, there is an undercurrent of anxiety, mental health, abandonment, and need that I could just RELATE to from page 1. It makes for a much stronger romance and really delivers.

Also Ethan is wonderful. Just wonderful.

This book was genuinely such a fun one and i absolutely loved our main characters. This book is incredibly relatable and just so much fun to read and watch them grow. The friends to lovers trope is so under appreciated. The sister relationship was my favorite and honestly reminded me of me and my sister. This was so good and i cant wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

After Four Weekends and a Funeral being one of my top 5 2024 reads, I had high expectations for Anywhere With You. Luckily, it met and exceeded those expectations. An adorable and emotional friends to lovers romance about a type-A woman who road trips through the Minnesotan woods with her non-committal childhood best friend.

I just adore Palmer’s writing. Her humor and references speak to me. I loved all of her characters and she even made me a big fan of the friends to lovers trope (not usually my go-to trope). I was so invested in this romance and never wanted to put the book down. Another hit.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 ⭐️

If you’re a fan of the friends to lovers trope, you’ll probably enjoy this book. It stays very much in line with the typical conventions of that trope. Anywhere With You was a perfectly fine read in my opinion. I could see where it was headed right from the beginning, who the characters would be and it didn’t surprise me at any point.

"Anywhere With You" is a fantastic read. The chemistry between Charley and Ethan is off the charts, and the road trip setting provides a perfect backdrop for their rekindled connection. Charley is a relatable and engaging protagonist, and her journey of self-discovery is both heartwarming and inspiring. Palmer's writing is witty and engaging, and the story kept me hooked from beginning to end. Highly recommend!

wow wow WOW! I was not expecting to fall in love with this as much as I did. Funny, childhood bestfriends to lovers trope, and perfectly paced. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

What a delight this book is! I loved the characters, the unique setting and of course the friends to lovers romance. I especially like when books have some flashbacks and this one was written so well with depth and humor.

Charley's divorce is finally official and she takes a road trip with her best friend Ethan to try and stop her sister from eloping in Northern MN with her on-again-off again boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?!

This book has so many scenes that made me laugh out loud and then the next chapter I was tearing up with sadness for the characters, their past and where they are today. The fade to black romance scenes, banter for days and the only one camper fan makes this book so much better. The sibling dynamic and relationship resonated with me and I enjoyed seeing how Charley and her sisters relationship grows throughout the book.

Ellie's writing is filled with pop culture references and I LOVE it! I especially love all the MN references since I (and Ellie) live here!

This was a strong romance novel and enjoyed the concept of this book, it had that element that I wanted and was hooked from the first page. The characters had a charm to them and was engaged with what was happening. Ellie Palmer has a strong writing style and thought the characters worked well together.

I loved this story! Charley is an extremely relatable MC - I identified so much with her wants and fears. Ethan was her perfect charming opposite and I loved the banter between them both. This story also includes sister dynamics and it was interesting to see how differently Laurel and Charley internalized their upbringing.

This story is about laying it all out on the table, about being unafraid to be 100% yourself, and trusting the person who owns your heart to love you for everything you are and everything you are not. There’s adventure, mature romance, conflicts with work/life balance, and more. Everything I look for in a romance novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Ellie Palmer’s debut Four Weekends and a Funeral, so when I saw her second book was available for request, I immediately HAD to. And boy, am I glad I did it! Her writing is so captivating, I love love love her writing.

Charley felt so real and vulnerable, and also so relatable. And the banter between her and Ethan? Just chef’s kiss. At times I wanted to scream at those two idiots (and I say this with love), but I’m so happy with how Ellie built their characters and love story.

And don’t get me wrong, while I know the main focus here was Charley’s journey to healing and finding herself (and her way back to Ethan), I really loved how her relationship with her sister was written. I could almost physically feel the love between her and Laurel. Beautifully written!

Thank you so much NetGalley & Putnam for the early digital copy!

Look, this was great. Set in Minnesota, with references to Minnesota places and just enough disguised that I could basically figure it out (Lewellen is St. Ben's/St. John's, right?), though they should have gone to Tobie's instead of the KwikTrip when going to the North Shore. I also liked that the solution to a bad law firm wasn't necessarily ditching lawyering entirely. Schmaltzy in the best way. 4.5 rounded up.

I received a free ARC of this novel from NetGalley.

This was a spectacular romance! My first Ellie Palmer book and definitely not my last. I’m a sucker for a childhood friends to lovers arc, but this one felt so full and fleshed out it was set apart from others in the genre. It also included one of my favorite things: long emotional arguments and long emotional declarations. What can I say, I’m a sucker for weighty words.