What pulled me into Anywhere With You was the setup—childhood best friends going on a road trip in a van - I was way too curious to see how Ellie Palmer would handle this kind of story. And she totally delivered.

Charley is freshly divorced, tightly wound, and determined to stop her little sister’s surprise elopement. Ethan is her longtime bestie, a musician living the van life with major “go with the flow” energy. They’ve known each other forever, but it’s clear that something deeper has been simmering under the surface. Cue forced proximity, simmering tension, and a whole lot of “oh no, there’s only one bed.”

I won’t lie—Charley tested my patience a bit. But then I realized… she’s me. The perfectionism? The control issues? The self-sabotage dressed up as ambition? Yep. Been there. Felt seen. And Ethan? Whew. Total cinnamon roll energy with just the right amount of swoon. Watching these two figure their stuff out together was frustrating, sweet, and really satisfying.

One of my favorite parts was the dual timeline. The little flashbacks gave just enough insight into their friendship and past moments without slowing things down. It made their slow-burn connection feel real and earned, and I loved seeing how much history they had together.

Anywhere With You reminds me why I love this genre so much. It’s honest, a little messy, full of heart, and leaves you with that warm, fuzzy feeling that maybe the person you’ve been looking for has been right beside you all along. If you’re in the mood for a road trip romance with humor, heart, healing, and just the right amount of chaos—this one’s for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Twenty nine year old Charley has just gotten divorced after only thirteen months. She’s embarrassed but it is determined to move past it and get her life on track. Only to find out her sister is about to elope with her childhood sweetheart. That cannot happen. So Charley teams up with her childhood best friend, the very unreliable Ethan, on a road trip to stop the wedding. I loved the dual timelines, the banter, and the chemistry between these two characters. I wish we could have gotten POV between both of them though. I feel like I would have loved it even more.

Charley (recently divorced) is cynical about marriage, so she freaks out when her sister impulsively decides to elope. Charley and her childhood best friend (Ethan) road trip through Northern Minnesota to crash the wedding and are forced to face their unresolved tension.

As a MN transplant, the setting and jokes/cultural references about the midwest were fun. I loved the witty and sarcastic banter between the MCs, and the use of humor throughout. They’re so comfortable and familiar with each other and you really feel that in their interactions.

The story’s primary focus is Charley’s self-discovery journey. She’s slowly realizing how her family dynamics impact her skewed views on relationships, her career, and her self-worth. And, ahhh.. Ethan! The sweet way he can read and predict Charley’s every thought. I wanted a dual POV, but we don’t get Ethan’s perspective. The way it’s told, it’s hard to believe that his feelings never wavered despite everything that happened before the recent reconnection. But you know what? We love pining and love an MMC who is confident in his feelings for the FMC.

Overall, this is a fun summer read (and it’d be especially fun to read while on a road trip or camping). I smiled and laughed and felt things. I’ll definitely be paying attention to this author’s other/future works!

Thanks to the publisher (Putnam Books - Penguin Group) & NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐

LIKED:
- First of all, I want to preface this review by saying that I am coming out of this book slightly biased. Longtime friends who have been separated/haven’t talked in a while/etc., is probably my favorite trope ever. I know it’s not everyone’s bag, but it is mine. I love stories of lead characters with a plethora of history. II think this book had a lot of moments of that, showing that history, that I really enjoyed, so I think I’m being a bit lenient on this book because of this. I do. I could definitely see how these two characters knew each other very well.
- I think the dual timelines were…fine? I like dual timelines generally, I think I just needs more intentionality behind some of the jumps back in time.
- There are a lot of road trip books that are big, sprawling trips, and it was nice that this one was not such a long distance. It felt fresh.
- As odd as it sounds, Charley’s childhood and relationship to her parents and their relationship was the most interesting aspect of the book to me outside of the romance. How their dysfunctional relationship affected her throughout her whole life was pretty unique and did help inform a lot of her more irrational choices and anxieties.
- Great to have Celiac’s rep and have it feel so natural and genuine, not like a caricature.
- I liked the inclusion of the van. That sounds kind of silly, but van life is a thing that many people enjoy and it is an important aspect to Ethan’s lifestyle, so it was fun to see it utilized in the story.
- It’s a nice title. I like that it kind of ties the book together. I wish it encompassed more of their whole story, but it’s sweet.

