Anywhere With You is a warm, emotionally grounded romance that had me invested from the start. I can never resist a childhood friends-to-lovers story, and Ellie Palmer brought that dynamic to life in such a genuine, layered way.
The dual timelines worked beautifully, giving me the full scope of the characters’ history while keeping the pace moving. The chemistry felt effortless and real—and I loved the easy banter, soft moments, and even the heavier conversations that showed their growth.
Palmer also did a great job touching on family relationships and the quiet ways our childhood experiences shape the choices we make. Nothing felt overly heavy, but those deeper moments added so much heart.
And the setting? A road trip in a van with one bed? Absolutely yes. This had People We Meet on Vacation energy but with its own cozy, adventurous charm.
This was my first read by Ellie Palmer, and I’ll definitely be reaching for more. I enjoyed slow-burn tension, layered backstory, and it made me laugh out loud several times. This deserves a spot on your TBR.

🗺️ R O A D T R I P T H U R S D A Y review 🗺️ featuring “Anywhere With You” by Ellie Palmer!

Charley Beekman is recently divorced after only being married for just over a year. Blindsided, embarrassed and feeling a bit lost, Charley decides it’s time to snap out of it and move on!

The biggest shock of all comes when her sister announces that she is going to elope with her very messy childhood sweetheart! Their off and on relationship is a big red flag and Charley is determined to put a stop to the wedding!

She teams up with her own (gorgeous) childhood bff Ethan to take a road trip to the woods in Minnesota in his camper van. But this time together inside the van starts to ignite a spark that both of them have ignored for years! Will Charley fight off these feelings and focus on her sister?

Read this if you enjoy:
🏕️ miscommunication
🎸 childhood best friends
🚐 road trip
🛶 forced proximity
🔥 friends to lovers
🥰 warm & fuzzies
🗺️ witty banter

Thank you kindly to @elliepalmerwrites @putnambooks @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on August 5, 2025!

YES!!! I loved this one!!! I loved the childhood friends to lovers dynamic, I can’t watch you marry someone else, it’s always been you!! Big swoon!! I really enjoyed this one and literally stayed up late bingeing it 2 nights in a row. Ethan was so funny and I loved the side characters! Wet Ted and our boy Petey! I just loved everything about this

I loved this book so much. The characters are great, The writing is amazing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

A much anticipated read for 2025! It did not disappoint!
Charley is a newly divorcee and she's on a mission to stop her sister from marrying her on and off again childhood flame. Enter, her lifelong friend Ethan, who lives in a van and we get a bumpy, forced proximity adventure. The book held my interest right away and took me on a Minnesota adventure. Just like with Abby Jimenez, I eat up the details about any local places in a book and it gave me great visualizations as I read. I enjoyed the friendly banter, the yearning from the love interestests and the pace of this book. It's low spice, but you still get the gist/feelings of all that tension and romance.
Release Date: 08/05/2025
4.5⭐
2🌶️

I was lucky enough to be introduced to this author last year with her debut novel, Four Weekends and a Funeral (which I really enjoyed!). Then, I learned that not only did she base her books in Minnesota but she lived here as well. I met her at a local book signing and then at another author's book release event and again at a book club event! Reading her acknowledgements had me squealing internally as I actually recognized several people and knew who she was talking about. Can't wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Charley and Laurel have a bad taste for love based on the parents they had growing up. Throw in that as adults Charley is hot off a divorce it can’t get any better. So of course when Laurel decides to propose to their childhood friend and her love interest, Petey, Charley is determined to stop her sister. But Ethan, the 4th of the friend group and Charley’s best friend has learned of her divorce and is back in town. So road trip it is. Of course friends to lovers is the troupe so we are bound to find out that Ethan and Charley also have feelings. And romance pursues.

Enjoyed this book. However, I did find Ellie Palmer’s debut book to be more emotionally well done. I had expectations for this one, which is why it didn’t quite met the 5 stars.

Elle Palmer has another hit on her hands with Anywhere with You. Starting off with a banger first line, I was INVESTED in Charley and Ethan's love story and rooting for them to find their happily ever after. Something about Elle's writing is magical- it transports me off page to hangout with her characters and slap my forehead for some "omg you didn't moments." It was the perfect poolside read for me this summer as I flipped back and forth between audio and kindle.

Charley feels she is thriving. She knows what's best for her, both professionally and personally. She has flaws, but who doesn't. When hearing that her sister (who does not believe in love) is getting married to her on-again-off-again sweetheart, she knows she MUST intervene. The perfect person to help her is her estranged childhood best friend, Ethan. Ethan, who she's had hidden feelings forever for. With one camper van and one destination, she soon discovers her feelings are back and she'd go anywhere with him. The big question: would he do the same?

