I didn’t love this. The main love interest is the main characters childhood friend but it all felt a little forced. I don’t think Charlie had enough time to heal and move on from her marriage before getting into this situation. It was still good but there was something about it I just couldn’t fully get in to.

Wow! Ellie's sophomore novel was a winner for me! I love a reconnected friends-to-lovers story, especially when the MMC has always loved her!!! Nothing beats the yearning that comes from that trope! I felt like Ellie's writing has even improved since Four Weekends and a Funeral, and that was one of my favorites of 2024! I will definitely come back to this one when I'm itching for a roadtrip romance, with a musician to boot!


Thank you NetGalley and GP Putnam for the ARC!!

I had to DNF this book at 65% because I just could not get invested in the story. I really thought the set up with childhood friends to lovers could be quite fun since I usually really love that trope, but ya know not quite.

The main female character isn't my favorite and I do feel like the male main character (as of 65% of the way through the story) showed virtually no depth or emotion to him. He just continues to give off the playboy fuck boy aloof vibe for the whole story.

Not for me, maybe for you!

ANYWHERE WITH YOU is a nice, warm romance—easy to get into, with charming moments and a few laughs. The road trip setting adds some fun energy, and the second-chance/friends-to-lovers angle delivers some good emotional beats. But overall, it feels a bit predictable. The characters are likable enough, but not super memorable, and the story doesn’t really offer anything new for the genre.

If you're looking for a cozy, low-stakes romance to unwind with, this does the job. But if you're hoping for something deeper, funnier, or more emotionally gripping, this probably won’t be your favorite. It’s fine—but not one that sticks with you.

3.5/5

I read "Four Weekends and a Funeral" by this author last year and had mixed feelings about it, but I was excited to give her another chance when I got the ARC of this new book from Netgalley. In the end, I had mixed feelings about this one as well. Overall, there were many cute elements to this story like the flashback chapters of the two main characters going through high school and college together. However, I found the FMC Charley in the present day chapters to be a little bit unsufferable. All I kept thinking the whole book was "poor Ethan" as she strung him along.

Thank you Putnam for the ARC!

Charley has her life mostly figured out, even if she is financially strapped, stuck in her legal career, and likely the youngest divorcee at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on a Friday night. When her free spirited sister announces she’s eloping with her messy on again/off again childhood sweetheart, Charley knows she has to stop the wedding... even if it means road-tripping into the northern woods of Minnesota in a camper van with her childhood best friend, Ethan, who is as gorgeous as he is chronically unreliable.

Their cozy journey reignites a spark Charley has tried to ignore for years, and she struggles with whether she should risk her heart again for someone who has always been unpredictable. The book is super cute, made me laugh, and I loved the friends-to-lovers dynamic. I see a pattern with the two sisters and there were times I was rooting against them, thinking this would so not work, but it shows that sometimes it is okay to step back, breathe, and not plan everything out.

I didn’t love this book like I loved Four Weekends and a Funeral.
The FMC, Charley, was difficult to root for and that’s what keeps me reading romance books. I kept waiting for something to really hook me, but overall it felt a little predictable and boring. And while there were some really funny parts that had me laughing out loud and the fact that Ethan is the best golden retriever ever, it wasn’t enough. It took me a month to read this book and that is telling for me. And ugh, closed door after all that slow burning is frustrating! I’ll keep reading Palmer though since I do like her style of writing.

I really loved this book. I switched between audiobook and ebook because I just couldn't put it down. Anywhere With You was a story of self discovery, heart and the sweetest angsty slow burn romance.

I understood Charley (our FMC). She's looking for stability and predictability because she didn't have it in her childhood which leads her down a path of not being true to herself. I liked that the book was mostly about Charley figuring out that planning and controlling everything wasn't going to make her happy and that real love is worth the risk. Her character arc is believable and really pulls at your heartstrings. I loved her flaws and all. Ethan was a great character too. He's Charley's best friend but you can tell he's been harboring deeper feelings for her. Watching him yearn was heartbreaking but also made the HEA so much sweeter. I devoured the angry love confessions and the groveling too. I would say if you love friends to lovers, angsty/yearning and slow burn romance, this couple is for you.

