Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer | Book Review

Posted August 7, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer
Published by GP Putnam's Sons on August 5, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 360
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
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From the beloved author of Four Weekends and a Funeral, a nostalgic, heartwarming romance about a Type-A woman who road trips through the Minnesotan woods with her non-committal childhood best friend . . . only for their long-suppressed sparks to burn like wildfire.

Twenty-nine year old Charley Beekman is thriving. Is she financially strapped, languishing in her legal career, and very likely the youngest divorcee at the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on a Friday night? Yes. But, now that she's accepted the inherent flaws that lie in all romantic relationships, she finally has life all figured out! She's definitely due for an upswing.

So when her free-spirited sister announces her plan to elope with her messy on-again-off-again childhood sweetheart, Charley knows she has to stop the wedding, even if it means road-tripping into the northern woods of Minnesota in a camper van with her childhood best friend, Ethan, who’s as gorgeous as he is chronically unreliable.

But when their cozy journey ignites a spark she's tried to ignore for years, Charley tries to write off her feelings as fleeting. Because after failing at marriage so spectacularly with the most responsible man she's ever known, Charley definitely shouldn't risk it all for her non-committal, nomadic, musician best friend . . . right?

I loved, loved, loved Four Weekends and a Funeral last year so when I was given the opportunity to read Ellie’s sophomore novel I snatched it up immediately. This romantic comedy gives you a road trip, forced proximity, and the cutest friends to lovers trope. It gave me a much-needed escape and lots of goofy giggles. Ellie Palmer’s writing is just lovely, and I enjoyed this story so much. She does such a great job balancing humor and serious topics, giving readers a well-rounded and satisfying story. She’s also amazing at creating characters you can’t help but fall in love with.

Anywhere With You focuses on Charley and Ethan, childhood best friends who lost touch after Charley got married to a major jerk that Ethan hated from the get-go. One year later, Charley finalizes her divorce (Ethan was right) the same day her sister, Laurel, tells her she’s eloping with her own childhood best friend, Petey (who is also Ethan’s brother). Charley, Ethan, Laurel, and Petey were a dynamic group as kids, always together and always there for each other. I would have loved a friend situation like that! Heck, I still would! So when Laurel, whose a bit of a wildcard, announces that she’s getting married Charley starts to spiral. Ethan comes to town to help her recover from her divorce as only a best friend can, but instead the two of them set off on a road trip so Charley can make it to her sister’s marriage in time… to stop it. Ethan is all for Laurel and Petey getting married, but is supportive of Charley and drives her to the wedding in his fancy van (that he lives in).

The road trip was my favorite part. Ethan and Charley experience a spider incident, an ugly hangover, an unfortunate truck stop shower situation, finding themselves at the mercy of a man who controls all the goings-on in a small town, a very cold lake moment, and so much more. Their journey had me laughing so much, not to mention craving Dove Promises chocolate.

Charley is hilarious. The entire book is told from her point of view, and her inner dialogue and thoughts were so much fun to read. Ellie Palmer comes up with some of the funniest things. Charley’s anxious thoughts, self-deprecation, panic, and insecurities made me both laugh and sympathize with her. I don’t usually enjoy books that are so heavy on a character’s personal thoughts and reflections, but Charley was very entertaining. I loved that she has this big house, but has moved everything she owns (including her fridge) into her bedroom because she wants more control over her life and wants to contain it all in a small place. I loved that, in a panic, she throws together a bag of things she needs for this road trip but ends up not packing enough to actually be able to keep her going while she’s gone. She’s a workaholic, but learns to balance work and her life. She’s so regimented and rigid, and Ethan helps her learn to let loose a little. Ethan, a musician and van life influencer, never stays in one place for long. Unless you count Charley’s heart as a place, that is. Ethan has lived there forever, and I loved that. And who wouldn’t have a place for Ethan in their heart? He writes romantic songs and sends emergency chocolate and will drop anything to drive hours away to help someone he cares about through a tough time. He’s a wandering free spirit who, deep down, wants a reason to stay in one place. The two are so different, and that’s what makes them so perfect for each other. I loved Laurel and Petey, too. They are such funny characters, but also fiercely loyal. I loved Petey’s relationship with Ethan and Laurel’s relationship with Charley (even though it’s fiery and gets them into a little trouble every now and then).

