Emma lord is a must- read author for me. I loved the NYC of it all and the friendship element that veered into found family (one of my favorite things in books). Thanks so much for the advanced copy!

🚲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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Narrator: Norma Butikofer
I really enjoyed this narrator. I had no trouble listening to this audiobook on 2x speed. She did a great job narrating both female and male roles. Which is hard to do.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillianaudio for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had not realized how much ago a young adult book this was before reading it. It was a cute semi romance YA book. I did like the NYC background as someone who lives there. I wish there was more romance between the main characters but it was cute.

Is there anything better than reading an Emma Lord book on a school break? I don't think so. Riley and Tom are best friends who have lived states away for the past 2 years. As time has gone on Riley feels Tom is drifting away, so once Riley graduates from high school she decides she needs to go see him. Full of fun adventures throughout New York and a delightful cast of side characters this book will leave you also wanting to make a getaway list. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

“Finally the list isn’t just to get away, but to get somewhere worth going”

Another YA read here and this one also did not disappoint. I love when the main character finds themselves within the story and this book did just that. Not only did Riley find who she wants to be, but so did Tom.

Riley has spent so much of her life aiming to please her single mother and living within the lines her mother drew around her. She and her childhood best friend, Tom, created The Getaway List once upon a time and now that Emma has the opportunity to visit Tom in NYC, she is taking it with the hopes of crossing off a few things from the list. Tom and Riley have been closer that close since their mom’s joined the same playdate group when they were toddlers, but as Tom’s mom’s career forced them to move he hasn’t entirely reciprocated the friendship.

Riley shows up at Tom’s door and unknowingly starts a journey to where both she and Tom find themselves. They do things they always dreamed of, form a group of friends that turn to family, explore all the wonders of New York and in the midst of it, start to realize their feelings for one another.

This one is sweet and fast paced and so much fun! I can’t tell you how many times I found myself smiling while reading (listening) to this one. It explores so many hard topics we are all forced to cope with as we grow up; relationships with parents, friends, and ourselves. I love that this one tackles all of these topics with both Tom and Riley and each of them are able to settle into their own lives independently and together.

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?

3.5 stars

This was a cute YA listen! The main characters were such an eclectic friend group but I really enjoyed them and their character development!

Thanks to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

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.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. YA is not my normal genre. I tried listening to this book with an open mind to a younger generation. I honestly didn’t love it and felt that the two main characters relationship still felt strained even at the end. The parents in this book felt far fetched and I wish there was more of an explanation. I liked the concept of the book which drew me in to reserve it. I almost felt like the adventure was 10% of the book and the rest was each character making up stories in their heads about each other verses just talking to each other.

Emma Lord is one of the few contemporary YA authors I truly enjoy and look forward to reading, she is to me almost a modern day Judy Blume, taking issues that all teens and adolescents suffer from and making them relatable and giving those readers a sense of togetherness. This new work was no different and so much fun to read.

Though Tweet Cute remains my absolute favourite I adored the emphasis on the friends in this one and the less obvious trope of the girl and guy find themselves before finding each other. Refreshing!

I think any young person can read this and relate to the feelings of uncertainty that follow graduation, while still maintaining that air of fun and fancy free. This is the kind of book I wish I had when I was a teenage girl, I know I would have ate it up and relished in sharing it with my close friends.

Emma you truly know the heart of teenagers and thank you for another book set in one of my favourite cities, New York, there is no better setting for kids on the loose, having fun, and finding themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio look for this one on audio and print January 22.

SUCH a cute book!! I did not want it to end. I loved everything about this book. This is my favorite Emma Lord book I had read so far.

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.

The narration also really helped bring the story to life!

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!

Riley and Tom are best friends. They’ve been long distance both physically and emotionally for a few years, but when Riley graduates, she decides she’s going to New York City to see Tom. Since Tom moved away, they’d been keeping a list of all of the things they didn’t get to do together, the Getaway List. This summer, in New York with new friends, Riley and Tom vow to do all of the things on the list. From writing classes to camping trips and other experiences in between, Riley and Tom not only find their way back to each other, but they start to find themselves along the way too.

