Title: The Getaway List
Author: Emma Lord
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Published On: January 23, 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 320
Synopsis:
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.
Inescapably romantic and brimming with Emma Lord’s signature cheer, The Getaway List is an uplifting and romantic read that will settle into your heart and never leave.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free, except where indicated.)
The Getaway List is my second book by Emma Lord, and while I enjoyed this young adult story about a recently graduated teen striking out on her own in New York City—along with some old and new friends—I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as Lord’s previous novel Tweet Cute.
There is plenty to enjoy about this story, though, so that’s what I’ll start with.
Lord is able to create unique characters with meaningful backstories, placing them in a setting that is appealing. I instantly liked Riley, her strong voice and desire to be her own person, and I liked all her friends—old and new. And I liked that their adventures took place during a summer in New York City.
Lord gives us plenty of emotional moments between friends AND their parents. And I found myself highlighting several quotes because I thought the story was written well, hence why this one still gets four stars from me.
I’m worried if we spend the rest of the night pretending everything’s fine we’ll just start feeling like everything’s fine, even when it’ not. And if the past few years have taught me anything, it’s that the issues we’re glossing over only get wider the longer they’re ignored.
Emma Lord, The Getaway List
Anchoring the story around a list that Riley created with her best friend Tom gives the story purpose and direction, but maybe I’ve read too many books with this formula lately because sometimes they start to feel a bit redundant for me. When authors provide a list our characters will be checking off as the story progresses, I prefer if they throw in some twists and even veer away from the list at times, which I feel like didn’t happen enough in The Getaway List.
One of my least favorite tropes is the miscommunication trope, and this story is almost drowning in it—between our main characters AND our side characters. Riley and Tom haven’t communicated well in years, Riley and ex-boyfriend Jesse never got closure, new friends Mariella and Luca are having some missed signals, Riley and her mom aren’t communicating, and Tom’s mom isn’t communicating with him. I just wanted everyone to talk and be honest already!
Spoiler!
I kept expecting a twist for Tom and his mom—a more definitive reason why Tom hasn’t heard from her—but a twist never came. Which ended up being quite sad.
While I enjoyed Riley’s journey, I found the story mostly predictable and I just wanted a little… more. But I’d still recommend it to fans of Lord’s work. It’s written well and I know other fellow readers who have enjoyed it more than me. It could possibly just be a case of bad timing for this reader.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy.
(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)
Rating:
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About the Author
Emma Lord is the NYT bestselling author of YOU HAVE A MATCH and TWEET CUTE, a BuzzFeed market editor, and dessert gremlin living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, a whole lot of love, and copious amounts of grilled cheese.
A Song For A Book
I was hoping to discover an author created playlist for The Getaway List, but I didn’t find one. She did mention a few songs in the book, including some Taylor Swift. And one particular Swift song kept playing in my head as I read, so I’m going with that one: “Welcome to New York (Taylor’s Version)”.
Walkin’ through a crowd, the village is aglow
Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats
Everybody here wanted somethin’ more
Searchin’ for a sound we hadn’t heard before
And it said
Welcome to New York, it’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York, it’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
It’s a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore
The lights are so bright, but they never blind me, me
Welcome to New York, it’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors
Took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer
Everybody here was someone else before
And you can want who you want
Boys and boys and girls and girls
Welcome to New York, it’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York, it’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
It’s a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore
The lights are so bright, but they never blind me, me
Welcome to New York (New York), it’s been waitin’ for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York…
Have you read The Getaway List? Or did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
Sounds like a fun book, even with the miscommunication trope issues. (One of my least favorite tropes, too.) Thanks for the review!
It was a fun one! Lord is great at creating characters.
I don’t enjoy that miscommunication trope either. Just have a conversation, people!
Yeah… sometimes it’s so frustrating to read.
I am not sure if any of Lord’s books have quite measured up to Tweet Cute. There was just something about that one, but this good too. I do understand the miscommunication trope diving you batty. Really, I was shaking my head at times, but I was so into their personal journeys. I was super pleased with that part.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Sam! I think it came down to timing for me. I wasn’t in the right head space for all that miscommunication. 😉
I haven’t read Tweet Cute, but I read another of hers that I thought was decent but didn’t compel me to read more of her books. I can do the miscommunication trope sometimes, but it doesn’t sound like I would enjoy it in this one. If you read her again, I hope it is a Tweet Cute experience.
Yeah, I need the miscommunication trope to be done just right. It’s a hard one to tackle without it becoming too frustrating sometimes. But I think Lord is great at creating characters.
I enjoyed the friendship aspect and setting, and agree the miscommunication was a bit much.