3.5 stars.

I have read Emma Lord's other YA books and enjoy her witty dialogue. I liked the premise of this new book, but have mixed feelings about how it turned out.

The story is focused on two best friends (Riley and Tom), who grew up together as kids of single mothers, until Tom and his mom moved to NYC. When Riley graduates high school having been rejected from all colleges and realizes that she does not know what she wants to do in the future, she impulsively moves to NYC and lives with Tom for the summer, even though they have been separated for several years.

What I enjoyed about the book: diverse and unique supporting characters, Lord's trademark dialogue and humor, and most of all, New York itself, which is front and center in the novel as it's own character. I loved the places highlighted in NYC as the characters went on various adventures (their "getaway list"). I also liked the narrator, preferring the audiobook over the ebook.

Where it fell short: I found it a bit hard to believe that Riley and Tom remained bffs over several years of being separated - that just did not ring true to me and the entire book hinges on this. There was a subplot of Tom and Riley having issues with their mothers. I felt that the Tom and his mother arc was important and needed to be flushed out more. Lastly, the ending wrapped everything up too quickly and neatly for my liking.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies of this book to review!

Absolutely delightful! Another heart-warming romance from Emma Lord set in NYC. I think the extended cast of characters in this book really stand out, in addition to the family relationships of the two main characters. The romance is almost secondary to the coming of age story at the heart of this book. And weirdly my favorite thing in the book is the fantasy book series the characters are obsessed with. I really need Emma Lord to write that time travel series…
As for the audiobook, I thought it was an excellent performance. There is a Puerto Rican character that is given a slight Nuyorican accent but unlike some other performance of Hispanic characters it never felt like a caricature or offensive. I do question the need tho since the other New York born and raised character doesn’t have a New York accent.

Riley and Tom have been friends since childhood. When Tom moved several years ago, they began to drift and Riley isn't quite sure how to fix it.

After graduation, Riley takes off for New York to visit Tom and put their relationship back together. Along the way, more friendships are made and strengthened. It's a great story of "found family."

Riley and Tom are both struggling with issues tied to their mothers. Even though they present in different ways, it's impacting them both negatively. Until they deal with that, it will be hard for either of them to properly move forward.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration was done well. The voices fit the characters and kept the listener engrossed in the book.

This was a refreshing and warm read. Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

3.5 stars

This really is a sweet spot for adults reading YA. I appreciated that despite the difference in our ages, I could really relate to the MC and her figuring out period of post-grad (high school) life. And while I’m not a parent, I could also related to the mothers’ perspectives. The blooming love of New York was especially fun to read. I did get some of the side characters mixed up throughout, but they were mostly great additions to the found-family vibes.

The Getaway List by Emma Lord - This is a 2024 arc available on NetGalley. I feel like Emma Lord is enough of a YA name to warrant a read when new titles come out, but have never been particularly blown away by her. This is another sweet contemporary romance that feature a friends to more trope. Pros: two teen characters who are a little less sure than most about what they want to do post high school, normalizing the idea of a gap year, complex parental relationships (BOTH have single mothers for different reasons), and the importance of found family, NYC story. Cons: Reads like most of Emma Lord's books, a cool summer of exploring NYC but an immense amount of privilege and copout answers for survival.

I love the connection between Riley and Tom. Despite of their distance and the many changes that time has brought, their bond remains unbreakable. As they navigate the vibrant streets of New York and check off items on their bucket list, Riley finds herself caught off guard by unexpected emotions. The story has a diverse and intriguing characters who become integral to Riley's journey. It is charming, captivating and definitely relatable. A must read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

I just absolutely love anything @dilemmalord writes. The Getaway List is possibly my favorite. Nothing says coming of age, like leaving home at 18 right after graduation and moving to NYC. This story covers first loves, changing of parent/child relationships, found family, and new beginnings. The side characters are also top notch! But most of all, I love the friendship and support between Riley and Tom as they find their ways into adulthood.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio

This was cute and charming and I enjoyed reading it, though I worry a bit that it’s a book without an audience.

The characters in the book are supposed to be 18, but they behave more like kids in the early years of high school. As much as I think it’s nice to see very PG stuff in the YA book market, I can’t imagine an actual 18 year old being into this. As charming as the characters existence may be, this is just not an accurate representation of what 18 year olds alone in the city would get up to.