I think my favorite part of a friends to lovers romance is the history between the characters. Flashback chapters allow us to delve into Ethan’s and Charley’s past, which I loved. They had the sweetest friendship as kids/teens. There’s also a lot of feelings and some confusion and a lot of mutual pining that has spanned years. I love a romance that has this kind of weight behind it. It just feels like it’ll work. And IT DOES. These two go through quite the confusing journey from friends to lovers, and it’s filled with tension and steam and passion. Charley’s fears of embracing more than just a friendship with Ethan felt very real and easy to understand.

All in all, I really enjoyed Anywhere with You! It’s funny, romantic, real, heartwarming, and even a little heartbreaking at times. I felt all the things, and ended up with a wonderful happily ever after. Ellie Palmer is two for two in my book, and I’m so excited to see what she writes next!

Top Ten Contemporary Travel Romances

Posted August 4, 2025 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 12 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is a genre freebie, which means you get to pick any genre you’d like and build a list around it. You can even narrow the topic if you’d like, such as: thrillers with unreliable narrators, fantasy romance with fae characters, or historical romance with suspense elements. I decided to share my favorite contemporary romances with travel elements. These characters are all on vacation!

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Olive’s sister and Ethan’s best friend get sick during their wedding reception and can’t go on their honeymoon, so Olive and Ethan decide to assume their identities and pose as a married couple so the Hawaiian honeymoon doesn’t go to waste.

Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

Molly and Andrew have been airplane friends for years, somehow always ending up on the same flight home for Christmas. This year, a snowstorm has grounded their flight so they decide to work together to travel home by any means necessary.

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca

Lulu tags along with a band as they tour Renaissance Faires for the summer and falls in love with one of the band members, Dex.

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler

Zoey is finally checking Alaska off her bucket list and travels to the cutest little Alaskan town with a moose who licks windows and loves the smell of baking bread. Oh, and Graham is there, too (don’t get my wrong, I adore Graham, but the moose is my favorite.).

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

Lily is a guide who takes people on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. Leo just so happens to be on one of her tours and when danger strikes, they have to survive together.

Enemies Abroad by R.S. Grey

OK, so this is technically a work trip but they get to have a lot of fun! Audrey and Noah are chaperoning a bunch of 8th graders on a trip to Rome, and it’s amazing.

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette

Ok… another work trip. But oh well! Emerson and Theo were best friends as teens and even made a marriage pact. Ten years later and after a falling out, they meet again at a photoshoot in Cinque Terre, Italy. She’s the model and he’s the photographer.

The Gem Thief by Sian Ann Bessey

Romance and mystery abound in this fake engagement story set on a cruise in the Mediterranean.

Eighty Days to Elsewhere by K.C. Dyer

I had to steal part of the book synopsis because it’s perfect. “The Amazing Race” meets Around the World in 80 Days as a woman desperate to save her family bookstore falls for her competition.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

This is the book that started my love of travel romance. 18-year-old Bria signs up for a guided tour of Central America, but ends up off the beaten path with Rowan, a backpacker and dive instructor. He shows her places the tour would never take her, she makes some great friends, and she falls in love! Perfection.

What topic did you decide on for this week’s prompt?

Contemporary travel romance is probably my favorite genre so, as always, if you have any recommendations for me please share them in the comments below!

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Posted August 2, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
Published by Gallery Books on May 17, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession… or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.

Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.

Any kind of outdoorsy, survival sort of story immediately piques my interest. I don’t know what it is about stories like these. I’m not the least bit outdoorsy. I don’t hike or camp or even go outside if I don’t have to. LOL. I’m much more a fan of being inside and out of the sun and the bugs. Maybe that’s the reason I like these stories! Who knows? But when I saw that a new Christina Lauren book was coming out that sounded a little different than we usually get from them, I was pretty excited! Treasure hunting, second chance romance, and a little suspense? I am in. I ended up loving it, and it’s one of my favorite CLo books now! I read this over a year ago and am just now finding time to review it, so I’m keeping things nice and simple with just a list of my thoughts this time.

