🦇 Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ "It's hard to believe in yourself when no one else does." ❞

❓ #QOTD If you could get an all-expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world, where would you go? ❓

🦇 On a whim, Dylan Coughlan calls a radio station and receives a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid trip around the world. The catch: the station gets to randomly select a contact on Dylan's phone as her travel companion. She's paired with "Jack the Posho," an uptight almost-one-night-stand she unintentionally ghosted. They immediately butt heads, which doesn't make Dylan's work assignment easier: to write about the trip as a second-chance romance series. If the series succeeds, she'll finally get her own column. Is it worth the backlash when her past comes back to haunt her?

💜 Elle Everhart's debut romcom isn't just a case of the warm and fuzzy feelings we often associate with the genre; it gives far more than that. What looks like a forced proximity, grumpy versus sunshine match-up is really a well-balanced, polar opposites pairing. Both Dylan and Jack are familiar with the soul-sucking existence derived from living a life that fits their parents' standards. Dylan refused to walk that line and has been forced to pay the consequences—in her social life and professionally. Jack plays the role his parents wrote for him, only for it to make him miserable. Dylan is unabashedly confident in her decisions and whom she's become because of them (rightfully so), and that bravado eventually inspires Jack to do the same. Though it takes them an excruciatingly long time to reach an understanding, their both better off for it by the end. The character growth between them is as beautiful as some of the landscapes they encounter on their travels.

🦇 The miscommunication trope plays a big part in this story, and if you've read my previous reviews, you know that's a pet peeve. Dylan makes assumptions about Jack based on his reaction to the radio call and a few texts, but never makes an effort to learn more about him in person. Jack seems to mean well but Dylan's abrasiveness sets him off, making the first act a little tiresome to read. Fair warning: there is a bit of smut 🌶️, but the moment is ruined by the mention of Edward Cullen and sparkly skin (I definitely put my Kindle down with a groan after that).

💜 A great read that goes beyond the cute and fuzzies of typical travel romcoms. Recommended to anyone who has that itch to travel deep in their bones. That's one of the best things about being an avid reader; you have a thousand little adventures at your disposal without having to worry about the airfare. Happy reading!

❝ "The more she wrote, other things started to unravel, too. She'd been scared of her parents' rejection for the vast majority of her life, a symptom of eldest daughter syndrome and being queer as hell, but she deserved more than tolerance or a lack of outright rejection. They should have loved her no matter what, been proud of her no matter what." ❞

✨ Tropes ✨
✈️ Travel Romance
🏔️ Forced Proximity
🚂 Frenemies to Lovers
⛱️ Opposites Attract
🗽 Slow Burn

🦇 Major thanks to the author @elleeverhart and publisher @putnambooks for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

On a whim Dylan calls into a radio station and ends up winning a trip around the world. The only catch is that she has to go with whom they randomly select from her contact list. When “Jack the Posho” gets selected, Dylan isn’t even sure who he is! It took a while for it all to come back to her, it was a random guy from the club. When the trip begins, its apparent that Dylan and Jack are complete opposites. Dylan works for a lifestyle magazine, except she’s stuck writing cute quizzes after news of her abortion came out a few years ago. Her editor agrees to give her a regular column if she writes about her romance with Jack and it goes well. Except there is no romance. How will Dylan pull this off and come out of the trip unscathed?

This was such a fun debut! I really enjoyed the premise and the story, but I did feel it lacking at times. I wish there would have been less of the Instagram talk, and more talk of each of the places they visited. This was also very much a slow burn romance with the spice only coming in the last 10% or so of the book. I wish that Dylan and Jacks relationship would have developed a little faster. I really enjoyed how this book touched on some social issues. Dylan also mentions being bisexual, but I felt that this part of her was underdeveloped overall. I would have enjoyed learning more about this part of her character. Overall, this was a wonderful read and a great debut. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for gifting me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Additional links will be added once posted.

I’m very bummed to report that I couldn’t finish this book. I genuinely loved the plot and the characters and was ready for a wild trip around the world until about 25% when the author decided to hit every single political view possible within a few pages. I feel like this could have been an excellent book but sometimes it’s hard to look past a whole agenda, whether it be left or right. I consider myself VERY moderate but I don’t want to read about books that swing one way or the other - especially when it has nothing to do with the storyline. I’m here for an escape when I read, not a continuation of the talking heads in the real world.

Magazine writer Dylan wins an all expenses paid 6 week trip around the world from a local radio station. The only catch is that she will have to travel with someone the radio station randomly selects from her phone contacts. “Jack the Posho” is the lucky pick, and after initially forgetting who Jack is, Dylan remembers that he is an uptight, preppy guy that she met one night at a bar and accidentally ghosted. Dylan is able to leverage her time off for the trip into a chance at a permanent column at the magazine as she writes about her travels, and her editor urges her to push the second chance romance angle. Dylan is determined to make the trip and her time with Jack work so she can write some juicy stories to secure her dream, despite how unbearable she finds Jack. But as the two spend more time together—and find themselves while traveling—Dylan comes to realize that Jack isn’t all that bad, and she’ll have to decide if achieving what she really wanted is worth the price she has to pay to get it.

