4.5⭐

I read Four Weekends and a Funeral a few months ago and really enjoyed it, so I was excited about reading Ellie Palmer's next book, and it did not disappoint!

Anywhere With You follows Charley and Ethan. Charley's life has fallen a bit of course when she gets divorced after less than a year of marriage at the age of 28. She then finds out her older sister is planning on eloping with her long time situationship and decides to stop the wedding. Luckily, her childhood best friend Ethan is in town and agrees to drive her up to the wedding. Together they drive through Minnesota in Ethan's van. But the proximity may finally tip their friendship into unchartered territory.

I loved the complexity of all the characters in this book. Charley's character is defined by her need for control based on her unstable childhood and it is something she struggles with the entire book; it was nice to see her grow and change throughout the story. Ethan was the perfect mmc, I loved his personality and how confident he was about their relationship. I loved their banter together and the way proximity made them become honest and give into the feelings they had been avoiding for years. Their relationship was messy and complicated, but in the end, it was really nice to see them both work through their issues. I enjoyed the road trip vibes and the fun setting. Along with all the side characters and how Charley and her sister were able to truly connect and communicate through their issues to help each other. I also enjoyed the dual timelines where you got to see how Charley and Ethan met and the way their relationship developed.

I would highly recommend this book. It was such a fun road trip, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity romance that is a perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellie Palmer, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for this digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is expected to be published on August 5, 2025!

"Best friends are their own kind of soul mates."

This one was SO stinking cute. It was so emotional, included realistic character growth, and had so many lines that I highlighted for being poignant or funny or all of the above. Here are some of those highlights:

"What if I lived here? I think. Right here, on Ethan's shoulder like a tiny parrot person."
"All we have is connection, right? All we are is how well we're loved by the people we care about and how well we love them back."
"You were planning to Winnie the Pooh it for our first time? Disappointing, honestly."
"It isn't a thing you have. It's something you do. Love is a verb, babe."

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

funny, swoony, and interesting. definitely well written and has a nice set of protagonists too, and the plot is great and serviceable. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Friends to lovers trope? Sign me up! This is my first read from Ellie Palmer, and she did not disappoint. I think Ethan was my favorite character in the whole story. He kind of reminded me of Jim from The Office pining after Pam. Charlie was kind of a selfish turd, but I also see her POV of not wanting to be stable with her life after her upbringing.

Thank you NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and obviously Ellie Palmer for an advanced readers copy to read and review this book!

I'll start of by saying I'm SUCH a big fan of Ellie Palmer and I've made sure my audience KNOWS that. Four Weekends and a Funeral is one of my favorite books of all time, and I will continue to support Palmer's books til the day I drop! I am not the biggest fan of childhood friends to lovers, so I'm not surprised this one didn't resonate with me. I love Palmer's characteristic humor and smooth writing! But overall, I struggled to support the budding relationship between Charley and Ethan as Charley grapples with her feelings post-divorce. The problem I have with childhood friends to lovers or certain second chance romances is that it's frustrating seeing two characters emulate the "It's always been you"-feelings when they literally got married to someone else. In this case, Charley does admit that in hindsight, her ex-husband wasn't the right man for her, but...? She knew that before they got married? And Ethan was supposed to be her best-man, and then their friendship crumbles because of miscommunication/unresolved feelings? Ahh, so frustrating! This book isn't the first to have a similar, complex dynamic, but it never hits quite right. I really loved how they learned to compromise in the epilogue, as I thought that struck a great balance of what both Charley and Ethan were independently searching for for the entire book.

One aspect I absolutely adored is the strong bond between Charley and her sister! It was such a blatant love letter to the complex sibling relationship.

I think fans of Funny Story by Emily Henry are going to adore this book!! Ellie Palmer's writing is fantastic, and I'm so thankful to the author and publisher for the e-arc of one of my most anticipated releases of the year!

This book was such a delight! Every since Palmer's debut I have been a fan of her writing, and this book just reaffirms my belief! I love a good childhood friends-to-lovers romance and this one did not disappoint! Charley and Ethan's relationship was a delight from childhood all the way to adulthood. Both Charley and Ethan were very unique characters that Palmer was able to give depth in a short number of pages. Even though their personalities could be seen as opposites, it worked perfectly! Charley reminded me a lot of myself and it was so sweet to see her find her happily ever after. I really enjoyed seeing Ethan push Charley out of her comfort zone, while also being there for her to catch her when she falls. All in all I absolutely loved this book and Ellie Palmer is becoming an auto-buy author for me!

We’ve all had that one friendship growing up that had sort of a “will they/won’t they” vibe, and the way Ellie Palmer shows this develop over time is sooooo relatable! I laughed out loud multiple times while reading.

Friends to lovers and flashback tropes are not usually my jam, but this book has both and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Charley and her sister Laurel have fantastic sister chemistry, and the flashbacks do a beautiful job tying in not only the friendship between Charley and Ethan as it grows over the years, but the Beekman’s family dynamic as well. It really helps you empathize with Charley and appreciate her quirks!

