I was hooked immediately on this book. I enjoyed the adventure and travels alongside the romance that begins to develop. This was cute British lit (with a little more steam than I usually find in this genre) and was so fun to read. I liked the radio contest a lot.

This was a nice vacation read, it definitely made me.want to travel! It wasn't great though, I don't want to be mean or anything there was certainly nothing wrong with the book it was just very basic very okay. I probably wouldn't recommend it to a big reader but for someone who doesn't read a lot I think they would enjoy it.

I truly wanted to love this book, but the ending completely fizzled out for me. The premise is so fun: the main character, Dylan, gets a trip around the world with one main catch: the radio station giving the trip away gets to choose her travel companion from any contact in her phone.

They pick a random guy stored in her phone from a night out at a bar, and the story begins. There is chemistry in the beginning between the two of them and a “will they, won’t they” vibe begins to develop. However, as times goes on, their communication (especially given the nature of their trip and pure physical proximity), just breaks down and fizzles. Dylan is too stubborn to even try with Jack at times, and Jack is completely closed off. Where this may have been the goal to build tension, it reads as cold and disconnected. Dylan also is incredibly immature. There are times where honesty is paramount and she always puts her own feelings, desires, and dreams ahead of anyone else. For example, she chooses to post on social media and is trying to become an influencer but definitely wants none of the backlash for her controversial posts and opinions. She wants her cake and wants to eat it too: a well paying job with no boss who has demanding deadlines, opinions, or an HR department, friends and family who support every decision she makes (even if it goes against their own personal beliefs or religion), a partner who will always be there for her when she brings her chaotic energy into any given situation, and a trip around the world, too. She is a walking contradiction as well. In one sentence, she’s moving her and her flat mate to a different location and going into hiding because of internet stalking and living this public persona, agonizing over what this has done to her life. In the next? She’s convinced Jack he is a photographer (with no training or even a legit camera btw), to start his own Instagram and serve himself up to the vultures of the internet. If she cared about him, why wouldn’t she share his trepidation in putting himself out in such a public way?

Because Dylan is selfish and values the internets likes and comments more than authenticity, that’s why.

If the “quit your job, travel the world, and do whatever makes you happy without any real world consequence” narrative is your vibe, this might be a really great beach read for you.

Cute story about a girl winning a free trip but the catch is they get to pick her travel companion out of her phone. She gets paired with Jack and the trip has its ups and downs. But do they wind up getting together or does she do something to betray his trust?

A fun story dealing with some heavier topics in a lighthearted way. Wanderlust follows magazine writer. Dylan and "Jack the. Posho" who she met briefly on a night out. After winning a radio contest, Dylan is off on an all expenses paid adventure... as. long as she takes Jack as her plus one. Jack agrees and they take off to jet set to see the world and each other in a new light.

I enjoyed this one, but I wish there had been more chemistry between Dylan and Jack. I struggled to understand Dylan's annoyance with Jack, someone she barely knew, and wish the sparks and flown sooner.

Oh, I loved Dylan and Jack so much. Both characters and their emerging romance felt so endearing and natural. I also really appreciate that the topic of anxiety and panic attacks were handled well and with love and sensitivity. The two notes I do have is that the pacing feels off a bit and I do wish there was more of the travel element infused. For example, I wish that there were descriptions of their travels that drew you in a bit more and made you feel like you were there with them. Overall, this was a solid and fun read!

Dylan wins a once in a lifetime trip around the world through a radio contest. This seems like the perfect opportunity to escape her life and take her career as a magazine writer to the next level. The catch? Dylan has to take the trip with a person randomly selected from her phone contacts, which ends up being Jack. Dylan and Jack met on a night out a few months ago and Dylan ghosted him. Now they're traveling the world together. They both have hidden motives for why they accepted this trip, but they need to find a way to make it through the next six weeks together.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The pacing really threw me off though. I felt like there was a lot of time spent on things that could have been quicker and not nearly enough time spent on some things that needed it. I think there is a lot of good story here though for someone who wants a getaway from their regular life to fall into someone else's world travels for a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of this book.

Many triggers in this book: see warning at the end of my review:

Dylan wins a trip from the radio station and the only catch is she has to travel with some random person from her phone contacts. She gets set up with Jack, a guy she met and kissed at a bar and then she ghosted him. He isn't sure why she ghosted him, but he definitely remembers her. Jack has his own reasons for taking this trip, which won't be revealed until we (the readers) get to know him better.

