Ugh! This book! It made me feel so much more deeply than I was expecting. Charley has such harsh feelings of abandonment that she can’t see or accept the way Ethan feels about her. She goes through a lot of self reflection and has to take a good look at her life to determine what she really wants. I loved this story. It was as much about her relationship with her sister Laurel as it was with Ethan. Laurel’s Petey may actually be my favorite character. He’s so pure and loving even in the face of everything that happens.

Charley is on a mission to save her sister from making the biggest mistake of her life by getting married. In order to get to the wedding, she hitches a ride with her best friend Ethan in his camper van. As the two road trip and reminisce about old times, feelings arise and sparks flare. Can the two be more than friends? Should they? Could they? Would they? You need to read to find out!

I adored Four Weekends and a Funeral so when I heard that Ellie Palmer had a new book coming out, I was excited to get my hands on it. This book was fun, easy to read and made me smile. Charley wasn't my favourite character at the start but she grew on me as the book progressed. Ethan was a sweetheart throughout! I don't read friends to lovers stories much so I enjoyed the ride this one took me on. I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

ANYWHERE WITH YOU - ELLIE PALMER
3.5⭐
A friend's to lovers with an adorable Male MC , dual timelines and a road trip adventure! Wanted to love this one but still enjoyed the book in parts!
Charlie's character is flawed and her need for some "roots" in her life causes a lot of issues in her personal and professional life. I just felt that the communication between the two best friends could have been so much better.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Friends to lovers is hard for me, especially for long-time friends (like over a decade), because it leans so much into miscommunication and just deliberately ignoring signals and gestures. Parts of this was way cute, but ultimately it felt like a bit of a stretch and repetitive.

I will keep coming back for Ellie’s books because she does banter with the best, I just hope I find some different tropes with her next book.

CW/TW: abandonment

Quick Take: I was so impressed by Ellie Palmer's debut (Four Weekends and a Funeral), so when I saw the chance to read her next romcom early, I jumped at it. This one, Anywhere With You, has the same delicious brand of hilarity and depth of characters as FOUR, plus the perfect summer Midwestern road trip to tag along on.

Mood Reader Guide: Minnesota / friends to lovers / flashbacks / musician / Type A girlie / camping / summer adventure / sisters / emotional family stuff / romcom / happily ending / light spice

Thoughts:
Ellie Palmer writes the best combination of laugh-out-loud and squeeze-your-heart moments and lines in her stories. The characters feel like real people you could know and it's so easy to get swept up in their lives. Ethan and Charley have gone through the wringer over the years, so it made sense to take readers through the pivotal moments and learn how they got to this point. As a WI girlie, I always have a soft spot in my heart for books set in my area (northern MN is like our first cousin). I also enjoyed the sister relationship that had its ups and downs. This book is a great summer #vanlife read that brings 2010s nostalgia, multiple physical comedy scenarios, and a love built on friendship and Dove chocolates.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Putnam for an e arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Charley, a burnt-out lawyer and new divorcee reconnecting with her estranged childhood best friend, Ethan, whom she hasn't talked to in a wild due to a rift between them on her wedding day. Ethan and Charley team up and go on a road trip in an attempt to stop her sister from marrying her on-and-off situationship.

I love enemies to lovers and this book scratched an itch i didn't know i had. I really loved the dual timeline in this book it wasn't overdone to me and the character work was so beautiful Ellie Palmer writes fantastic stories and I was really lucky to get to read this.

Not only is this a romance novel but it is also a love letter to sisterhood and some of the quotes in here made me bawl my eyes out.

Will be Published August 5, 2025

Thank you to Putnam for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own!

3.5 stars but I truly think this was a me problem and not the book

I just found this book to be really chaotic at times and it became more stressful than romantic for me. The subplot with her sister was just not a fun ride and I feel like a big part of the issue with Ethan and Charley is that they never actually sat down and communicated with each other. I’m not sure these two would have worked in the real world without a good dose of therapy for each of them.

I think others will love this way more than I did (I’ve seen so many glowing reviews!) but the chaotic nature of this book just didn’t jive with me.

I liked it but I wanted to love this one because I loved Four weekends and a Funeral so much but this fell a little flat for me. I really struggled with Charley (the main character) and the couple I was rooting for the most by the end was Charley and therapy. I did really love Ethan though and I could feel his pining even without his pov. Maybe if friends to lovers is your favorite trope, you will love this one.

Thank you to Ellie Palmer, Penguin Group Putnum, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Ellie Palmer's debut novel Four Weekends and a Funeral so when I saw that her second book was available to request on Net Galley, I knew I needed to try to get it!

Charley & Ethan were such a great couple! You could tell from the beginning that they grew up together and have been best friends for years! The banter, the story concept, and the romance was swoon-worthy!

This was a great and lighthearted palate cleanser! A great book to add to your summer reading TBR! Highly recommend!

