4.5 Stars!

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam for my #gifted ARC!

This story hooked me right from the beginning!

As Charlie gets word that her divorce is final her sister surprises her with the news she and her on again off again childhood boyfriend are eloping. Charlie’s determined to not let her sister make the same mistake she did so she heads off on a road trip across Minnesota with her childhood best friend to talk her sister out of getting married.

The road trip has a few travel catastrophes that brought humor into the story and sparked the chemistry that’s been hiding just beneath the surface of Charlie and Ethan’s relationship.

Ultimately what Charlie has to face is that she’s been chasing the emotional and financial stability she never had growing up. She realizes she settled for her ex-husband because he posed no risk at all.

Along with the laughter there were tender heartfelt moments, opportunities for reflection and change, and some heartbreak, but I couldn’t be happier with the ending!

Romance Content: fade-to-black, low description

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer is a witty, heartwarming, and wildly entertaining romcom about childhood best friends reconnecting on a spontaneous road trip. Packed with hilarious banter, emotional depth, and swoony slow-burn tension, it’s a must-read for fans of opposites attract and best friends-to-lovers tropes.
Charley is a type-A attorney fresh off a divorce, and Ethan is her musician BFF who disappeared from her life after skipping her wedding. When her impulsive sister decides to elope with her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Charley is roped into a last-minute road trip—unfortunately, with Ethan as her copilot. Cue the emotional chaos, unresolved feelings, and a spark that was never really extinguished.
This book had me laughing out loud, tearing up at tender moments, and full-on cheering for these two beautifully imperfect people to find their way back to each other. Ellie Palmer’s sophomore novel proves she’s here to stay. Her characters are vibrant, her dialogue sparkles, and the pacing is chef’s kiss. It’s equal parts heartfelt and hilarious—a perfect summer romance.
Read if you love:
🚐 Best friends to lovers
💘 Fated romance
👯‍♀️ Sister shenanigans
🎶 Hot musician x buttoned-up lawyer
🌄 Spontaneous road trips
🥹 Big feelings, big laughs

Fans of Ellie Palmer, you are going to love her second novel Anywhere With You. It is my favorite book by her so far. Charley and Ethan's story is so cute; you won't want to put this book down once you start reading it.

⭐️ 5/5 | 🌶️ 1.5/5 | 😆 3.5/5
First person POV, single narrative
Non-linear timeline
FMC: Charley
MF Closed Door Romance
Setting: North woods, Minnesota

This is a cozy, sweet, comical, a little messy, and super satisfying romance read! I really enjoyed the Minnesotan tidbits! Charley’s voice is hilarious and super relatable; like, laugh-out-loud snarky but also deeply real. And Ethan is a total softie in disguise. The romance unfolds with just the right amount of angst and tenderness, and there’s real emotional growth on both sides.

The romance has slow-burn tension with a payoff that’s heartfelt rather than super steamy. There’s definitely chemistry between Charley and Ethan (like, you feel the longing), and there are a few swoony, intimate moments, but nothing super explicit or graphic. It is more about the emotional connection and anticipation than detailed on-page heat.

If you like your romance more on the cozy and character-driven side with just a hint of spice, this is a great read. Also recommend if you’re into stories about second chances, finding yourself, and falling for the one person who’s always been there.

Thank you Penguin Group and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me this ARC of the book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Friends to lovers trope people - this book is for you!
I have loved every road trip story I have read and this book did not disappoint.
Charlie and Ethan have been friends forever. The characters have depth and you can feel the chemistry, the tension, the understanding they have for one another, and the importance of their memories. I love when character relationships are well-developed and the plot supports it in a structured manner.
I felt the array of all emotions in this book and I love that rollercoaster.
This is my first book that I have read by Ellie Palmer and I am now a fan. I will continue to read her writing because she is so good at character building and keeping the plot together.
Go grab this book when it comes out, you won't regret it!

Palmer takes the classic best-friends-to-lovers trope and gives it a fresh, funny twist. Packed with sharp sarcasm, pop culture gems, and off-the-charts tension, Anywhere with You isn’t your typical romance—it’s smarter, messier, and way more relatable. Charley’s journey to rediscover home and stability is full of heart, and Palmer’s vivid, layered characters make it impossible to look away. It’s witty, real, and totally unputdownable.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ - 3.75

This was a really cute story! I was sold at the friends-to-lovers, roadtrip storyline. Charley and Ethan’s friendship was so sweet, and I loved seeing it grow through the years. I also loved seeing Charley’s relationship with Laurel. I think every girl with a sister has had that screaming-in-a-kayak-in-the-middle-of-a-lake moment where “… every artifact of our childhood is primed to be excavated”.