I loved the travel in this book, definitely made me want to wander and explore. I found myself wanting more of the locations and settings that Dylan and Jack visited. The dynamics between the two start to heat up but also explode when secrets are revealed and the truth comes out.

I enjoyed this debut novel and the characters, though I thought the different scenes deserved more attention to detail.


Triggers: bullying, abortion, internet harassment.

The premise behind wanderlust is my dream come true. Winning a trip to travel far and wide across the globe and explore new destinations? Absolute dream come true. I was very excited for this book when I received an ARC but the description and focus was on the couple traveling rather than the destinations. I love a good contemporary romance. In fact it’s mainly what I read but I was really looking for the travel to play a bigger part and considering the title is “wanderlust” I really thought the book should have done a better job at truly making you feel these wonderful destinations but instead it felt very unfulfilling in the travel romance category. A wonderful story for the romance that went beyond basic tropes and held deep meaningful conversations, but would have loved to have felt immersed in the travel aspect. A huge part of the joy is feeling the overwhelming need to visit the destination but I didn’t feel that at all in this book.

I received this book as an advanced review copy and offer my honest opinion voluntarily.

Chapter 1: Dylan Coughlan was having an absolutely shit day.

Sold., I want to know everything! Synopsis: "Feeling stuck at work and tired of London’s dreary weather, magazine writer Dylan Coughlan impulsively rings a radio station one day only to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world. The catch? Her travel partner must be a contact randomly selected on her phone. And of course this stressful game of contact roulette lands on a number listed only as Jack the Posho, an uptight, unbearably posh guy she met on a night out and accidentally ghosted."

This travel filled, finding your voice, slow burn book was a beautiful read and I am so grateful to have found it.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review!

Pitch me a book with travel in it and I'm sold, plus the title is something I feel everyday. I absolutely loved the premise as well, a trip around the world, but with a random contact in your phone. I'd do it in a heartbeat. Dylan's random contact however, was Jack a guy she met at a bar one night and ghosted.

Their trip starts out rocky with conversation lacking, but Dylan not only needed this trip to recharge herself, but also her career. As the trip progresses, their relationship changes as they get to know each other better. I like the progression this took and the pacing as well.

My biggest criticism is the lack of depth and description when it came to all the places they visited. If you're going to call the book Wanderlust, it should leave the reader feeling that and the setting descriptions just weren't there.

I loved the premise of this story. The traveling in the book gave me actual wanderlust, although sometimes i felt like we just barely got anything from the city, and then we were moving on to the next place. I liked Dylan as a main character, but I felt like I didn't know Jack very well. They had some chemistry, but overall I didn't feel much tension and angst between them, and that is what I really want out of romance novels I read. The author did a great job writing about mental health, online bullying, boundaries with family members, and those topics made the romance feel real, like it isn't just always sunshine and rainbows in a relationship. I would read more from this author.

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

3.5 stars, if I could.

This has happened to me before. I finish a book I'm ambivalent about and when it comes time to rate it, I round up. And again, it's because parts of Dylan's story need to be told. The anonymous hate she experiences on the internet, to the point of doxxing and death threats, is a very real thing people deal with. And no one deserves that.

"Abortion is healthcare" is the other reason I rounded up. It is. That aspect of Dylan's tale was messy and could've been done better so it worked with the rest of the story instead of against it but it's no less important. It needs to be talked about.

But in talking about those very important topics, this story ends up feeling like it's at war with itself. It's two stories -- harsh reality and soft travel-romance -- that haven't quite melded together into a cohesive whole. I definitely skimmed parts just to keep moving.

The level of detail that went into some of the cities they visit was *chef's kiss* It truly did reignite my wanderlust and for places that weren't high on my list. You feel like you're there and it's beautiful. Those were the parts that I slowed down and enjoyed most, that let me sink into the story.

There are several reasons I'd give this fractionally less stars if I could. Dylan was very annoying in the first chunk of the book. So much so that I considered walking away! I'm ultimately glad I didn't but her immaturity and hostility weren't easy to overcome. I felt so bad for Jack in the beginning.

Also, while I love that Dylan's story is out there, I don't love the backdrop of the influencer life. I would have preferred a grittier story that was more grounded in everyday reality.

I honestly don't know if I'd recommend this book or not.

