I loved this one. Singular point of view and I think it truly carries the book because the instability thoughts of Charley and missing her best friend. I loved it. Charley's constant heartbreak and lack of feeling like she's enough was HURTING ME. And then her current relationship with Ethan was incredible. Buddy wanted her so bad. I loved it. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to read it and a thanks for Ellie and Putnam to send me a physical Coopy. I finished it in less than 24 hours

Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer
Romance
Pub Date: August 5, 2025

Thank you @bookedwithemilys @putnambooks and @elliepalmerwrites for the gifted copy! I read Ellie’s first book Four Weekends and a Funeral last year which helped me go through some similar stuff, so I was so excited for this one.

Charley is the epitome of type A, on top of everything work related, future planned out perfectly. What she didn’t expect was getting a divorce 1 year after getting married, house poor and only living for work.
When her best friend Ethan shows up after a drunken night, and she realizes she drunk texted….a lot and he shows up, she finally starts feeling comfortable.
Then her sister calls and says she’s getting married right now, she talks Ethan to take her to stop the wedding. Along the way Charley starts realizing her best friend Ethan and her are getting closer to uncharted territory. She’s always had hidden thoughts but nothing she would have ever acted on. Will Charley start taking chances she never would have before?

This was chock full of some standard tropes but it was a perfectly sweet romance full of humor and relatable inner monologuing. I could have predicted the entire book from start to finish but i still devoured it! It was a pleasant read all the way through. I loooved the dynamic with her sister and their motley group of friends. It was so much fun, and a miniature version of found family. So many wild characters that added to the charm of the book. Lastly, Ethan is a PERFECT book boyfriend im now obsessed with him. Highly recommend all around!

Anywhere With You written by Ellie Palmer is such a beautiful and authentic representation of girlhood and sisterhood. Honestly, I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did after seeing such mixed reviews, but this novel changed my life. Ellie, thank you so much for writing such a beautiful book with deeply flawed characters that don't have their lives together yet. Anywhere With You was beautiful, authentic, personal, emotional, pure, raw, real, honest, and heart tugging. This book was personal for me for a few different reasons, as an older sister I would do literally anything to protect my little sister and I would do anything to make her happy. It was also personal because as someone who is in their early twenties, I don't have my life together yet, I don't know what I want to do career wise, I don't know what path God will lead me on. Adulting is scary to me. If you enjoy your romance novels with a heavy dose of sarcasm, love scenes worthy of making you blush, and vulnerability then you need to mark your calendars for August 5th, 2025 because you won't want to miss out on this summer road trip novel. If you love books about girlhood, sisterhood, road trips, and childhood best friends to lovers then this is the perfect book for you. I can't recommend Anywhere With You enough, it was beautiful and so nostalgic. I can't get over how cute that cover is, I won't lie the cover is what drew me in initially, but once I started reading the words behind that beautiful cover, I was instantly hooked and touched from page one all the way until the very end. It's not everyday that you will come across a book that changes your life, but Anywhere With You has changed my life perspectives. I always thought it was normal to have your life together when you are in your twenties, but after reading about these messy characters, it made me feel less alone.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND PENGUIN GROUP PUTNAM FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

"You listened to an alarming amount of Phoebe Bridgers in 2024". Ethan says. "I was getting divorced. Can you allow me one year for my sad girl era?" Charley says.

"Lost in time and space while dreaming of your face. I won't deny, I might be bracing for the one who will replace this heart of mine...."

"Best friends are their own kind of soul mates. They are the people with whom we share our innermost selves with".

"Best friends get it all- our best selves and our darkest versions- even when they have never asked for it".

"Even the bad years have the occasional good days, and the bad days still have moments of sunshine".

"Love makes fools of us all".

"It's normal to want the best for the people you love and it's even more normal for it to hurt when you watch them struggle for it".

Laurel- "Love isn't finite. It isn't a thing you have. It's something you do. Love is a verb, babe".

