It’s always a plus when a book title has me humming a song. 🎶

You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. Not one but 2 romances and a redemption story for a side character. While this may seem like a lot for one book, it was the perfect amount of story. Plenty of people to root for while smiling along.

If you take the plot of The Holiday, loosely, and throw in a couple of queer couples and terrific side characters, you’re all caught up in the plot.

I liked the house swap. It allowed for two diverse settings. NYC and a small town. I also liked the diversity of representation in the queer characters. All relatable and likable. The banter was terrific and getting to see the characters internal conflict drew me to them.

I’d categorize this as a rom com and definitely chuckled as I read and listened but it also has a lot of heart. Outside of the romance there are family and job issues. Just like all of us face in our lives. I think the two sides were well balanced.

At times I Iistened and loved the dual narration, which fit as the book is told from 2 POVs. I’ll admit to quite often missing chapter numbers when listening which could be my issue as I probably also missed the character name at the start of the chapter, but I often stumbled a little trying to figure out who was narrating the chapters. I always figured it out rather quickly but had a moment where I was momentarily lost. Or maybe Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw’s voices weren’t distinct enough for me. I’m usually multitasking any not only listening while an enjoying an audiobook. But regardless it was a fun listen.

Sad to say, this was a miss for me. I loved the idea of a queer riff on The Holiday, and the two main characters are well-crafted foils to each other: lonely, isolated, and commitment-phobic Eleanor finds herself thrust into the center of Tatum’s large, loving, but complicated family, while Tatum, whose been held back by fear of making the same mistakes that so complicate said family, finds herself independent in Eleanor’s luxury New York City apartment. I also thought Tatum’s reasons for being guarded in romance were interesting and sympathetic, to a point: years ago, her father cheated on her mother, and the rift that caused in the family, and in her parents’ marriage, has never truly healed. Anyone would have complicated feelings about love, growing up in an environment like that, although I felt that Tatum’s belief that she might be “hardwired” to also betray people was slightly farfetched—especially considering that, in the same breath with which she admits to this belief, she professes that she would never, ever cheat on anyone. In any case, it was a juicy setup that I personally felt the book didn’t deliver on, on top of additional problems with pacing, approximately one million underdeveloped plot points (a friendship with a reclusive former actress! A secret half brother from the affair! All of this is interesting and none of it, I felt, had enough done with it!), and “hey, I just met you, and this is CRAZY but we’re gonna hook up now” plot for Eleanor and her love interest, Tatum’s older sibling Carson, that personally wasn’t to my taste. It’s a shame, because I had fun with Morrissey’s previous book (That Summer Feeling) and felt predisposed to enioy this, too.

Anywhere You Go took my favorite holiday movie and made it queer -- need I say more about why I enjoyed this book so much? The characters are all so deeply lovable, and I enjoyed that this story was so much more than their romances. There was so much in their storylines around their families, their friendships, their work that was so endearing and lovely to experience. This was a true delight to read.

This is a fun book that includes a house swap such as you have seen in the movie Holiday. Tatum and Eleanor both go through things personally and need a change so they switch houses which are in different towns. One goes to a small town, whereas one is in the Hollywood area.

It’s really fun to see how both characters adjust to being in different places and how it really makes them think about their own lives while they each by themselves falling for someone. There is wonderful banter throughout the book and all of the side characters are entertaining as well.

It’s a fun book.

Dnf at 28%. I wasn't invested in this at all, unfortunately. The premise sounded good, but the execution wasn't what I expected. Sadly, this was not for me.

Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5 stars)
This story is about self-discovery, healing, and the contrast between big-city ambition and small-town connection. I especially enjoyed the side characters, Carson and Dawn—they really brought the story to life and added charm and heart.

That said, I struggled to fully connect with the two main characters. I found both FMCs to be somewhat selfish in how they ran from their problems, and I had a particularly hard time warming up to Eleanor’s character.
However, I’m always a sucker for great banter, and this book delivered in that department! I’d happily curl up with a good book in Tatum’s cozy house any day. While I felt the romantic relationship between Tatum and June lacked depth and didn’t quite hit the emotional mark for me, I still found the story enjoyable overall.

Ok, sapphic twist on The Holiday was just what I needed. I loved all the sweet little details between the couples and all the family drama.

June and Tatum swap homes with Eleanor and leave their small town for a big adventure in New York, hoping to sell June's perfume business. Tatum needs to escape her family, and wouldn't you know it, she has always had a huge crush on June.

Eleanor needs to get out of New York stat when she finds out her fling is actually engaged, she gets fired from her job, and she is just an all-around mess. She jumps at the chance to swap homes and for a girl with a lot of romantic issues, meeting Tatum's sibling Carson is quite the distraction.

In New York, Eleanor's neighbor Dawn is an old famous actress, and she was one of my favorite characters. She was full of life but needed to be reminded how much of a badass she is. June and Tatum are able to get her to be social while she forces them to evaluate what is holding them back.

