Anywhere With You
By: Ellie Palmer

Thank you Putnam for the free book E-Arc. All opinions are my own.

“You look…” “I’m sorry. You look really bad… I shouldn’t have started that sentence, but it’s just so bad, I had to say something”

“Seriously, my life is being held together by my Notes app and a punishingly thorough twelve-step skin-care routine”

When Charley’s free spirited sister announces that she is eloping with her on-again-off-again boyfriend there is only one thing for Charley to do - stop the wedding. And what better way to do that than to hop in a camper van with your unreliable childhood best friend who you’ve barely spoken to since a falling out over his not attending your wedding even though it turns out he was right and you married the wrong guy. phew!

I enjoyed this one! The writing is very well done and the characters are endearing. It’s a romcom but there is a depth to the story that I really appreciated. There is also a bit of miscommunication and growth needed on both their parts but I loved how everything came together. This wasn’t a true second chance but it definitely had that feel and the flashbacks and dual timelines made the story even more fun.

Overall, this one is a yes for me! I can’t wait to see what Ellie Palmer writes next!

Read if you like:
✩ Childhood friends to Lovers
✩ Second Chance (sort of)
✩ He Falls First
✩ Flashbacks
✩ Spice free

Charley is an unhappy recently divorced lawyer. When her flighty sister decides to elope in the backwoods, Charley teams up with her formerly estranged best friend, Ethan, to stop the wedding. But in the proximity of Ethan's camper van, Charley is forced to evaluate her feelings for Ethan. Are they just friends, or are there other feelings lingering? How can Charley return to her stress-driven life when she glimpses other options?

This is a cute romance. It all happened very quickly, and while the main characters knew each other for an extended period of time, that made it seem less realistic. Especially considering the amount of emotional labor that Charley needed to go through to work through her own issues, it felt a bit insta-love.

Still a cute and fun read.

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Group Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Anywhere With You was such a fun, heartfelt escape. I loved every page. Charley is the perfect blend of witty, relatable, and emotionally guarded, and her journey from cautious control to unexpected connection kept me hooked. The dynamic between Charley and Ethan was perfection. The banter, the tension, and the slow-burn build-up made the eventual romance so satisfying.

The road trip through northern Minnesota adds the perfect dose of charm and nostalgia, and the supporting cast had me rooting for the whole crew. It’s laugh-out-loud funny in spots but also surprisingly moving.

If you’re into character-driven rom-coms with emotional depth, well-paced romance, and a strong sense of place, this is your next read. Five stars, no question.

4.5⭐️ A fabulous friends to lovers story. Life can be so hard. Sometimes the stability we crave isn’t in the job, the home, money, or things we feel we have to have. But rather, the stability we seek can be in that one special person. I ate it up and wanted to smack Charley around a little bit. The best reads cause all the emotional responses.

Charley has it all until her husband is leaves her. But it’s okay because she surrounds herself with the known. No surprises. Until her sister surprises her with a plan to elope. Charley can’t let her sister make that mistake. The only way to do that is hope in a van with her best friend, Ethan. It’s just going to be slightly awkward since they haven’t talked in a bit and he is very unstable living the nomad van life. But there’s something creeping into her gut. A spark she can’t seem to shake. Charley can’t rely on a spark though nor a very handsome man that hasn’t put down roots.

Thank you @bookedwiththeemilys and @elliepalmerwrites for the #gifted copy and @putnambooks for the #gifted physical copy.

THIS ONE IS FOR THE GIRLS WHO LOVE BOYS WHO YEARNNNNNN (its me. i'm girls). I was a huge huge fan of Ellie's debut last year and this did not at all disappoint. In fact, it reignited my forgotten love of the friends to lovers trope. So many books don't do friends to lovers great, but Ellie executed it perfectly and it HITS SO HARD. I will be reading every word this woman writes in the future.

This was an okay book. It took me longer than usual to get into this book.

It was hard to relate to the FMC, but the MMC was the redeeming quality of this book.

This was a good book, but not the best for me.

Ellie Palmer does it again! I love a childhood friends to lovers (when done right) and this delivered on so many levels! You get a perfect balance of laugh out loud moments, swoon, spice and streaking lol. Charley and Ethan are opposites in so many ways, but they just work. I loved that their story was one of reconnection and what better way to reconnect than in a camper van and spending some time in the wilderness, while also trying to stop your sister from getting married. I think what I love most about this story is that it was a case of right person, wrong time and with that, we get two people who have grown and changed through their life experiences. It's those experiences that ultimately bring these two together when they are exactly what the other needs and wants!

I absolutely adored Karissa Vacker's narration for this! She seriously has thee best male voice when listening to a single pov, single narrator romance! I don't know how she made it through some parts without uncontrollable laughter...I had so much fun listening to this one!