LAMENTED:
- There are a lot of writing choices in descriptions and actions that are just…odd. Like there is a genuine emotional moment between the two leads and the author decided that it was a good time to say that Ethan’s forehead creased “like a taco”. It was distracting and pretty cringey. Also the streaking scene was just…not my brand of humor.
- I do not see these characters saying together. I think they love the idea of each other more than actually being together. And they both….kind of suck. Charley is super judgy and Ethan is kind of nothing, and they both act so immature. They’re supposed to be nearly 30, it just got really frustrating, especially with how oblivious Charley is to Ethan’s feelings.
- I did not like, uh, any of the characters. Laurel is incredibly selfish and rude (and immature) and Petey is just a cartoon (and I do not understand why those two characters even liked each other to warrant their history). I appreciated the parallels between sisters, but I didn’t want to really see anyone flourish, if that makes sense.
- Okay, maybe I’m just supposed to suspend disbelief…but what is so bad about Rich. He’s made out to be this guy that just sucks so bad and is so wrong for Charley and yada yada yada, but he’s just…a regular guy? I wish that aspect of their relationship had been leaned into. It is okay for two regular people to not be right for each other, but they make it seems like he is the worst person to ever have graced their presence. It didn’t make me think more highly of Ethan or that he was a better choice for Charley just by having Rich exist.
- Now, I am not one that needs romances to be open-door, and I’m not saying that this one should have been, but the first time these characters sleep together is just kind of brushed off. They have all this history that has been building towards this moment, and then it’s just like “okie dokie onto the next thing”. Also it’s the first time Charley has been with anyone since her divorce. I just needed that moment to be more impactful emotionally (not necessarily explicitly).
- This cover has that kind of uncanny, almost faceless, lineless illustration style that I just do not care for. I think the composition and them being in a van is nice, but Ethan’s face looks goony and the border on the title is kind of wonky.

LONGED FOR:
- A sense that these characters were actually more right for each other (and didn’t make me feel like they were going to immediately break up).
- Characters that weren't all so immature.
- Less cringey writing (sorry)

Will I read the next one? : Probably…not. I listened to her first book and genuinely absorbed so little of it. I don’t think this author’s writing style is for me.

I was excited for this book as a fun summer romance read. The plot seemed like it had all the right things: Charley getting out of her divorce despite always having her life planned out, her childhood best friend Ethan returns from his travels after a falling out and we go from there. Childhood best friends to lovers isn't my favorite, but I enjoy it when done well!

The writing and descriptions of emotions felt very poetic, there were many instances where I was loving certain paragraphs because they were phrased so beautifully and really captured what the characters were thinking. What fell a bit flat for me was the manifestation of the romance. I felt like these were two interesting characters but it was hard for me to imagine them together. The banter that exists felt like it was between friends (which they were friends) but didn't feel like it would go any further. I never felt a connection that would push them into being more than friends, making this relationship feel a bit forced.

I also felt like Charley recalling all the times Ethan had shown he liked her in a romantic way was a bit cringey to me. Who is that clueless and why are we having this conversation many years after the fact?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Charley is a lawyer who likes her life to be predictable and follow a routine. So when her husband unexpectedly leaves her, and her notoriously commit-averse sister decides to get married—Charley, who no longer believes in love or that marriages last, is determined to stop the wedding. Ethan, her best friend and a nomadic guitarist, gets tasked with driving them to the wedding/elopement. This begins a chaotic journey up the state of Minnesota.

