Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer is a perfect follow-up to her debut novel, Four Weekends and a Funeral. Readers will fall helplessly in love with Charley and Ethan as they embark on a road trip that challenges their friendship and sparks the possibility of something more. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the slow-burn romance keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Beyond the stellar love story, I was especially drawn to Charley’s relationship with her sister. Their dynamic—filled with both tension and deep affection—felt incredibly real. The way they navigate their shared childhood experiences, with moments of both humor and heartbreak, had me laughing and crying right along with them.

I highly recommend Anywhere With You to fans of the friends-to-lovers trope and to those who appreciate a heartfelt portrayal of sisterhood. Ellie Palmer delivers a story that’s as emotionally resonant as it is romantic.

One of the best friends-to-lovers romances I've ever read! Not only was Charley and Ethan's journey through northern Minnesota hilariously chaotic and epic, but the novel explored the weightier side of sibling dynamics, parental dysfunction, and finding the courage to live life how you want, not how you think you should. ANYWHERE WITH YOU will appeal to both longtime romance readers and the occasional fan.

This love story is so beautiful. Full of nostalgia, growth, laughs, and so much swooning!!! Ah! I'm obsessed.

Charley and Ethan are roadtripping to make sure her older sister doesn’t get married to her long time on/off again love. Charley is fresh from a divorce, she’s having some job drama, she’s got some bad views of love and relationships due to her parents marriage being less than ideal. Ethan is not great with commitment to women or to places. He travels a lot following the music scene, so he basically lives in his (very nice) van. These two have skated around feelings for each other throughout their friendship. Ethan is too important to Charley to ever loose him, and she’s certain he could never be a long term anything for her. And Ethan, Ethan!!!, he’s been in love with her for a very long time. Will this trip be the thing they both need most??

•romcom
•childhood friends to lovers
•roadtrip
•angst and so much flirting
•timeline jumps
•closed door spice
•he’s been pining for YEARS
•such good side characters

I loved this story so much. The nostalgia in the timeline jumps were so good!!! The way Ellie writes the feelings of being the new kid in a neighborhood and just immediately having friends and going on adventures with no judgements...it was perfect. I loved the flashbacks to college and how their feelings had grown overtime and how Charley felt she had to hold things back to hold onto this relationship that was so important to her. It built the emotion behind their connection so high for me. I loved Charley and Ethan so much. Ethan might just be a new crush! Top tier book boyfriends for sure.

Sinopsis en español:

Charley Beekman está prosperando. ¿Está limitada económicamente, languideciendo en su carrera legal y muy probablemente la divorciada más joven en Ruth's Chris Steakhouse un viernes por la noche? Sí. Pero, ahora que ha aceptado los defectos inherentes a todas las relaciones románticas, ¡finalmente tiene la vida resuelta! Definitivamente se le debe un repunte.

Así que cuando su hermana de espíritu libre anuncia su plan de fugarse con su desordenado novio de la infancia, Charley sabe que tiene que detener la boda, incluso si eso significa un viaje por carretera a los bosques del norte de Minnesota en una autocaravana con su mejor amigo de la infancia, Ethan, que es tan hermoso como él es crónicamente poco confiable.

Pero cuando su viaje acogedor enciende una chispa que ha tratado de ignorar durante años, Charley intenta descartar sus sentimientos como fugaces. Porque después de fracasar tan espectacularmente en el matrimonio con el hombre más responsable que haya conocido, Charley definitivamente no debería arriesgarlo todo por su mejor amiga no comprometida, nómada y músico... ¿verdad?



Reseña:


La sinopsis me atrajo, pero la historia no me encantó, fue lo suficientemente entretenido para que lo terminara, pero al final me quedé con la sensación de que faltó algo, que necesitaba que Ethan tuviera povs porque sino la historia queda como el típico siempre fuiste tú, pero prefirió salir con otras que enseñarle a Chaley que el la amaba y que valí la pena intentarlo.



Gracias NetGalley por el ARC.

Here's the thing...

Author's debut novel "Four Weekends and a Funeral" stood apart from all those other contemporary, romance novels.
It possessed a title, a riff on the classic movie starring Andie McDowell and Hugh Grant.
It possessed a unique plot/set up between the FMC and the MMC main interest.

The stay-the-course character vs. follow your dreams character path was in no way a unique one. Add in the switch from the past to a present narrative then back again was a bit stilted.

On the up side, the verbal throw down (so to speak) between Charley and Ethan was well done.

