REVIEW: Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer

In Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer, Lawyer Charley Beekman has had better years. Getting divorced was nowhere in her five-year plan and neither was slogging away at a job that feels like it’s picking away at her soul one bit at a time. But now she’s finally made it to D-Day (Divorce Day). Although her night of drinking her worries away might not have been a great idea when Charley finds out that her older sister Laurel has decided to marry childhood sweetheart Petey out in the middle of the Minnesota woods somewhere. Knowing she needs to stop Laurel and Petey from making a huge mistake, Charley convinces her long-time best friend Ethan Powell to go on a road trip. And the traveling musician just so happens to own a camper van. Very convenient for chasing after a couple bent on ruining their lives. But very inconvenient when Charley realizes she’ll be stuck in the van with Ethan for the weekend with the past couple of years of non-communication sitting between them.

“You kissed me back.”
“Oh, I one thousand percent kissed you back,” he replies. It stuns me. I didn’t anticipate such an enthusiastic admission of guilt. “And when you do it again,” he continues, “I’ll kiss you back that time too.”

Okay, close proximity to Ethan was not a good idea. Charley might be a free agent–er, single woman again, but she’s not ready to push their friendship anywhere near romance when they’re just now finally back to their old banter. Although she can’t help notice her attraction to Ethan. And Charley doesn’t know if she’s imagining it but it seems he’s into her as well. With a series of mishaps they’ll (maybe) one day laugh at stacking up and Petey and Laurel always flitting off together, things aren’t going according to plan. But Charley finally begins to admit to herself, sometimes the spontaneous moments in life can be the most fulfilling and rewarding. And with Ethan by her side, she has a feeling that if she finally gives in, they could have the most interesting, adventurous life together. If she can take that scary first step to admitting her feelings for him.

‘My Ethan. Always.’

If you like your friends to lovers romances with lots of heat, humor, and layers of emotional depth, then ANYWHERE WITH YOU by Ellie Palmer will be a nice addition to your summer reading list.

‘Ethan’s so tender and wholehearted. To be the person he gives all his love to, even if only for a little while, I’m almost certain would be worth any risk.’

CW: View Spoiler »Childhood abandonment, anxiety, depression « Hide Spoiler

For anyone who has ever struggled with knowing your own self-worth or believing in your appeal to others, Charley, the heroine of ANYWHERE WITH YOU, will most likely resonate. Author Ellie Palmer went all in on the angst, the doubts, the struggle to always do better or be more. And honestly it was refreshing. Because Charley was a heroine who looked like she had it all together: she was a lawyer working her way up the ladder, she was married to a steadfast guy, they bought a house together in a nice neighborhood in Minnesota. But then it all fell apart about fourteen months ago. And while watching Charley recover and come to terms with her divorce from Rich could be awkward or downright heartbreaking at times–especially seeing her doubt that she was worthy of lasting love–it was all portrayed in a sincere way. And I couldn’t help but empathize and cheer on each small win she had.

This was a great example of friends to lovers done right. Ethan and Charley clicked right away as teens and stayed close even through college. It was when they graduated and began chasing down their careers–Charley as a lawyer, Ethan as a musician–that distance grew between them. As an outsider, it was easy to see that they were absolutely smitten with each other. But the age-old issue of whether to act on their feelings was (mostly) what held them back.

Ethan and Charley didn’t communicate much during her marriage to Rich. You can probably guess why. So, when they banded together to make it to her sister Laurel’s wedding in the woods in time to talk some sense into her (that’s a whole other interesting story!), that forced proximity was *everything*. It made Charley and Ethan eventually talk out their issues and get through some of their baggage–of which they each had a LOT. Between the comical mishaps along the trip and swoony grand gestures at the end, I enjoyed every single moment.

QOTD: Being a musician, Ethan had a lot of great playlists. What songs would *you* have on your Road Trip Playlist?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: August 5th, 2025 | by G.P. Putnam’s Sons |

Tiny van. Enormous feelings.

Charley Beekman is thriving . . . if you overlook that she’s financially strapped, stuck in a dull legal career, and the youngest divorcee at the Ruth’s Chris Steak House. After being left by a man she was sure was too boring to ever leave, she’s figured out that the key to true happiness is protecting yourself from surprises. So when her free-spirited sister announces she’s eloping with an on-again, off-again childhood sweetheart, Charley knows she has to stop the wedding before her sister makes the biggest mistake of her life. Conveniently, Charley’s best friend, Ethan, who’s as gorgeous as he is chronically unreliable, has an extra seat in his camper van.

As Charley and Ethan embark on a wild road trip through the enchanting northern woods of Minnesota, Charley starts to feel something she’s ignored for years—a spark that threatens to turn into a full-blown bonfire. But after crashing and burning at marriage despite her best-laid plans, the last thing Charley needs is a fling with a noncommittal, irresistible, nomadic musician . . . right?

Hilarious, witty, and teeming with heart, Anywhere With You is the perfect escape for anyone who believes that sometimes the best destinations are the ones you never planned.