A second chance romance between two best friends who are very different people. The FMC has a dysfunctional family dynamic with abandonment issues and has leaned into a life planned out while the MMC has a bit of wanderlust and is a traveling musician. It is as much a story about Charley and her relationship with her sister as it is with reconnecting with her best friend after a divorce. The dual timeline gives a peek into how they got to this point. I enjoyed the story for all its charm, humor and yearning.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

This was childhood friends to lovers perfection!! I adored Ellie’s debut and when she said childhood friends to lovers with only ONE camper van, I was like count me in! Ellie’s voice rings true as every page is full of heart, hope, and delightful humor. I loved the dual timeline and the epistolary elements were *chef’s kiss*

Charley’s journey was immensely relatable and I loved watching her heal and grow, not just as an individual but also as a sister and eventual partner. As someone who is still working through emotional baggage from being raised by emotionally immature parents, the struggles Charley (and Laurel) wrestled with hit close to home, but I’m grateful for the HOPE Ellie gave us with their story.

Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. And for those who may shy away, from closed door romance, Ellie brings an ABUNDANCE of tension and heat without spice - you don’t even mind that the door is closed! And oh my gosh, did I laugh so much. There was one scene in particular that had me crying because I was laughing so hard.

I cannot wait to have this beauty on my bookshelf!

“Anywhere With You” is the ideal friends-to-lovers, roadtrip, opposites attract romance! Charlie is recently divorced and finds out her sister is about to make the mistake of spontaneously getting married. Her childhood best friend shows up at the perfect time and they set off on an adventure to stop their siblings wedding. Charlie and Ethan have been estranged ever since right before the wedding. I wonder if it’s because he’s been pining for her for basically their whole lives? ;)
Palmer writes the most humorous, tender, and real romance. I related a lot to Charlie’s play it safe perspective, which aligns with her experience of her parents’ marriage. Ethan, the total opposite, has never wanted to settle down and prefers a nomadic lifestyle. I loved these two characters and their journey in growth together and individually.

For those who love:
⛺️ Childhood Friends to Lovers
⛺️ Roadtrip
⛺️ Dual Timeline
⛺️ Lawyer (Photographer) + Musician
⛺️ True Opposites Attract Romance
⛺️ On a mission!
⛺️ The banter!!!!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Charley and Ethan are childhood best friends and seemingly complete opposites. Charley's parents modeled an unhealthy relationship which left Charley craving stability and unwilling to take risks. Ethan on the other hand is content leading a nomad existence traveling in his van since the day he left his small hometown.

Just as Charley’s stable life is falling apart; her divorce is finalized, her job is crushing her soul, and she’s financially crippled, her sister Laurel informs her she’s eloping with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Determined to stop Laurel from making what she believes will be a huge mistake, Charley enlists Ethan’s help to reach her in time.

In close quarters - one tiny van, two people - Ethan and Charley are confronted with the feelings Charley has worked hard to deny, ignore, and push away. Ethan clearly adores Charley and he is willing to accept whatever she is willing to give. However, as much as Charley loves Ethan, she is petrified of what a failed relationship with an unreliable Ethan would mean for their friendship.

Ethan and Charley's literal and figurative journey to love was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Although, I have to admit Charley’s actions were a bit frustrating at times. I understood what led her to feel the need to control every aspect of her life. I loved the way Ethan was able to slowly break through her walls and make Charley feel safe. Ethan was the one person who saw the real Charley and he loved her.

Anywhere With You was a wonderfully charming and emotional romance from Ellie Palmer.

Charlie and Ethan have been best friends since they were young teens. Even when they were no longer near each other, when miles and years were stretched out between them, they always found themselves back together. Now, as they travel together to stop a wedding, they also have to transverse childhood trauma and a love that would determined their future. Where will it lead? Anywhere With You.

Ellie Palmer has stolen my heart. There is no other way to put it. Ethan and Charley are the childhood friends to lovers romance that thrills me! This book pulled me out of a months long slump. Months! This book quickly yanked me in, handed me a drink with a penis straw, and said, "dont move." So I didn't. I went through those emotional rollercoaster with the friends all of the characters, even the kanue rental guy! Mixed in with the chaos was some awesome humor, childhood trauma, and cliff jumping that had me muttering "Could never be me" with a smirk.

This is my first read with Palmer, and it won't be my last. I am off to read her previous hit and everything to follow!

Thank you, PRH Audio and Putnam Books, for my gifted copies.