Charley is still dealing with the aftermath of her failed marriage. Her need for stability leaves her stuck, living in an empty house with minimal furniture and little sense of purpose. The trip with Ethan finally forces Charley to reflect on her life and what went wrong. I love how, through everything, Ethan shows her just how much he loves and cares for her. He is so willing to fight for her and for their relationship.

We also get to experience their friendship throughout the years, with flashbacks that helped me understand their relationship a bit better. I loved the slow journey and personal growth Charley undergoes throughout the book. She is still so stubborn, but begins to realize that what you always thought you wanted might not actually be what you need.

I also loved how realistic her relationship with her sister felt. It’s was so chaotic, yet honest and still full of sisterly love.

I really enjoyed this one, it had all the sweet and funny moments of friendship, plus a great message to just take the leap. It gives all the summer vibes I could ask for, I highly recommend it!

🫢 Language: Moderate, frequent
🔥 Heat level: Fade-to-black scene and some innuendos.

I adored Four Weekends and a Funeral, so I was very excited to get this book. Ellie Palmer’s sophomore book did not disappoint! This book gutted me. It had ALL THE FEELS. My heart went out to Charlie! This poor woman’s world view was based on some tough false beliefs that she had throughout her life. They inhibited her from falling in love. I absolutely loved this friends to lovers, road trip romance. There was so much humor and heart in this book. The writing was top notch. The conflict and Charlie’s character growth were amazing. The flash backs to the past really added to the story.
I only wished two things while reading this book. One, that we could get Ethan’s perspective. I would have loved that. Two, the sexual tension build up in this slow burn romance was perfect. I only wished two the author would have given us a bit more detail than telling us about it.
I devoured this book from start to finish! I received this book from Penguin Group and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of Anywhere With You!

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer was one of my favorite reads of 2024, and Anywhere With You confirmed that she’s an auto-buy author from here on out. This story follows childhood friends-turned-lovers Charley and Ethan as they set off on a summer van road trip with one mission: talk to (read: stop) her sister Laurel from marrying their other childhood friend, Petey. The book is packed with fun banter, sweet throwbacks to their shared past that make you believe in their love story, and just the right amount of Minnesota summer magic.

It’s the kind of summer read that feels like a road trip with your favorite people especially if you’re into friends to lovers, forced proximity, and a bit of emotional nostalgia. I gave it 4/5 stars and will definitely be picking up whatever Ellie Palmer writes next!

I devoured this one! Absolutely loved it! Friends to lovers, it’s always been you, road trip, perfect summer rom-com vibes. Story is told in dual timeline flashing back from present to key scenes from Charley and Ethan’s past throughout their friendship. The flashback chapters could have been slightly shorter in my opinion but I still enjoyed them! Highly recommend this one. Very thankful for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.

I really enjoyed this! There were humorous moments, great backstories, and beautiful friends to lovers. The MMC was so sweet. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this! I have a feeling a lot of people are going to love it!

Although the plot and setting were appealing to me, ultimately I found Anywhere With You fell flat. The pacing was off, various things were too slapstick or goofy, and most of all, I just found many of the main characters to be extremely irritating.

Charley's toxic relationship with her sister was so sad to read. They were each completely awful and cruel to each other. The drama and mess between them was over the top. And while Ethan seemed nice enough, his obsession with Charley was inexplicable. While Charley's marriage was obviously bad, I found it very weird that Ethan seemingly hadn't moved on at all while she was quite literally married to someone else. I would have felt better about this story if their reconnecting had happened more slowly.

