"A surprise reunion on a romantic holiday? This is gold."

✈ Rom-Com
✈ Around the World Travel
✈ Forced Proximity
✈ Second Chance
✈ Opposites Attract
✈ LGBTQ Rep
✈ Social Media
⚠ Abortion

3.5 ⭐️/ 1 🌶️

Dylan has won a 6 week trip around the world from a radio contest. The only catch? The radio station has to choose a random contact in her phone to go with her. That person ends up being "Jack the Posho," a bar hookup from a few months back that she never called. What could possibly go wrong?

I was pretty excited to read about this book! A free trip of a lifetime?! Sign me up! The premise sounded so good but the execution fell a bit flat for me. I liked both of the main characters but wanted a little more out of their interactions with each other. I loved the lead up banter and their initial interactions. Jack seemed so sweet and you couldn't help but root for him and Dylan. The trip around the world seemed like it was such fun! Some of descriptions of the locations and activities made you feel like you were actually there with them: climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, attending a robot cabaret, and climbing a glacier! How fun! I do wish we got more descriptions and activities from all of the locations but quite enjoyed the ones we got.

This book does hit on some abortion issues, so mind the trigger warning.
Overall this was a cute debut novel and I enjoyed reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc!

Wanderlust by Elle Everhart is the perfect summer read, offering an abundance of enemies-to-lovers tension and captivating travel descriptions that transport you on a whirlwind vacation.

This was a cute, simple romcom for people who love to travel! It was so fun following Dylan and Jack around the world. The book did tackle some tough subjects such as homophobia and abortion (prior to the start of the book), and I think it was done well. I don’t think the plot was the most unique or life-changing, but it did make for a rather easy read. I think this book could have benefitted from dual POV as I feel we did not truly get to know Jack throughout the book. Overall it was a sweet, fun romcom with a few heavier moments, and I would recommend for quick, easy read.

Elle, Elle, Elle. Sit down. *pats couch* Let's talk.

Just a little chat. That's it.

About how, at one point, I screamed so loud at my Kindle I scared the bejesus out of my doggos. No, really.

For a debut novel, this had my heart on the floor. This is a slow, slow, slow burn for spice. Nearly 85K in before the whisper of anything more than a kiss but man oh man was it worth it.

Dylan is so incredibly relatable, and the experiences she had with the backlash of social media in telling her truth are so important to share. Poignant, terrifying, and so true. Thank you for making her a fierce believer in bodily autonomy and so unapologetically herself.

Now, Jack. Jack, my boy. Jack-a-rino. What are we going to do with him? Seriously. He is both several people I know and also my next book boyfriend. Stick up the butt? Absolutely. With good reason? Fo sho. Obviously in love with Dylan from the get go? Also a yes. But was totally here for it.

Thanks so much for sharing their story with us - I'm so excited to see what you do next.

Thank you to Elle and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was cute, and exactly what you'd expect from reading the cover. I read this at a busy time during school, so the traveling was a great escape from my reality :). The writing was good, the characters were interesting, and I believed the romance between our two main characters. Definitely a solid debut!

📖Review
4🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 66/100
🎧📲📚Wanderlust
💫Genre: Romance
✍️Zelle Everhart

📝Synopsis 📝
Dylan wins a trip and has to choose one person to go with. She decides to take Jack the posho 😆

💭My Thoughts 💭
This was such a fun read with a hint of romance but best of all a great friendship. I enjoyed traveling all around the work with this duo. The banter was awesome 🤩

✨Thank you @netgalley & @penguinrandomhouse for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
📌Publication Date:
July 4, 2023
✨✨✨✨
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I liked the premise of this book, because it's something you think about doing but never actually do (at least in my case). Winning a trip around the world feels like such a fulfilling life journey and then to be stuck on it with someone you don't know is the stuff of nightmares.

Overall, I enjoyed the journey that Dylan went through physically (trip) and mentally (her job and what made her happy). I do think she was ridiculous petulant at times to Jack and I don't know how he was able to travel with her at times. I'm glad Jack started making moves to make himself happy and that Dylan began to understand him more.

I enjoyed this second chance travel romance but it was definitely heavier than I was expecting, tackling social media doxing and abortion shaming. Two British characters find themselves going on a free world travel vacation and getting another chance at love. Good on audio and recommended for fans of Mhairi McFarlane or Beth O'Leary. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Perfect book to read coming back from an overseas trip when I'm feeling all the wanderlust myself! I loved the concept of this book, and I think the author did a good job with it. Plus now I want to travel to all of these places!

Imagine you win a radio contest for the trip of a lifetime, a trip around the world…but with one condition. The radio station you won the trip from gets to pick your travel companion by random draw from the contacts in your phone. That’s what happens to Dylan in Wanderlust. Dylan is a writer who has had a rough go of it after facing outlast and doxxing by online trolls after a controversial article she wrote about having an abortion (TW). The companion picked to travel with her is a guy she got the number of on a night out, Jack. The two are strangers and now forced into close proximity by this trip.