Co-worker Stacy's intentions were bit murky and as a reader, wasn't quite sure if her intentions were pure or there was a hidden agenda. Would have liked to see more development of the sisterly bond between Charley and Laurel before they make it to the campsite.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons in exchange for an honest review.


#AnywhereWithYou #NetGalley

I loved Four Weekends and a Funeral and couldn't wait to read another book by Ellie Palmer. There was certainly no second book slump with this book! Palmer writes such developed characters and fantastic witty banter. Charley and Ethan's story is a joy to read and had me me laughing and swooning the whole time.

This was a super cute, swift paced, and quirky story that packed a surprising amount of depth and emotions.

While the book happens primarily over the course of a weekend, the relationships are given their gravity and importance over flashbacks throughout the story of the previous 14 years of friendships. Each of the four friends in this little found family go through their own personal evolution over the years of their friendship and grow as individuals, and as a group.

Charley is sweet and relatable as she struggles to work her way through her self-esteem, relationship, and abandonment issues she developed as a child resulting from her parents relationship with each other, and their children. As this is a large portion of the book, I think this novel leans a bit more toward women’s fiction and her personal journey than the romance between her and Ethan. While I absolutely love Ethan, I appreciated that while he was persistent and worked to bring down Charley’s walls, it was Charley herself who made the decision to take down her walls and allow herself to finally be vulnerable.
—
🎸 Romance & women’s fiction
🚐 Best friends to lovers
🎸 Road-trip
🚐 Lost & found friendships
🎸 Found families
🚐 Comedic travel disasters
🎸 It’s always been you
🚐 Absent parents
🎸 Songs about her
🚐 Secondary romance
🎸 Starting over
🚐 Life after divorce
🎸 Dual timelines
🚐 Single POV
📍Michigan, USA
—
Thank you Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons & NetGalley for this complimentary ARC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 8/5/2025

This was such a cute rom com. I really enjoyed Charley and Ethan’s story! These two have so much history as best friends and it was painful at times reading about their journey back to eachother because I’m impatient and Charley needed to come to terms with changing her life plan. Charley’s journey is full of self discovery and learning spontaneity is ok was a major focal point of growth.

This story is single POV and dual timeline. The dual timeline is something I normally really don’t like, but it really helps you see why Charley is so adamant about predictability and all the little ways Ethan has fallen for Charley over the years!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for a digital ARC of Anywhere With You.

I wanted to love this so bad, but something fell short and I can't put a finger on what it was. Her writing is top-notch, there's no doubt about that. But I didn't fall in love with the story or the characters. Her debut was amazing so I'll continue to read her work, but this was a miss for me.

this was fun!! it felt a little repetitive at times and i wish the dual timeline was explored more, but considering i went in expecting the nomad mmc to be unbearable i enjoyed it more than expected. definitely want to check out ellie palmer's other book. 3.5⭐️ - i received an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Me gustó el libro anterior, pero este no tanto.

Charley y Ethan han sido amigos por años, se gustan, pero ambos quieren cosas diferentes de la vida: ella busca estabilidad, él libertad. Por eso, nunca han intentado ser algo más.
No se han visto en dos años, después de una pelea antes de la boda de ella. Ahora que está divorciada, cree que es el momento de recuperar su amistad, por lo que le pide ayuda para evitar que su hermana haga una locura. Durante el viaje, finalmente hablarán y decidirán si lo intentan o no.



~

La idea me gustó, pero al final no pude verlos como pareja. Hubiera sido necesario que Ethan tuviera povs, porque tal como está la historia, se siente forzada.

Ellie Palmer returns with another love letter to all things Minnesota and Midwest with Anywhere With You. This novel explores finding yourself, family, found family, best-self, and HOME. A warm hug in any season of the year.

ARC via NetGalley

Goodreads review

This was such a fun romp, a little silly and disastrous at times - but a good quick read!