My second favorite character is Carson. The romance between them and Eleanor was so swoony, and I felt like they are the kind of person you want to orbit because being near them would make you happy. I think them as a couple was the best part of the book, and the way Eleanor gets to join in on the crazy family reunion Tatum has to skip out on.

Tatum was probably the hardest character for me to love. They felt extremely juvenile for their age, and I kept thinking she was 18-20, only to be reminded she was an adult almost in their 30s. I also felt a little less invested in her love story with June and while I liked them both fine, Carson and Eleanor were top tier for me.

If you are looking for a romcom with heart, this one will check those boxes.

This is the best romance book I have read in a while, no questions asked.

The writing style reminds me a lot of Casey McQuistions. It is very emotional, raw, and showcases the quiet delicacies of love that the characters feel for each other. They aren't things they say out loud, but things that as a reader, show us the intentionality and care for which they feel this love for each other. Simple things like Tatum squeezing June's hand when they're both in large crowds, or Eleanor thinking that looking at Carsons tattoos reminds her of getting lost in fairytale books. These are the things that make this book come to life, and they are sprinkled everywhere throughout. I adore them, and they help strengthen the emotional connection between the characters and the reader.

The character flaws were also so raw in the way they affected each character, and how they made each character move through the world. The character growth by the end of this book made be bawl my eyes out, and it's absolutely unforgettable.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone. Even if you aren't a romance reader, I think picking up this book is a great decision, and I'm so glad I read it.

A huge thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Berkley for providing me an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first time I have read anything by Bridget Morrissey, and I truly enjoyed it! I love stories that are Prince and the Pauper-esque where two characters switch lives and perspectives for a short period of time. Morrissey was able to craft a story that was lighthearted but also covered some more serious topics.

Morrissey’s writing is also comedic in a way that is similar to Alison Cochrun. Her scene building and bantery dialogue - especially between Eleanor and Carson - helped drive the story forward. Not to mention that Carson as a side character was SWOONWORTHY

Beautiful, soul-searching tale about figuring out where you belong and who you are meant to be - and finding your happily ever after, unexpectedly, along the way.

Tatum’s life in small town IL could not be more different than Eleanor’s in NYC. When she impulsively offers to travel with her crush, June, to NYC, she and Eleanor swap houses. Tatum wants to avoid family drama, and Eleanor is nursing pain she wants to temporarily leave behind.

Through their adventures away from home, both Tatum and Eleanor end up in some surprising - but not unwelcome - situations. Eleanor has a very fun meet cute with Tatum’s sibling, Carson, who is full of loving chaos. And Tatum and June grow closer as they learn more about each other. Lovely side characters abound, from the diner, to Eleanor’s glamorous neighbor, and Tatum’s whole family.

This was a great queer romance that I just adored.

I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

10/10 the only thing I would change about this book is more-more-more! I didnt expect to have 4 main characters and I thought the author did an incredible job help us make emotional connections with each of them. And the writing? I thought Bridget's last book was awesome, but I dont remember her writing being this beautiful. This book is absolutely gorgeous inside out. I will definitely be going back to read this story again in the future.

This was so fun! The premise of swapping apartments reminded me of The Holiday and I loved that we followed two couples equally. I don't think I've seen this before in a romance and I really enjoyed it. Overall I thought the writing style was great and led to a quick read, and I loved the banter between Carson and Eleanor.

As a Broadway and perfume lover, I also loved the focus on those industries for jobs for the main characters. I do wish we found out what Tatum ended up doing career wise though!

I would recommend! 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for a review copy of this book. All opinions my own!

3.5 stars.

"Anywhere You Go" by Bridget Morrissey is basically a queer, summertime version of "The Holiday," which is an intriguing premise to me because I love that movie. It's full of fun banter, interesting characters, and tons of vacation shenanigans. The writing here is very fun, very witty, which I jived with wholly. There are a lot of characters in this story, though, so this is not a book you can simply absorb while doing other things (via audio, I mean, and I say this as a seasoned audiobook listener). I did have to back the story up several times because I kept confusing the characters. I feel like I cared a lot more about Eleanor and Carson than I did Tatum and June. In fact, I wish we had gotten an entire book about Eleanor and Carson! That part was my favorite. I adored them. Maybe Tatum and June's story was a little too underdeveloped/insta-love/lust-y for me? Add on tops of this that each and every situation in this story is complicated to the max, so the minutiae may lose some readers. Eleanor was fired from her job and needs to figure out what to do next. Tatum has a bunch of stuff going on with her family, and that dynamic complicates things, too. There's the entire subplot about Eleanor's neighbor, a former Hollywood starlet who has been away from the industry for quite some time. It's got a ton going on, and while I was entertained most of the time, some parts felt a little flat to me. Still, I am going to go back and read Morrissey's last book because of how much I enjoyed her prose and humor here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bridget Morrissey, and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

ARC/ALC REVIEW | Anywhere You Go

This book is The Holiday but instead of Jude Law doing napkin face, you have women and non-binary characters falling in love and a surprise brother to boot. I absolutely love The Holiday, so when I saw this book being described as a queer version, I immediately wanted to read it!

