3.5 stars

I was going to say that A Map for Wrecked Girls is an enjoyable read but it isn’t. It isn’t in the sense that while reading, you do not feel joy. You do not like what you read. But somehow you want to read more, to learn about those characters and if they will manage to survive. To learn about their life before and see what drove them to become enemies.

I will break it up to you, the reasons why A Map for Wrecked Girls is both enjoyable and not:

-The characters. They are not lovable. I did not get attached to any of them. They all do -or have done- questionable things which makes the reader see them for what they are: flawed. Extremely flawed and ambiguous. Both girls -Henri and Emma- are toxic, each on their own terms. Add in the stranded-on-an-island factor and you’ve got it: fight after fight after fight that brings out their worst selves.

-The family ties. Family plays the most important role in this book. For the sisters everything begins and ends with family: the good and the bad, happiness and sadness, love and hatred. I loved this portrayal of the family, we don’t see it often enough; family is after all, the main aspect which shapes our lives, which makes us who we are.

-The mystery element. This is what really drives you into the story and makes you turn page after page to see what happens. The story begins from when they arrive at the island, and through flashbacks we slowly learn what happens and the two sisters ended up having so much hatred for one another. What happened is pretty predictable, but the process of finding out the details is fun.

-The unhealthy attachment Henri and Emma have. It was more than sisterly love and admiration. It borderlined with obsession, how Emma threw herself at Henri, begging for the slightest hint of attention and how angry and possessive she got when she did not get it.

-It was scary. For some reason, even though it is a survival story, I did not expect it to be scary. Maybe due to the way it was advertised, as more of a coming of age story than a survival one, but don’t be fooled. 90% of the book is taking place in the island and the characters face hardships: the jungle, hunger, wild animals, the weather.

-The teacher/ student relationship. This representation I did not like. The author doesn’t make it crystal clear that it is wrong. She lives a breath of doubt, that maybe it isn’t as bad. But it is. I don’t care about excuses and justifications, when a minor and an adult get involved it is wrong.

-Finally there is no diversity whatsoever. Yes I get it that most of the book takes place on the island and focuses on the 3 main characters but there’s always room for diversity.

A Map for Wrecked Girls is a survival story which wovens in coming of age themes and getting to know oneself. It is a fast-paced novel perfect for the months of fall (or summer; the whole talk of the sea and the sun made me nostalgic for the beach). Recommend!

I received this e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for granting me access. All opinions are my own.

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review

I have some issues that I want to talk about , but at the same time I have so many mixed feelings about it that I don't know how I'm going to do it in an appropriate way, I need time guys lol. I had some problems with the characters and their actions, but I think the final message is great , I really liked that and I ended up getting up my rating because of that. I enjoyed it, but I also struggled a little at times.

3/5 Stars

There was and still is, a lot of hype around this book and I get it, the promise is great and Have you seen that cover?, it's simply beautiful. I have been very lucky to have received this copy via NetGalley since I really wanted to read it, I always appreciate a good story about survival and thought that if I found myself with a strong sisterhood bond on it, even better.


The book follows Emma, she had a bond of great union with her sister Henri, but things that have happened have separated them and now, in the present, they have had an accident in the ocean and are stranded on a desert island, along with Alex, a mysterious boy who they recently have met on their trip to Puerto Rico. They'll find theirselves struggling to survive, and the book follows all the problems that this brings them, physically as well as mentally. All this will lead them to face each of their personal demons and Emma will be forced to face her past and perhaps recover the bond that she and her sister had or lose her forever.


It wasn't what I expected, it's a good book, with a very good structure that goes from the present to the past and I always enjoy that way of telling the plot, since I think it creates a mystery atmosphere, where situations of the past are revealed little by little and you're discovering secrets, that aspect of the book is fantastic.


I enjoyed much more the present chapters than the past's, even so the past chapters are necessary since we're discovering what has led the girls to be so distant from each other and why Emma feels so guilty about it , we can also learn more about them, and know their personalities.


