The Getaway List is a cute, quirky coming of age story, with a side of (best childhood) friends to lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Lord’s witty writing in this love note to New York City. The found family is made up of a lovable cast of characters, who get up to some hilarious shenanigans together. My main issue, however, is that the pacing was off for me; at times it really felt like it dragged. I’m giving it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc!

If you have ever read and enjoyed any of Emma Lord's other books, you are bound to enjoy this book as well. While it is it's own very unique story, it shares common themes that appear in her other books, like a character who loves photography, almost-new-adult protagonists, creating an app, New York, family, etc. And while I predictably enjoyed this book, it wasn't quite as top tier as her other books, in my opinion.

This is mainly because of personal opinion. As I have gotten older, I'm slowly starting to realize that YA is not always an absolute hit for me anymore. Yet, one thing I do love about this book is the age of the characters. There needs to be more young adult novels that focus on what to do after high school. I know plenty of them exist, but rarely are they ones that really get pushed at young adult audiences. I think the most popular one I have seen is either Today Tonight Tomorrow or Again, but Better. But these books are crucial to readers and really can help those who are nearing or are this age to feel better about not knowing what happens next.

So, you may be wondering why this book missed a little for me, and I think the main thing is the lack of chemistry. Though Riley and Tom do have SOME chemistry, it isn't as off-the-page as the romance in Tweet Cute. I'm convinced that nothing can beat Emma Lord's debut, maybe because that's my expectation for all of her books to be like that now, and I'm no longer blown away when her books are just great YA novels instead of shockingly-great... I guess what I mean is that my high standards are really getting in the way. My favorite of her books, You Have A Match, is mainly a favorite due to personal reasons. For one, there was the setting, and secondly, the existence of an incredibly passionate main character.

Though I haven't yet read Begin Again, I did notice two things that were new within this book compared to the other three I have read: the existence of a friend group that really was at the forefront of the novel, and having characters who were writers. I think this was incrediblely done, and I hope to see more of her novels with these themes.

But, mostly, what I really want now is for Emma Lord to write a fantasy novel. Maybe something like the Tides of Time series mentioned in the novel? So, Emma, if you're reading this, or if your publisher or agent is, I have a pitch for you: write a fantasy or sci-fi novel. Keep the same chemistry levels between your characters, but the stakes will be so much higher, and you might even find yourself a new audience to bridge your contemporary books to fantasy books. It will be excellent! Think of the chemistry between the characters in The Lunar Chronicles! Emma, you could write that!! But you also have the humor that would keep it lighthearted. I just have the feeling that any fantasy or sci-fi you would write would have a vague Rick Riordan-esque feel to it, and I mean that in the absolute best way. So please consider it. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

This book is precious! I love a found family, friends to lovers, NYC adventure. The characters were distinct and likeable

This was my first book of Emma Lord’s, but i will definitely seek out more of her titles!

This was an entertaining read, but not one I'd likely revisit. It didn't have the normal Emma Lord sparkle. It felt like a weakened retelling of her other novel "If you get the chance." The characters didn't pop the same way as some of her others did.

That said, I still enjoy the story as the two main characters try to check off a list and discover their independence. It would be a great quick read for teens and those who love YA lit.

🚲ARC Review🚲

The Getaway List
Emma Lord
Release Date: January 23, 2024

The Getaway List: list of adventures that Tom and Riley have compiled over the years but have yet to complete

Riley is graduating high school and has no idea what her next step should be. The only two constants in her life are her mom and her long time best friend Tom. Tom moved away a few years earlier and they weren’t in touch as much as Riley would like. So what does Riley do when right after she graduates? Much to her mother’s dismay she boards a bus to go surprise Tom in NYC to complete the Getaway List they made together. What she finds there is much more than just reconnecting with Tom and finishing this list. She finds the start of the life she’s been dreaming of.
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I feel like most of us can relate to Riley when she finished high school. Only a select few of us actually knew what career path we should pursue at that point of our lives and I sure was not one of them!

I really enjoyed the found family all throughout this book. The group of friends Riley finds make up such a great support system for each other. It was entertaining to listen to all the adventures they go on together.
The idea of a getaway list and living in NYC with my friends sounds like a fun idea. Not sure that at 18 I ever would have been brave enough for that though!
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Thank you @netgalley and @macmillianusa for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was my first Emma Lord read and I loved it! The characters are so lovable and the story was great. I can't wait to go and devour her other books now.