1. This book starts off with a bang. Shortly after Leo’s bro trip with his buddies begins, something happens. What started out as a fun little fake treasure hunt turns into a full-blown race through treacherous terrain to find a real treasure. And danger could be lurking within every shadow.
2. I loved the local lore surrounding Lily’s father’s hidden treasure in the red rock canyons of Utah. It added a level of mystery and excitement I wasn’t expecting.
3. Lily and Leo end up breaking off from the other members of the group, so the bulk of the book is their adventure together. There’s more suspense, heavy discussions about their pasts both individually and the one they shared, survival aspects, and romance. I loved the blend of all of these things.
4. There’s a lot of action in this book, which was a fun change from what I’ve come to expect from CLo.
5. Leo and Lily are such a great couple. She’s strong and independent and seriously guarded. He’s sweet and caring. They made such a great team, deciphering clues and navigating this dangerous hunt together. There’s only one tent, guys… and only one sleeping bag. I will say no more. These two ooze chemistry.
6. I had so much fun. There’s banter and shenanigans and the danger was there, but written in a way that felt fun and exciting. It’s not something that will keep you up at night for any reason other than being hooked on the story and needing to know how it all ends.
7. In the interest of full disclosure, my initial attempt at reading Something Wilder was in audio format and I do not recommend it one bit. I live in Utah, where this book takes place. We do not speak with a twang here. I thought maybe this was the narrator’s choice, but then I read where Nicole’s (one of the secondary characters) twang is mentioned. We don’t have twangs. I later learned that Nicole is originally from Montana (I missed how old she was when she left), which some might argue makes this more accurate. But no, they don’t have twangs there either. People from Montana can sound a little Canadian, if anything, but not twangy except for maybe a very subtle one here and there in the more rural areas. The cowboy-wannabe twang the narrator chose for Nicole was so, so wrong for someone from either of these locations. Anyway. I returned the audiobook very early on and switched to my eARC, which was a very good choice for me.

All in all, I loved this! It was fun and fresh and different from the typical rom-com. I had so much fun on this adventure, and would love for Christina Lauren to write more out of the box rom-coms in the future!

Another Fish in the Sea by Amy Kelly | Book Review

Posted July 25, 2025 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

Another Fish in the Sea by Amy Kelly
Published by Attic Ebooks on July 17, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 32
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Dating was survival of the fittest for Marie—until a disastrous blind date ended in a car accident. As she recovers post-surgery, she wonders if it’s the lingering effects of the anesthetic or something more when she hears the voice of a stranger singing along with her behind the curtain in the post-op room. Their brief, strange moment ends as he’s wheeled away—but not before he mentions he’s a chef at Dockside.

Thanks to her friend Janey’s careful orchestrations, Marie soon discovers the man behind the curtain’s name is Jack, and he is, indeed, the Dockside chef. Through texts, she discovers he’s eager to get to know her, but Marie has sworn off first dates—too many heartbreaks and pain, and a broken leg to prove it. Jack hatches a plan to never go on a first date with her at all. Could undating Jack become the relationship Marie has always wanted, or will he be just another fish in the sea?

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably significantly behind on your reading goal this year. We’re close to ending the 7th month of the year, and I am currently 6 books behind on my Goodreads goal. Why? Well, Love Island happened and then I fell down the rabbit hole of watching every cheesy, campy, low-budget shark movie that exists. Priorities, right? Anyway, when I saw this novella available for free as part of the July romance book blast, I figured that even if it ended up not being good I’d get to finish a book quickly to try and get back on track. But guess what? I LOVED IT. If you’re looking for a sweet and swoony little morsel of a book, this is the one for you. You’ll be done in 20 minutes or less and you’ll be grinning from ear to ear. Since it’s so short, I won’t share much more than how much I loved it. There’s humor, heart, and the swooniest man ever. Marie is super relatable, and Jack is the man we all want to end up with. There’s no language, no steam, just some sweet kisses. It’s everything I needed and I hope Amy Kelly decides to write more romance (this is her only one so far). She did a lot with 32 little pages, and I really enjoyed myself!