In this story, the two FMCs are both escaping things in their lives and decide to swap homes for a week. Eleanor is going through a breakup and losing her job and needs to go ANYWHERE but New York. Tatum just found out her father has a adult son from an affair and wants to have a family reunion so everyone can meet, so she takes her crush’s offer to go to NYC with her for a business scouting trip. Naturally, there are feelings and relationships that develop in both locations, with Eleanor quickly falling into Tatum’s nonbinary sibling’s bed and Tatum finally accepting her feelings for her crush, June. But the house swap doesn’t last forever and both women have to decide what they really want for their futures.

Overall, I thought this was a really cute book! Both of the FMCs go through a journey of self-discovery and have to make decisions not only about their love lives, but their careers and what they want out of life. Both have been in a state of existing prior to the book, and are now confronted with what it really means to live. I loved seeing their journeys play out, along with their partners as well. There was a lot of fun wit and banter in the book, and it really just was such a fun time! The book does have a whole third act grand gesture bit, which I’m not always a fan of but it worked really well here and honestly was to be expected based off everything else this book gave.

I really enjoyed all the secondary characters in this book as well! Eleanor has a crotchety old neighbor who ends up being an important part of Tatum and June’s story. I loved how involved she got and how this swap allowed her to start to really enjoy life again too. I really enjoyed how well developed everyone was in this story - it really made the whole book so wholesome! But don’t worry, the spice was also very nice in this too! Perfect blend of sweet and spicy to make a well rounded story!

I did this one on audio and really have to hand it to the narrators. It was dual narrated, for each POV that we had, and I thought they both did a phenomenal job! I found both of them to be distinct and did a great job in enveloping the reader into their character’s life. I couldn’t decide whose story I wanted to spend more time in, so I really applaud each narrator for doing such a good job in telling this story!

As a Certified Lover of The Holiday, this book was such a cute sapphic read!

I’ve read other romances and books where the main characters swap lives, and this one was one of the best! It was interesting and engaging to see how the couples and characters interacted with each other, and I love that there was a dual romance/dual POV situation going on!

I thought the plot was paced really well, and it was engaging enough that I often got lost in the book and time flew by! I definitely think if you’re in the mood for a found family, sapphic romance, especially if you are in the mood for both a small town and big city read!

Thank you to Berkley, PRH, and NetGalley for the advanced review copy! All opinions are my own <3

📖 Bookish Thoughts:
I loved this sapphic romance! It blended small-town charm with big-city chaos in the best way. My favorite movie is The Holiday, and while this isn’t a holiday story, it totally gave me those cozy romcom house-swap vibes. Beneath the laughs and flirty moments, there were some deeper themes too—like the burden of being the problem- solving daughter, complicated family dynamics, codependency, and low self-worth. But the story handled it all with care and still kept that warm, romantic feel. June was my absolute favorite and I loved her growth by the end of the book!

🌼 Read if you love:
• Sapphic romcoms
• Opposites attract
• Small towns charm
• Forced proximity
• House-swap setup
• Healing family wounds
• Found Family

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

One part coming of age stories, one part romance, this book follows two couples as they navigate life, family, new friends and old, finding their place, and falling in love.

The queerness never felt forced and the romance is as much friendship as it is love. While this story could have become a tangled mess, the two stories were interwoven so well they helped love each others’ plots along.

Tatum is a waitress in a small town in IL. She is in love with her customer, June, but fights it every day. Eleanor, a publicist, makes a big faux pas and gets fired. She is one of June's perfume customers, so when June and Tatum need a place to stay in NY, Tatum and Eleanor swap residences for the week. Eleanor meets Tatum's brother Carson and sparks fly. But relationships are scary and some people aren't ready to jump into them.
Funny dialog, funny situations, and also sweet and endearing. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I liked Tatum's family a lot and I liked the relationships and friendships that were made.

3.25 stars

• when a small-town waitress & a broadway PR agent both need a quick out from their respective lives for a week, they hatch a plan to house swap and get away from their problems. through this, both tatum & eleanor discover more than they bargained for when away from home, and that maybe they each need to let down their guards to get the love they each deserve.
• i really wanted to love this, because who wouldn’t love a romcom that’s pitched as a sapphic dual love story inspired by ‘the holiday’?! the main issue i had wasn’t with the story, but how both narrators sounded identical, which made it hard to connect with either because i kept forgetting whose POV i was reading.
• there’s a really great cast of side-characters, and one moment where tatum stands up to her parents, but ultimately i feel like spending more time with one couple, and really getting to know them better, would have benefitted this story.

I loved this! I went in blind and had no idea there would be two romance plot lines! I really liked both couples and the queer rep in the story. I also really enjoyed the way opposites attract played a role in this book because it applied to both the characters and their settings. Overall, I had a wonderful reading experience and will definitely be reading more by this author.