What’s to love…
- childhood friends to lovers
- dual timeline
- strong friendships
- wonderful sister relationship
- relatable & flawed characters
- Great tension + banter
- a second bonus romance
- road trip + van life
- heavy emphasis on nonromantic relationships and self-discovery

What I didn’t love, but you might not mind…
- This leaned a little more women’s fiction than romance for me, which I don’t usually mind but I was in the mood for high tension and banter (something Ellie Palmer’s last book absolutely delivered on) - so this didn’t quite hit as well as I’d hoped. The romance is still lovely and I think Ethan is pretty perfect but I would have loved more focus on their relationship.
- On a similar note, I usually don’t mind single POV romance but I do think this would have greatly benefited from the MMCs point of view.
- I am personally not a fan of dual timeline - it’s 100% a me problem but I usually find its harder for books with a dual timeline to keep me engaged and this was certainly the case here.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
I had a great time reading Ethan and Charley’s love story. I thought it played out naturally and felt genuine. Having the flashbacks really helped make us understand their friendship and how it grew and changed. They were clearly made for each other but it took a lot of work for both of them to get there. Charley’s sister was one of my favorite parts. Great character development.

I love the friends to lovers trope and have been on a romcom streak and this filled every box for me. I loved it and it was my first Ellie Palmer book. I loved charley and Ethan's story. The banter between them and the way some chapters gave a flashback of how charley and Ethan's relationship and friendship started gave you a sense of knowing them as if they were friends of yours.

I received a free digital ARC of this book.

Anywhere With You is a sweet and charming closed door, friends to lovers romance.

After a childhood spent moving all the time, all Charley has ever wanted was stability in adulthood. A good job, a reliable husband, a house that she never plans on leaving. Then her husband asks for a divorce and her sense of security is shattered.

The day her divorce papers are signed, her childhood best friend, Ethan, shows up to reconnect. Their plans for the day are quickly derailed when Charley's sister Laurel video calls to let them know she's eloping with their mutual friend, Petey. Charley and Ethan quickly decide to embark on a weekend trip in Ethan's camper van to witness the wedding and/or talk some sense in the Laurel (if Charley has anything to say about it).

Chaos ensues, anything that can go wrong does, but in the meantime, Charley stops fighting the attraction she feels for Ethan, even though she knows it will never work out between the two of them. She needs a sturdy, predictable life. He lives in a van. It's not a compatible existence. Their fleeting weekend romance will have to be enough.

Will Ethan convince Charley that she's always been the one for him? Will Charley's need for predictability cause her to lose the longest, most important friendship of her life?

I really enjoyed my time reading Charley and Ethan's story. It was sweet, swoony, and had me laughing out loud at times. 3.5 stars

4.5 stars! ⭐️

After absolutely loving Four Weekends and a Funeral, I couldn’t wait to dive into Ellie Palmer’s second novel, and I was not disappointed! As a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, this story nailed it beautifully!

This road trip romance centers on Charley and Ethan, who have been friends since childhood. Their friendship has survived moves, career shifts, and more, until Charley’s engagement causes a rift. As her wedding day draws closer, Ethan begins pulling away, and they gradually drift apart. But when Charley’s marriage falls apart within the year, she reaches out to Ethan, and they begin to rebuild their friendship.

Just as Charley’s divorce is finalized, her spontaneous sister reveals her plans to elope. Feeling jaded about love, Charley convinces Ethan to join her on a road trip to stop the wedding. Along the way, they are forced to confront some truths about themselves and their friendship.

The chemistry between Charley and Ethan is clear & believable and the setting of the road trip was fun and offered a bit of forced proximity. The banter between Charley and Ethan was also a standout for me -funny, heartfelt, with a sprinkle of tension.

Thank you to Putnam Books & NetGalley for the eARC! I can’t wait to see what Ellie Palmer writes next!

This was a very cute friends to lovers book. I loved Ellie Palmers last book and this one gave me similar vibes. Overall very cute romcom.

Anywhere with You follows Charley, a 28 year old recently divorced lawyer and her best friend Ethan. Charley grew up with her parents in a tenuous relationship that really impacted all of her feelings about love and security. Charley's sister is determined to marry Ethan's best friend Petey who she has had an on again off again relationship with for years. Charley is convinced this is a terrible idea and her and Ethan set off on a road trip in his van so that Charley can talk some sense into Laurel.

I really enjoyed this book! Charley's feelings about wanting safety and security were so well written and relatable. Ellie also wrote one of the most genuine sister relationships I have EVER read- the fights, support n each other etc were all spot on. Charley and Ethan's love for each other was so sweet and special and I loved getting glimpses into the past at how they came to be each other's favorite people. This book was a delight and one of the best friends to lovers that I have read. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!

I loved this book so much. I started off thinking I wouldn’t really get into it, but 1/3 of the way through and I was hooked and finished in one sitting! I loved how down bad Ethan was and she didn’t “have a clue” ugh honestly they were so cute