Thanks to my friends at @putnambooks for the gifted copy. This book is available now!

In this cute romcom, Dylan wins a trip around the world from a radio station contest. The only catch is they get to choose someone randomly from her contacts to go with her. They choose Jack, who she barely remembered from a kiss on a night out.

I was really hoping for a light and funny romcom, but there were quite a few heavier topics that I wasn’t really expecting so much emphasis on. There were definitely some funny moments but I would’ve liked more of their adventures on the trip and less of the emotional bits and seriousness.

Wanderlust is a solid debut, and I’m looking forward to what this author writes next!

Wonderful premise, excellent chemistry, and loved the representation. Would prefer less miscommunication and more immersive descriptions of the locations

To win a radio getaway (weeks of travel around the world) - the host gets to choose ANY random contact from your phone on the spot. Would you do it? Me, if it's a terrible contact. I would hangup and block the radio's number.

Our heroine, Dylan, follows through on the trip and call even though she has no clue who the contact "Jack" is. Apparently, they met months before a club ...hmm a little rekindling then? I loved the premise, who doesn't love self-discovery, travel, and a little will-they-won't they? Though I didn't vibe with Dylan, I related to Jack and he had me swooning. This is a perfect summer read!

This was far too slow and not well paced for me, i needed the story to move a bit quicker

thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

Wanderlust by Elle Everhart

You know that feeling when you feel stuck where you are? Work is blah, your city is blah—you know you need a vacation. While feeling this way, our protagonist, Dylan, impulsively calls into a radio station and wins a trip around the world. There’s a catch though. The station must randomly invite one of Dylan’s contacts in her phone to join her. Enter Jack, the posh, polar opposite of Dylan who she met during a drunken make-out on a night out and never called again. While planning time away from her work as a writer, her boss is dangling the carrot Dylan’s been racing towards: her own column. The catch? She’s supposed to frame her writing of the trip as a second-chance romance.

This one has some solid grumpy x sunshine and enemies to lovers vibes. It was entertaining to watch the relationship unfold, and Dylan is a pretty dynamic character. I found myself appreciating her charm and sense of humor at times, but really irritated by her carelessness at other times.

I was surprised, given the title, how the travel itself seemed to take a secondary role. I would have loved more details of the places they were staying and their experiences overall, but it’s typically described only in relation to their situation. The characters and plot definitely take center-stage. And obviously there is still plenty of cool experiences and travel details—I just wanted more.

The central conflict is a bit predictable, but what I really enjoyed was how the resolution brought in so much more than I expected in a way that was really refreshing and human. I loved seeing characters who were just so happy with each other without some sort of artificial thing between them.

Overall, this was a lovely debut novel. A solid rom-com with a side of travel. I do recommend this one—it’s pretty cute and had a surprising bit of spice too.

Many thanks to @putnambooks and @netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

A great debut novel! Following Dylan who wins a competition and most travel with who ever is randomly chosen in her contact list. She is thrown into a journey with Jack who she only met one random night and labeled him in her contacts as Jack the Posho. Dylan who is currently employed at an online lifestyle magazine is supposed to use this trip around the world to earn her own column. Meanwhile Jack has secretly quit his job at a law firm he could no longer stand to be at. With no real instant connection you follow them on a journey that’s deeper than will they or won’t they and more like self discovery. A novel that makes you truly realize we only have one life that should truly be lived.

If you're someone who enjoys reading about traveling around the world, then "Wanderlust" is the book for you. Elle Everhart takes the reader to several countries and sprinkles in little tidbits about culture and places to sightsee (Iceland, Mexico City & NYC, to name a few).

In this story, the main character Dylan wins a radio contest which grants her a free trip around the world, but as it turns out there's a catch to her win. She can go on the trip as long as she goes with a randomly selected contact in her cell phone. A person she has listed in her contacts, as "Jack the Posho", an almost one night stand is selected.

However, much of Dylan and her companion Jack's journey is awkward and wrought with uncomfortable tension, and not in a 'cute enemies to lovers' way.
More like two people that once had a previous encounter gone wrong and they don't know how to co-exist with each other, so much so that at times it seems like each is on a solo adventure.
Also, it's important to note for reader's that appreciate trigger warnings that there is a plot line regarding abortion.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an early release copy of this book.

Wanderlust is being released July 4th 2023.

**Posted to Goodreads on 6/19/2023
**Posted to Amazon on 7/29/2023