That said, I think it would be a fun read for the younger end of the YA audience, especially those who aspire to one day move to New York City and join the creator economy.

The whole “we made a bunch of money and got industry acclaim before age 20 by creating an app” thing felt a bit How do you do, fellow kids. Or maybe more I invented post its, but either way it’s a bit cringe.

As for the personal side of the story, however, I thought that was sweet and well-drawn, and I appreciated that the sweetness of it and happily ever after of it were charming and fun rather than schlocky and overwrought.

Worth it for younger YA readers or if you just want a fun read that takes a delightful spin through New York City.

Even though I am probably not the demographic for this book, I couldn't stop listening/reading it! I loved the idea of the getaway list, and the conflict between Riley and her mom was heartbreaking and very real.





I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Do you ever read a book and just think you’re so glad that you exist at the same time as the author? Because Emma Lord’s YA romances hit the SPOT. It was fun to read a non type A YA heroine because sometimes it’s fun to read about impulsive decisions rather than sticky notes!

I loved the romance and summer in New York vibes. It almost made me want to move back to the city…until I remember the cost of rent. So while our characters didn’t really have to worry about jacked up rent rates—it’s fiction, okay???—I still loved them all dearly. There were a few different romances playing out throughout the book as well.

I think it would be a nice follow up to those who loved—me—The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson! It’s a shorter story with its own unique vibe, but they live in the same part of my brain.

I really enjoyed the audiobook and would easily listen to most audiobooks narrated by
Norma Butikofer, a narrator I’m not sure I’ve encountered before (always a win!).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5


I received an ALC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

Riley just turned 18 and graduated from high school. Being faced with a life of working at the coffee shop and going to community college. She isn’t sure what her future holds but she does know she misses her childhood best friend who lives in New York. Tom moved away with his famous movie writer mom. Riley flees to New York after a fight with her mom. The Tom she see isn’t the one she remembers. Can the two teens find their way together and recapture the happiness they both felt in the past? Where will they each end up, when their futures are unclear. Along the way they create a group of friends who encourage each other and support each other through this transitional time.

This was an amazing story of finding your way through friendship and how to confront the difficult situations with family. There’s love stories sprinkled in with the overall message that kindness is what make everyone happiest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Wednesday Books, Emma Lord, and Norma Butikofer (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of The Getaway List in exchange for an honest review.

After high school graduation, Riley isn't quite sure what path she wants her life to take yet. All she knows is that she needs some distance from her mom. They do absolutely everything together, and even though Riley is now an adult, her mom doesn't want to let her daughter go. Riley knows it's what she needs to find herself and her path. Her solution is a simple one: move to New York and temporarily live with her childhood best friend, Tom, and exact The Getaway List, a list of everything they have wanted to do together since Tom moved away. Riley hopes that pursuing the list with her best friend and exploring a new city will open up the gateway for her future.

Tom's mom is a famous script writer, a job which tore Tom away from Riley in the first place. They can't really go anywhere without someone recognizing him as the son of the parson who wrote blah blah blah. Riley thinks this might cause a rift, but she finds that being with Tom is just as it always was: easy and fun, but new feelings begin to arise that she was not expecting.

Both embark on a journey of self-discovery as best friends and aspiring writers, discovering who they both truly are along the way.

This is an easy, fun read, with a shoutout to Norma Butikofer, the voice actress for the audiobook, adding to the depth of Riley's character and the enjoyment of listening to the novel. This novel explores the friends-to-lovers trope and the way relationships often shift over time and distance, and how they can rekindle just as quickly upon reuniting.

The Getaway List makes for an enjoyable read both for a young adult and new adult audience. Young adults will enjoy the friendship, romance, and self-exploration this novel has to offer, while new adults can connect to the feeling of not knowing what to do just after high school, and finding out through adventure and exploration. An excellent novel.

Riley's never been a role model student, but she's tried hard to obey the rules enough to graduate from high school and to please her hardworking single mother. On the day she reaches that goal she starts to discover that may be she's lost who she really is and so she decides to pack her bags and head to New York City where her old bff, Tom, now lives with his famous screenwriter but absent mom. In their youth, Riley and Tom made a Getaway List where they wrote down all the adventures that they wanted to have. Riley now hopes that this summer after her graduation will be the time that they can do their adventures and reconnect as bffs. Soon Riley realizes that her trip to New York City may be more than just a geataway but an adventure in forming new realtionships and changing old ones. An adventurous coming of age story this audiobook had me wanting more for Riley than she could imagine at the beginning of the story. The narrator did a wonderful job of presenting the story in an engaging tone. I struggled with the language and the adult portrayals, though Riley's mom was very well done. Overall a good coming of age story with some interesting plot points set in the Big Apple. Thank you to NetGalley and the audio publisher for an audio copy for a honest review.

