Charming, funny and so sweet. I truly adored this book! Friends to lovers done so beautifully, while highlighting self-discovery and familial strains. Often I feel like the friendship is lacking with the use of friends to lovers - but that was not the case with this one. This was my first book of Ellie’s so now I need to read her debut!

Absolutely marvelous! As a lawyer, I can tell you reading lawyer characters can be somewhat difficult (I'm too close to it!). But in this case, Charley was so relatable and real, I found myself right there with her as she reconnects with her childhood best friend. This is a friends-to-lovers, forced proximity darling and I stayed up half the night reading it. I lost count of how many passages I highlighted and notes where I wrote "I LOVE him!" because Ethan is just that dreamy. There are so many funny bits and inside-jokes, that are stitched together to create this tapestry of friendship that may be something much more.

It's hysterical, it's a roadtrip adventure, and it's a deeply nostalgic dream of a book. I am going to push this book on every romance reader I know, because I know they will love it too.

Special thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for this ARC.

A wonderful, light quick read. The self discovery of this book was surprising but beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters and going along for the road trip.

A 29 year old divorcee who is struggling to cope with being a 29 year old divorcee after 13 months of marriage. I couldn’t relate more. This story touched me in my feels on a personal level. On top of the high school back flash story and a flaming romance, this story showcases the bond of sisters. Oh and the angst of these two falling love is intense, highly recommend!

I really don't know what to say here. I guess more was expected while reading this book, but it just wasn't there for me.

As a Minnesota girly, I was so excited about this book, and it didn't disappoint. I loved all the name drops of familiar places and businesses across the state, especially the Kwik Trip shout outs. Although, there was no mention of our "state bird," the mosquito! Childhood-besties-to-lovers, closed door romance with memorable supporting characters. The sister and her boyfriend were my favorite. It's a cozy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ellie Palmer for the ARC e-read in exchange for my honest review.

After receiving feedback on what my next read should be, I decided to get a little rom-com in during the cold winter.
Anywhere With You, is Ellie Palmer's second book, after her much lauded Four Weekends and a Funeral (which I haven't read).
Anywhere With You is your typical, quirky road trip rom-com: Charley, recently divorced, finds out her fly by night sister is about to elope to a very questionable mate. At the last minute, Charley and her childhood friend Ethan hop into his van to explore the Minnesota woods and stop the wedding.

While, we know what's going to happen here: childhood friends turned lovers, this type of writing was far too BUSY for me. Maybe, cause I'm slightly older, and some of these romance books just don't connect, but regardless, it felt like I was in a book club, and along come ten very drunk women celebrating a bachelorette party yapping away, a mile a minute, discussing TikTok, really bad rap music, and favorite charcuterie board ideas all at the same time.

Some of the OVER-descriptions just needed to be simplified:

"What if Pamela finally handed me one of the software startups I’d been begging her to put me on and I wasn’t around to jump on it? What if the ants made a comeback in the downstairs laundry room and established a new society in front of the dryer by the time we returned? What if Laurel got in another fight with her roommate and the treehouse Airbnb she booked wasn’t the architectural wonder superhost Satchel promised but a literal children’s treehouse of the fisher price variety? "

"The woman lowers the camera and presses her hand to her collarbone with an elegance I find instantly intimidating. I have the posture of someone whose entire life is held together by nail glue and a bullet journal. I may not actually bullet journal, but I’m self-aware enough to admit that, energetically, I’m someone who’d buy a dot Moleskine in a moment of psychic despair and am thus programmed to find the woman in front of me equal parts terrifying and intoxicating."

Basically, this was like Gilmore Girls on steroids, but without the signature wit and humor. The writing did not flow naturally, instead it was ust forced in my face, and now I need a moment to recover.

4.5/5 stars
Charley has built a life that is as calm, polished, professional as they come...she's also found herself newly divorced from a relationship that on paper should have boasted the best of marriages. Determined to stop her fly-by-the-wind sister from eloping with her on-again/off-again boyfriend and sharing the same fate, she convinces her childhood best friend, Ethan, to road trip with her to stop the wedding.