Finally, it didn't feel realistic to me that Charley and Ethan would really have any kind of future together. I didn't feel a real connection between them, despite the endless flashback chapters. This felt like a rebound fling, or college wish fulfillment, with no chance of ever lasting. How could it, with their disparate personalities and lifestyle preferences? And that's completely fine, but the book was setting this up to be a forever kind of thing for them, and I just don't buy it.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. I wanted to like this way more than I did. I love friends to lovers but this just felt long and sometimes forced and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I liked the ending a lot though. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Ellie Palmer is quickly becoming one of my favorite rom-com authors. Four Weekends and a Funeral was one of my favorite books last year, and I have a feeling Anywhere With You will be one this year. I’ve already preordered it (signed, personalized, and with the fancy bonus dust jacket to be shipped to California all the way from Minnesota). On to the actual review—

We open with Charley freshly divorced, working at a corporate law firm, mostly unhappy and lonely. To make matters worse, she had a falling out with her childhood best friend at her bachelorette party a couple years ago, and now that her marriage has fallen apart, she has to admit that Ethan was right all along. But Ethan isn’t rubbing it in her face. When her sister calls to say she’s eloping, Charley and Ethan hit the road in his camper van to intervene. Long-suppressed sparks are allowed the space and proximity to fly, resulting in a swoon-worthy, hilarious, and heartfelt romance novel.

Here’s what I loved most:

💕 He calls her Chuck (any Pushing Daisies fans in the house?)

💕 Road trip!

💕 Ethan is a musician, but those songs were all about other girls, right?

💕 Descriptions of the Minnesota woods; In the words of Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.” Who knew?

💕 Childhood friends is my melting point 🫠

💕 Sibling dynamics and a quirky, free-spirit sister

💕 The tension between being a “stayer” and a “leaver” and what that does to Charley’s adventurous side

Overall, Ellie Palmer’s books tick all the boxes for me and I can’t wait for more.

I loved Ellie Palmer’s Four Weekends and a Funeral, so I went into Anywhere With You with high expectations. Sadly, this felt like a major step backward in terms of writing quality, character development, and overall storytelling.

Charley was a frustrating protagonist—self-absorbed, emotionally immature, and seemingly unaware of the impact her actions had on others. Her internal dialogue often dragged on, filled with neurotic fixations that never added real depth. I usually love a good friends-to-lovers arc, but this one felt unearned and forced. Ethan was the only redeeming part of the romance—and frankly, he deserved better.

The writing itself lacked the polish and heart I saw in Palmer’s debut. Dialogue often felt unnatural, the pacing was uneven, and the narrative relied far too heavily on pop culture references. It felt less like meaningful storytelling and more like a desperate attempt to sound trendy. A few clever nods can enhance a book; dozens make it feel dated before it even hits the shelves.

There were moments of charm—mostly thanks to Ethan—but overall, this fell flat. I kept waiting for emotional growth or insight from Charley, but it never really came. In the end, I wasn’t rooting for her love story—I was rooting for her to go to therapy and let Ethan live his life.

Ellie Palmer has talent, and I still look forward to her future work—but this one just didn’t deliver.

I loved Ellie’s first book, but this one, I think I love even more. No, I can’t say that. They’re both wonderful. You can see the growth in her writing in this one. I just love how fulfilling this one is, and the depth between the characters. I swear it’s hard to find that anymore in a romance but when it hits, like it does here, it hits. I love the journey this takes you on, and the side characters and locations as always. I will be picking this one up in audio as well, just like the first because I know it’s going to be a great listen as well. Just an all around great read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for the early read on this one.

I loved Ellie's debut, Four Weekends and a Funeral, and was excited to read her follow up, Anywhere With You. It took me a bit to get into this one, but I found it to be a delightful childhood friends to lovers story that was also a deeper self reflection story Charley that was going through and her struggle with accepting her sister's marriage.

Charley just got out of a 13 month marriage and finds her sister delcaring she is going to get married that weekend to her on and off again boyfriend. Charley feels she must do everything to talk some sense into her sister. When Charley's childhood best friend, Ethan, shows up in his van, she convinces him to go on a road trip to confront her sister before she makes a mistake.

This book was well fleshed out with banter, angst, yearning, mixed with her sister's storyline, which had a great balance between that and the romance, and Charley's own character arc.