Ellie Palmer is one of my good friends and favorite local Minnesota authors. I loved Four Weekends and A Funeral, so I was thrilled to get my hands on her second novel. The audiobook narration by Karissa Vacker was fantastic! Anywhere With You did not disappoint, thanks to the heart and banter that Ellie Palmer is so skilled at creating. I had a blast following Charley and Ethan on their northern Minnesota road trip!

Read this book if you enjoy:
-Friends-to-lovers
-Lawyer/Musician
-Minnesota setting
-Summer road trip
-Hilarious banter
-Forced proximity
-He owns a van
-One bed
-Gorgeous cover
-Emotional support liquids
-Caribou Coffee
-Love after divorce

Anywhere With You fell a bit flat for me. It had everything I love in a romance and I liked Ethan right away. For me, Ethan was the best part of the story, and I think a few chapters from his POV may have helped me rate this higher. I really wanted to like Ellie as a protagonist. She had all the parts - jaded, heartbroken, high-powered job, loved her sister - but she was a little too self-absorbed and immature for me to really buy into her. The romance, too, didn't feel fully natural. The writing also felt choppy in places, like the banter was trying too hard to be funny. It wasn't a bad read, I just think I was expecting a little *more.*

Officially added Ellie Palmer to my must read list. This was such a great story - I truly did not want this book to end. Loved the characters and the way they were all interconnected. The dual timeline worked well here (I’m not particularly a fan of dual timelines). I’d love to see this become a series.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately ended up putting this one down, I don't love that a problematic author's book was mentioned in this. It just seemed very unnecessary

Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pub date: 8/5

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for my advanced copy and to PRH Audio for my complimentary audiobook!

Fresh off a divorce, Charley Beekman is determined to stop her sister from making a huge mistake: eloping with her chaotic boyfriend. To stop the wedding, Charley road-trips into the Minnesota woods in a camper van with Ethan, her childhood best friend and longtime source of low-key heartbreak.

Ellie Palmer’s latest novel, Anywhere With You, delivers everything I love in a romance: a nostalgic friends-to-lovers journey, a cozy road trip, and emotional depth that sneaks up on you. From the very first page, the banter between Charley and Ethan feels effortless, packed with inside jokes and long-buried tension that simmers. Their shared history adds layers of longing to every interaction and captures the unique ache of loving someone you’ve known forever but never allowed yourself to have.

Beyond the romance, the book explores complicated family dynamics, personal healing, and the uncomfortable process of figuring out what you truly want from life. It’s heartfelt without being heavy, witty, and sprinkled with clever pop culture references that make the characters feel real.
Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite narrators, and I loved her depiction of Charley and Ethan!

If you love road trips, “only one bed” (or in this case, only one camper van), flashbacks that deepen the love story, and heroes who give their leading ladies sweet nicknames, Anywhere With You is a must-read.

Anywhere With You opens with a loud, sudden breaking of vows and then we come to realize that the real pain comes from the quiet ache of a friendship broken, not by betrayal, but by love that arrived at the wrong time. Ellie Palmer beautifully sets the stage with a rift between two lifelong friends, a tear created by a romantic relationship that has since ended, but whose consequences still linger.

When the FMC and MMC reunite, their connection feels both natural and charged,like something familiar that’s been stretched thin by time and silence. There’s a tension in their reconnection that stems from the little we know about their falling out, and Palmer skillfully uses that uncertainty to keep us turning the pages.

As the story unfolds, what begins as a series of unspoken assumptions and quiet misunderstandings gradually transforms into honesty, empathy, and truth. Palmer gives each character the space to confront their misconceptions, and in doing so, she uncovers the deeper emotional wounds that made their separation so painful in the first place.

This is a story about timing, vulnerability, and the kind of love that waits just long enough for healing to begin. Heartfelt and tender, Anywhere With You reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful love stories begin with forgiveness.

Ellie Palmer's second book was a hit! I loved this story between Charley and Ethan as they reunite and go on a road trip so Charley can stop her sister's wedding. As they fall back in to old habits, they also give in to their attraction for each other and Charley begins to wonder if the right person has been standing in front of her for her whole life.

