Parts of this really worked for me and other parts just felt kind of forced. I loved the two different timelines - two best friends on a road trip today and how their relationship began when they were kids. I thought that their history was really sweet and cute. I enjoyed their back and forth conversations and I thought that the dual timeline was clearly written and transitioned smoothly. I unfortunately did not love the main female character - I think I would have prefered the main male character's perspective. Charley is 28 years old when her husband asks for a divorce - so she finds herself on a road trip with her best friend Ethan, who she has not spoken to since her wedding, to try to stop her sister from eloping. Charley and Ethan met as children and the book follows them through the years. We watch their relationship change and Charley find herself again. The romance is only part of the story, as we also get to see Charley refind herself and we learn all about their childhood. I laughed, I cried, I found myself incredibly frustrated. I did not love Charley's personality, but I did enjoy their relationship overall. I thought this was cute and it was a quick read, I just wish I liked the main female character more.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

What an absolute gem of a book!!!

You know how sometimes you start a book and you just know right away it’s gonna be a winner? That’s how I felt about Anywhere With You. This book is my new gold standard for friends to lovers romance. Something about these characters and their chemistry just clicked for me right away. I was so deeply emotionally invested in this story from the very first page! This is one of those books that reminds me why I love romance novels in the first place. There’s just nothing like the feeling of starting a new romance and instantly knowing it’s going to have me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! Reading this book made me straight up giddy - I simply couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!

This book solidified my adoration of Ellie Palmer. Her books are so smart and witty and heartfelt, the kind of books that will charm your socks off and fill you with joy. I’m just obsessed with her writing style! Anywhere With You is a true romcom - full of equal parts humor and heart. It’s laugh out loud funny and it’ll also make your heart skip a beat. And it’s not just the romance that made this book such a winner! The sister storyline in this book was equally compelling and the author captured the joy and chaos of sisterhood so well. And the main character’s personal growth journey was so powerful to witness!

There’s nothing better than reading a romance so good you never want it to end, and that’s how I felt about this book. It was like I wished it could go on forever but I also couldn’t turn the pages fast enough because I just wanted to see these two get their happy ending! If you’re looking for a book that celebrates a love that makes you feel normal and weird in all the best ways, this is it. I highly recommend this one!

PS I am absolutely BEGGING someone to buy the film rights for this because it would be so good on the big screen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anywhere With You is a cute friends-to-lovers rom-com that kept me engaged till the end. It was funny, and I loved the banter between Ethan and Charley. The use of flashbacks worked well to fill out their story and engross you in the drama (of which there was plenty).

As much as I liked Charley and Ethan, I was almost more interested in Petey and Laurel’s story. Maybe we can get more on them in the next book by Ellie Palmer. *Wink wink*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had such a blast reading Anywhere With You! I really enjoyed Four Weddings and a Funeral so I had high hopes for Ellie Palmer’s newest romance (and those expectations were definitely met). Anywhere With You follows estranged childhood best friends Charley and Ethan as they set out on a road trip to make it to Charley’s sister’s last minute wedding. This book was genuinely such a good time. I loved Charley and Ethan both as characters and I loved how their dynamic was explored in flashbacks and in present day. I think there was such a great balance of humor (I found myself giggling a few times) and romance (I’m a sucker for friends to lovers). Overall Anywhere With You is such a great summery read that I highly recommend! Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it!

This was such a fun summery romance read! maybe it’s the adventurous piece of me that has always wanted to live in a sprinter van and travel around but i loved all the fun, the mishaps and the problems they encountered along the way. I am a sucker for a “second chance” friends to lovers story but the flashbacks made me worried for Charley because how could anyone miss all those signs of love?! the only negative was that this story was just a bit too real for me personally, i love reading to get away from real life and this book had a LOT of real life references included; phoebe bridgers, fourth wing, etc etc.. not a bad detail at all if that’s my only negative!