Through a series of flashbacks, you see how Charley and Ethan grow their childhood friendship over the years, shining a light in how they want different things in adulthood. Charley, born to parents who moved as the wind blows, craves security and stability. Ethan, born with dreams beyond taking over his family's business, craves the open road and adventure. The best of friends, whose relationship is shredded the moment Ethan, as Charley's best man for her ill-fated marriage, left her high and dry on her wedding day and up until now has been radio silent until her divorce was finalized.

I really enjoyed how this road trip to save her sister pushed Charley and Ethan out of their respective comfort zones, to communicate what broke down their friendship at her wedding. And you know I love a friends to lovers trope, it's probably my favorite of them all. And I particularly enjoyed the relationship she has with her sister, her cornerstone for every time her parents took off to a new town in their dysfunctional relationship. This is my first Ellie Palmer book, but definitely not the last.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House, NetGalley, and Ellie Palmer for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy of this inspiring and heartfelt book.
I absolutely loved Ellie Palmer's last book Four Weekends and a Funeral, and this one didn't disappoint. It was just as charming with its humor and depth.
The story centers on Charley, a recently divorced lawyer who is on a road trip with her long-time best friend Ethan to get to and stop her sister's elopement.
Charley is a very complex character. She grew up without stability because they were either constantly moving or her dad was always off traveling the world without them. She made it her life's mission to grow up to have the most stable adulthood. Her best friend Ethan is a musician and lives in his nice camper van, traveling the country. Charley has never allowed herself to have feelings for Ethan because his life is the opposite of what she's always told herself was her dream and goal. You both understand her fear to take risks and want to shake her out of it and be more brave and present.
The book was hilarious and heartbreaking. There were several humorous situations that kept delaying their arrival and bringing them closer together. There were also moments when you didn't know how she could overcome dependency of a predictable and safe life, and you rooted for her to find a way.
I absolutely adored this book. It's one that makes you feel everything. I wanted to fly through it but also not let it end. I highly recommend it and can't wait to read more by Ellie Palmer.

ANYWHERE WITH YOU is one of the best friends-to-lovers romance I've ever read! It's full of emotional depth, genuine heart and charm to the characters who instantly cared about. Due to her childhood, Charley needs consistency and security whether that's having her own house, a stable well-paying job, a predictable marriage, and a future planned out. Her best friend of fifteen years, Ethan, is everything the opposite, a nomad living out of his van, a musician life, jobs here and there, and not able to keep a relationship. Though fresh off her divorce and still on rocky ground from Ethan not showing up to her wedding as her best man, Charley receives a text from Ethan saying he's in the area. And who better than to go on a roadtrip with Charley so she can talk sense into her sister and prevent her from eloping with Ethan's brother? As their connection deepens, Charley can't fully commit to him, believing that he will only hurt her as his wanderlust will have him running off somewhere else and leaving her all alone. What will it take for Charley to realize that being with him is more than worth the risk?

I really admired and loved witnessing their friendship and the love between them... their teasing and care for one another felt so pure. I really enjoyed Charley and Ethan's story and can't read to whatever the author grants us with next!!

Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

- 3.5 rounded up! This is a perfect summer read, a road trip & a wedding! It’s an adorable friend to lovers with cute banter & I loved the sister dynamic. All main characters were relatable & showed growth which is awesome! It was cute & I’d recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance at this adorable cutesy romance!

To what extent has your childhood, and your parents’ marriage, impacted your perception of and acceptance of love?

Charley has created a lifestyle void of surprise, uncertainty, and adventure. She’s sought out stability. Until her very boring, very stable husband asks for a divorce. Now her carefully crafted life has taken a sharp turn.

Her childhood best friend shows up at her doorstep in his nomad van and the two begin on a short road trip up north. They couldn’t be more opposite, but they’ve understood each other like no one else. Ethan lives for adventure and never stays in one place for too long.

Their love for each other is strong, but their lifestyle preferences just don’t align…yet.

Release date: Aug 4, 2025

Thanks to @netgalley and @elliepalmerwrites I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

5 Stars! I absolutely loved Anywhere with You! It was very similar to "People We Met on Vacation" by Emily Henry, but in my opinion better. The flashbacks allowed a better understanding of Charley and Ethan's relationship through all their stages of life and showed how they grew to become who they were during the book. Charley struggled with relationships due to her parents, but Ethan was always so patient and understanding with her. This book showed how much Ellie Palmer grew as a writer, so I can't wait to read whatever book comes next!

