As expected, I devoured yet another one of Emma Lord’s books in less than 24 hours!

I don’t know what more I can say about Emma Lord and her books that I already haven’t said. I look forward to reading every one of her new books because there’s this combination of things that’s present in all of her books and it *always* works a little too well for me.

I’ll try to put my thoughts into words using bullet points and mention everything that I loved about The Getaway List (Also, there’s not a single thing I didn’t love about it) :-

- The Getaway List in itself! It was such a cool concept. Of course, I’ve read many books with bucket lists and such but they always make me so happy that I want to create my own one once I finished. Alas I don’t have the amazing group of friends Riley and Tom do to make it happen :(
- Riley and Tom! They’re both such different characters but I deeply resonated with some parts of both of their characters. Tom is a total cinnamon roll, THE mom friend, always there for his friends to solve their issues, what’s not to love? Riley is the main character and though I’m not outgoing/ getting in trouble like her but she was still a very relatable character. Trying to find a place for herself in the world, figuring out what do next, paving a path for herself, balancing her friendships and familial relationships while also having fun! She’s truly an icon!
- Best friends to Lovers Trope! Emma Lord is one of the authors I can blindly trust with this trope because I KNOW she always delivers!! It was so well done and I was rooting for Tom and Riley right from the beginning! You can *see* the chemistry in every one of their interactions. The love they have for each other was so obvious from page one so the slow burn was delicious!
- THE FRIEND GROUP! Gosh, I REALLY love a good found family! I couldn’t get enough of the five of them together! I also really appreciated that all these side characters weren’t there just to have a role in the main story but actually had their own stuff going on. They were all such fleshed out characters. Mariella and Luca were so cute together!! I also really enjoyed watching their friendship develop with Riley! Luca and Riley bonding over their love for writing and him actually encouraging her to write more, a very supportive friend right there!! Of course, Jesse is an ICON! Not only because he’s super cool for being part of a band but because he’s also a SWIFTIE!! All the Taylor Swift references, all thanks to Jesse, made me grin so big!
- The group’s shenanigans together while trying to complete The Getaway List were all so fun, it made me want to somehow jump right into it with them!
- The food references were to die for!! I’m 99% sure I was drooling while reading most of it and it made me super hungry!!
- Of course, there were some serious topics which are always a part of Emma Lord’s books. Last few chapters made me shed tears because of the vulnerability and rawness in them. But as always, it was still a perfect balance between happy and sad.
- You won’t come out feeling sad once you finish this book, it’s so hopeful, inspiring, wonderful and joyous that you’ll want to do something different with your life!

I’m so thankful for this opportunity to review one of my most anticipated reads! Thank you very much NetGalley and St Martins Press/ Wednesday Books for this chance!

I loved this book! It was adorable as well as it made you think about making your own 'getaway list'

My only struggle is reading this book is that as a parent I freaked out thinking of all these 18 year olds running around New York!

Otherwise, the book was definitely cute and I cannot wait to recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC to read and review, and thank you Emma Lord for writing such a great book!

I was super excited when I got approved on NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I had read a previous Emma Lord book and thought it was really cute so I had a feeling this one would deliver the same and I was not disappointed. It is a cute, easy read with great side characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read this book. Emma Lord has done it again. I could not put this down. Be read to spend a day with this gem.

Not going to lie Emma Lord is my queen of YA. I first discovered her when one of her books got recommended by Reese’s Book Club. I devoured it and started following Emma on Instagram. I have since devoured all the books she has published and loved them all!

Emma Lord is one of the best YA authors out there. I first discovered her from Reese Witherspoon's YA book club and have read every single book since. My personal favorites are "You've Got a Match" and "Tweet Cute." While I am full grown adult, I still love reading the YA genre and I wish I had read these books when I was a YA/ teenager. Her characters are easy to love and I think she balances the cliche with rom-com tropes very well.

While there were definite sparks between our two main characters Riley and Tom, their friendship at its foundation was what really got me. I personally prefer the firends to lovers trope so you can more easily see how they might end up as a couple. Of course there are Taylor Swift references which seem to be all the rage in the rom com genre these days! Totally fair and I love to see them! Taylor Swift's songs are the perfect backdrop from rom coms, just look at The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Oh, and this book will absolutely make you want to book a trip to New York City ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All the views and opinions in this book are purely my own and not affiliated with any brand.