A cozy childhood friends-to-lovers romcom where estranged best friends Charley and Ethan reconnect and embark on a roadtrip through the Minnesota wilderness to attend her sister’s elopement, packing along all the humorous shenanigans and emotional turmoil. I empathized with anxiety ridden Charley, fresh off her divorce, thinking that love in general is no good. I admired Ethan and his unwavering support. I appreciated the flashback chapters that gave insight into their past friendship all through to their present reconciliation and made the slow-burn lead up to their romantic connection well worth it. Ethan and Charley were so genuine, relatable and real…I just want to wrap them up in a big hug. 4.25 stars

⭐ 4
🌶️ 0
🥵 Spicy chapters: 17, suggestive/fade to black
📚 Tropes/Themes: Friends to lovers, it's always been you, road trip, flashbacks, divorced fmc, epistolary, Force proximity, one bed, snarky banter, slow burn, musician X lawyer
👀 Dual POV 3rd person
💔 Triggers: toxic/uninvolved parenting

💬 Overall, this was a really cute book. I love how it was dripping in sarcasm and snarky banter, and I was impressed with and enjoyed all the '90s/00's cultural references.

The push and pull between Ethan and Charley as their relationship slowly built/came to light was really well done. I also liked the discussion questions at the end. Along with that, I'll be honest, sometimes the oblivious best friend trope irritates me but this was not one of those times.

However 😂 Her sister is just WAY too chaotic for me to handle. I think most people would've found her to be endearing but I think if I knew her in real life I'd probably not spend much time with her 😅 Suffice to say if this was part of a series I wouldn't read her book.

And then when they got to the campsite...IDK I had a hard time with everything that was happening. I'm sure it was meant to be comic relief and yes, it was funny but for me it was kind of the hysterical WTAF is going on wide-eye funny.

It also took me a while to get into the book. The first 30% or so felt like it was dragging.

Despite that, I did enjoy the ending. It was so adorable and sweet with how everything fell into place 🩷

Friends-to-lovers isn’t typically my favorite trope, but this was super sweet. And had some chaotically silly moments that I enjoyed! Also Charley needed emotional support liquids, which I heartily concur with.

More of a 3.5; but rounding up since it’s an ARC.

This was such a fun book! I loved Four Weekends & a Funeral, so I had high hopes for Ellie Palmer's next book, and this lived up to the hype! It follows two best friends, Charley & Ethan as they take a road trip in his van turned home. I loved them both, Ethan was such a fun character and his yearning was top tier! I loved how it dove into deeper topics and how Charley's childhood really shaped her view on love.
This was the perfect summer read and has cemented
Ellie Palmer into an auto buy author for me.

Anywhere With You opens with Charlie’s husband announcing that he’s leaving her while she’s drinking through a novelty penis straw. The penis straw is significant, the soon to be ex-husband really isn’t, except as a concept. Charlie and her sister, Lauren, grew up in a chaotic household with a father who seemed to like the idea of his family better than the reality of being a parent. He uprooted them, abandoned them, and then returned to repeat the cycle. Their mother seems to have gone along with the chaos. Charlie craves stability, predictably, and rootedness. She wants a boring job, a boring life, and a reliable husband, and that means she has refused to consider her best friend, Ethan, as a romantic partner. Even though they are clearly in love with each other. Clearly. Ethan is a musician whose former band hit it big with one song, now he travels around playing college campuses and making Van Life content.

Anywhere With You takes place over a few days, plus many flashbacks, as Charlie asks Ethan to help her get to her sister’s wedding, though not that she can be at the wedding, but so she can stop the wedding. Lauren and Peter have been off and on for years, and Charlie is convinced that she should save her sister from making a terrible mistake. It’s a childhood friends to lovers, roadtrip, only one bed romance.

I’m always going to side with the messy women who are 6 neuroses in a trench coat pretending to be an adult. Other readers are going to call them unlikable, and I’m going to be ready to fight for them in the Applebee’s parking lot. Charlie is a mess. Should her husband have left her? Absolutely. She had only shown him the version of herself that he would like, and when he got a glimpse of her true self, he couldn’t handle it. There’s an almost audible pop when Charlie finally pulls her head of the place she has stuffed it. She is so smart, and so dumb, and so relatable to anyone who has run down the wrong path in life to avoid being like their parents.