The vibes with this book were absolutely immaculate! The whole premise was so fun and I really enjoyed our main characters Riley and Tom,

Emma Lord truly kills it at the YA game and I need to keep working through her backlist after how much I enjoyed this!

The Getaway List by Emma Lord is a coming-of-age YA romance that follows Riley the summer after her high school graduation. Riley has always been a ‘good kid’ but after not getting into any of the 10 colleges she applied to, she finds herself a little lost with who it is she is. Deciding to spend the summer visiting her best friend, Tom, in New York and working through their ‘getaway list,’ but soon they find that their feelings for each other may be a little more than platonic.

I LOVED this. Filled with pop culture recs this was such a sweet and relatable coming-of-age novel about two characters rediscovering themselves. That transitionary period after high school is such an emotional turmoil for so many. I loved seeing Riley and Tom's budding relationship grow, but moreover, I loved seeing them find themselves and work on their relationship with their parents.

The writing is funny, heartwarming and engaging. I binged it in one night and the narrator was incredible.

Such a perfect read for teens, definitely recommend it.

This was truly the perfect book to read while on a trip to NYC! It's certainly a love letter to the city and also a love letter to finding yourself. Riley graduates high school and wants to reconnect with her best friend who moved to NYC a few years prior. As she's getting ready to leave her hometown, she realizes while talking to her mom that her mom has been purposely filling Riley's schedule with activities to keep her away from Tom. As Riley defiantly leaves for NYC and experiences the wonder of the city, she starts to figure out who she is and what she wants. And one of those things she wants may be Tom...

As much as this is a YA romance between Riley and Tom, this really is a story of found family - which is just catnip to me. I loved every single friend and what they brought to the group. It's also a story of self discovery for both Riley and Tom. I think this worked really well as a single POV story, which I don't always say!

And of course I'd be remiss to talk about this book without mentioning all the incredible Taylor Swift references - I particularly loved Jesse's obsession with Taylor's discography because...same!

I enjoyed the audio narration a lot and it definitely made me feel like I was joining the group in their adventures!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Getaway List is a great story about transitioning from high school on to the next chapter of life. As well as friendship, parental relationships and learning who you are. Riley and Tom have been good friends for years, until Tom moves away and they miss out on lots of adventures together their last few years of high school. They have stayed in touch and so after graduation Riley decides to go visit Tom in NYC and complete their Getaway List. New friendships are made, discoveries about themselves and some teen drama along the way.

I love the idea of the Getaway List. A more manageable bucket list of simple missed activities. I also love that these young adults can have a great summer together without wild parties and drinking. It was refreshing to read.

The Getaway List by Emma Lord

The story starts with Riley on the day of her high school graduation as she realizes that she’s lost sight of her true self while trying to be a good kid for her mom. Finally deciding to find her own path she runs to NYC to meet up with her childhood best friend.

What I particularly loved about this book was the endearing main character, Riley. I really loved her and the found family friend group. Their relationships all felt genuine and were heartwarming and funny to watch develop.

This one was romantic, relatable, and unique in the world of YA coming-of-age books. Emma Lord’s talented style of storytelling shines through, I think this is my favourite of her novels.

Audio was great! It was a quick story that was entertaining the whole way through. Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for my audiobook! This one is out on Jan 23rd!

#thegetawaylist #emmalord #macmillanaudio #audiobook #audiobookstagram #netgalley #listentobooks #audiobookreview #audiobookrecommendation #readya #reading #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! As a middle-aged mom, I know I'm not the target reader, but I'm really glad I read it. With children the ages of the characters I was reminded of what it's like to be young and starting out and the difficult process of "finding" yourself. The characters were lovely (in a real, honest way) and the situations totally believable. I really appreciated the perspective of the protagonist and I think reading this book will give me a little more patience and compassion for the decisions and challenges my kids face. I look forward to reading more from Emma Lord, and I definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book! While I did enjoy the coming of age aspect, the witty banter, & the conclusion of the story, it dragged a bit for me.