This book as very enjoyable. I haven't found an Emma Lord book that I didn't like. The characters were relatable. The issues that the characters were facing also felt real and relevant. I also enjoyed feeling like I was watching the characters grow over the course of one summer. I was also drowning with them. I have never been to New York but now I would really like to visit to see if the magic feeling described in the book is real!

I would absolutely read this book again and recommend it to a friend!

The Getaway List
By: Emma Lord
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints

-I loved Riley’s character arc through this entire book.

-There are so many great layers to this book; I loved how everything came together!

-Riley and Tom really represent teenagers on the brink of starting the next phase of their lives, and you feel what they feel.

-I loved Riley’s relationship with her Mom.

-The scenery made me want to go visit NYC again!

——

The Getaway List was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 1/23/24

Y’all, I love Emma Lord’s writing style. She develops amazing characters with surprising depth, tells stories that feel real, and sets them in amazing locations that take you into the story.

The Getaway List is no exception. Lord takes Riley and Tom, two long standing best friends who have not seen each other in a long time, and throws them into an adventure the summer after they graduate high school.

You get all of the emotions of the two characters at that time, plus the friends they make along the way, and get wrapped into their lives.

This book was such a great read. Obviously, it is meant more for teens, but I feel like adults would get something from this book too!

Read this book! You will not regret it.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #arcreview #fiction #thegetawaylist #emmalord #netgalley #stmartinspress #boogiesbulletpoints

An enchanting journey through vividly imagined worlds and compelling characters. This fiction gem weaves a tapestry of emotions, adventure, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages. The author's masterful storytelling evokes a powerful connection, making this book an absolute delight to read. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a captivating escape into a richly crafted story!

Solid 4.5
I’ve read all of Emma Lord’s books, and none have lived up to Tweet Cute for me- until now. Absolutely loved this- Riley & Tom were the cutest and as usual, all of Emma’s books should be made into a teen rom com, immediately. #justicefortheteenromcom

Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday books for the ARC! I will definitely be recommending this one for my high school’s library.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an entertaining YA ARC of “The Getaway List” by Emma Lord. This story is about Tom and Riley, best friends since they met at eight years old. They are inseparable until Tom’s mom moves them to NYC when he is fourteen and Riley and Tom don’t see each other again for four years. They soon find that their deep love as best friends may have evolved into something more.

The supporting characters in this book are great. They each have distinct personalities and help propel the book forward as well as clearly illustrate the gelling of a friend group. They are the kind of friends you meet in your adolescent/YA stage that stick with you for life.

The author explores the relationships between parents and their children who are on the cusp of trying to assert their independence while still needing their Mom’s emotional safety. It’s a sweet look at a complex dynamics that seem a little contrived but this is a WILL THEY/WON’T THEY YA romance fiction and it doesn’t need to be deeper than that.

This was a fast and pleasant read and the setting of NYC was so magical, I have added it to my “Getaway List”!

Perfect for lovers of NYC, coming of age stories and tales of best friends discovering there is more to their relationship with not an ounce of scandal or smut to be seen. The Getaway List is an easy read and a delight from start to finish with enough modern references to entertain and help readers relate to the characters.

I loved how this book had many characters and they were all very well fleshed out. The book felt complete instead of just focusing on the main characters.

This. Book. Was. AMAZING. I have followed Emma Lord since Tweet Cute, and honestly, I found myself enjoying this book more than I thought I would? I'm putting in a preorder ASAP!

The opportunity to read and devour one of Emma Lord’s books is a true privilege. The Getaway List was a perfect Nee York escape to end the summer ready journey for me. Tom and Riley’s story begins early on in elementary school but the story begins at high school graduation, focusing on Riley looking for her next steps when the traditional path doesn’t materialize. Her mother has worked hard not to have her follow in her own destructive decisions. The story unfolds as she takes off for NYC to see Tom and explore the possibilities of their “getaway list” crafted a few years back when he had to suddenly move —-a way to stay connected and provide for meaning and adventure. The story that unfolds chronicles the getaway lists’ impact and guidance through that liminal space of post high school. The character development and friendships, the nuances of joy, lightness and fun mixed with real musings about place and identity and love were expertly woven in. Emma Lord has created a fantastic new book to explore these themes of moving out into the world after high school and what friendship and adventure provide in the process. This was a gem!

