Could Charley and Ethan be any more adorable? Probably not. Literally a beautiful ride of a story and I think this author will be a must read for me in the future.

Was very excited to jump into this book after loving Ellie Palmer's debut! I also love childhood besties > lovers and couldn't turn the pages faster! I loved the nostalgia and depth their relationship had. I loved the roadtrip/van. The MMC being so gone, OOF it was good! I wish they had maybe a little more communication? But overall loved their relationship!

Palmer’s writing was so done so well, it offers a comforting reminder that not having your life all figured out is okay. this was quick and fun and I had a good time

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Charley Beekman grew up with an unreliable dad, who when not moving his family around for work, would leave them for long periods of time. Because of this she craves stability. But when her “stabile” marriage ends when her husband asks for a divorce she’s forced to reevaluate her life. When her older sister calls to tell her she’s marrying her long time on again off again boyfriend, she’s determined to keep her from the same fate of divorce. Now along with her estranged childhood best friend the two head on an epic roadtrip to stop her sister’s wedding. But old feelings start to come to light. Can Charley let go of her need for control to be with Ethan?

I loved Ms. Palmer’s book Four Weekends and a Funeral and was really excited to read this one. I have to admit, it was really hard to connect with Charley. I found the scenes where she admitted to being someone she’s not in order to attract a man painful. She plans out her whole life to the last detail in order to not be hurt. What she doesn’t realize until the end is that she’s hurting herself in the process. While she ends the novel differently than she began, I didn’t feel like we went on a journey. We’re just kind of told that she’s decided to make all of these changes and that’s that. It would’ve been helpful to see her through Ethan’s POV to give us a sense of her as a whole person. I enjoyed their banter but didn’t feel the chemistry between them.

The side characters were fun. and a shout out to Petey the lovable, golden retriever BIL. It was an enjoyable enough novel, but there was something missing for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!*

Ellie Palmer does it again! The author of "Four Weekends and a Funeral" is officially an auto-read writer for me. I love her writing style, wit, compelling characters, and just generally everything about her books. I got an arc of FWAAF last year around this time, and was pleasantly surprised with just how amazing Palmer is as an author.

"Anywhere With You" doesn't disappoint either! Though I generally find plots with the miscommunication trope ("We could never work!") a bit tired and played out, I still fell hard for Ethan and Charley's adorable love story. If you love rom-coms, you will too! I can't wait for this book to be released so I can go buy it, and my one complaint is that I wished E&C got together before the very, very end! Third-act breakups be damned!

Thank you, Ellie Palmer! Can't wait for Book #3!

As a huge fan of Ellie Palmer's debut novel, Four Weekends and a Funeral, I was thrilled to be able to read an ARC of Anywhere With You! So well written with emotion-filled, humorous dialogue among likeable characters. I'm a sucker for a sentimental MMC who isn't afraid to communicate his feelings, and Ethan fits the bill! A lighthearted romcom with added complexity in terms of exploring familial conflict and an exploration of one's personal sense of self worth. An added bonus was the creative chapter titles - loved that touch!

3.5 stars, rounded up

I loved Ellie Palmer's "Four Weekends and a Funeral" so I immediately ran to read this after I was approved. I did enjoy this, the only reason it wasn't a full four stars for me was because I struggled to fully connect with Charley. With that said though, I loved all the other characters, I thought the supporting characters were super quirky and fun.

Despite not fully connecting with the MC, I read this in one sitting and couldn't stop until I got to the end.

I recommend Elli Palmer and can't wait to read her next books!!

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

Another fantastic read by Ellie Palmer! This fun second chance friends to lovers was such a fun read. Lots of humor, chaos, personal growth and touching moments. I couldn’t put it down.

Charley having grown up constantly moving around and without a stable marriage example finds herself craving nothing but boring stability as an adult. However, her stable job requires all of her time and doesn’t seem to bring her any joy, and her “perfect” man, MR. stable himself divorces her after only a year. Finding herself at a new low in life her free spirit sister informs her she is getting married in the woods to her long time on again off again boyfriend. Charley of course is convinced this is the worst possible thing in the world.

Enter Ethan, her best friend since childhood, singer, songwriter, camper van owner, life long wanderer. Pretty much the exact opposite of Charley’s vision of adulthood. Together in his camper van they set out to attend the wedding, and possibly stop it altogether if Charley has her way. Along they way new and old feelings come to the surface, and Charley and Ethan are forced to talk about their history and possibly their future.