There were many things I liked a lot about Anywhere With You and one thing that bothered me. I do not know if this is a legitimate complaint or a sign that I am old, or maybe both. I don’t know. There were a couple of moments towards the end when Charlie, Ethan, Lauren and Pete, having worked through their conflicts, are happy. I felt like I was reading a description of an aspirational Instagram post through a Vaseline smeared lens. So, am I an old who doesn’t click with a younger aesthetic? Is it a moment where Ellie Palmer was using words to describe an aesthetic instead of grounded emotions to communicate a moment? I don’t know, either or both of those could be true.

One thing Ellie Palmer does quite well, here and in her debut, Four Weekends and a Funeral, is capture the tension between being the person you think you should be and wanting to be loved for the person you are.

I received this as an advance reader copy from G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

First thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Charley had a nomadic childhood until she moved to Minnesota and met Ethan and Pete. This was the first place that felt like home so continue her friendship with Ethan as she moved. After her divorce they reconnect and end up on a road trip to stop her sister from eloping. Once they are on the trip they rekindle more than their friendship but is it the chaos of the weekend or more to it.

What I liked: Ellie Palmer writes such great banter and sweet romances. I love second chance and glad this one used that trope. Ethan and Charley had great chemistry and loved the road trip aspect of the book. Of course there are plenty of quirky side characters they met along the way. This is a great summer romance even if you are not from
Minnesota

When Charley embarks on a road trip with her childhood friend, Ethan, it is to stop her sister from making a huge mistake: marriage. When her own wedded bliss fell short and she ended up a young divorcee, she wanted to keep her sister from similar heartbreak. The unexpected happens and sparks fly between Charley and Ethan...but is she willing to risk her heart again?

This book gave off great summery, feel-good, sweet romance vibes - everything that I want in an enjoyable summer read.

Charley is recently divorced. She embarks on a roadtrip with her childhood best friend, Ethan. Ethan is a ladies man and a big flirt. Sparks fly between the two as they travel and there’s no denying them.

This is a great summer romance that will have you laughing, cringing, and swooning. It’s spicy, but fade to black.

Thanks @netgalley @putnambooks and @elliepalmerwrites for the chance to read Ellie’s utterly delightful next book, Anywhere With You. This book was such a blast with serious road trip vibes and a best friends to lovers storyline that tugged on my heartstrings. Ellie writes books that are laugh-out-loud funny with so much charm. I just love her voice. It releases on August 5, 2025.

On the eve of Charley’s divorce being final, she learns that her sister is eloping with her on/off long term relationship but luckily her best friend, indie musician Ethan, has an extra set in his camper van to attend/stop the wedding. Charley’s determined to stop her sister from making the biggest mistake of her life, but can’t ignore that spending time with Ethan is reigniting the spark she’s always felt with him. But if she can’t make it work with her boring, predictable ex husband, how can she possibly make something real with a man who travels from festival to festival in his camper van?

Steam: 🔥🔥
Tropes: friends to lovers, road trip, wedding, only one camper van

ARC Review! Anywhere with You by Ellie Palmer!

Thank you to Putnam for the earc!

This book was lovely & just what I needed in my life! Palmer truly delivers with the romcom. She has you laughing while still swooning with the romance! She balances both aspects of the romcom so well!!

I loved, loved, loved that the characters were messy, imperfect people. They were relatable especially if you've ever been one to clingy to stability as hard as you can (hello, its me).

The last 20% was just me crying and going, "oh this is so relatable. I LOVE them."

I would recommend this book to anywho who likes:
*second chance
*dual timeline
*comedy with their romance
*sibling relationships
*hope
*having a great time
*pop culture references

Ellie Palmer truly nailed it! My STL friends, she is coming to St. Louis! Grab your ticket because I absolutely will be there and cannot wait to celebrate Ellie with you all! Let's show her how we show up for our romance community! Deets are on the Novel Neighbor website!

This book was fantastic, and everything just worked. The characters are so well developed that every choice feels believable because we understand why they do what they do. The flashbacks add just enough context to give depth without dragging down the main story, and the whole journey feels earned.

