Title: The Getaway List
Author: Emma Lord
Publication: January 23, 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: Teen, YA Fiction
Pages: 314
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
When Riley graduates high school with a rearview of shenanigans but an empty road for a future, she does what they all say to do—pack her bags and head for New York. Her plan is a little loose, but her main goal is to find Tom—her childhood best friend and co-creator of The Getaway List. Years ago, they made a list of all the adventures they wanted to do together, but Tom has been increasingly distant ever since he moved to New York with his famous scriptwriter mom four years ago. When Riley arrives in New York, her reconnection with Tom is as effortless as it was when they were young—except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I LOVED Emma Lord’s novel Begin Again, so I knew I had to read The Getaway List when I saw it coming out. This story follows Riley as she goes off on a coming-of-age adventure with her childhood friend Tom.
Right off the bat, I love all these characters. The friend group in this story is next level. You have someone for everyone to relate to. You have the nerd, the rockstar/popular friend, the sassy friend, and more. I loved the adventures the group went on and the lessons these teens learned from each other. The development and growth we see in all these characters is the winner of this story. While this story follows along with Riley, I really think the point of the story is how teenagers or young adults in this age group just don’t know who they are fully and have to find out for themselves who they are and what they want. I really enjoyed the talk between the mother and daughter and how the mom had to come to terms with her own past. As a mother, I found these scenes meaningful and memorable.
I have two small qualms with this book and the bigger of the two is that the story was a little slow at times. It seemed like there was a lot of repetitive days and feelings throughout where it was almost as if the author was filling space. I wanted these to flow smoother and keep me wanting to read. I remember that feeling with Begin Again and I was hoping for it, but it felt short at times. The other issue I had was the references to the movie or show they were constantly going on adventures for. I felt, as a reader, that I didn’t know much about this series for it to be referred to so much and almost felt confused as they went on adventures, which left me feeling disconnected from the book during those moments.
While those two small issues had me feeling separated from the book at times, my overall enjoyment of the book was not overly affected and I really enjoyed the story as a whole. If you loved Emma Lord in the past or just love really good YA Fiction novels with a lot of personal growth, The Getaway List is for you!