I really enjoyed the journey Charley goes on, being forced to see that maybe her past wasn’t exactly what she thought it was. That her sister will always be there for her, and that sometimes love is actually worth the risk of losing it all.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this title.
The book started off strong and as a Minnesotan I did appreciate the Minnesotan connection.
Charley Beekman is thriving. Is she financially strapped, languishing in her legal career, and very likely the youngest divorcee at the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on a Friday night? Yes. But, now that she's accepted the flaws inherent in all romantic relationships, she finally has life all figured out! She's definitely due for an upswing.
So when her free-spirited sister announces her plan to elope 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’s as gorgeous as he is chronically unreliable.
I was very engaged with this book at the beginning and appreciated the coming back from divorce/second chance romance trope of it all. That bein said the book seemed to fall apart about halfway through and I found myself not only being bored, but being confused with the dual timeline chapters.
This is the second Elle Palmer book I have read and I do not think these books are for me. While I appreciate Romance books with Minnesota settings, this book left me relatively bored. I give it 3 stars because it just might be my preferences but I do not think I will be reading further tittles from this Author.

I loved being able to see Charley rediscover herself in the times of her divorce, finding herself outside of her previous marriage and current job situation, however, her and ethan just seemed to exist in two different realms, and I couldn’t imagine them having any form of long term commitment, as it would involve too much sacrifice on either side.

First, I loved Ellie Palmer's first book, Four Weekends and a Funeral was a solid four star pick and completely overtook my day because I was enraptured by it.

I picked up Anywhere With You. Yall, I hope this is the breakout romance of the summer. It is so stinking good!!! The banter is bantering. The friends to lovers romance is authentic, and the family drama is exquisite.

Charley is Type A, on partnership track at her law firm, and recently divorced at 29 after only a year of marriage. Her dad is an adventure documentary film maker. He and her mom constantly uprooted their family. Charley has always craved stability and sees the demise of her marriage as a personal failing. Charley's been estranged from her best friend Ethan since the wedding. Ethan, a free spirit and musician, reconnects with Charley after the divorce.

When Charley finds out her sister is going to elope with her on/off again boyfriend in the wake of her divorce, she enlists Charley for an intervention. Charley and Ethan embark on an upper Minnesotan adventure in Ethan's camper van. #vanlife When sparks fly between the two, Charley can't envision a life other than the her dreary patent law firm. How can Ethan provide Charley with the stability that her parents never could?

There is so much to love here. A gorgeous friends to lovers romance, adult sisterhood (I loved this storyline), and overcoming parental abandonment. More importantly, Charley has to ask the tough questions women need to wrestle with in this day and age. What, for you, does it mean to have it all? Are you reaching for goals that don't serve you?

Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy. Anywhere With You debuts August 5, 2025.

Charlie is a type-a, calculated, lawyer who craves consistency in her life. Except her life as of late is anything but. Her husband left her, and on the day her divorce is final, her easygoing, full of life sister (Laurel) drops another bombshell on her - she's marrying her childhood sweetheart, Petey. Charlie goes into a tailspin and knows that she needs to do anything possible to stop the marriage. After all, her marriage failed, and their parents' marriage was anything but great. That automatically means Laurel's is doomed too, right? She knows she can't do it alone though, so she enlists the help of Ethan, her childhood best friend.

Ethan and Charlie set off on a road trip where they spend a weekend rehashing their relationship. Although now, Charlie is second guessing everything. Is it because she's a recent divorcee or are things actually different with Ethan? Can she fit messy, unreliable and noncommittal Ethan into her cookie-cutter lifestyle?

At times I got frustrated by the miscommunication (or maybe the lack of chances Charlie would give Ethan), but the plot moved quickly enough to keep my interest.

Anywhere with You is a dual-timeline, best-friends to lovers novel that you MUST add to your to-read list. Palmer writes a story that is messy and chaotic, but equal parts heartfelt and endearing. With a message of "all we are is how well we're loved by the people we care about, and how well we love them back" this book is for any romance reader who believes in finding your people and being loved the way one deserves.

Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer is one of my most highly anticipated books of 2025 and it did not disappoint!

Twenty-nine year old Charley Beekman is struggling. She’s sold most of her furniture to stay in her too big house, loathes her all consuming job, and recently discovered that romantic love is a lie after her husband of less than a year asks for a divorce. The only upside to her recent tragedy is that Charley and her childhood best friend Ethan are talking again, well texting again. Ethan is perpetually moving, he’s a musician that plays college campuses and the like while living out of a camper van. Ethan and Charley have a special relationship and Charley never has to worry about it getting weird because she knows they both want wildly different things. When Charley’s free spirited sister announces she and her on again off again boyfriend are eloping, Charley freaks. Charley knows from experience that even the most stable people can’t offer you safety in a marriage, it’s all a lie. She has to stop her sister from making this horrible mistake, even if that means roadtripping into the woods of Minnesota with her chronically unavailable ultra handsome best friend Ethan.
After reading Palmer’s debut novel, Four Weekends and a Funeral, I knew I had to read whatever she put out next. I was thrilled when her second book was announced as a friends to lovers roadtrip story, I mean could it get any better!?! The answer is yes. Palmer writes such beautiful characters that feel familiar, complex, and honest. Anywhere With You is filled with depth, heart, messy relationships, and so much humor. Fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez will love this book! I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy of Anywhere With You for my bookshelf!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This book was chaotic in the best way! Charley is fresh off a divorce when Ethan, her childhood best friend, reaches out. Their story takes place over the course of a road trip while Charley starts to heal from her childhood and broken marriage.