This was an adorable friends to lovers romance. It was more young adult or maybe new adult than I expected but the audio definitely helped when reading. I enjoyed the narrator and it was an easy listen. I loved Riley and Tom’s friendship and how they were there for each other. The way they fell quickly back instep with each other after being apart for awhile was really cute. I also loved the side characters with Luca definitely being my favorite. I also enjoyed the found family vibes. You could tell Tom struggled with some mental health issues but his friends were extremely supportive. What more could a bunch of brand new high school graduates want other than a summer free of parents, galavanting around New York City?

I have read all of this author’s YA contemporaries and enjoyed them, so I was excited to get an ARC of her newest book, releasing in January.

This book follows Riley, who, after being rejected from every college she applied to, runs off to NYC for the summer after graduation to meet up with Tom, her best friend growing up.

This is very much a story about self discovery and finding yourself, and while I did enjoy those aspects, there was some major suspension of disbelief required. A lot of the book felt completely unrealistic, especially the ending.

There’s also a lot of instances of people not communicating with each other, which is a pet peeve of mine in books. A lot of the conflicts (particularly with Riley and her mother) could have been resolved with a single conversation. There was a lot of stuff done in secret or cases where secrets were kept from the main character as well.

The friend group was fun, particularly Luca. I also wished that brownie bakery was a real place. It sounded so fun! This book is truly a love letter to NYC and the author’s love of the place really came through in her writing.

This was a cute little contemporary, but the romance aspects fell a little flat for me.

Emma Lord NEVER disappoints. This book is no exception.

From the friend group, to the Taylor Swift references, to the gaining of independence, to all the New York love: I loved this book!

Riley and Tom! Totally stealing your heart and then breaking it a little. While I love that this was Riley’s adventure and self discovery trip Tom had to be set free. While crushing the soul it had to be done.

Love every moment of this adventure.

This book was so precious. So many feels. The perfect love letter to friendship and New York. Nods to her other books and the sweetest slow burn. Made me nostalgic. Love everything Emma. @emmalord makes me want to listen to the entire Taylor discography!
Thanks to @WednesdayBooks, and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

All I can say about this book is WOW. I absolutely loved this book and I would definitely recommend it to EVERYONE. Emma Lord knocked this one out of the park and then some. Wow, what a fantastic read!

I was so happy to have had the opportunity to read another Emma Lord book, but I DNF this one. I realized this is a young adult book, and this genre is not interesting to me.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @stmartinspress for an early copy of The Getaway List by @dilemmalord. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: January 23rd, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

The Getaway List is a beautiful friends-to-lovers novel about Tom and Riley, but more importantly, it’s about both rediscovering themselves and building new and lasting friendships within the Big Apple.

Tom and Riley have been best friends since they were kids, but things got rocky with their friendship when Tom moved to New York and left Riley in Virginia. Their friendship was mostly alright during their time apart. Still, Tom hasn’t been very responsive with communications with Riley, until on her graduation day, she impulsively decides to visit NY for the weekend, only to find herself wanting to stay and figure out what she wants to do with her career and life, and rediscover the self she has lost with her mom controlling her free time during high school. With them together again, their dynamic friendship is back on track, it seems like no time has passed, but a lot has changed for them individually, especially with Tom and his relationship with his mostly absent mother.

It has been their goal to cross out all the items they have written on their Getaway List, and with their new friends Mariella and Luca, along with Jesse, their old friend from Virginia, both Tom and Riley not only found lasting friendships and new people who cares about them deeply, they also found their roots and their support within New York through these people. I enjoyed the friendship they created with this group. I mean, Tom and Riley’s friendship turned to love is just so powerful and heartwarming, but finding friends within the other three was just as dynamic as their friendship with just the two of them.

With Tom and Riley having many things to discover about themselves and their relationships with their mothers needing mending, I was happy with how the resolutions wrapped up. It was an open-ended ending that I didn’t mind. I loved every bit of this novel, especially how much it captures the beauty of lasting friendships and of course, New York (not that I have been there, but hopefully soon!).

Although it wasn't as impactful as other Emma Lord books, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The highlights were definitely in the side characters and relationships. I absolutely loved reading about Riley and Tom, even though they weren't exactly what I'd describe best friends to lovers as. Their relationship development was so sweet. I particularly adored Tom.

The relationships between the friend group was incredible! I think they were my favorite part of the book. I loved shy Luca, sweet Jesse, confident Mariella, and their interactions with each other were both adorable and hilarious. Their exploration of the city was always so entertaining and engaging. And though I dislike New York myself, I loved the vibrant descriptions of the setting. Riley and her friends' love of the city was described beautifully and their passion shown through the page.

Overall, I highly recommend this if you're a fan of Emma Lord or sweet coming of age novels! I've been a huge lover of her books for a long time, and every time I'm reminded why.