4 out of 5. This story has some adorable witty banter that makes me reminiscence the best of both Ali or Emily Henry. It also has a lovely friends to lovers trope that even had me shedding some tears. The sister was so annoying at first but even she made me come round to a very satisfying summer romance.

⭐️: 4.5/5

I have to start out with how funny the chapter names are in this one. I think it’s a shame that most books eschew the art of naming chapter in favor of just the name of the POV and maybe a date/time reference. I love chapter names, it makes it more fun to read, especially when they’re as absurd as they are in this book.

I really enjoyed Four Weekends and a Funeral, not just for the plot, but for Palmer’s writing style and voice. I have to say, this one was even better than her debut book, and I found myself really immersed and invested in this little friends to lovers story.

At first, I wasn’t sure how the romance would hit, because it really seemed like Charley and Ethan were friends without any overt sexual undertones, but as the story progressed, more and more was revealed about their relationship, and I found myself falling for them and their story. Charley did tend to suffer from a little bit of an “everything is about me” mentality, and I think a lot of the conflict in this one could have been totally avoided with family therapy, but like, I think the same could be said for most real life problems also. The themes of how the marriage we see in our parents really impacts us going forward in our own lives, and how those repercussions could be different even in siblings who grew up in the same household, were handled really well, and in a way that managed to not make the resolutions feel toooo glib.

I absolutely adore a book about how one weekend can change everything for someone, because I love the feeling that it evokes while reading that anything is possible under the right circumstances and with the right people surrounding you, and this one had that in spades!

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for providing this eARC in exchange for my review!!

This was a cute road trip/wilderness read. I laughed many times while reading the situations Charley and Ethan find themselves in. Charley is a feisty and determined divorcee. Ethan is her childhood friend who shows up when her divorce is finalized. The two end up one a road trip to a remote Minnesota camp and the hijinks ensue. This was a slow to build romance between life long friends. A fun read.

I’m not the biggest fan of friends-to-lovers stories that rely heavily on flashbacks, so this one was a bit of a struggle for me. While the entire book takes place over a single weekend, it felt longer than it needed to—dragging at times when I was hoping for more momentum.

I found myself wanting more excitement and a stronger emotional connection between the characters. The FMC, in particular, felt like she needed a bit more time to heal before diving into this romance, which made the relationship feel a little rushed or forced.

That said, fans of emotional slow burns with nostalgic undertones may still find this one worth the read.

Charley and Ethan have been best friends since they were kids. But when Charley got married, Ethan bailed on her wedding and his "man of honor" duties. Hurt beyond belief, Charley and Ethan haven't talked since the night before her wedding. But two years later, Charley's marriage has fallen apart, and her sister is now planning to elope to her on again- off again- long term boyfriend, and Charley gets a text from Ethan saying he's in town. Being a traveling musician and living out of his van, Charley has never felt like Ethan would stick around long term, so she jumps at the chance to see him while he's there.

Though awkward at first, Charley and Ethan pick up like no time has passed, although they don't discuss "that night"...and Charley convinces Ethan to help her convince her sister not to get married. But as Charley and Ethan spend more and more time together, their chemistry is palpable. Ethan is trying to show Charley how he feels and has felt for years, but Charley is cynical of love and marriage and is convinced Ethan will get bored and leave.

Can Charley let the past go and live in the present? Will she be able to learn that love is an action and a choice? Can she forgive Ethan for bailing on her when she needed him, and trust him to stick around?

Charley Beekman has had better days. She is burnt out at her lawyer job, going through a divorce, and next thing she knows she gets a phone call from her sister who may be making the biggest mistake of her life. Luckily Charley's long time friend Ethan agrees to road trip with her to prevent her sister from ruining her life on a whim.

This is a fun childhood friends to lovers story. I loved the road trip aspect of the story. It didn't hit quite as well as Ellie Palmer's last book Four Weddings and a Funeral, but I still very much enjoyed her writing style. I did feel like some of the conflict, both between the sisters and between the love interests, could've been sketched out better. But overall a good lighthearted read for the summer

Tropes:
* Childhoood Friends to Lovers
* Flashback scenes
* Roadtrip
* Sisterly drama
* Opposites Attract

3.5 stars

This book genuinely has my heart. The writing was amazing and I love literally all the characters and I so want a book on Laur and Petey. Also Ethan and Charley are so good together and I need more of them and I haven't been able to finish a book for a hot minute and I'm so sad this one is over

I had loved Palmer's debut last year so immediately added this to my list. It took me a bit to get into as the timelines were a bit choppy and too sporadic for me. At times I found Charley a little too selfish. Ethan was great, loved the pining and songs. I wonder if having his POV would have improved the story more for me. I also found Laurel a bit annoying/over the top. The mainstream mentions were a little distracting at times. However, I love a friends to lovers with dual timelines! Ultimately I am a sucker for the second half of the book! The steam was steaming in this book, wish it wasn't fade to black lol. Overall enjoyed it for a summer read!