The unrequited love aspect was a little unbelievable in my opinion.

Tropes:
Second chance
Dual timeline
Friends to lovers

This was so adorable! That said, it took a minute to get there. The first portion didn’t do well to draw me in, but once we really got in to Charley and Ethan’s history, I was sold. I loved their friendship, I loved Ethan’s free spirit, I even loved her sister, and their relationship in the end. I’m a big fan of the friends-to-lovers trope and this one was well done!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC.

If you’re a fan of friends to lovers, this might be the right fit for you. I loved Ellie Palmer’s first book. Her warmth and humor carry over to this easy read. I struggled a good bit with the believability of the storyline. The timing, attachment, and ignorance of our protagonist felt a bit rushed or forced at times. The storyline juggles between past and present, but I would have preferred to focus more on our characters now or had a linear timeline to help the flow for the book. Overall, this is a nice summer read if you’re a fan of this trope. #anywherewithyou #netgalley

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Ellie Palmer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars!

Charley Beekman is having a bit of a rough go. She's divorced, can't afford the fancy house her ex-husband insisted on purchasing (but she sure didn't want him to get it in the divorce), and her job kinda sucks. She's an attorney but gets absolutely no respect at work and works ridiculous hours. Since she has no personal life to speak of, she just keeps her nose to the grindstone.

This story is told as a series of flashbacks detailing how Charley and her sister Laurel met and became friends with their neighbor boys Ethan and Petey (who are not related). Laurel and Petey have an on-again off-again relationship throughout the years, whereas Charley and Ethan are just friends. Best friends, actually. But there was no love lost between Ethan and Charley's ex, so they stopped talking while Charley was married.

Now, Laurel and Petey decide to get married in an off-the-grid locale, and Charley needs to stop the wedding. After all, there is no such thing as an everlasting love. So, she and Ethan reunite and take his residence-on-wheels on a road trip to the wedding. Sparks fly.

This book made me feel so many feels! It goes really in-depth into how we are all the product of our environment. Charley and Laurel's parents are on-again/off-again, and as an adult, Charley craves stability more than anything else. Ethan's parents, on the other hand, have a generally happy relationship and run a family-owned company together. Therefore, Ethan has experienced comfort and love in a way that allows him to be more adventurous. So, in addition to being well-written and funny, there's also depth to this story that I wasn't expecting. This was so much more than a (closed door) romance novel!

I just…didn’t love this. I didn’t like bouncing back into the past which was helpful but not necessary context. I found Charley’s neuroses grating, and sometimes pointless (there were too many mentions of the liquids for it to have no point, or if there was one it was so tiny I completely missed it). Charley and Ethan are cute, and the unresolved sexual tension hit the mark, but overall the book fell short for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

I always have trouble giving a new (to me) author a try, and I’m so glad I did with Ellie Palmer.

First, Ellie is single-handedly bringing back chapter titles. I miss the days when chapter titles were a given, and a creative or comedic storytelling device.

Second, her dialogue is humorous, emotional, relatable, fast-paced and entertaining. I couldn’t put this one down.

Finally, even though this was a great romance/rom-com, I especially enjoyed the development of the relationship between Charley and Laurel. It was relatable, raw and full of heart.

I can’t wait to read more from Ellie Palmer!

I wanted to love this one so badly, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I happened to read an ARC of Ellie Palmer’s debut, Four Weekends and a Funeral, way back in 2023, and I loved it! So I’m not giving up on Palmer after this one, by any means, but Anywhere With You just felt a little chaotic and not all that well fleshed out to me.

It’s a childhood best friends to lovers story told only in the female’s POV, but she’s not the most reliable narrator. The timeline also jumps around to different years throughout the friendship, which sometimes makes things more confusing, rather than shedding light on their past. The characters are pretty likable, but as is the case in many books that are told exclusively by the FMC, I found myself liking her less and less, because I didn’t have another POV selling me on why I should like her. 😅

Despite all that, it was still an entertaining read. There were plenty of supporting characters throw in for comedic relief, and everything was eventually tied up nicely for a satisfying ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of this book!