But I've had some problems with the characters and I can't let it go. I literally hate Henri almost 99% of the book. I understand that the idea is to create these characters who are problem teenage girls, with dark pasts and all that, I also understand that Henri's character is created to be like an unliked character at first, of which after we know more her story, we'll managed to understand her and we'll ended up loving her, well, I couldn't do it. .Henri is a bitch lol, she treats her sister like trash most of the time, tells her super hurtful things and then comes back and talks to her like nothing had happened, hoping for Emma not to remember what happened about 2 seconds agoHenri is really silly and not only makes her life a complete disaster, but she drags her sister with her and then Emma has to solve everything, I really can't feel sorry for her, nor understand the why of her actions.
The girls are going through the separation of their parents which is obviously hard but doesn't justify all the mean, rude, and arrogant Henri's behavior, and all her excuses are really stupid and pointless. Also, one last thing,the guys end up lost on this island where they must fight to survive and Henri literally doesn't help at all, she does nothing useful, she spends all day lying in the sand, building necklaces. And I was so angry guys, I can't stand this character, I don't care her at all, I can't. That would be a summary of what I feel.


We have Emma, she's our main character, I don't love her to be honest, but she ended up growing as much as a person, I feel she has evolved a lot from beginning to end and that makes me very happy, she deserves something better in her life than she has had and I really want what's best for her.
Even so, there were times when I didn't understand her and I didn't agree with her actions. Every time Henri did something she tried to convince herself that she deserved it or justified her sister for her actions, and that makes me feel super sad me because her personality was very submissive and easy to master in the past, I feel she never really said "It's enough!" and she end up feeling miserable for each of her acts. I also had that feeling that in the past she lived through her sister, which was also sad to read.


I feel that although it's obvious that they love each other despite all the things that have been done to each other, I personally couldn't feel connected to this relationship, I don't like how they're handled it or the way in which they treat one another and I didn't see at all that beautiful sisiterhood bond that the book promised me, even so it may be different for you, or at least I hope so


Although there was no character that I loved, doesn't mean that I haven't enjoyed other aspects of the book, I think the most solid part is near the end and the end, I really found myself hooked on the last pages and that made me raise up my rating a bit, I think Jessica Taylor knows how to write and her structure to create a good flow in plot is great, also it's very easy to read, I would love to read something else by her, but with another type of characters, I think that would work better for me.


As the plot ends it's really very good, I was surprised because it was different than I expected, so I consider myself a fan of the end.
Although my problem with the characters is obvious, this book has many really good things from the writing style to the survival aspects that were really real and hard. I recommend this book if you're interested in any of these aspects, I can't tell you for characters because I wouldn't mean it, but you'll find a super complex plot that unravels in a brilliant way, so go for it

If there was an award I could give for the most unusual YA fiction book released this year then it would have to go to A Map for Wrecked Girls. I mean this in the best possible way and no disrespect was meant by that statement. Basically, I have never read anything like it.

A Map for Wrecked Girls is a story that pits general everyday struggles with bizarre real world struggles.
Sisters, Jessica and Henri are stranded on a desert island with a boy they just met called Alex. A Map for Wrecked Girls is the story of how they deal with their new set of circumstances. This story is juxtaposed with certain events that have taken place over the past few months. It is a story of the difficult relationship between sisters and how dominant personalities can often overshadow our real feelings.

Overall, A Map for Wrecked Girls is a bloody good read. It is unique and Jessica Taylor is an exciting voice for the YA genre.

A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor is available now.

For more information regarding Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylorYA) please visit www.jessicataylorwrites.com.

This was such a miss for me, I'm sorry! The whole time I was reading this book I was desperately trying to love it but it just didn't happen. Henri was awful and it frustrated me to see how dependent Emma was on her. Their relationship was so unhealthy and I hated reading about it.

Not the book for me but hopefully other people enjoy it more than I did.