This YA romcom has a pretty chunky list of interesting plotlines: fraught mother-kid relationships, the NYC adventure, a chaotic group of friends, and a fantasy franchise that unites the two main characters. Despite many of the highlights for me, this felt a bit more of a trek than a delightful bucket list adventure. I think I just didn't jive with Riley and Tom--the romance itself felt like it was on the backburner. I'm STILL looking forward to Emma Lord's books, because I think she does a great job infusing her stories with tender concepts, but unfortunately this one wasn't a fave.

I am on the fence with this book. There is a lot that would merit a 4 star, but in the end I am staying at a 3 star because I just didn't get blown away enough. And my opinion of Emma Lord is now that I probably won't be reading more of her books - movie adaptations maybe - because they just don't capture my attention the way I was hoping for them to.

For all that the book focuses on Riley and her growth as a character, I felt very little connection to her and was more annoyed by her as a person. From start to almost finish. Tom and the other characters were very much on the periphery of Riley figuring out who she wants to be, but those characters were the ones with the most potential to infuse the book with more life. Riley alone was not that interesting. Luca, Tom, etc. all had their things and they were truly fun characters. So, why did we not get more of them and less of Riley? I get it. I do. Because this book was not a romance and wasn't really about the List. It was about the main character breaking away from something in order to figure out who she wants to be and then to have the courage to take that step into the unknown. But it was a little bit madly off in all directions because there was romance; there was adventure; there was making new friends; and there was conflict with a parental figure.

The book was well written. The ideas had so much potential. The secondary characters were solid when they got page time. Riley, however, was a disappointment to me as a character. She complains that her mother stifles her with activities, but as a mom, if my kid were pulling stunts like Riley (and Tom) did, I'd probably find ways to keep them busy too so that they don't get in trouble. Sure, Riley thinks it's innocuous, but not everything she does sounds that way and definitely could be seen as leading to something less innocent. Then, she up and abandons a job to stay in NYC. Sure, she starts out going to visit, but she never comes back. And the job is at a workplace where her mom is already pulling in extra shifts and running herself ragged. So, she just ditches her mom and a job and her college (which would likely already be paid for at this point)? I won't go on from here because too many spoilers, but everything she did was really selfish and childish. She says she's doing things for others too, but I feel like everything revolves around her and her desires from start to finish.

Ok. I will stop now. This was a bit more of a rant than I would normally share.

Since my last read by Emma Lord was a similar feeling, albeit more to the positive, I am going to assume that this is her style and, while it may not be my favourite thing, this book is likely going to appeal to anyone who read and enjoyed her other books.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the eARC of this lovely new book by Emma Lord.

When I saw that I was given this opportunity, I was so incredibly excited — historically I’ve loved everything that Emma has written and I was so so excited for this one. As a fellow ao3 and fanfiction girlie, Emma has my heart with her references to fanfic culture, ships, tropes and everything in between.

The Getaway List follows Tom and Riley through so many adventures: writing, a fictional app, big moves, big feelings, love, friendship and so much more. I adored the characters, but absolutely felt like there was a LOT going on. You’re catching little segments of different characters, but I would have loved a little more detail on a few of them, rather than a ton of plot points with various detail.

I think that this is a great read and a great story, but I really struggled with the shift in the storyline so many different times or the quick resolution or “oh yes! I forgot to mention that these other two characters are dating now so I should probably resolve that now.”

Overall, The Getaway List is a sweet book with so so so much potential and I can’t wait to see everything Emma has in her future!

Snapshot of The Getaway List:
- friends to lovers romance
- himym/friends vibe with the supporting characters and NYC setting
- clean romance (just kissing)
- bucket list -esque element, in addition to a secret admirer app element
- themes of identity, independence, struggling relationship with mom, found family

Overall I really enjoyed this book!! Riley felt like a unique main character- spunky and impulsive (almost reckless), but with deeper insecurities too. Her relationship with childhood friend Tom was so sweet and cute. Emma Lord knows how to write longing and adorable mini-interactions. The book drew me in from the beginning! It did slow down a bit in the middle for me, though. I think both the subplots of the "getaway list" being accomplished in addition to the secret admirer "dear, love" app drama and reveal made it busy and while I don't think both were necessary, they were both fun to read. It was a light, feel good romcom I thoroughly enjoyed!!!

I received this arc via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun book and a quick read for a summer beach day! Looking forward to reading more Emma Lord novels.