Charlotte "Charley" Beekman is twenty-eight years old, and a fourth year associate at a law firm- Anderson and Gottlieb. Charley thought it was a prank when her husband Richard Warren asked for a divorce because a fitness influencer reminded Rich there's someone out there better than Charley, their marriage was only less than a year, so you could probably be just as baffled as Charley was when Rich asked for a divorce, honestly if that was me, I would think it was a prank too. Rich and Charley weren't a passionate couple, but they were compatible and stable. Charley lost her childhood best friend, Ethan because her own husband couldn't get along with him. Even though Charley is twenty-eight years old, she is now the youngest divorcee at Ruth's Chris Steak House, but that's okay with her. Charley has been running scared for years, but rather than facing her fears, Charley has been creating space for her insecurities and caring for them like little pets. When Charley's sister, Laurel announces she wants to marry her childhood sweetheart, Charley is completely baffled and decides to take a road trip through the Northern woods of Minnesota to try and stop her sister from making this mistake. Laurel and Peter Eriksson-Thao are childhood sweethearts, but they have been in and on and off again situationship for years now until Laurel gets the idea that she wants to propose to Peter. Charley is completely baffled because she thinks Laurel didn't get the memo from the shit show of their parents marriage and now Charley's divorce.

Ethan Powell lives the best van life, he's constantly traveling because he hates being stuck in one place for too long, so he decided to pick up the van life and just live in a van. Ethan was supposed to be Charley's best man in her wedding, but he made up an excuse that he couldn't show up, but his absence at Charley's initiated a year of silence between them. Ethan gives off golden retriever energy, he's such a sweetheart. Ethan has dimples, he plays the guitar, he has a flower tattoo that climbs up his forearm which is just so hot, and he moves through the world with an easy confidence. During Charley's pre-law days in college, Ethan would mail Charley bags full of Dove chocolates with the little inspirational messages inside of the wrapper. Ethan was also in an indie rock band named Lemonface, but the band broke up after their first tour as headliners and they all went their separate ways, now Ethan renovates clunker campers and resells them to van life influencers which he has been doing for over two years now. Y'all, let me just tell you, Ethan is ruin your life attractive, he's such a gorgeous man, but he's chronically unreliable, he's super sweet and very attentive, but he's not ready to settle down with someone just yet. I honestly found Ethan to be such a relatable character, he's his own worst self criticizer. It was so hard not to root for Ethan, I know he did Charley wrong by not showing up for her wedding, but he had the most beautiful soul. If you read this book, you will actually find out why Ethan didn't show up to Charley's wedding and it honestly broke my heart.

Charley and Ethan became best friends when they were just thirteen years old when Charley's family moved to Minnesota, and now they have a beautiful fifteen year friendship. Charley and Ethan have been in contact, but they haven't seen each other until one morning when Charley has a horrible hangover and Ethan shows up at her house. Ethan's white van nearly almost ran over Charley's azalea flowers near her driveway because Charley drunk text bombed Ethan, but she doesn't remember that, Charley just thought Ethan showed up out of the blue. After Charley gets her hangover cured, she and Ethan make a wedding crashing mission to prevent Laurel from making the biggest mistake of her life. Ethan and Charley take a little road trip through the Northern woods of Minnesota to crash Laurel's proposal. Ethan and Charley were so vulnerable on their road trip, they shared their fears and their past mistakes that they wish they could change. Ethan and Charley are just two best friends locked in a van kissing after the van got stuck in mud on a bike trail. Their little banter was so adorable, they both uttered "could never be me" a million gazillion times which is just a little inside joke between the two of them. During the loveliest, hottest, and most chaotic night of their lives, a group of strangers are running naked into a forest to celebrate Laurel and Peter, but after this chaotic event, and on the last night of their trip, Ethan and Charley make love in Ethan's van to celebrate their new found love for each other. I know these characters aren't perfect by any means, but I loved them so much, they were just so cute, absolutely hilarious, and so relatable. I will root for anyone in this book a million times if I have to, I just couldn't get enough of everyone involved in this book.

Ellie Palmer has officially solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. Anywhere With You opens with a hilarious punch and then slowly unfolds into a romance that balances laugh out loud moments with deeply emotional undercurrents.