Emma Lord just knows characterization. The core friend group in this book was amazing, and Riley and Tom’s respective relationships with their mothers were handled really well. There was so much in this book too from a whole fictional fantasy fandom to a character obsessed with Taylor Swift, these details really make the plot and the characters seem real and relatable.

The narrator of the book gave even more emotion to the story, putting real emotion into the dialogue.

This is another must read YA novel by Emma Lord. Readers will be drawn in by the will-they-won’t-they romance, but they’ll stay for the whole group of friends and their adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with both audiobook and ebook advanced versions of this story.

This was my first Emma Lord book and what an exceptional writer!
The Getaway List is a very well written YA. I immediately fell in love with the characters and found myself quickly immersed in the story. I felt that the main character (Riley) was relatable to any young adult coming of age, The relationships between the characters, the flirting, the banter, it was so well written that at times I felt it was easy to imagine I was just another side character, living in their world, even included in on their inside jokes. I was easily transported back to the age in my life when I was trying to find my way in this world, it was nostalgic in the best sort of way. The storyline also had enough mystery (the anonymous deliveries) that it held my attention and kept just enough suspense to prevent me from guessing the ending early on, which I appreciate in a good novel.
I also enjoyed following Riley, Tom and their group of friends around New York and, as someone who has only visited the big apple once, I felt like I was actually getting an insiders view and it further romanticized my opinion of the city.
Overall this was a heart warming, fun, exciting and entertaining read.

In addition to my review of the writing itself, I enjoyed this as an audiobook and the narrator, Norma Butikofer, was an excellent story teller. She maintained an easy flow that went along with the story exceptionally. I easily felt as if the main character herself was speaking an her voice transition between characters was seamless and smooth. The book was brought to life in the audio version and only enhanced the authors writing.

The Getaway List by Emma Lord is an adorable story of teens finding themselves the summer after high school graduation! There’s some love story, but mostly it’s about writing your own story and the importance of friendship. I loved seeing YA emphasize friendship in such a beautiful way.

This was a sweet YA read. Not too much drama but I’m sure it would seem different for someone in the 16-22 year old range. I’m just older and jaded about what constitutes drama in life. :) I recommend for that age range and anyone else who loves a sweet coming of age story of friendship, love and self discovery.

Riley and Tom are the best of friends, but Tom is moving to New York. Once Riley graduates high school, she feels lost and unsure of what she wants to do with her life. She decides to move to New York and connect with Tom. They make a bucket list of things to do together. They navigate new friends, living in the city, while finding out what they really want out of life.

This was a super cute story! Friends turned lovers. New York City. What’s not to love?

Thanks to Wednesday books, Net Galley, and Emma Lord for the ARC! Pub date 1/23/24

The fluidity of this author’s writing style is beyond impressive. She has a way of captivating her audience of all ages and making her characters relatable, though she is writing a YA novel. This book is entertaining and has a nostalgic feeling when it comes to plot. The feeling of being carefree with friends while also finding your place in this world.

It’s a really good coming of age story that takes place in that weird transition from high school to adulthood. Reading the personal growth and new found independence was refreshing to see in a YA novel. The emotions felt authentic and reflected the actions that a newly graduated high schooler would do.

One aspect of a narrator that makes them a phenomenal narrator is the ability to give an individual voice to each of the characters. This is one of the best narrations I have heard from a singular person. She was fluid, animated, and her tone was soft and gave the perfect voice to the main character.

As an adult, this author writes great YA novels that are truly enjoyable for any age. If you do read this book, do the audiobook version. It’s one of the best out there

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC

A cleaner YA adventurous romance about finding yourself and meeting lifelong friends along the way.
I loved this story! I loved the main characters. I loved the NY adventures. Everything was fun and well written and made my want to move to NYC! Tom and Riley’s story seemed real and progressed naturally. I loved every part of it. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this advanced copy!