Wasn't a favorite of mine. The relationship didn't feel authentic and there were certain elements, like imagery and emotional intimacy, lacking that could have heavily contributed to the overall plot. I think the concept was unique but I was hoping for more description when it came to locations and character building.

On a whim, Dylan calls in to participate in a radio contest for a trip for 2 around the world. To her surprise, she wins. There is a catch though…the radio station is going to randomly select a contact from her phone to go with her. Enter Jack or Posh Jack as he is saved in her phone. Jack and Dylan met on a night out and agreed to follow up but Dylan never did. That sets the scene for their 2 month adventure around the world.
This was such a great story for those who dream of traveling. The locations were amazing (hello Robot Cabaret) and the tension/slow burn between Dylan and Jack was amazing. Also there are some tense emotional moments and there should be a trigger warning (abortion). But overall, it was a very fun, sweet book that you should check out.

WANDERLUST - ELLE EVERHART

4⭐
PLOT - Dylan Coughlan , a magazine writer is stuck at her job with her editor not giving her a permanent column. While working she times into the radio and finds herself lucky to win a trip arpund the world with a random contact from her phones contact and it is none other than Jack The Posho guy whom she met once at a night out and then accidentally ghosted. Dylan's boss gives her a chance for permanent column if she writes about her trip featuring Jack in it. As the trip gets going so does jack and Dylan's relationship but Jack is averse to social media and by putting him there will Dylan have to pay the price?

MY THOUGHTS -
Who wouldn't enjoy reading a book which takes you all over the world - for a travel fanatic like me it was a complete yes. The premise hence was definitely a plus ( 2 strangers on a trip round the world). Though there were some meaningful conversations between the two the romance itself was very slow burn (last 15%) and in between with all their travelogue it got a bit boring. I was expecting a bit more from my home city (Mumbai) being mentioned as one of their travel destination but nonetheless I quote enjoyed he book.
Fans of The Unhoneymooners and The amazing race check this one out .
Thank you G.P Putnam publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

It was enjoyable read. I loved how Dylan and Jack’s banter and the friendship they built. It’s definitely a slowwww burn but I’m a fan of slow burns. Dylan’s friend Gwen was the absolute best and was always looking forward to their conversations. The growth that Jack and Dylan do on their own and their growth together was really interesting to see. I loved seeing them root for each other to get out of their comfort zones and reach for something they really want.

This book covers several heavy topics (look at the TW before reading.) my biggest complaint is that at times I felt a little overwhelmed with everything that angered Dylan - something as simple as Jack opening the car door for her set her off - it felt a bit much sometimes. I think it could have benefited from being dual POV so we could get more insight on Jack and what he was thinking/feeling.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the concept of this book was really cool! It’s a cleaver take on a second chance romance when the main character wins a radio contest for a trip of a lifetime traveling around the world. The only catch, the radio host gets to pick at random, the person that will be accompanying her for the trip from her phone contacts. It’s a really cute set up, but the plot felt like it had lots of holes. Overall I found the story cute and predictable, an easy vacation read for sure!

Wanderlust is an entertaining novel that features a great romance and many travel tips. When magazine writer Dylan Coughlan wins a radio contest she is thrilled. She gets to travel around the world for free. However, there is a catch. The radio station gets to choose a random contact from Dylan's phone and that person will accompany her on the trip of a lifetime. Jack Hunton is selected and surprisingly he agrees to go. Dylan met Jack once, and although they were attracted to each other, she barely knows him. Their relationship develops as they visit fascinating locals. When Dylan uses Jack as a hook to lure more online readers, their friendship takes a wrong turn. Wanderlust is the perfect book to take on your vacation.

Just ok.

I found myself skipping chunks and pages—somehow didn’t seem to miss anything important.

The dialogue just had a lot of filler in between lines—i guess just too many info dumps. I also think that Jack’s character was missing something. He was cold and distant most of the book.

There was a lack of chemistry—we were told that Dylan, the main character, was having feelings for Jack but the progression of their relationship felt more like a friendship until all of a sudden it wasn’t.

I love a good travel themed book but ultimately the writing style just didn’t work for me.

When I saw the summary that this was a book for those who enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation and The Unhoneymooners, I was excited to read a book of a similar vein until I realised it missed the mark a bit.

Dylan is sat at work when she hears a radio giveaway and decides to call to try her hand at a 2 month around the world vacation. When she’s selected as the winner, there is a catch that she has to go with a random contact on her phone. The radio host chooses Josh, a man she blew off for their first date because her world was falling apart. When Josh shockingly agrees to go with her, they’re off on a world tour as Dylan writes articles about their trip in the hopes of furthering her career as a writer for her magazine.