TROPES
💕Childhood Friends
🌲Forced Proximity
🚐Only One Camper Van
🧲Opposites Attract
🗣️Banter
💫It's Always Been You
🗺️Road Trip

I adored this story! In Anywhere with You, childhood best friends Charley and Ethan embark on a road trip in Ethan’s live-in van to make it to Charley’s sister’s elopement the day after Charley’s divorce is finalized. I think Palmer has such a gift for creating real, relatable, characters that feel like old friends by the end of the book. I loved the road trip aspect. It gave us plenty of funny (and gross 😅) situations, lots of forced proximity tension, and also gave Charley and Ethan a chance to explore their relationship, both past and present. And the ending? Cue the waterworks! 🥹😭

Give Anywhere with You a read if you enjoy a second chance, childhood best friend romance with roadtrip vibes and a great sister love story, too!

I have loved both of Ellie Palmer’s books that I’ve read now! there is so much adventure and joy in Charley and Ethan’s story. I love how they both find their true, authentic love for each other in their history and presence with one another. and I also loved the family/found family dynamics here. there’s just so much joy & love! 🥰 and again the audiobook was phenomenal! the duet narration was perfect! thank you @putnambooks for the ARC

Anywhere With You was a fun, flirty, and wonderfully emotional read!
Carley and Ethan’s wild, whirlwind non-romance-but-maybe-romance had me entranced. I loved their inside jokes, and their past history really completed their relationship. Ethan was more my type of character as Charley had a selfish side to her.
The roadtrip concept is right up my alley! Chaotic detours made this trip enjoyable! I got all the feels from their campervan moments.
Palmer did an excellent job inserting moments that I highlighted- taking time to see what the world has to offer and really embracing the small moments.
This is the perfect read for summer and people who live for roadtrips!

Some books are just a cozy, aching kind of comfort—and Anywhere With You was exactly that.

This one has so many of my favorite things: childhood friends to lovers, a road trip through the woods of Minnesota, longing, push-and-pull chemistry, and a guy who quietly disapproves of the heroine’s terrible ex because he knew she deserved better.

Charley is such a layered character. She hides her true self in all of her relationships, so afraid of being left behind that she never really lets people in. Watching her let Ethan in—slowly, reluctantly, tenderly—was really moving. And Ethan! Yes, he’s a bit of a free spirit, but what got me was how clearly he’s searching for a home—and how that home ends up being with her.

Their ease with each other, the history between them, the way they finally see each other after years of not quite doing so—it all hit me in the heart. I also really loved the sister storyline, and how Charley realizes that the roles they played in childhood don’t have to define them anymore.

My one small gripe: I wanted to shake Charley at times for being so stubbornly unaware of the very mutual attraction. Like, girl. Come on.

But overall? This was a lovely, tender romance with just enough bite. Definitely recommend if you're into slow-burns with depth, heart, and a little wanderlust.

Loved this one! Read if you like: friends-to-lovers, slow-burn romance. This book is lower on the spice and really does a great job focusing on the relationships. I could relate to the Type A FMC and loved the character development. 4 stars! *I received a complimentary e-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This was such a sweet book! I am a SUCKER for childhood friends to lovers. I just absolutely love the shared history, which you get to see with our MCs, Charley and Ethan. This story is dual timeline, so you get flashbacks to the beginning of Charley and Ethan’s friendship, up until when things imploded between them. While their relationship is at the forefront of the story, you also get to see the dynamic between Charley and her sister, Laurel, and how their relationship evolves. There were so many sweet moments in this, and definitely ones that had me giggling too. The roadtrip and camping excursion were definitely entertaining! I loved the real, relatable characters and how this all came together in the end! Definitely recommend checking this one out!

Charley Beekman is recently divorced and over marriage all together, so when her sister declares she's eloping with the man she's been continuously dating and dumping since college, Charley knows she's making a huge mistake. Determined to stop what is sure to be a disastrous life choice, Charley finds herself riding shotgun in the camper van of her best friend, a man who all but ghosted her after skipping her own wedding, as they make their way through the Minnesota woods.

I'm a sucker for a good road trip romance because forced proximity makes for fun times, and ANYWHERE WITH YOU is no exception. Charley and Ethan are childhood friends whose relationship became strained after the marriage Ethan told her she'd regret, and now they're trying to find that easy rhythm they used to have, but a pesky little spark keeps getting in the way. Though the travels are relatively short, it was entertaining seeing them be forced to confront the elephant in the van now that there was nowhere to hide.

I think what I adored most about this novel was the way it explored relationships, both romantic and familial. For Charley and Laura, even when they're furious and fighting, there's an underlying tone that makes it clear they would do anything for each other. Whereas with Ethan and Charley, there's a level of familiarity and love that comes from growing up alongside the person who knows you better than anyone. Watching these dynamics play out through kayak adventures, rest stop showers, and a bachelorette party made for a charming and heartwarming read.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

- 𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒚 𝑬𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒓

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵
✰ 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴
✰ 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱
✰ 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯

I have to say that with this second novel Ellie Palmer solidified her place among my favorite authors. Anywhere with you is pretty much a journey throw emotions, growth and sisterhood. It's raw, it's angry, it's petty, it's funny, it's hot, it's angsty, it's romantic, it's heartwarming. Just like life is.
We follow Charley and Ethan two childhood best friends having to go on an adventurous road trip to stop a wedding from happening and every hidden emotion between them unfolds.