Charley Beekman is fresh off a divorce and convinced she’s got life figured out—until her sister announces she’s eloping. Determined to stop the wedding, Charley embarks on a road trip to northern Minnesota. The catch? Her travel buddy is Ethan—her unreliable, way-too-charming childhood best friend.
As the miles add up, so do the memories, inside jokes, and unresolved feelings Charley has tried to ignore. She knows Ethan isn’t the responsible type, and after her last relationship, she shouldn’t take that risk. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny the connection that’s always been there.
Anywhere With You is a fun, heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance packed with great banter, road trip mishaps, and just the right amount of emotional depth. Charley and Ethan’s history makes their chemistry feel real, and the mix of humor and genuine moments keeps you hooked. If you love childhood friends reconnecting, forced proximity, and a little chaos, this one’s for you.


᪥ Friends To Lovers
᪥ Road Trip
᪥ Dual Timelines
᪥ Tension & Banter

i dont know how ellie palmer can take all the tropes i normally hate and make me love them so much!! friends to lovers, second chance?? if that normally has you running turn back around now and READ THIS BOOK. this had me laughing out loud and feeling. so. much. 😭😭😭 ellie palmer has definitely solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me

endless thanks to Putnam for this ARC!

Charley and Ethan were such a great pair! Surprisingly to me, I even loved the "Chuck: nickname that he had for her. I enjoyed the backstory of their friendship, and loved Laurel and Petey as secondary characters. They were all intricately written into two sweet believable love stories that I found hard to put down while reading,

I get that this book was fiction however it felt very real to me. I loved the dual timelines, the characters were very real and honestly I’d be best friends with them!

you know, this rating is on me because i’m not into the friends to lovers trope and that’s basically all this book was. so if you like (childhood) friends to lovers with a dual timeline, here you go!!

but overall this gave what i needed it to give, a cute and fun romance to heal me after b13. i do think it leaned more toward a women’s fiction vibe than pure romance but that didn’t really bother me. the relationship was cute and the story felt realistic while still being a lighthearted and easy read. would def recommend for a summer or beach read !!!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters felt very believable, and it took a lot of popular romance tropes that we know and love, but put its own twist on them -- not to say this is a cliche-free romance. It isn't. But sometimes, that's just what you need. Definitely has the kind of characters that you fall in love with.

4/5
Charley Beekman thought she could figure it all out, but after her divorce and her stalled legal career, things have undoubtedly changed. Surprisingly, that’s not her biggest problem. When her impulsive younger sister announces her imminent elopement to her ex boyfriend and friend from childhood, Charley only has one course of action: break off the wedding before they hurt each other again. Who should join her in the road to breaking up the wedding, but Ethan, her childhood best friend. Ethan (unsurprisingly) doesn't really believe in breaking off the wedding, but a road trip to rekindle their friendship after a falling out is worth anything, even if it requires recognizing the feelings they have avoided years on. Anywhere With You is for the childhood friends to lovers fans wrapped up in a road trip gone wrong and a well intentioned but disastrous breakup plan. Former best friends Ethan and Charley have this intense, raw chemistry that sent me spiraling as they are forced into close proximity in the most bizarre ways (like a truck stop shower scene that is unusually heated). Alongside a road trip of reconciliation and feelings revealed, Palmer flits back to the past, uncovering the complicated ties between these two and where they are headed. Coupled with their pasts, Palmer shows why Ethan and Charley work together and the freedom afforded in them finally giving into their feelings. Ethan begging, tortured for Charley and Charley unlearning some of the cynicism stemming from her parents' relationship, in that regard. Anywhere With You is the epitome of the friends to lovers trope. For every person still figuring out their plan, on a road with all the dips, turns, and returns that life affords.

I loved loved this book so much. I am all about the friends-to-lovers trope, and this book was done so well!

PERFECTION. Seriously! I read this in a day and I could blab about how great it is for a long, long time!

I LOVED all four of the main characters. They are all so funny and the love, friendship, and sisterhood are so real. I was laughing out loud and kicking my feet. I love the banter and our main couple got themselves into so many funny situations. The truck stop, the kayaks… plus this is dual timeline so you get all their backstory too. I was swooning the whole time and the book left me wanting more.

And side note, the chapter titles were epic. And the opening sentence was iconic.

🏕️ recently divorced
🚐 it was always you
🏕️ friends to lovers
🚐 only one bed
🏕️ road trip + camping
🚐 kayak mishaps
🏕️ wedding crashers
🚐 dual timeline

📷 “It was one of those rare, perfect instances when I knew I was living in a moment I’d always remember while it was still happening.”

📷 “It was never going to be just one time.”

📷 “Colorado is the breakup bangs of states. No one in an emotionally stable place has ever up and moved to Denver.”

📷 “I couldn’t risk you starting your life over without me in it.”


(will add to instagram a little closer to pub day!)

After loving Ellie Palmer's debut novel last year, I was very excited to get my hands on an ARC of her new novel!
The book started a little slow for me, but we do get to know Charlie well...fresh off a divorce and her best friend back in her life to seemingly stop her sisters wedding to said best friend's brother... intriguing plot! At about 50-60%, it picked up for me and I found myself laughing out loud during some of the incidents.
While I'm really enjoying her books, I would love for there to be even more character development... like hearing more about her crumbling marriage, her picked up romance with Ethan, how her sister rekindled things, and an even bigger epilogue.
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Publication set for August 5th 2025.

Liked it a lot, didn't love it. Cute and sweet with some fun banter and swoony moments. Definitely worth keeping Ellie Palmer on my TBR!

This was such a cozy and comfort read. Like a hug that you just don’t want to disappear. It’s honest and the road trip setting is chefs kiss.

I loved this book! Such a great story. Thank you for the ARC. Looking forward to pub day for my bookshelf copy.