The Getaway List was a truly adorable and genuine coming-of-age novel. After being rejected from every college she applied for, Riley feels aimless and takes off on a trip to NYC to visit her best friend Tom, even after four years apart and a diminishing amount of communication from Tom's side. Being in NYC opens Riley up to a whole new world, full of possibilities, new dreams and new friends. They begin to take on their Getaway List - a list of tasks and experiences they always meant to do together. There are a lot of fun characters, plenty of shenanigans, and young love and longing. This is the third novel I've read by Emma Lord and found myself laughing out loud and holding back tears multiple times. A great novel of love, self-discovery, friendship, and family (both real and found families) - definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read this novel.

A fun coming of age story that sees newly graduated Riley reuniting with her best friend Tom in NYC. Running away from the complicated relationship with her mom, Riley forms a new friend family and fully embraces her writing while in the city. Heartfelt with a touch of romance and lots of family drama. This wasn't my favorite Emma Lord book but I still enjoyed it. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Gah this was so cute and quintessential Emma Lord! She really writes some of the best YA out there and I love recommending her books to friends. In the Emma Lord-verse, this one clocks in right after Tweet Cute as my all-time favorites!

THE GETAWAY LIST is an expertly crafted story of teenage longing and following your own path. It follows recently-graduated Riley, who escapes to New York to reconnect with distanced-bff Tom. Together they embark on a summer of bucket list items and rediscovering their friendship (and hidden secrets?)

Emma Lord is such a talented writer, and her books are truly a joy to read. She's able to hone in on an authentic emotional teenage experience, while taking us a genuinely fun adventure. I love her characters, I love her writing, and I love her descriptions of desserts!

Such a fun read!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. THE GETAWAY LIST is out 1/23/24!

Riley isn't sure what's next after high school graduation, so she heads to New York to spend time with her best friend Tom. She and Tom once built a list of things they wanted to do together, so with the summer ahead of them, they start chipping away. Along the way, there is a cast of characters/friends that add some layers and fun to the story. There's also some navigating of relationships with moms (and can I just say as a mom, there were moments I definitely related most to them because this is literally who I am now) as they figure out who they are. This was just a good read of two friends figuring out who they are - as individuals and together, and I loved the way the list was part of that story. There were some unexpected reveals of truths during the story that really kept me engaged. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this February 2024 release!

Emma Lord, you will always, always, always be famous for me!!

While I knew I had enjoyed every Emma Lord book I'd picked up in the past, in the back of my mind I was worried that either they may have lost their charm, or YA might just not resonate with me as much anymore (at my big and distinguished age), so I was taken aback by just how brilliant this was and how much of a punch it packed.

THE GETAWAY LIST delivers what the bright jolly cover may suggest - a summer in New York, fun shenanigans and young love (as a generally friends-to-lovers hater, I was extremely impressed by how well executed and palpable the tension between the two protagonists was, as well as by how undeniably well suited for one another they were), with the addition of a ragtag group of friends that become a found family of sorts. This was joyous and exhilarating and so, so fun, in the way a summer day that feels like another slice of life, but becomes a core memory by the end is.
THE GETAWAY LIST, however, also hides more under the surface - the book explores the desire to find an old you that you lost in order to be able to work away at creating the new you. It explores the way we lose parts of ourselves as we grow up, and we hide away the things that hurt us most to protect ourselves and those attached to our old selves from the realities they create. It is, at its core, a book about allowing yourself to choose you, put you first, and refuse to be guilted for it.
Part tender young romance, part empowering coming of age narrative, this was an absolute banger through and through.

Book Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Graduating high school doesn’t always come with a clear path forward. For Riley, the safety of her future disappeared the moment she walked across the stage and was handed her diploma. With no college prospects on the horizon, she defies her mother’s wishes and takes off to New York. Will time in the city give her the answers she is looking for, or will it leave her further confused?

Emma Lord’s latest YA novel, The Getaway List, is a love letter to New York and the people that inhabit it.
The setting of the book played a vital role in the story, so much so that it could almost be another character. It is the only city Riley could have gone to that would have allowed her to discover who she is becoming, what she wants in life, and who she wants to spend her time with.

In addition, The Getaway list beautifully explored the themes of friendship and family (both relational and found). I appreciated that Lord did not glamorize either, instead opting to lean into the hardships. Both friends and family can be difficult to navigate especially when we see things through different lenses.

Special thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books), Macmillan Audio, and Emma Lord for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

*** I had the privilege of both reading and listening to this story. I found the narration to be one of the best I have encountered. A great narrator is hard to come by and Norma Butikofer did a terrific job making this story come to life!