This is fade to black so no spicy scenes, but the kissing her was quite steamy I shall say! Charley and Ethan had fantastic chemistry and it felt natural.

Palmer's writing is beautiful. I could not get enough. I really enjoy her descriptions and how she writes. It's addictive to read and makes her books unputdownable. Plus I also enjoyed the chapter titles a lot.

A fantastic story! Would highly recommend.

This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was a 3.25-star read for me.

Give me all the chapter titles!!!!! I absolutely love chapter titles and finding their relevance in the chapter, so this book was so much fun for me.  This book was hilarious, and I was literally laughing out loud!!!  

Lately, I have been enjoying friends-to-lovers to lovers, so this book was it for me!  Charley and Ethan are childhood friends who are reconnecting and embarking on a road trip.  From there, we get chaos, tension, one bed, and so much more, so be ready!  I enjoyed that we were getting the backstory told to us in snippets throughout the present story; this was amazing for character development.  I loved that our characters were so different from each other, yet they complemented each other so well.  Our main characters had all the difficult and uncomfortable conversations and showed so much vulnerability; these characters were so well done! 

Ethan is such a cinnamon roll book boyfriend. I could not have loved him more. Charley was so narcotic, but in a fun way, and I was really pleased with her character growth.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, rom-com because this will not disappoint! Come ready to fall in love and laugh your butt off! 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #AnywhereWithYou #NetGalley.

3.5/5. I didn’t really like the MFC Charley. She was whiny and not interesting to me. I really liked her sister Lauren. She was funny and more realistic to me. I was a bit disappointed in this since I loved Palmers first book. I did enjoy all the bad things that kept happening that prevents Lauren from getting married.

🛶🚐📷👫

Charley is a divorcee who takes pride in having her life together. Until her free-spirited sister’s elopement sends her on a mission to stop the wedding. Luckily, her gorgeous, frustratingly unreliable best friend Ethan just happens to have an open seat in his camper van. As they wind their way through the stunning Minnesota woods, sparks fly, secrets spill, and Charley is forced to confront the fact that maybe the safest life isn’t always the happiest one. Cute and light! I'd say I still prefer Ellie Palmer's debut, but this one is such an easy read if you need something that's a feel-good romance. ❤️

3⭐️ 1🌶️

Although the friends-to-lovers trope isn’t usually my favorite, I genuinely enjoyed this story. The flashback chapters deepened my understanding of the FMC’s reluctance to be vulnerable. While the chemistry between her and Elliot wasn’t particularly electric, it felt warm, comforting, and sincere. Overall, this was a feel-good read with meaningful character growth.

Pick this book up if you like:
🍫 childhood friends-to-lovers
🍫 weekend trip
🍫 close proximity

A huge thank you to the author, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and NetGalley for a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Anywhere With You is a charming, heartfelt road trip romance that delivers both laughs and tenderness. Charley is practical, cautious, and still nursing wounds from a failed marriage, while Ethan is her opposite—free-spirited, unreliable, but irresistibly magnetic. Toss them into a tiny van with a mission to stop her sister’s wedding, and the result is a witty, slow-burn story brimming with banter and tension.

The northern woods of Minnesota provide a dreamy backdrop that feels both adventurous and intimate, and I loved how the journey forced Charley out of her comfort zone. The dynamic between her and Ethan is classic “opposites attract,” but layered with the kind of vulnerability that makes their chemistry believable and addictive.

At times, the pacing dragged a bit, and I wanted a deeper dive into certain emotional beats, but overall this was a delightful escape—funny, warm, and full of heart. Perfect for fans of messy road trips, second chances, and unexpected sparks.

I have never felt the desire to sleep outside or go on a road trip (I be getting carsick lol), but Charley and Ethan definitely made me think twice!! This book was so fun and sweet and I could not put it down. Ellie has such a gift for writing relatable characters that I love to root for. I can't wait to read what she writes next!