I thought this book was nice. It took on some hard issues especially surrounding how toxic and awful the internet can be. I liked the travel aspect and the story overall but this is a SLOW burn romance. There were so many other issues focused on in this book, the romance kind of took a backseat.

Happy pub day to Wanderlust! This is the PERFECT jetsetting romcom for summer.

Did anyone else spend a ridiculous amount of their youth frantically calling their favorite radio station, hoping to be lucky caller number x and winning tickets to a sold-out concert or whatever mediocre promo prize the DJ was gifting? Pretty sure I wore out the “redial” button on my phone back in the day.

Well, Dylan actually ends up being the lucky caller, and the prize is unreal: An 8-week-long getaway for two, hitting some incredible destinations across the globe. Oh, but there’s one thing. Dylan’s travel companion is randomly selected from the contact list in her phone, and it turns out to be Jack, some guy she met at a bar a while back and completely forgot to call. In fact, she completely forgot about him in general. But he remembers Dylan. AWKWARD. 😬 Jack’s surprisingly on board with the impromptu vacay, but he’s grumpy about it. Also hot. But very grumpy. Maybe Dylan can have enough fun for them both?

Wanderlust is a whirlwind of globetrotting, icebreaking, exploring, wanting, learning, laughing, and bravely choosing to be true to oneself. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Lindsey Kelk, and Mhairi McFarlane.

Many thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy of this work! My opinions are my own.

2.5 stars

This started out really fun and I was excited about the story. It dragged a little too much for me. Really slow with no plot happening.

There was 1 spicy scene that I felt wasn’t worked into the storyline well enough. Didn’t last very long. Was partly explicit. Felt like the author couldn’t decide if she wanted to fully commit to a spicy seven.

Lots of trauma baggage on both parts. Lots of important topics brought up (bi-phobia, homophobia, abortion). They were all defended well. Check content warnings.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this digital ARC.

I binged almost this entire book in one day! A seriously awesome debut from Elle Everhart! The title is very true to the book - it will give you all the wanderlust!! It’s a classic British romance with great women’s fiction mixed in with very sweet, slow burn, opposites attract, romance. Definitely recommend this one for fans of British romance and adventurous travel!

4.5⭐️

Wanderlust is a debut novel that follows two somewhat strangers, Dylan and Jack, when they win a radio contest and travel around the world together. It gives People We Meet on Vacation/Unhoneymooners summer vibes!

First off, I want to express how much I loved reading about Dylan's story with her abortion and with women's rights in general. She's such a strong character after that experience and having to deal with online threats and her parents not supporting her choices.

"She didn't regret standing up for herself. If anything, she was angry that she lived in a world where she had to defend herself in the first place. Where defending herself only seemed to make people that much more determined to tear her down."

The relationship between Dylan and Jack developed and flowed easily throughout the story. Of course there was the tension (both good and bad), but it was your classic 'opposites attract' trope and I was here for it! I liked all the destinations they visited, but some of them felt rushed and not as detailed and there were moments where I found it hard to keep reading.

There wasn't necessarily a third act break up, but you do have your climactic point about half way in the story that divides the two apart from each other for a bit. Another thing I enjoyed was that it wasn't your typical romance book where both characters express their love for each other in the end. It was so realistic when they're back in their normal lives and they get to figure out their future together.

"Jack laughed, and this time, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I think I've already proven I'd follow you anywhere.""

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P Putnam's Sons for sending an e-arc for my honest opinions! Wanderlust is out everywhere now!

In this sparkling debut romantic comedy, reminiscent of People We Meet on Vacation and The Unhoneymooners, Love takes flight when magazine writer Dylan Coughlan wins a life-changing trip around the world through a radio contest. However, there's a catch—the random travel companion selected from her phone contacts is the uptight and posh Jack, whom she accidentally ghosted. As their journey unfolds, Dylan's desperate need for a successful travel series clashes with her growing connection to Jack. With delightful character growth and a slow-burning romance, this book is a fun and relatable exploration of honesty, transparency, and the price of pursuing one's dreams.

Four stars. I loved loved loved the concept but it was a really slow burn, that’s the only reason I couldn’t give it a five. I enjoyed Dylan and Jack’s story. From their initial meeting in a bar to their cold exchanges at the beginning of their trip, even their family drama and the support they gave each other. Dylan sounds like the friend that everyone needs and Jack sounds like the guy everyone’s pushing to try something new. They make a perfect couple. I also really enjoyed the travel. It was amazing getting to experience these places through this story. While a little bit of the story felt a little “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” I loved the social media aspect and I loved Dylan’s strength in being honest and transparent in a time where it’s easy to hide behind a screen. This book was fun and would definitely be a great read, especially while traveling. Would easily recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a copy.

