Wanderlust by Elle Everhart Published by Penguin on July 4, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, eBook, Paperback
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People We Meet on Vacation meets The Unhoneymooners in this sparkling debut romantic comedy about two near strangers—and complete opposites—who win a radio contest for a trip around the world.
Love's about to take flight.
Feeling stuck at work and tired of London’s dreary weather, magazine writer Dylan Coughlan impulsively rings a radio station one day only to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world. The catch? Her travel partner must be a contact randomly selected on her phone. And of course this stressful game of contact roulette lands on a number listed only as Jack the Posho, an uptight, unbearably posh guy she met on a night out and accidentally ghosted.
The two couldn’t be more different, and as the trip kicks off, Jack seems like he’d sooner fling himself into the sun than have a conversation with Dylan. But more is hinging on this trip than the chance to see the world. For the past two years, Dylan’s been relegated to writing quizzes (and only quizzes) at her lifestyle magazine after an article about her past abortion went viral—and not in the good way. If she’s able to make a series about their trip successful, her overbearing boss will give her a chance at a permanent column. Dylan’s willing to do anything to make the series a hit, even if it means embellishing her and Jack’s relationship to satisfy readers. But as the column’s popularity grows, so does the bond between Dylan and Jack, and Dylan is forced to consider if the one thing she thought she always wanted is worth the price she'll have to pay to get there.
There were parts of Wanderlust that were funny, but I had to force myself to finish it. ~ Sharon – Simply Love Books
I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it just fell flat. I found the heroine, Dylan, to be almost cruel in her treatment of the hero and after being cyber bullied herself, she posts about him after he specifically asked her not to. Jack seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was almost too nice and I think that was because it was obvious he had feelings for Dylan from the time they’d met before their trip.
While the idea of going on an around the world trip with someone in your phone contacts list was a great set up, the travel elements felt uneven. Some places were given glowing descriptions and others barely a mention and really…you expect two people who really don’t know one another, two people of the opposite sex to share a room? Really?
Lastly I felt the ending was very unrealistic in that they both quit their jobs; sure Dylan had freelanced before and had contacts and would more than likely make enough money to get by but to encourage Jack to take up photography and become a “professional” photographer because of a few pictures he took with his cellphone was a slap in the face to professional photographers out there.
There were parts of Wanderlust that were funny, but I had to force myself to finish it.