ELLIE HAS DONE IT AGAIN FOLKS!

This was the best friends to lovers, sweet yet sexy, “you’ve always been the one for me”, summer romance that I’ve been looking for!

Our main character Charlie is fresh out of a recent divorce and is a skeptic when it comes to love. Ethan is a nomad, who is historically unreliable but someone who understands Charlie from the inside out.

This was so incredibly heartwarming and charming, and had me grinning multiple times from ear to ear. Ellie is a genuinely funny author and this story is packed with inside jokes and one liners that will melt your insides.

The setting is perfect for summer as our two main characters that has them traipsing through the woods and snugging up in a camper van.

The conversations were very emotionally charged and beautiful and this is definitely a story of being vulnerable, overcoming your fears and starting something that finally MATTERS.

“I love the way he looks at me dead on, like he’s bracing himself for whatever he’s about to see….like I still might surprise him after all this time”

All in all it is easy to say this is one of my FAVORITE romances of 2025.

Ellie Palmer’s second novel Anywhere With You is an absolute five-star favorite for me. This friends-to-lovers road trip romance follows Charley, a Type A lawyer fresh off a divorce, and her childhood best friend Ethan, a musician who lives life on the road. When they reunite to stop Charley’s sister’s impulsive wedding, the journey pushes them to face old wounds, rediscover their bond, and choose love against the odds. Palmer writes with so much heart—Charley and Ethan’s romance is tender and believable, but it’s the layered, beautifully complicated sister relationship that really stole my heart.

Fans of heartfelt, character-driven romance will adore this one.

I LOVED this book! It was so tender, warm, and cozy, and felt like eating my favorite dessert on a gorgeous evening. The tension between Charley and Ethan was unbearably tender and intimate, and I was kicking my feet and giggling throughout! I can't wait to read it all over again!

Roadtrip romanceeeee! Friends to loverssss!
Let’s go!!!

I thought that i Was going to absolutely devour this book! And I did really enjoy it!

I love a friends to lovers romance and I loved getting to se show the friendship between Charley and Ethan progressed!
I would definitely read more from Ellie in the future!

Gosh, I really love Ellie Palmer’s writing, and her sophomore romance novel “Anywhere With You” is now a five star fave for me! Her writing is full of heart and self-effacing Midwesterners finding love when they least expect it.

Anywhere With You is a friends-to-lovers road trip romance between Charley Beekman, a Type A lawyer whose primary goal in life is unimpeachable stability, and her childhood best friend, Ethan Palmer, a semi-successful musician who makes his living traveling around the country in a van performing on the college circuit. On the day Charley’s divorce from her very brief marriage is finalized, Ethan reappears in her life, ready to reclaim his role as her best friend. He arrives just in time for the two to rush up north to intervene in Charley’s sister’s spontaneous wedding to the fourth member of their childhood friend group, Petey Ericksson-Thao. Charley’s attempts to dissuade her sister Laurel from making the same mistake she did—marriage—go wildly off course, but the mishaps force them all to confront the wounds and love beneath it all.

The romance between Charley and Ethan is lovely—they’re both fantastic, rich characters, and the author does a great job of building the basis for their love and the stakes for them to choose to be together despite it all. My favorite part of the book, though, is the beautifully complicated and deeply loving sister relationship between Charley and Laurel. Each sister bears wounds from a childhood where their parents’ love felt conditional, and their journey to understanding each other brings so much heart and depth to this book.

Ellie Palmer has created a wonderful romance that any fans of the genre will love! 5 stars :)

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐
G🌶️

This book for every reader who loved The Truth About Forever as a kid and now as an adult claims Book Lovers as their fave Emily Henry book. And the plot hit me pretty hard as someone who lost their male best friend when he got engaged almost a decade ago and knows how that hurt feels.

The sheer earnestness of this story had me cheering through some of the ridiculous hijinks. And Ellie is just so darn funny that I couldn't stop highlighting clever lines. This book is the perfect transition into fall and already has me wanting to plan a Minnesota hiking & kayaking trip for next summer. Read this one before it becomes witchy reading season!