While I normally don’t like chapters that jump back and forth, I thought this was really well done. Ellie Palmer also nailed the dialogue between her characters, from their pining and banter to the heated fights and mental spirals.

And although I know it would be pure chaos, I NEED Petey and Laurel’s story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC!

The premise had potential, but Anywhere With You didn’t deliver the emotional depth I was hoping for. Charlie’s constant self-sabotage was more irritating than sympathetic, and the romance lacked spark. With so many similar stories out there, this one just didn’t stand out. I hope it finds its audience—it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for access to this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to say that I had to DNF at 30%
I loved the Palmer’s debut, Four Weekends and a Funeral, but her new novel felt like a sophomore slump for me. It was a bit of a chore for me to pick this up. The near-constant snarky/sarcastic writing felt like overkill and I am not feeling any chemistry between the MCs. Friends to lovers is not my favorite trope but I love it when it’s done well and this ain’t it. Not for me but I’m sure others will like it!

After "Four Weekends and a Funeral", I felt SO excited to receive the ARC for Anywhere With You. I wanted to love this one, just as I loved the debut, but I don't think I'd revisit this one the way I did for the other. The story overall was fine, but there were parts of the story that just fell flat for me.

What I enjoyed: Ellie's ability to write good dialogue, Charley's friendship with Ethan, her relationship with her sister, and the flashback scenes to give us more context about present day.

What needed some work: Ethan and Charley's love story. When laying the foundation of Charley and Ethan's back story, I didn't necessarily feel the romantic chemistry, rather was just told it was there (except for the bachelorette party, let me be clear!). I enjoyed their friendship, but felt their backstory could have been written differently, for the present-day version we were seeing of them. Was just hard to buy into personally.

I'm excited to continue to follow Ellie's journey and will definitely keep an eye out for future releases from her.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC!

Palmer did a fantastic job crafting a heartwarming story filled with swoon-worthy moments and laugh-out-loud banter. Her writing is easy to follow, and I thoroughly enjoyed Charley and Ethan’s journey.

Ellie Palmer's Anywhere With Yo is a nostalgic, heartwarming romance that blends humor, self-discovery, and second chances. The story follows Charley Beekman, a Type-A divorcee, as she embarks on a camper van road trip through the Minnesotan woods with her childhood best friend, Ethan—a free-spirited musician. What begins as a mission to stop her sister's impulsive wedding turns into a journey of rekindled sparks and personal growth. Palmer’s witty prose and charming characters make this a delightful read. With tropes like friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a slow-burn romance, it’s perfect for fans of heartfelt, trope-filled contemporary romance. A cozy, feel-good escape with plenty of laughs and tender moments.

I’m a sucker for the forced proximity, childhood best friends to lovers, and this one did disappoint. The banter between Ethan and Charley is so fun. I read this in one sitting as I couldn’t wait to see which “catastrophe” was next for this pair. The sister relationship between Charley and Laurel reminds me of my own. Such a refreshing rom com that has you hooked from the start! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for letting me read this delight! Can’t wait to read more of Ellie Palmers books!

When I first started this book I couldn’t get into it- I’ll preface it by saying that I’m not sure why- maybe I was burnt out on contemporary romance? Maybe I was tired of reading books about sad, hot- mess FMC’s who finally find the perfect man to stitch them up and put them back together again? But I’m glad I took the time and came back because I ended up finishing this book within a couple days once I got into it. Ellie Palmer, I AM A FAN! Charlotte may have been falling a part in her relationship in the beginning of the book but her relationship with Ethan was so sweet and you could see that they were truly each other’s person. They looked out for each other, they balanced each other, they made each other brave. This was a good somewhat estranged best- friends to lovers story. Charlotte’s desire for predictability and steady and stable makes so much sense in the lense of how she saw her mother and unreliable, “go with the wind” father growing up. The fact that he was always chasing work and his family was kind of an afterthought, yet hanging on for dear life as he jetted around. It’s understandable that anything like that would make her run the other way, especially when it came from her best friend who never seemed to want to stay in one place. It was good to see how their early family life affected her sister Laurel as well. They were both coping with the mistakes and misgivings of their parents and yet they clung to each other and helped each other see the truth about life and how to form more healthy attachments. I love that both women got their Happily Ever After in the end, after they did some healing and growing separately and together. Peter and Laurel were great supporting characters and the ending was so sweet.

