A review by probablyjenna
The Getaway List by Emma Lord

fast-paced

3.5

Reading an Emma Lord book means slipping into a world where everybody is hot, quick witted, and unbelievably wholesome. The world’s whimsy dial has been cranked all the way up, and around every corner is some inventive bakery with desserts that transcend normal human understanding. Her books are warm, predictable, and a soft place to land when life feels a little hard.

The Getaway List is another prime example of everything I just described. The book centers on 18-year-old Riley and her desire to take some control over her life. She spontaneously goes to visit her somewhat estranged best friend, Tom, in NYC on the day of her high school graduation. What follows is a real slow burn romance, peppered with the found family trope along the way.

I’ve read quite a few Emma Lord books, and this basically met my expectations…BUT there were a few things I found less successful than in her previous books.

First, the parents in this book are kind of awful yet things magically resolve at the end. Sometimes it feels like Lord wants to build conflict, but is too afraid to actually let her characters suffer a little. Riley’s mom in particular really bothered me, and I feel like her behavior was excused entirely too easily.

Second, Tom - the main male character - did not make a ton of sense to me. He also did some things involving Riley that I didn’t really like, yet we’re treated almost as nice things. I wanted his background to make a bit more sense.

And lastly, sometimes there is a level of TOO much wholesomeness. Riley’s found family is a ragtag group of seemingly asexual, perfectly well-behaved teenagers living entirely unsupervised in NYC. As someone who has worked with teens for the past 10 years, even the BEST kids are likely to do normal teenage risk taking if the situation allows for it. I just found the wholesomeness of the entire group a little too unbelievable.

Those gripes were not enough to make me unhappy with the book, though! I love Emma Lord’s style of writing and enjoy picking up her books when I need a lighter read. If you enjoy YA romance & found family, this should be a win for you!