Thank you so much @netgalley, @putnambooks, and @elleeverhart for the advance copy! I read this while on vacation and it was the perfect summer travel read. I really enjoyed all of the different destinations that Jack and Dylan were able to travel to, and it made me super jealous that I didn’t win that trip! The banter between Dylan and Jack was fun and hilarious. The book also had a lot of really great and healthy discussions around women’s rights, fear of failure, respecting boundaries, consent, and sexuality. A great summer read for those who love travel, self-discovery, and romance! Wanderlust hits shelves on July 4!

This is cute but I have 2 issues with this book
1) there in insufficient dialogue between the two leads. Jack is supposed to be quiet but there is so little talking it’s hard to see the chemistry develop between them
2) there is too much talk about instagram. I know it’s relevant to the plot but I wish there were less of it.

Years after ghosting her one night stand, Dylan finds herself the winner of an incredible around the world sweepstakes, with one stipulation: that she being a random phone contact with her. As luck would have it, it’s Mr. One Night Stand himself: Jack. What starts as an awkward trip between two people with a grudge soon turns into a journey that not only challenges them to try new things, but also to face their fears, doubts, and feelings as they grow into something more than they expected.

I wish I could have read more about each place the pair traveled to, and watched their journey unfold in greater and more meaningful detail. I do think that with the storyline being split between the developing romance and the worldwide trip itself, not enough attention was spent on the trip and there were missed opportunities for Dylan and Jack to grow closer in their experiences together and made the trip feel a bit rushed at times.

However, “Wanderlust” delivers a witty and heartfelt story of love, friendship, and self discovery that I really enjoyed. Seeing Jack and Dylan really find themselves and face their own insecurities is rewarding to read and their blossoming feelings for one another feels like a warm hug to the soul. “Wanderlust” is a wonderful, sweet, quick read romance!

An enjoyable debut. The premise of Dylan winning a radio contest for a trip around the world with the catch of her traveling companion chosen at random from her phone contacts is extremely fun and felt like a clever spin on a familiar idea. Dylan was a tough character to like at first, and several of the locations visited could have used additional description to create more of an atmosphere for the characters to experience. The second half of the book is significantly stronger than the first as Dylan and Jack grow closer, and I liked how the two of them helped each other with some pressing personal and professional problems. The book does a nice job of delving into some unexpectedly heavy topics without making them seem out of place. All in all, a few minor issues, but otherwise a good read.

In Wanderlust, we follow Dylan and Jack who unexpectedly get tossed together for a whirlwind trip around the world. In the process, they see the world, learn a lot about themselves and each other, and figure out how to live their best lives. It was so fun to see the pair warm up to each other and open up and help each other deal with the things that were weighing on them - it was freeing to see them come into their own and then fall for each other. I loved the way they had to figure themselves out, make sense of the past, and really dig deep. The book didn't shy away from some heavy topics and I thought Everheart handled them with grace and thoughtfulness. I loved every stop on this little adventure and I can't wait to recommend this book to everyone I know when it comes out!

Wanderlust by Elle Everhart was a wonderful escape from real life! The premise of winning a trip around the world with a random person from your past was a great set-up for this romance. It is also a commentary and cautionary tale about social media and the very real effect it can have on our adult lives. The steamy sex scenes at the end were the cherry on top of this luscious dessert of a novel! My only wish was that there were a bit more details about the different cities they visited. Also, I found the lack of page breaks between different times/places to be a bit disorienting at times.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this eArc! Could not put it down and read it in one sitting - I loved Dylan and Jack together. I loved watching the pair travel through so many places together, though I wish we got to see more of it rather than skipping over some destinations entirely. The conflicts (and resolutions) in the book felt super realistic, and I found the characters to be relatable, despite the potentially far-fetched circumstances. While I had a really fun time reading it, I can't say it was the most memorable book I've ever read. Overall, I did really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone looking for a cute quick read!

I was so invested in Dylan and Jack's story that I read this book at any chance I got-- walking to the bus, on the bus, during lunch break, waiting for the bus home, etc. When I finally got to the end I went looking for more books to read by Elle Everhart but saw that this is her only book so far, feeling mildly disappointed but also doing a google alert so I can hear when she writes more books. I WILL be reading all of them from now on!


I love traveling and romance books, so when I saw that this book throws two practical strangers together on a whirlwind trip around the world I just knew that I would love it. The way Elle described the romance between grumpy Jack and sunshine-y Dylan made me swoon but also laugh out loud numerous times. I also really enjoyed that this book touched on so many hard hitting topics such as queer identities, abortions, family estrangement, and so on. What a great debut novel!