A story of best friends, sisters, from afar pining and the believable emotional obstacles people face to work it all out. This book felt authentic in its portrayal of messy life circumstances and how Charley, Ethan, Laurel and Peter interact to help one another realize their inevitable destinies. Ellie Palmer crafts such a realistic look at how love takes different roads for each of us- in this case 4 people who don’t take a traditional path in making commitments to one another. Loved the unraveling of their histories with and how Palmer weaves their stories to form stronger, more realized characters- and it’s all believable. 5 Stars

I really enjoyed Four Weekends and a Funeral.
I was so ready to jump into Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer.
I love this story concept and it is so well done -- writing that you immediately get lost in, witty banter, and the swooniest romance.
It's effortlessly funny and the romance is natural and genuine.
Palmer’s characters are so charming, their chemistry is undeniable, and her writing is electric.

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to Ellie Palmer, Penguin Group Putnum, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I have read another Ellie Palmer novel and knew immediately that I needed to read this one. I was hooked immediately at the story’s synopsis! I enjoyed ALL of the banter, and loved the entire story. Charley and Ethan were so loveable, and their story was fun! I found myself having trouble putting this one down! Highly recommend!

Anywhere With You
by Ellie Palmer


I picked it up for the cover, enjoyed the banter, and finished it with a full heart. Charley and Ethan's friends to lovers journey is messy, vulnerable, emotional and so real. Charley’s fears and doubts felt incredibly relatable, and Ethan? A golden retriever book boyfriend who’s sweet, hot, and heartbreakingly loyal. Their road trip through the Minnesota woods was full of chaos, laughs, and so many tender moments. I especially loved the sisterhood theme and how the story embraced imperfection, uncertainty, and finding your way at your own pace. The flashbacks added a nostalgic touch, and their slow burn romance made the ending so satisfying. Ellie Palmer’s writing is witty and full of heart. If you love messy emotions, soft but sexy heroes, and road trip romance, Anywhere With You is for you.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Thank you to Ellie Palmer, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was such a cute book! Charley & Ethan are so great. You can tell they’ve grown up together and been best friends for years. This was a great, lighthearted palate cleanser that is 🫑 and not too emotional. A great summer read!

What a perfect summer romance featuring real characters with real problems!!

Charley, a 28-year old overworked lawyer and recent divorcée, and Ethan, her childhood bestie and easygoing van-living singer/songwriter, embark on a road trip to stop her free-spirited older sister from eloping with her on-again, off-again childhood boyfriend. Along the way, we learn why Charley craves stability while she discovers a spark with Ethan that may have always been there.

I had a lot of fun on this road trip with Ethan and Chuck- it was laugh-out-loud funny (if a tinge outrageous at times) while being supremely tender and heartfelt. While this book was heavy on the conflict, it was also heavy on the emotions. Charley undergoes a lot of self-growth that I thought was well fleshed out. Palmer’s writing makes the story feel real while still being easy to digest which made this the perfect read for me. I’m excited to get her to debut, "Four Weekends and A Funeral", after this one.

I definitely think people will feel a certain way about this read- the characters are MESSY, and you really need a certain amount of empathy to see where these characters are coming from any why they acted how they did. They’re flawed and real which will either take away or add to the reading experience- I certainly appreciated it!

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

Palmer gives the best-friends-to-lovers trope a smart, hilarious twist in Anywhere with You. With sharp sarcasm, pop culture nods, and crackling tension, it’s a messy, heartfelt story that feels refreshingly real. Charley’s search for home is compelling, and the vivid characters make this romance impossible to put down.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I found the banter to be cute and funny, but everything else felt a little bit flat. I got the sense that there was more telling than showing, so I didn’t feel any connection to the characters which made it harder to root for them or stay interested in their story.

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ✍🏻

Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer was such a sweet, emotional read. The romance felt genuine and heartfelt, and I loved watching the characters grow both together and on their own. It had just the right mix of light moments and deeper themes.

Charlie and Ethan have been best friends since childhood and after graduation, Ethan wants nothing more than to leave their small town to travel and sing his music. Charlie grew up moving town to town chasing her father's photography career. She wants to settle down in her own home with a stable career and a reliable husband. Now after her bitter divorce is final, Charlie is convinced she needs to keep her sister from making the same mistake by marrying her on-again-off-again boyfriend. She and Ethan drive cross country in his camper van to catch Laurel before she elopes. But being this close to Ethan may have her changing her own priorities.
I got so frustrated with Charlie, so convinced she's right that she won't even try a different way. The timeline jumps from past to present to show their friendship through the years, which I absolutely loved. Ethan was so obviously smitten from the start, afraid to get his heart broken again and willing to take whatever Charlie will give. Their third act breakup was hard to read and Ethan deserved so much more groveling! Overall I liked this road trip friends to lovers story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this book was not for me even though all my friends have raved about it! I’m just not in the right mindset maybe but it’s taking too long to get to the road trip portion and the beginning has not interested me enough to continue.