After LOVING Ellie Palmer’s debut, I was so excited for to get an ARC of this book through NetGalley, and while I don’t think enjoyed it quite as much as Four Weekends and a Funeral, this was still a fun and very funny story! Anywhere With You features an opposites attract childhood friends to lovers romance featuring a summery road trip, a golden retriever MMC, and “it’s always been you” vibes. I think the thing I loved most about this book was all the cultural references, not only modern culture but also culture from my childhood! (I don’t remember the last time I heard anyone talk about Captain Planet?!) Overall, I really liked Anywhere With You, and I’m eager to read Ellie Palmer’s future books!

4.5 Stars💫

Content Notes: A fair amount of strong language and sexual innuendo. Fade to black romance (no explicit spice). Trigger warning for divorce.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for sending me an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

I love a Friends To Lovers trope and strong sister relationship/storyline and Anywhere With You gave me both!!!
Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer is a lighthearted rom com that will be a perfect summer read for everyone! When Charley and her (loser) husband get divorced after a very short marriage, she reaches out to her childhood best friend Ethan to say "You were right" and jumpstarts their friendship again after Ethan disappeared on the weekend of her wedding. Our story alternates between the current timeline where Charley and Ethan roadtrip to Laurel and Petey's wedding and flashbacks to periods of Charley and Ethan's friendship. The flashbacks help with Charley's character development and explain a lot of her need for a home and consistency, and also her concern as to why all of a sudden Laurel is pushing for marriage to her on again off again childhood romance. I really liked Charley and Ethan's dynamic, it's clear to me that Ethan is head over heels for Charley while she's too scared to notice. They have some hard conversations, but Charley can't get over the Ethan she has in her head as opposed to the real thing in front of her. I think the relationship between Charley and Laurel was more important to me - sorry, sister storylines just grab me! I wanted these two to sit down and do some family therapy to work through their issues and upbringing together. Their reconciliation made me cry while Ethan and Charley didn't.... Take that as you will!
This book is full of pining, funny antics, a little bad luck, and a lot of love! Perfect for you if you love: - Friends to Lovers- Childhood best friends- She's Type A- He's a Musician- Van Life/mini road trip
Thank you for the early copy in exchange for a review Booked With The Emilys, Ellie Palmer, and Putnam Books!

4.5 - I absolutely loved this friends to lovers romance. Often this trope is riddled with internal monologue debating the pros and cons of risking confessing their love for their best friend. You won’t find much of that in this book, which felt so refreshing.

Charley is 29 and fresh out of a divorce, stuck with a big house she can’t afford, and hating her lawyer job. Her sister, Laurel, drops a bomb on her that she is planning to marry her childhood sweetheart, Petey— and Charley finds Ethan, her estranged best friend on her doorstep, where they decide to go on a road trip together for Charley to stop the wedding.

Ethan + Charley have the funniest, wittiest banter, and incredible chemistry in every scene. There is so much angst and yearning. Their dialogue is vulnerable at times, hilarious at others. We watch them both unpack their emotional baggage and what happened at Charley’s bachelorette party that caused them to stop speaking. The side characters - Laurel and Petey are fantastic, and everyone grows and changes in this book in the best way— it felt like a true ode to second chances for everyone.

4.5⭐️

Charley is fresh out of a marriage at twenty-nine and fully embracing her life as a self-proclaimed "love cynic." When her flighty sister announces that she and her situationship are eloping, Charley will do anything that she can to stop the wedding, including a road trip with her childhood best friend, Ethan, who she hasn't seen in years. As their friendship starts to spark again, deeper feelings do, too.

✨childhood friends to lovers
✨forced proximity
✨road trip
✨dual timeline
✨no spice

This was such a lovely surprise! I knew looking at this book cover that this was going to be a beautiful book, but it was even better than I anticipated. I am always a sucker for a friends to lovers romance novel, and this had such a cozy & nostalgic feel. Ethan & Charley were so different but brought out the best parts of each other & encouraged each other to step out of their comfort zones. The atmosphere of this book was so fun, I love a road trip book. I will definitely be keeping an eye on more from this author!

Thank you so much to Putnam Books, NetGalley, & Ellie Palmer for an ARC of this book!! 🫶🏼

This book was such an easy read and so fun. I loved the story of Charley and Ethan. The dual timeline and the rush for the wedding in the middle of nowhere. Such a perfect summer read!