Dylan is a writer who's trying to get a column at the magazine where she works. She's listening to the radio one morning and hears about a contest they're running for a trip around the world, The first caller to win doesn't want to take the trip when she finds that the person traveling with you will be someone randomly selected from your phone contacts. Dylan calls in and wins and the person selected from her contacts is a guy she met several months ago at a club. Jack remembers Dylan and agrees to take the trip with her. The story then revolves around them getting to know each other, Dylan trying to get her column while writing about the trip, Jack taking a chance on a new career. I liked this story.

DNF at 73%.

Initially I was excited for this one - I thought the premise was interesting and I was hoping for a light-hearted, fun read. Turns out this one wasn't for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between the main characters (I also didn't like either of the MCs) and that made me not care to finish the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I don't know what to say about this story. It's not only that I didn't finish it (because I couldn't make myself). It's that there is not much to say about an interesting premise of a free trip around the world with a randomly chosen person from your phone's contact list that is never developed into a full-blown, three-dimensional character story. Everything was wrong for me. The plot was flimsy, the characterization lightweight swipes at stereotypes. The writing itself felt more first draft than polished work intended for an audience. I expected so much more than was delivered. A deep disappointment. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

What first caught my interest about Wanderlust is its glorious premise of winning a nine-destination vacation around the world. Um, where can I enter this radio contest? Because I could absolutely use an all-expenses-paid vacation and would love to see as much of the world as possible! I also love that we get to watch two near strangers, total opposites, be stuck in close quarters with each other for the better part of two months. Forced proximity is one of the best tropes in romance, and Wanderlust has that in spades. (Alas, there are no only-one-bed shenanigans here; the contest arrangers, sadly, did their jobs correctly on that front.)

Right away, I loved this book. It’s a lot of fun and full of humor. One of my early favorite scenes is when Dylan is in the radio station and “Jack the Posho” is selected as her travel companion. So awkward! Even before the trip begins, Dylan and Jack are clearly very different and rub each other the wrong way. By the time they meet up at the airport and end up in Sydney, Australia, they’re arguing constantly. Now I must say, their early bickering is so immature and dumb, maybe especially on Dylan’s part. It seems like she’s constantly picking fights and getting annoyed for no good reason. Jack may seem vaguely grumpy, but Dylan is downright pugnacious.

Luckily, these two opposites gradually get to know each other and even like one another. This is one of the most realistic romances I’ve read, in terms of the timeline to love. Jack and Dylan slowly inch forward to friendly acquaintances, then tentative friends, then friends with little romantic feelings. We spend nearly the whole long vacation waiting for them to really get together, with some stops and starts along the way for added tension.

One big conflict between Dylan and Jack is related to her job. Dylan has been aiming for her own column at the magazine where she works for years, and her boss has finally given her an opportunity… with a condition: Dylan must write about her trip, angling it as a romantic getaway with a former one-night-stand, and if she has a big enough uptick in engagement, she can have her column. But Jack wants to remain private and doesn’t know what Dylan has been writing about him. There are some serious ethical lines being crossed here, and they’re starting to affect Dylan’s mental health. There’s also a theme of hateful comments and death threats that Dylan has gotten (related to an article she’d written the previous year). All of this eats at Dylan, but will eventually impact Jack, whenever and however he finds out.

I like that career and ambitions play such a big role in Wanderlust, both for Dylan and for Jack. Both are at a crossroads, whether in their place of employment or in the kind of work they do. Both of them also have complicated family relationships, specifically with their parents. At what point do you try to fix the relationship, and at what point do you take some time apart?

Some other themes that come into play surround Dylan: She’s proudly bisexual and also supports peoples’ right to have an abortion. She herself has had one. While her parents could tolerate one of those facets, they couldn’t accept the other. This has some ties to another book I read shortly before this, and I appreciated seeing more about this important subject.

And of course, we have to talk about those far-flung destinations Dylan and Jack get to visit! They travel to Australia, Asia, Africa, Northern Europe, and North America. I loved the destinations where we got to spend extra time and take in the sights with our two protagonists. Of the places visited, Sydney, Bangkok, Cape Town, Reykjavík, and Mexico City were the most detailed. I would have liked even more descriptions of the local attractions, culture, food, and so on, but with so many stops on their itinerary, I can let that slide.

Wanderlust will certainly give you wanderlust, as well as all the giddy feels once these two love birds finally find their way to each other. This book offers up travel hijinks, career struggles, family drama, and social issues, all wrapped up in a sweet and realistic love story. This is a wonderful debut, and I look forward to reading more from Elle Everhart.