Tropes:
Childhood Best friends to lovers
Only one bed
Pen pals

Possible triggers:
Parental abandonment
Cheating
Great physical pain for side characters (getting caught in an animal trap and swamp foot, ew)

Sex is mentioned but it’s not quite open door- their are some steamy kissing/ make- out scenes described

Thank you so much for the early read on this one! I absolutely loved reading about Ethan and Charley's story. The friendship and slow burn romance. I loved the back and forth past and present so we can see it all evolve. Thank you!

This is such a sweet, friends-to-lovers romance with just the right amount of tension and pining.

Charley and Ethan are everything. Like, their friendship is so natural and fun (the banter!!), but you can sense the unresolved history between them. When they end up on a road trip together to stop Charley’s sister from getting married I knew I was going to eat up the forced proximity.

Also, can we talk about the emotional depth? This isn’t just a fluffy romance—it’s got real weight. Charley struggles through opening her heart up to real love after ending up divorced at a young age and more than that you can feel the fear she has at ruining her friendship with Ethan and that made the story come alive off the pages.

If you love childhood friends to lovers tropes then you need this book. Ellie Palmer’s writing is so warm and engaging—I felt like I was right there in the car with them.

P.S. That ending? PERFECTION. No spoilers, but wow, did I grin like an idiot.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Recently slightly-estranged-but-reconciled best friends who’ve harbored secret pining feelings for each other for years go on a mini road trip. Whatever hijinks could happen?! Turns out, a lot. And not just with our main couple, Charley and Ethan.

I loved the friendship between C and E — it felt real and organic. Ellie wrote some really great conversations between them that teetered on familiar best friends with a little dash of sexual tension than platonically acceptable. When it came to the big climax between main couple, it felt like it was giving Jo and Laurie circa Little Women (2019) vibes, and in the best way.

That said, my main gripe is that too much was happening elsewhere (as hilarious as Wet Ted and the Mother Trucker situations were). I was constantly pulled out of Charley and Ethan trying to come to a reckoning of their friendship/blossoming relationship and then having to try and get reinvested again. The best part of a friends-to-lovers, secretly in love story is the actual yearning and pining so it didn’t work well for me that each time we were drawn out of their story to focus on someone else. Ellie created something special with Charley and Ethan and I just wanted to stay with them a little more to develop that.

I read Ellie’s debut and enjoyed it as well, so I was pleasantly pleased with the time I spent with this book. 3.5-4 ⭐️ A light, sunny day in the park kind of read, if there ever was one.

This book was such a delight. Charley is all stress and burnout and Ethan is living on vibes. Ethan could do with a little structure in his life, and Charley could use a true vacation. They seem like polar opposites, but it is actually why they are so great together.

What better way to reconsider your life choices than driving to the wilderness to break up your sisters wedding. Kidding, but not, because ultimately, it did help Charley to realize that she can have stability and fun. That upbringings don't have to define you. And that it is totally okay to not have your whole life figured out at 29.

Loved loved loved loved. I can’t say enough. Friends to lovers will forever be my everything and Charley and Ethan just did something to me that had me kicking my feet butterflies in my stomach. I love these two. I love their relationship with each other and their friendships with Petey and Laurel. I love a book with some found family tropes and this just warmed my heart. I so appreciated that they found a way to find a new way to be a part of one another’s lives rather than slotting themselves into something that wouldn’t have felt authentic for their characters. This one was so heartwarming. I absolutely adored Four Weekends and a Funeral too so it’s seeming like Ellie Palmer is going to become a must read author for me. I can’t reiterate enough how much I adored this and these two. Thank you for the ARC!

Anywhere with You by Ellie Palmer is a heartwarming and beautifully written romance that swept me away. The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, and their journey together is both touching and real. Palmer does a fantastic job of creating a story that’s emotional without feeling overly dramatic, and the pacing keeps the reader engaged throughout. If you're a fan of sweet, feel-good romances with lovable characters, this book is definitely worth reading.