I was a big fan of Ellie’s debut last year so I was pretty confident heading into Anywhere With You and boyyyy did it deliver!! I highlighted so. many. parts. Sweet moments and hilarious moments and everything in between. Ellie expertly strikes the balance between humor and tough stuff. I love her writing!

Friends to lovers as a trope is hit or miss for me but this was incredible 🥹 I could feel the tension and the love between the main characters from the very beginning and I loved that the story had snippets of Charley and Ethan’s past.

The plot was just chaotic enough to keep me on my toes. Our main characters are on a roadtrip north attempting to stop an elopement and naturally run into some hurdles along the way. I loved every part of the journey!

I’m Minnesotan born and raised and so having a romance set in my home state was the cherry on top!!

Thank you so so much to Putnam for the advanced copy! 🩷

This book was seriously adorable! Charley and Ethan's friendship and love is so cute, and this book was everything I never knew I needed in a Minnesotan/Midwestern rom-com.

Charley was such a relatable character, struggling with a need to control everything in her life after a childhood of not feeling in control of anything. Ethan was a precious comedic relief to an otherwise heavy undertone, and I love that he was exactly what Charley needed.

I think I would have loved even more dialogue and conversation between the two, or even between Charley and her sister - miscommunication isn't a favorite trope of mine, and while the small doses of miscommunication weren't unbearable, I just would have preferred more communication to resolve what was already miscommunicated.

Overall, this book was such a sweet and goofy besties-to-lovers story that had me giggling the whole time.

This sophomore novel from Ellie Palmer is simply brilliant! I loved her debut book last year and was very excited to read this one and it did not disappoint. Palmer’s books are very good at making stories feel real, and deal with some heavier topics and emotions while incorporating some truly laugh out loud scenes. I kept pausing so I could read aloud some funnier moments to my husband. That woods run scene is gold! This story has a few tropes: road trip, friends to lovers, unrequited/second chance, opposites attract. It all works. Additionally, this is closed door, but the tension and build up are done so well. Like Four Weekends and a Funeral, Anywhere With You is a must buy.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Anywhere with you was a sweet story about finding true love where you least expect it. I wanted the story to continue and I am looking forward to reading more books by Ellie Palmer.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed Four Weekends and a Funeral, so I was eager to read this book by the same author!
It's my own fault for not being so in love with this book--second chance romance just never hits for me as much as it does for other people.
So if you love second chance romance, this book is for you!!
I do love the friendship we see throughout the whole book, and the comfort of knowing someone deeply. We also see sibling love and all that that entails, which is so beautiful.

There were parts where I was frustrated with Charley, our FMC, but I understand we have to be annoyed to appreciate her growth.

Overall, a cute, quick read. A great summer romance, so it coming out in August is perfect!

Charley and Ethan drew me in from the very beginning of the book. Ethan is the van-lifer musician who acts totally aloof and Charley is the straight-shooting lawyer who can't unplug from work, and ends up divorced at 29 because of it. These childhood best friends had a falling out over Charley's marriage, but find themselves reconnected after Charley's sister and Ethan's other best friend spontaneously decide to get married. Charley absolutely needs to stop her sister from making the same mistakes she did, and chaos ensues.

Throughout the book, you get flashback snippets of Charley and Ethan's life, like how they became friends and why they meant so much to each other. Laurel and Petey are wonderful additions to their story and to the story overall, and you find yourself rooting for all of them.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Putnam for the ARC in exchange for honest feedback!

Ellie Palmer's sophomore novel ANYWHERE WITH YOU is delightfully fresh, hilarious, and oh so romantic. I want to live in Palmer's brain, because her wit and humor is so specific and refreshing--the jokes get even funnier on the second read! Palmer is a master of her craft weaving in emotional wounds from her characters past and present into an extremely relatable story about overcoming fears of failure, inadequacy, and abandonment and learning to trust love. Full of tropes that will have romance readers going wild, there is a secondary love story that is equally enchanting and that is the love of two sisters. Told with thoughtful flashbacks, gorgeous Minnesotan scenery, and a hilarious cast of characters this is a big love story with so much emotion that is perfect for fans of Carley Fortune and Abby Jimenez.