This book tried to do so much in a short amount of time. It was so focused on the interactions between Josh and Dylan that it skimmed over all the beautiful destinations that they traveled to. I felt like they were in a place for a chapter and did one activity and went to the next place. I would have loved to see them properly fall in love as they traveled from country to country.

I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a very cute romance book, especially for the summer! But in my opinion I had moments while reading where I constantly compared it to every other highly rated romance novel. That doesn’t mean something is inherently bad, I do think that it had its grey moments, but to be something that stands out it must avoid the popular tropes other authors have already excelled in or simply exceed those expectations. I wish as a summer travel novel there had been more time dedicated to what places they were in! It was a missed opportunity to expand the world as we know it!

Thank you Netgalley for the eArc of this book.

A Fun travel romance adventure, Dylan wins a travel around the world trip but the person she travels with is a random contact in her phone. Meet Jack, they met at a club and never saw eachother again. They will be traveling the world together for 2 months.

Jack and Dylan soon learn more about themselves and eachother as their trip takes them around the world. This story was fun with slow burn romance. 4 stars!

Tropes:
Forced Proximity
Grumpy/Sunshine

CW:
Abortion
Bullying/Cyberbullying
Panic Attacks
Tense Family relations

DNF at 25%. I wanted to love this book but it wasn’t for me. Thank you to Putnam for the opportunity to read it. All thoughts are my own.

Dylan just won a fabulous trip to nine countries with free luxury hotel accommodation. The only catch is that she will have to travel with a randomly selected person listed as a contact in her phone (and take pictures and post about her travels). Luckily or unluckily, her travel partner ends up being Jack, a very handsome and posh man Dylan snogged on a night out a few months ago. They initially clash when they reunite at the airport but as they journey together around the world, they begin to realize they have more in common than they initially thought. However, Jack cherishes privacy as much as Dylan longs for her writing to reach a wide audience - will they be able to make it work?

Well, this was a delight and I recommend it to romance readers. At first, I was not sure I really felt the chemistry between Dylan and Jack, but that soon changed, as their connection grew slowly and organically. I appreciated the steady character growth and blossoming relationship between Dylan and Jack. The pacing was unusual at times with not every travel destination receiving an equal amount of coverage, though this did not detract from the overall story. While Wanderlust tackles some tough topics like parental neglect and online bullying and harassment, the author manages to make the story feel tender and lighthearted.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

I did not care for this book, and DNF'd it early on. I did not buy into the characters or plot. I felt the comparisons to People We Meet on Vacation and The Unhoneymooner's set this book up to be disappointing.

Thoroughly enjoyable! Are travel romances a novel thing these days? No, but this one manages to keep it fresh.

Many thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc!

This book was definitely heavier than I thought it would be. I was expecting more beach vibes and beautiful scenes and didn't really get that (which is weird because they literally travel the whole book). The miscommunication trope was in full swing (which definitely irked me) but ultimately I enjoyed how Dylan and Jack's banter but they weren't the most believable "we're-in-love-now" characters.

Loved this book! Great story with excellent character development and pacing. It had fun, it had sexy, it had serious.

I was hoping this book would have the same vibes as Love actually or the holiday, but unfortunately, the story fell slightly flat for me. I feel like this might be one of those books that I would have to give a second chance to, and hopefully have a better opinion...I also must add that in no way was it a BAD book, I just didn't match with it for whatever reason! I will definitely give it a second read in the future and hope for a more positive experience. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book was…fine, I guess. The travel elements were my favorite, and while I liked the romance, the plotting was just…off. I did like how Everhart dug into some hard-hitting topics, but there was too much telling and not enough showing for me. So it was okay, but I did almost DNF it a few times.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

I was excited for Wanderlust due to its fun premise. Dylan wins a radio show contest where she’ll be traveling the world, but there’s a catch. She has to travel with a random person they pick from her phone. Just so happens to be Jack, a guy she made out with at a bar and then ghosted. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. There was a complete lack of chemistry between Dylan and Jack, especially because he was so cold and dramatic. I didn’t really understand where the love even blossomed from. Although this wasn’t for me, I did appreciate the focus on pro choice, as well as the focus on following your dreams!

With a comparison of People We Meet on Vacation and Unhooneymooners I has high expectations and Wanderlust didn't come anywhere near that.
The premise sounded fun with winning a 6 week around he world vacation but the radio station would randomly pick from your phone contacts who you were traveling with and it was a guy who you met in a club but never saw again.

Unfortunately the characters were dull and I didn't feel any connection between them or felt like I was in a fun travel adventure reading this.