Thanks NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP for the ARC. It was a pleasure to read and review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
- Slow Burn
- Enemies to Lovers
- LGBTQIA+ Rep
- International Travel

While Wanderlust is a fun and quick read, it does deal with some heavy topics including bullying, homophobia and abortion. These are heavily focused in the book so if you become triggered by any of these, I would advise against reading.

Dylan and Jack had excellent tension and the banter between them was pretty entertaining! That is about where my love of Dylan stopped. I wasn't a fan of how she treated Jack at all. I was actively rolling my eyes at her actions more than once.

I was expecting more focus on the traveling aspect but most of the time locations were just mentioned in passing and some locations completely skipped over. This left me pretty disappointed.

Overall, I binged Wanderlust in a day and while I enjoyed reading it at the moment, it was ultimately not very memorable and I won't be revisiting it.

Wanderlust is the endearing story of Dylan and Jack. When Dylan wins a trip around the world, Jack is randomly chosen to accompany her—and what a journey they have! They seem ill-suited as travel partners, but as they share experiences in faraway places their differences start bringing them together instead of tearing them apart. This is a very slow-build, but it’s worth the wait. This isn’t just a love story, this is also a story of self-discovery for each of them, as their personal and professional lives are impacted by their adventures and the challenges of their global expedition. Aside from their story, I was transported to all of the places they visited, from Australia to Mexico and many places in-between! I could picture these fantastic sites as Jack and Dylan explored them; I shared their exhilaration and awe. Congratulations to the author on a wonderful debut and I look forward to more books in the future!

Wanderlust by Elle Evehart was such a unique read!

When writer Dylan spontaneously calls in for a radio contest, she never expects to actually win. But it’s a multi-week free trip around the world, what could go wrong? That’s where the catch comes in - Dylan only gets the trip if she agrees to go with a random contact the radio station pulls from her phone. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but that’s when they pull “Jack the Posho’s” contact and everything goes awry.

Dylan and Jack spent one night in a club together months ago but Dylan never followed up. Can they survive this trip with out killing log each other?

I absolutely adored the premise of this book. I haven’t read anything like it and Dylan and Jack were so fun together. I think the only thing I would have liked is if they went more in detail about some of the cities they’d traveled to, but no book is perfect!

For anyone wanting a fun, jet setting read, this is a good book for you. It does delve into some heavier stuff surrounding social media and anxiety, so be sure to check the warnings if you’re sensitive to either. Overall I enjoyed my time with this one and will be in the look out for Evehart’s next one!

Dylan and Jack are so adorable! Jack is an irresistible cinnamon roll love interest and Dylan is a fiercely feminist badass. This was such a sweet and romantic slow-burn romance set all across the world. I really enjoyed watching both characters fall in love while also figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives and coming into their own with respect to their parental issues. There is no third act breakup either, for those who don't like them.

What I liked about this book? The fact that there was an actual foundation to the romance. Emotions, conversation, a friendship. Things that actually make a relationship work. (Because unlike most romance books want you to believe, amazing sex is not that only thing a relationship needs). But I digress.

This was a cute story and I loved the "clarity from travelling" storyline because it is so relatable. There is no life problem you can't solve by hoping on a plane.
I wish there had been more descriptions and time spent in cities. Those seemed to be glossed over but overall a cute read.

Also. Agreed. Abortions are healthcare.

Wanderlust made me want to pack my bags and travel the world! Dylan has been having a hard year, and on a whim enters her name into a radio contest that would send her around the world—the only catch is the station gets to pick a random contact from her phone and they select Jack, a guy she met on a girls’ night out and never called. This book felt fresh and fun and real. It takes on a lot of identity issues, as Dylan struggles with her parents lack of support in her bisexuality and her life decisions, and it takes on some heavy topics too that really shape Dylan. She’s brave and bold and trying every day, and I just loved seeing her grow and find her footing and seeing her succeed. Plus her best friend Gwen is an absolute gem. And Jack was so sweet and kind and gentle. I loved seeing him finding his confidence. And I love the friendship these two built and seeing the chemistry grow between them. It’s genuine and heartwarming and just a really strong debut!

Thank you NetGallery for this amazing ARC! I loved this book. A contest to go traveling around the world with a twist, you go with someone from your contacts? I loved Dylan and Jack’s story and how they overcame their own individual challenges while getting closer. You should definitely read this once it is out!

Dylan is in a rut… her job is going no where and she’s one step away from quitting. When she randomly calls in to a radio contest she wins a trip around the world with the catch that it has to be with a random person off her contact list. When Jack’s name is chosen and man Dylan meant only once agrees to go on the trip with her she has no clue what to expect. What ensues is a typical enemy to lover romance with exotic locations and some messed up family dynamics mixed in.
Overall the story was good and I liked the different locations. I, personally didn’t feel connected to either main characters which made it hard to get into the book. It was definitely a story I didn’t dislike reading but not one that I couldn’t put down. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

I really wanted to like this book? But just wasn’t for me. The book description sounded great, but I found the characters to be bland and just couldn’t get into the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.