I had a really good time reading this book! I love Ethan and he is just a soul that is too pure for this world! Charley just got divorced and has become a little bit of a cynic when it comes to love! She is a very type-A workaholic that thinks that she’s fine and thinks that the divorce hasn’t fazed her up until her sister tells her that she’s goin got get married to her on and off again boyfriend that she’s been seeing since high school. She knows one thing and it is to stop her sister from making a mistake that she thinks she’s making. Everyone did it hav the greatest opinions of her ex-husband and after they broke it of she was able to rekindle with her ex-best friend Ethan who is a guitarist that lives life going with the flow and lives in a camper van! This wedding to be has set the two best friends on an unexpected road trip to see if Charley can talk some sense into her sister before she goes through with a wedding. I love the banter, but most of all I love the hope that Ethan always held! I love that this book was deeper than just crashing a wedding, how deeply Charley family’s trauma is really impacting her and how she’s the one that can’t let go! How she’s the one that’s afraid to take risks because she fears that everyone is going to leave her behind! I also just love how her sister stood her ground, she been to therapy and she has tried to heal herself from their parents trauma. I also like that Ethan really put himself fully out there this time, the boy was truly wearing his heart on his sleeve and she really just never noticed. If your look if for a good FADE TO BLACK SPICE level book and friends to lovers, this is one you should add to your TBR.

Tropes:
best friends to lovers
reverse grumpy x sunshine
lawyer x musician
one bed
family trauma
forced proximity
he falls first
road trip
First person POV

Anywhere With You is my first book by Ellie Palmer and I'll definitely be reading her again! I found the book to be both funny and real when it comes to our thoughts on love/getting hurt. It's a beautiful story of a woman who never saw love growing up and now that she's an adult, thinks love= stability. How does one overcome that childhood trauma to know that love is all encompassing in a special way?

Charley is recently divorced and her sister just messaged her that she's planning on proposing to her on-off boyfriend. Thinking she's lost her mind, Charley is bound to talk some sense into her sister... but to get to her she must go on a road trip in a van, through the woods, fight off truck stop woos, and take a kayak trip down the river. I hope Charley knows what she's doing....

Along for the ride, and owner of the said van is Ethan, Charley's best friend. There's some tension currently between the two- he hated her husband and didn't show up to the wedding- but they're also happy to see and spend time together with each other again. Ethan's hoping maybe Charley will finally see he's been here the whole time and this forced proximity between the two will allow feelings to come to the surface finally.

The truck stop scene and the naked fun run through the forest had me cackling! So much so I read the latter scene out loud to my husband because he was like what is so funny. I just thought this was a beautiful story and I definitely recommend it!

Charley's divorce recently became final when she learns her sister is suddenly going to get married in northern Minnesota. Determined to keep her sister from making a mistake, she convinces her best friend Ethan to road trip with her to the wedding in his camper van.

Ellie had me laughing out loud from page one. The humor, witty banter, and pop culture references gave me Gilmore Girls vibes. I loved Ethan and the friends to lovers tension. Pick this up if you want a funny, closed door romance with a side of some serious character growth perfect for summer!

Friends to lovers is treating me so well lately! This book hooked me from the very first sentence. Seriously, what a hilarious opening. And the humour does not stop!

Charley is a 29-year-old lawyer, freshly divorced and clinging to her predictable routine—until her passionate, impulsive sister decides to elope with her messy on-again, off-again boyfriend. Cue the panic and an impromptu road trip (and canoe ride!) to Minnesota with Ethan, Charley’s wanderlust-filled childhood best friend who is incredibly charming but reliably unreliable.

The inside jokes, the shared history, the genuine comfort between Charley and Ethan—their chaotic platonic friendship was so giddy-inducing. Add in some unexpected pit stops and camper van snuggles, and this story brought so much banter, big laughs, and simmering tension!

And beyond the fun, there were also some really great moments about learning to slow down and just breathe. Letting yourself want more. Taking risks for the chance at something fulfilling. I did get a little frustrated with Charley at times, mostly with her resistance to seeing Ethan as a possibility, but even with that bump, I really enjoyed this!

4/5 ⭐️, 0.5/5 🌶️ (fade to black), 0.8/5 💧

🏕️ Childhood Friends to Lovers
🏕️ Road Trip Romance
🏕️ Opposites Attract
🏕️ Work Life Balance
🏕️ Single POV
🏕️ Dual Timeline

The writing style of Ellie Palmer is very distinct, and it may not be for everyone. For me it can be a little wordy and internal dialogue-y, but there are just some really unassuming humor that catches me off guard and makes me laugh out loud.