Charley’s Type A, tightly wound personality felt so relatable, especially in contrast to Ethan’s more easygoing, quietly devoted energy. Their opposites-attract dynamic worked beautifully, and full of banter, chemistry, and emotional nuance. The road trip scenes had that perfectly believable sizzling tension. The wedding scenes felt like a fever dream in the best way, filled with a unique and memorable cast of characters and so much fun chaos. The humor kept me giggling throughout.

The story’s dual timeline revealed their shared history and how Ethan has been quietly obsessed with Charley even when she couldn’t see it. Her fear that things wouldn’t work felt incredibly real and grounded and made perfect sense given Charley's childhood.

The celiac rep was well integrated and appreciated, and Charley’s relationship with her sister stood out as one of the most emotionally resonant parts of the novel. Their trauma, tension, and fights felt honest and lived-in.

The epilogue spans years, giving the relationship a realistic and satisfying sense of longevity. A warm, funny, and heartfelt read that I’ll be thinking about for a while!

Thanks to @bookedwiththeemilys, @elliepalmerwrites, and @putnambooks for the #gifted copies of this book.

Summary: A Type A woman road trips in a camper van with her noncommittal, musician best friend to try and stop her sister's elopement. As they continue on their journey, Charley cannot deny the sparks flying between the two of them. But after one failed marriage under her belt already, Charley really can't risk falling in love with her best friend, can she?

My Thoughts: I became enamored with Ellie's writing with her debut book last year, so I could not wait to get my hands on this book. Long story short, Ellie is now a must-read author for me because I love the characters she creates and the humor she has in her stories. I fell in love with Charley and Ethan, making this one of my favorite books this summer.

I generally get extremely frustrated with friends-to-lovers stories, but this book was exceptionally well done. Did I still want to shake Charley for her to see her true feelings for Ethan, of course. But I love how Ellie wrote their friendship turned to more. The flashbacks were perfectly timed to help me see what happened in their past to shape the present state of their friendship. Charley and Ethan's banter was top-notch, along with the hilarious side characters throughout this book, making me laugh my way through (especially while waiting in the jury assembly room).

I love how this book explores the idea that having the courage to take risks and leap into love can be a beautiful choice. The sisterly bond between Charley and Laurel evolved over the years, making the end of the book so special and a full-circle moment.

Read if you love:
💖Friends to lovers
💕Childhood best friends
🎸📋He's a musician/She's Type A
🛏️Only one bed
🥰He falls first
😎Perfect summer vibes
🗓️Flashback chapters
🚐🗺️Road trip van life

Thanks to Netgalley, and the publisher, for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was very cute. It has so many funny parts, heartfelt parts, and then everything in between.

If you're looking for a good rom-com, this should do it for you.

4.5 stars

oh my god the YEARNING!!!! It was HEAVY and I was here for it. Sometimes friends to lovers gets to me with the whole "he was only my friend to get in my pants" feel but I didn't get that from these two. They met quite young and I think they both were always "I love them (platonically) and I want to love them (romantically)" but knew they had different views of the future. Sometimes you want a certain life so bad but it might not even be whats actually right which I think they both learned in their time as long distance friends so that they could build a life they both could love together. He had to go out and try the fame and performing thing, she had to try the house in the suburbs and a stressful job thing, and it only made what they create later that much better because there was no "what if" left. I kinda connect with that too because we moved a lot when I was a kid so being able to be in one place for a while is really nice while my husband is opposite, his parents are still in the house they had when he was born. So we have lived in some other states but now we are back home in a house we own and this is perfect for now.

Ok enough about me, I just loved the cast of characters we met in the story and I also liked the flashbacks of their friendship where you could still feel the yearning even much younger. I think that spoke to the strength of their friendship despite the unrequited feelings. I do wish we had a flashback of the morning of the wedding more than just alluding to the text and no-show situation. I also would have loved to get a POV from the MMC because I know that man was DOWN BAD. Alas, we could still see that even when the FMC was almost TOO oblivious (but honestly fair, he is a hot rock star). We could also see that in the way he would communicate his feelings without being outright blatant to protect the friendship. Their 3rd act breakup fight though was so honest and heartbreaking. But it made sense to the plot!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This is a good read! It was an adorable friends to lovers romance! Charley and Ethan have been through a lifetime of sadness and laughter. Charley has lots of insecurities and is very protective of her sister. Overall it was a good story but I just had a hard time connecting at times.