The road trip backdrop mixed with Charley’s personal growth, risk-taking, and self-reflection made me want to pull out my old French lit analysis notes and really break down the structure. It’s one of the most wholesome romance novels I’ve read in a long time.

I loved that Charley’s love is fierce and unwavering, even when it leads her to make mistakes. The book takes the time to show us why she acts the way she does, which makes her feel incredibly real. The friends-to-lovers angle from Ethan’s side is done so well too. I’m not usually a fan of the trope—it’s often obvious the guy’s been pining forever—but here it stays subtle until it finally can’t anymore.

The secondary characters are hilarious and just as well developed, and we even get a bonus couple alongside the main romance. Even knowing there’s a guaranteed HEA, the story feels almost like a character study of how these two people get to that point. At the same time, it’s wrapped up in the perfect summery romance vibes—making it an ideal book to take on vacation by a lake.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the eARC!

Having enjoyed FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL, Ellie Palmer’s debut, I jumped at the chance to read an early copy of ANYWHERE WITH YOU. Her sophomore offering has the same lighthearted, charming feel that enchanted me in her debut.

Charley is recently divorced, overworked and overwhelmed by her career, and trying desperately to hang onto the last shred of stability she so craves. Ethan is her best friend and has been since childhood. He’s free spirited, creative, and seemingly allergic to putting down roots. Their relationship has been strained since Charley’s ill fated wedding, but that doesn’t stop Ethan from showing up when Charley needs him. And, boy, does she need him. Her sister just dropped the bombshell announcement that she plans to elope with her on again, off again love interest. Charley thinks this is an awful idea and convinces Ethan to help her stop the wedding. It’s road trip time!

I laughed out loud through much of this book. Calamities, mishaps, and high jinx conspire to thwart Charley’s efforts; including a few scenes I won’t soon forget. This hilarity is balanced by tender moments that tugged at my heartstrings. Ellie Palmer has gifted the reader with another unforgettable romance. This time it’s a friends-to-lovers tale with a sweet and swoon worthy cinnamon roll book boyfriend who steals hearts without even trying.

Amid the lighthearted nature of the book, there is also significant depth. Palmer does not shy away from having her characters engage in difficult and uncomfortable conversations. The vulnerability feels authentic even when the tone is light.

I very much enjoyed this book and am ready to read whatever Ellie Palmer writes next.

Thank you to the author, Putnam Books, and Booked With The Emilys for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

Anywhere With You publishes on August 5, and it delivers all the charm, humor, and heart I was hoping for. This is a he-falls-first, friends-to-lovers romance wrapped in a laugh-out-loud funny road trip adventure, with strong emotional undercurrents and a big dose of self-discovery.

Charley is a relatable, flawed, Type-A protagonist who’s fresh off a divorce and determined to stop her sister’s impulsive wedding. Cue a chaotic journey through the Minnesotan woods with Ethan, her gorgeous, free-spirited childhood best friend who just so happens to live out of a camper van. Sparks? Oh yeah. Tension and banter? So good.

Beyond the romance, Palmer shines in her portrayal of layered relationships: the tight-knit sister bond, a quirky crew, and a bonus second-chance romance that adds even more heart to the story. There’s a heavy emphasis on growth, healing, and figuring out what you want out of life, not just who you want to share it with.

This one is messy, warm, and full of heart, a great pick for fans of character-driven romance with big laughs and even bigger feels.

This was super cute! I enjoyed the main character's journey, as well as the relationship she had with the love interest. I would definitely read more by Ellie Palmer.

Anywhere With You had me grinning, swooning, and occasionally shouting “Charley, no!” in the best way possible. From her quarter-life catastrophe to the camper van road trip with her emotionally evasive musician bestie, this story is a delightful mix of romantic chaos and heartfelt introspection. Charley’s sharp wit and Ethan’s layered charm made their banter sparkle, and watching them stumble through grief, fear, and unresolved feelings felt like getting a front-row seat to someone else's messy, beautiful life. It’s funny, tender, and painfully relatable—and by the end, I was absolutely rooting for them to risk it all.