This is one of those books that remind me why I love reading romance. This had all I always look for in these books. All the feelings.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It's also perfect for these last weeks of summer so you don't have an excuse to pick it up.

*arc kindly provided by the publisher @putnambooks via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

Oh how I needed this comfy, perfect for summertime read! This is a great book for anyone who loves a dual timeline childhood friends to lovers trope. Especially if you love a lake vibe as well! My favorite thing about friends to lovers is the built in history between the characters and Palmer did a lovely job of giving the reader just enough of that history to highlight their journeys now, as adults, navigating the pains and pressures of life. Sprinkle in a few silly side characters and zany adventures for balance and it mixed into something that will appeal to a lot of different kinds of romance readers!

Rating: really like it - 4 stars
Romantic content: vague open door/fade to black
Content: strained parental relationships/abandonment

Okay this book had me so conflicted on a rating that I was only able to settle on this 4 star after talking it out with a friend and seeing where I ultimately landed. That said...

This book is so god damn funny. I mean, I was literally laughing out loud at some of the things these characters were saying and some of the situations that they were finding themselves in. We are following Ethan and Charley, two childhood best friends who have reunited after a brief friendship separation, as they embark on a spur of the moment road trip to stop a wedding. Now, to be fair... Charley wasn't my favorite. I really struggled with the very start of the book because I wasn't a fan of the overly exaggerated quirky writing the author was using and Charley was a bit hard to like. I mean she was somehow uptight and rigid while also being a bit of a manic pixie dream girl but also high strung? It was a lot.

Ethan on the other hand?? Oh, I was in it to win it with Ethan. I'm not usually jumping on the cinnamon roll golden retriever love interest train. I don't hate it but it isn't usually my preference but Ethan was SO down bad for Charley from the very first moment and I couldn't get enough. The little acts of love this man would do for her throughout their entire lives?? I will never look at a Dove chocolate again without thinking about how a man has never cooked me a meal let alone mailed me good luck chocolates across the country anytime something significant was happening in my life.

The biggest issue for me when trying to decide on my rating was how much I loathed the third act "breakup". It felt unnecessary and annoying. I'm not convinced any romance really ever needs to even have a third act breakup but especially when it's because of miscommunication. And this miscommunication trope didn't even make sense because the entirety of the book all they did was communicate how they felt to each other and their worries and their wants. They even have a VERY prolonged argument/conversation where they, IN DEPTH, discuss everything they are feeling and all their concerns to each other and yet they still "break up" just to get back together like a week later? And one of them knew the entire time that a grand apology gesture was being planned to win them back? I didn't like it. Luckily, Ethan and the humor were more than enough to keep this book as a winner for me and while it isn't a new favorite romance it was still a great romcom.

“You know I’d go anywhere with you.”

Charley Beekman is newly divorced and spiraling. At 28 years old she is in the middle of a mid life crisis and turning all her focus on her sister’s impending elopement. Ethan Powell is rushing to Charley’s side, ready to be there for her as her best friend but with the clear intentions of being so much more.

Charley and Ethan have been best friends since the 8th grade and nothing more. However, Ethan’s true feelings are start to come to light and Charley has no idea how to process any of it. Are they too different? Can Ethan’s nomadic lifestyle fit with Charley’s very stationary life?

Anywhere With You
.
Charley’s divorce is finally finalized and she feels life is getting back on track when her free-spirited sister, Laurel, plans a spur of the moment wedding . Desperate to stop her sister, Charley and her best friend Ethan take to the road in a camper van to put a stop to the wedding.
.
🛶 friends to lovers
🛶forced proximity
🛶past/present timelines
🛶roadtrip
🛶opposites attract
🛶hilarious moments
.
This book had me up reading late and cackling at the misadventures Charley found herself in. This sophomore novel by Ellie Plamer was a hit!
Please tell me Laurel and Petey are getting a book too?!?
.
Thank you netgalley and G.P. Putman’s & Sons for the opportunity to read and review this book!
It’s a fun read! Loved it!
4.5 ⭐️

When I read a book and it's just all vibes, I know I'm going to have a hard time writing anything comprehendible at all for a review...but here we are.

This is everything I want when I sit down with a rom-com. Ellie set a high standard with Four Weekends and a Funeral, and then just blew right past that mile marker to the next one. I posted about the incredible first line of this book, and then you have the chapter titles, but it just keeps getting better. The dialog and comedic delivery were spectacular. Charley and Ethan's chemistry and banter were on point and just came off the page. Childhood friends to lovers is the superior trope in my opinion, and this book will prove why!

It's honestly just the vibes here guys ...I laughed out loud so many times reading this book, and just in general was smiling, or trying to control my heart rate! I also loved the balance of exploring Charley and Laurel's family history and childhood and seeing the overall effect it had on them as adults. And Petey, every book should have Petey in it from this point forward.

I'm so glad I knew I would love this and pre-ordered it, so now my real life copy should be here tomorrow 🤗

Thank you to @netgalley and
@putnambooks for the early review copy of this book so I could scream about it days in advance!