I grabbed this book because I was a huge fan of Ellie Palmer‘s previous book Four Weekends and a Funeral. It was one of my surprise hits of 2024. So I added Ellie Palmer to my must read author list and I’m glad I did so! I really enjoyed her latest book Anywhere With You. This is the story of two people who are meant to be, but their lives and insecurities have driven them away from each other. But at the end of the day, they are soulmates who need to make their way back to each other by overcoming Their insecurities and taking a leap on each other. I definitely recommend this book and will continue to keep Ellie Palmer on my to be read author list!

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Putnam, Ellie Palmer, and BookedwiththeEmilys for the advanced copy of this book.

I LOVED this book!!! Taking you on a chaotic road trip through Minnesota, this book was romantic comedy at its finest. It was so funny, witty, poignant, and I saw so much of myself in Charley's character. The characters are messy and flawed -my favorite kind of character to read about. What a heartfelt exploration of second chances and figuring out who you are in this life.

Not only was this a childhood best friends to lovers story, it was also a story about sisterly love and what it means to be family. It explores how family dynamics can leave us a bit broken and afraid to live the life we deserve. From the start Palmer's writing draws you in from the start with characters that feel so real sprinkled with cutting humor. Palmer nails the nostalgia in her flashback scenes. There is an email exchange between the main characters, and the tone was just so perfectly captured. It reminded me of when my friends and I would email back and forth back in the days when you were charged 10 cents per text message sent. Not to be neglected are the Chapter titles. They were almost like a separate character, and I had such a good time with them. This is the probably the first time I've ever included chapter titles in my book review, but they set up the scene perfectly.

If you are a fan of Abby Jimenez because you love her laugh-out-loud writing combined with romance, then you need to pick up this book. I had the best time reading this book, and I hope you pick it up soon.

Charley fears risk and so she has has tried to create a very safe world, boring legal career (I won't take offense to this), boring husband (now ex-husband) and boring house. When she decided to marry said boring husband she lost her childhood best friend Ethan (who is the opposite of boring). Once she is single again (after less than a year of marriage) Ethan returns to her driveway in the van he lives in and the two take a road trip to witness the marriage of their best friend and Charley's sister (well Ethan is there to witness, Charley wants to try and stop it). While traveling Charley begins to realize that she has been ignoring the spark between her and Ethan, something she has tried to for years out of fear - but it's getting harder and harder.

I grabbed this because I really enjoyed the last book I read by Ellie Palmer, Four Weekends and a Funeral - and this did not disappoint - I loved it. I didn't want to do anything but read and listen to this one (to the detriment of my to do list). The characters and the storyline were exactly what I needed when I read it (I had been saving it because I had a feeling it would be a great read). The characters had fun banter and the backstory was also interesting enough to keep my interest. This is a perfect summer read by the pool and it will be on my recommendation list if anyone asks me for a fun light pool/beach book. I enjoyed the audio and I was always happy when I had a chore to do so I could put my airpods in, but I really liked just sitting down and concentrating on the story. I cannot wait for Palmer's next book.

4.25 stars

Thank you to GP Putnam and Sons and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I’ll be honest, friends to lovers is usually one of my least favorite tropes, mostly because it often falls flat for me. But I trusted Ellie Palmer after loving her last book, and she absolutely delivered.

Charley and Ethan’s journey from friendship to something more was charming, swoon-worthy, and full of heart. It felt realistic and genuine. I couldn’t put the book down. Big thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! I loved it and would 100% recommend

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Rating: 2 Stars
Spice Rating: 1
Publish Date: August 5th 2025
Will I purchase a physical copy? Sadly No.

I was really excited for a fun Northern Minnesota road trip and friends to lovers with forced proximity

This was sadly a miss for me, being from Minnesota I was excited for fun Minnesota references and we didn’t start of strong with Loves Travel (only 3 in the entire state I checked) and Ruth Chris steak house (I didn’t even know they were in Minnesota) but that’s not the only reason for a lower rating.

Let’s get into the “2nd chance” “friends to lovers” I felt a little bored during my read I wanted more connections and the back and forth timeline felt confusing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.