In this book, I thought the start was a little slow and the pacing stalled for me a bit. There were some very funny moments but I couldn’t get hooked with the story like I normally do. It took me nearly a week to read a romance which usually takes a day or two, maybe 3 days for a longer one or if I’m really busy. I had time but just was not drawn to pick this one back up. Possibly I was in a slump, but I was just not captivated by the story or characters to start. The fmc was even unlikeable at times, and some of the plot points felt ridiculously over the top.

The latter quarter of the book was great though. As soon as the reveal of what happened that caused the initial falling out (as presented in the beginning of the book) was revealed, pieces of the story started falling into place and I was fully invested in the story and didn’t want to put it down. There were some emotionally moving moments that pulled at the heartstrings and left me feeling angsty, which I loved.

I think the part Ellie is masterful at is creating realistic characters in a very familiar way that you feel like these could be people you meet in real life. There’s just a narration that injects some random hilarious commentary and then some ridiculous moments that solidify that this is indeed a fiction novel.

If you like a slow burn filled with yearning and internal dialogue, peppered with some unassuming hilarious bits, opposites attracts and friends to lovers, this would be a good one to read!

“—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.”

I absolutely loved the fast pace of the writing, like watching the Gilmore girls banter. That combined with the quick funny wit of the main character really impressed me. As usual, I found myself frustrated when the expected drama happened but that’s a me thing. I’d love to see a story where the drama isn’t between the couple at all and instead of a blowup they discuss it like adults and live happily ever after. See, a me thing. 😂

This is my second novel by Ellie Palmer and both have been lovely reading experiences. I’ll definitely be reading more from her in the future!

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the arc via Netgalley.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Ellie Palmer could write a grocery list and I'd read it! After I read Four Weekends and a Funeral, she quickly became one of my favorite romance writers. This story also did not disappoint. Best friends to lovers, close proximity, and so much more all come together to create an emotional rollercoaster of a story full of chaos, humor, and so many tender moments.
Charley was probably one of the most relatable female characters I've read in a romance book. She's jaded about love and marriage after her divorce. She gave parts of herself up for what she thought was love only to find it wasn't truly what she thought it was. She settled for something that was just ok rather than allowing herself to take what she really wanted. I felt for her so much. Much of the book is her spent spiraling out of control as she tries to prevent her sister from what she thinks is the biggest mistake of her life: marrying her on again/boyfriend. She enlists her best friend to help her and along the way learns what true love really is. It was great to watch Charley bloom and open and see what true love from someone who really cares can be like.
Ethan, ugh, what can I say. He was so great. Definitely a golden retriever of a character. And his banter with Charley is top notch. I found myself laughing out loud so many times during this book. I loved all their interactions and I loved watching Charley learn Ethan wasn't exactly who she thought he was, even though they had been friends for so long.
Of course there were times when I wanted to smack both characters around to get them to open their eyes, but they needed to go through the experiences to get there. But their chemistry was so amazing I often overlooked being annoyed with them.
The pacing was done really well with this one. I loved all the experiences Charley went through that helped reshape her frame of mind. Palmer did a great job inserting. And I really enjoyed the dual timeline. Flashbacks tell so much about characters and are such a great way to build a story and relationships. I didn't want to put the book down because I really had to see what happened that once tore Ethan and Charley apart. I did figure it out a bit early on but that didn't take away from me wanting to continue on with reading the story. I also loved that Palmer didn't just make it about Charley and Ethan. Charley's sister's storyline was essential to the plot, and to Charley realizing real love can and will endure. Laurel and Petey really were a great addition to the cast of characters and their plot played in well with Ethan and Charley's relationship growth.
I'm pretty sure there's nothing Palmer will ever write that I won't love. I cannot wait to see what else she brings in the future. This was a fast read for me that I can see myself picking up again, maybe in audio!

Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer takes Charley and Ethan on a chaotic road trip to try and stop a wedding. What ensues is well meaning chaos and tender moments.

I feel like I’ve never related to a character more than I do to Charley. Charley is very organized, she has ideas on the way her life should go/should be, she has itineraries that she follows, and she is divorced and is now a pessimist when it comes to love. I feel like I could really relate to these aspects of Charley and could understand where she was coming from. She felt like such a real and raw character. She had so many layers and such dimension.

I loved Ethan and how well he compliments Charley. I feel like they work well together and they have insane chemistry. I love to see that in romances. Together they have a really good relationship.

I really loved the flashbacks and getting to see how their relationship progressed into what it is now. I think it really helped me understand both characters and where there thought process/actions were coming from.