Thank you Putnam's Sons for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Summary in Brief

Charley is a recently divorced twenty-something whose sister has announced she’s eloping in the backwoods of Minnesota. To reach her in time, Charley embarks on a road trip with her childhood friend Ethan, someone she hasn’t seen in two years, who reignites a fire that’s been long dormant.

Genre + Plot

Tropes: Childhood Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Road Trip, One Bed, Opposites Attract

I was so excited to get this ARC! I loved the cover, and I LOVE a good friends-to-lovers romance. This book did not disappoint. It was easy and fun to read, and I flew through it.

Our FMC, Charley, is recently divorced and has a jaded outlook on love and marriage. When her sister, Laurel, announces she’s eloping with their childhood friend Petey, Charley feels it’s her duty to stop this rash decision. Her best friend Ethan (who’s also Petey’s best friend) comes back to town. She hasn’t seen him since he failed to show up as Best Man at her wedding two years ago.

Ethan lives in a van and travels the country writing songs and living a nomadic life, something that gives Charley hives just thinking about. I liked Charley, but she had some traits that annoyed me. She carries a lot of unresolved childhood trauma (her parents were separated, and the family moved around a lot for work), which makes it hard for her to trust others. She’s terrified of being left alone in the world and hasn’t made much effort to work through these issues—she really should have seen a therapist by now. That was my main issue with her. She’s built so many walls, yet hasn’t tried to become a more open or trusting person, letting fear dictate her choices.

Our MMC, Ethan, is a free-spirited nomad, the complete opposite of Charley. Music is his passion: he writes songs, plays guitar, and travels in his van. He and Charley met in middle school and became best friends. He knows her inside and out, and she can’t hide from him, which terrifies her. Ethan has been in love with Charley for most of his life, but he’s never made his feelings clear. In college, he asked her to travel with him in his van, but she declined, because, well, Charley is Charley.

Even so, I didn’t always feel that Ethan’s love for her was obvious. I knew he loved her, but it wasn’t as clear or emotionally intense as I’d hoped. If it wasn’t obvious to me as the reader, you can bet it wasn’t obvious to Charley, who is constantly in her head and doubting everything.

What kept this from being a five-star read was that I was *told* more than *shown* how much Ethan loved Charley, and vice versa. Their love is definitely there, and they get their HEA by the end, but it wasn’t the all-consuming passion and years of yearning I’d expect from a childhood friends-to-lovers romance.

I actually found myself more intrigued by Laurel and Petey’s relationship. The flashback chapters revealed their character growth in a really compelling way, and I wish I’d seen more of that from Charley and Ethan. We’re told at the end what changed, but it didn’t feel entirely genuine, and the buildup to that growth didn’t fully convince me.

Final Thoughts

Overall, although I had a few issues with character development and the tendency to explain rather than show the love story, I still had fun with this book. It’s a perfect summer read!

Read Anywhere With You if you love road-trips, childhood friends to lovers, only one bed/camper and second chance-ish vibes. A lot of things happen at once for Charley and it’s totally understandable to have a minor freak out moment when you just get divorced, find out your sister is eloping with her on again off again boyfriend and your absentee best friend reappears back in your life.

When Charley convinces Ethan, her childhood best friend, that they need to stop her sister from eloping they load up in his van and head out to the Minnesota wilderness with a few bumps in the road. Even though Charley and Ethan were never together when they were younger their journey gave off strong second chance vibes and in a way it kinda was because they were restarting their friendship again before starting a relationship.

Anywhere With You is a quick and enjoyable easy read and the perfect read to get you in the mood for a road trip somewhere.



Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I think Ellie Palmer writes really funny dynamics between her protagonists and other side characters. I was really looking forward to this one but I think I enjoyed her debut novel more.

I found this book to be quite triggering in my own vanlife experiences so I was not able to finish! I was bummed to see that the van on the cover depicted a westfalia and then it was a sprinter we were reading about :(