Friends to lovers, slow burn, one bed, close proximity, flashback scenes all of it worked so well for me.

📚ARC REVIEW 📚

Anywhere With You ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Newly divorced Charley has figured out the key to happiness is to protect yourself from love and surprises. So when her free-spirited sister announces she getting married to her on and off again childhood sweetheart, Charley knows she has to talk some sense into her. Planning to stop the wedding so her sister doesn’t make the same mistake she did. Conveniently, Charley's best friend, Ethan, who's as gorgeous as he is chronically unreliable, has an extra seat in his camper van.
As Charley and Ethan embark on their roadtrip, not only does she find herself in some odd situations but also starts to feel the spark that she used to have for her best friend. But after a failed marriage, the last thing she needs is to ruin her friendship. That is unless Ethan feels the same way. Sometimes the best destinations are the ones you never planned.


I enjoyed this slow burn, friends to lovers romcom. I liked the flashbacks during the story, as it helped to build the characters friendship/romance. Charley was so real and I’m so glad she overcame her fear of love/abandonment with the help of Ethan. He showed her he has always been there for her. The side characters were great too and made for some laugh out loud moments with the situations they got themselves in. Overall, it was a great read for the summer!

This book will publish on August 5, 2025. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my advanced reader copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

What you’ll find:
🩷 Friends to lovers
🩷 Childhood best friends
🩷 One bed
🩷 Road trip
🩷 Van life
🩷 Flashback chapters

I adored Palmer’s debut last year, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for her next release. I’m so happy to say I love this one just as much.

The story follows Charley, a recent divorcée, who learns that her sister is eloping with her on-again, off-again sweetheart. Having just been through a failed marriage, Charley knows this isn’t the right move—and so begins a
road trip to try and stop it. Accompanying her, is her childhood best-friend Ethan.

What follows is a chaotic adventure filled with all the classic road trip mishaps, one-bed moments, and a slow-burn romance that’s equal parts sweet and satisfying.

I especially loved the flashback chapters. When done right, they add so much emotional depth, and Palmer nailed it. Watching Charley and Ethan’s relationship unfold—from childhood neighbors to travel companions with years of shared history—was such a treat. Chuck and the crew felt fully real, their dynamics warm and believable.

I adore Ellie Palmer’s humor and storytelling! This woman knows how to write a romcom with the perfect blend of lighthearted banter and intense yearning. I absolutely swoon for her fade-to-black scenes and the simmering heat between her characters.

Anywhere With You is a stellar sophomore novel that brims with nostalgia, heartwarming coziness, and laugh out loud moments. I deeply felt for Charley as she rebuilds her self-worth, and her completely opposite childhood-best-friend, Ethan, is the perfect foil to her character.

I highly recommend to romance readers looking for a swoony friends to lovers romance set against the outdoors of Minnesota.

Thank you to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this arc!

I loved Charley's humor in this book. Her internal dialogue is PHENOMENAL! The unrequited love & the angst that comes with it was fantastic. There were moments though where it felt like some of the actions or dialogue between characters was confusing or lacking a little. I wish some moments in the story were really dug into that seemed to be skated past. But the reason I felt that way was because of how much I loved the parts that were fully described. Overall, I loved the story, especially Charley's voice in the book, and definitely recommend for anyone wanting a light, closed-door, childhood besties to lovers romance!

Ellie Palmer's sharp wit truly shines in Anywhere With You. Brimming with humor and heart, Palmer’s second novel is an absolute delight from start to finish. I felt such joy reading this story!

Charley and Ethan were best friends who drifted apart after Charley’s marriage. But following her divorce, Ethan doesn’t hesitate to show up for the woman he’s always loved - the one who got away. This friends-to-lovers tale made my heart ache in the best possible way. Though the story is told from Charley’s first-person perspective, you just know Ethan has been pining for her, and it’s delicious. The romance builds slowly yet brightly, and had me swooning from the start.

I also adored the side characters and was deeply invested in Charley’s journey, especially her relationship with her sister, Laurel. Fans of witty banter, "he falls first," "it's always been you," and road trip romances will fall for this summery read. I can’t wait to see what Ellie Palmer writes next!