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 a precious and fun read!! i am always so thankful to netgalley for giving me access to books before they come out. this was such an enjoying read! you should definitely check it out when it comes out!!!

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of Wanderlust by Elle Everhart.

There was so much that drew me to this book. I loved the cover, I loved the premise, and I was so excited to get an advance copy. Despite the doldrums of a layoff keeping me home on my couch, Everhart took me on an adventure around the world with Dylan and Jack. Plus, I got the opportunity to win a radio contest by eyeball osmosis.

There were so many wonderful moments in this book. Both Dylan and Jack's journeys in self-discovery and their deepening relationship really drew me in. I do think there were some lovely descriptions of Sydney, but then the other locations tended to be more brief in their description. I could have read a dozen more chapters if only to see Dylan and Jack enjoy the other locations in more depth and detail.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wanderlust and highly recommend it.

Content Warning; On-page discussion of abortion, toxic family dynamics, doxxing, and anxiety.

If your passport is stuck in the backlog, sit back and take a trip around the world with Dylan in Jack in this second chance/enemies to lovers story. This book is unique in that it mixes a frothy love story with some darker topics which may not be for everyone but if you want to explore some fun places through a book, this is will definitely do the trick!


Many thanks to Penguin & G.P. Putnam's Son and Netgalley for the ARC.

The premise of this book was really promising - a free trip around the world with a random contact from your phone who just happens to be someone you never called after a night out? I had to give this a shot! But, unfortunately the premise was better than the actual execution on this one.

Dylan and Jack met at a club months ago and had a connection, but Dylan never called him back. So, when Jack is picked as her random contact to accompany her on a free trip around the world, things are awkward most of the time to say the least. I really didn’t feel the chemistry between these two at all, especially with Jack’s coldness and Dylan’s inability to consider anyone’s feelings or opinions other than her own or those related to getting her ahead in her career. The relationship felt forced since neither of them really had fully thought out personalities and it took forever to finally develop.

I was also a little put off by the focus on online presence, cyberbullying and some more sensitive topics, not that they shouldn’t be included or talked about, but they ended up being the focus of the story so much more than anything else. It felt more like an instructional manual on how to use social media well and the hazards to putting things out there more than a real story. This definitely wasn’t the rom com it was billed to be - it was nothing like People We Meet On Vacation or The Unhoneymooners, so reader beware before you dive in.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

I thought this was such a cute, easy read! I really enjoyed watching Dylan and Jack's relationship grow throughout the course of the book, and loved the way the author dealt with some more serious topics / the issues both of them were going through individually. I only wish that we got a little bit more insight into the first night they met and Jack's POV. Don't be put off by some of the mixed reviews - I think it's definitely worth a read (and I was able to get through it in 1-2 days!)

I'm excited to read whatever Elle Everhart comes out with next!

I went into this book without any expectations or really knowing too much about it beyond the brief blurb, and I came out really impressed with the book! It is a fast read and well-paced (partly due to the sequence of the travel to different cities) and well-written. The characters are really well developed and the ebb-and-flow of their relationship has just enough tension and satisfaction to keep the reader invested. It was already really fun to see the different cities they travelled to through their eyes, and how the current state of their relationship and mental state colored their experiences. Also, really appreciated the author not shying away from the topic of abortion (tw: takes place in the past) or emotional abuse by parents.

I really enjoyed this book! The story follows magazine writer Dylan as she wins a radio contest for a round the world trip. The only catch is she has to go with a random person chosen from her phone contacts. That person ends up being Jack, a man she made out with on a night out several months back but never called because her life was upended when she was doxxed after writing an unapologetic essay about her abortion experience. The two start out on their adventure on shaky footing but as their travels unfold, so do their feelings for one another.

Things I liked: The absolute unwavering pro-abortion message. On demand, without apology, forever. The settings. The (eventual) spice. Jack was a great character - he was very nuanced and likeable. The MCs chemistry and slow burn energy. I'd definitely recommend to anyone.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of Wanderlust seemingly promised an enjoyable read. The characters start off likeable even when they irritated each other. However, the story felt bogged down with too many current social/mental health issues presenting themselves as a third wheel in their relationship. If an author feels they would like to delve into one area, then great. But trying to put in too many at once just brings the mood down.

Short premise, Dylan is a writer wanting her own column. She wins a radio contest to be sent on a trip around the world...the catch is she has to randomly pick someone from her contacts list to go with her. Enter Posh Jack, with whom she had an encounter with at a night club but never called him back. There is tension between the two as they travel, the haters to lovers bit. And there are some great moments, if you can get around the heavy topics.

All in all, this just didn't hit the nail on the head for me. Elle Everhart is a great writer, but she perhaps should let the romantic comedy be a comedy instead of a downer.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Wanderlust by Elle Everhart
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Dylan last minute decides to call into a radio show to see if she could be lucky enough to win a trip around the world. Dylan happened to be caller number 10, but the catch is that the radio show would randomly select a contact out of her phone to be her travel companion. Insert the grumpy/sunshine, forced close proximity, enemies to friends to friends to lovers, and the slow burn because Dylan’s travel companion is Jack, a guy she made out with at a club but hasn’t talked to since.

The author was able to portray a great balance of discussing difficult topics with mix of the joy that comes with traveling. I respected the author for the bi-sexual representation in this story. Elle Everhart also used her platform as a writer to share thoughts on abortion through the eyes of Dylan. In my opinion, it takes a lot of skill and courage to include topics that many have varying opinions on.

While Jack and Dylan didn’t start off on the right foot, they had the ability to get to a space where they allowed vulnerability between each other. I felt like this was a romance where the chemistry was more companionship, but the spice level went from 0-100 real quick! I wasn’t particularly fond of Dylan making the decision to post details in an article about Jack when he made it clear how he wanted to be included in her writing. I felt like this easily could have been avoided.

Other than the romance factor, I enjoyed seeing the boundaries Jack and Dylan learned to set with each other, and with toxic employer and family relationships. It felt motivating to see Jack and Dylan creating career goals that were of interest to them. I also enjoyed reading about places around the world that I haven’t really had a chance to learn about. This definitely made you want to pack your bags and book your next trip!

Treat your shelves to this one as it publishes tomorrow, July 4th.
Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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Thank you Netgalley for providing the ARC!

In all honesty, I was on the fence about reading this book. It put me in mind of the movie, How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days (the UK version) However, the book made an ingenious turn into something better. I started to enjoy reading more about Dylan & Jack misadventures! As you begin to read further into the book, the characters start to really connect and develop. I suggest giving this book a read!

Wanderlust is basically everything you can hope for in a debut novel. The premise of a free trip around the world with a random contact pulled from your phone is a great starting point, but it’s the execution that puts it over the top. The pacing of the trip is so well done. The destinations aren’t the typical, popular spots I expected like Italy or Caribbean island. And the success of the book is dependent on the chemistry between our protagonist Dylan and her travel companion Jack, which, I’m happy to report, is natural and easy and fun once they settle into their trip.

They’re pure, opposites attract fun. She’s a little reckless, a little fly by the seat of her pants. He’s rigid and loves a good schedule. But the more they travel together, the more the walls come down, and they realize that being opposite kind of sets them up to perfectly complement and support each other. It’s obvious from the start their coming together is inevitable, but they’re so lovely together, learning each other and seeing the world, that the slow burn is completely worth it.

On the surface, this is a breezy, travel-centric romance. But it’s also so much more. Dylan and Jack both have deep issues in their relationships with their parents, and I enjoyed watching them support each other through deciding whether bridges are worth rebuilding or burning down completely. And Dylan’s job as a journalist brings to light some very real issues we face IRL – namely, if someone online disagrees with what you say, you might start getting death threats or doxxed. Those parts of the book aren’t easy to read, but they’re really, really important, and I appreciate Elle Everhart for choosing to depict the panic and despair those kinds of messages inspire in real people every single day.