Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I appreciated the survival aspects within the narrative, which provided a distinctive twist to the typical middle-grade survival books usually set in the American wilderness.

The emphasis on family dynamics, particularly Coral's strong bond with her parents and her reliance on the lessons they imparted, added depth to the storyline.

Bambi's character was a definite highlight, characterized by her endearing nature, unwavering loyalty, and inner strength.

The story unfolds through the alternating perspectives of Coral and Isa, a narrative choice that didn't entirely resonate with me.

Personally, I would have preferred the story to be solely from Coral's viewpoint. I often found myself skimming through Isa's sections to return to what I considered the central and more engaging storyline.

Ultimately, the book delves into themes of friendship, grief, and survival and I’d recommend it to everyone.

I don't typically read adventure / survival books, and I think that factors a lot into my rating. This book wasn't really for me, but I can definitely see how it would appeal to younger readers (middle grade) who are interested in action, adventure, and survival. I think it did pick up pace as it went along, and I liked that it tackled more than just the survival story, including the perspective of Coral's cousin Isa who is trying to continue her life at home without giving up hope that Coral will be rescued. Will definitely keep this in mind while doing reader advisory with middle grade readers.

I read this as a digital ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Why do I love stories of people left to survive alone? Especially children? I’m not sure what this says about me, but I guess if I had to psychoanalyze myself I would say I love rooting for someone in extraordinary circumstances where everything seems to mount against them. And this was all that. I was rooting for this main character as if she were my daughter. And thank God the dog is safe.

This is probably my favorite book by Tanya Guerrero! I loved the Filipino rep, which is present in all of her books but really shined in this one. Plus I am a sucker for a good survival book! So many survival books center on white boys, so I loved reading one that focused on a girl of color. The relationship between the two main characters was so beautiful and I found myself tearing up while reading.

This is definitely a heavy book that won't be for everyone, and is probably best for older middle grade readers. I'll definitely be recommending it a lot at my library!

This was such an intense, adventurous, emotional story. The action starts almost immediately and never slows down. I enjoyed the dual points of view for this book. I liked both main characters and it was very interesting to see the events of the book from both sides. I think the characters were all well-developed and I loved the relationships between each of them. The survival aspects of the story were riveting, while the emotional pieces were equal parts heart-wrenching and hopeful. This was a great book for fans of adventure, survival stories, and realistic fiction.

I've barely read anything this past week, but I picked this one up before bed last night and couldn't set it down. 😮

I *love* wilderness survivor shows. From the tame (Survivor) to the most hard-core (Alone). But I don't think I've ever read a middle grade survival novel set outside the US/Canada and with a non-white protagonist. Not to mention the fact that it was dual pov. I am shook!

If, like me, you or your kids are Tanya Guerrero fans, do not be fooled by her previous sweet contemporaries! She can definitely write survival adventure 💀.

That being said, cw understandably abound here, because there is bird/rodent/fish death (and all steps involved in skinning, plucking, cooking), plenty of physical injuries + mention of blood, malnutrition, human death, huge storms, etc. It kind of reminded me of the ol' classic Hatchet, except BETTER, especially because it had cousins and a dog.

Have you read ADRIFT? And are you a survival nerd too? 👀

This story was really intense! It gave me a middle grade "Cast Away"/"Survivor". The story was a testament of the Human Spirit and the importance of sticking to your beliefs & sisterhood. I love that we got two different perspectives and experiences in the same time frame. Overall, this was a good book!

I didn't get a chance to read this when it was still available on NetGalley. However, I did read it last weekend with a kid I was babysitting and she loved it! I'm giving this a 5 star for the story that made a girl feel seen.

This was a really neat story and I enjoyed it. The writer was great. I really appreciate the arc. Thanks so much.

Thank you to Netgalley, author Tanya Guerrero, and publisher Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Adrift follows two cousins turned best friends, Coral and Isa, as they navigate growing up, family, love, and loss. Coral and Isa do everything together, and they miss each other greatly when Coral leaves on an international sailing trip with her parents. Things take a turn for the worse when an unexpected storm leaves Coral stranded alone on a deserted island. Told from alternating perspectives, the book follows each girl's journey as Coral fights to survive and Isa fights to find her cousin from afar. Readers will find themselves on the edge of their seats and rooting for the girls to be reunited as the book goes on.

Although I have read many books about characters on deserted islands before, this one stood out to me and captured my interest from the start. I loved the diverse story and how the book is told in alternate perspectives. The author highlighted many beautiful aspects of Filipino culture, and there was also inclusion of an autoimmune disease, which I appreciated seeing representation for. I found the story, especially Coral's chapters, extremely gripping. Guerrero did not spare any details about her experience on the island, and even though Coral's struggles were a bit more intense/descriptive than I expected from a MG read, I appreciated the authenticity found throughout. The inclusion of the dog Bambi helped to provide emotional relief as well and was one of my favorite parts. I loved the bond between the girls, although I would have liked to see more about Isa in her chapters. Her chapters focused mainly on her in relation to Coral and their bond, whereas I felt that she had other interesting aspects to her personality I would have liked to see more of. I also would have liked to see more about Ada joining the family, since she played a big part in Isa's journey. Overall, this was an enthralling read that will appeal to many different readers between the gripping plot and lovable characters. I look forward to reading more from Guerrero!

I was obsessed with survival stories when I was a kid, so I was pretty excited to read an own voices survival story set on an island. Unfortunately, I found this story to be pretty boring.

The voices of Coral and Isa are very similar, and kind of adult which I found jarring considering how childish both act.

Isa's POV is mundane, everyday life stuff which became repetitive after the first few of her chapters. Occassionally there would be a flashback to times she spent with Coral, which were undifferentiated from the rest of the text. Her perspective didn't add much for me.

Coral's POV was frustration. Her becoming a quasi-active protagonist, i.e. surviving, doesn't really begin undtil about 25%. She also acts like a typical 13-year-old who hasn't had any experience living off the land, which clashes with her backstory of a wilderness buff father and lots of time spent camping and traveling. For example, she has a knife, and instead of using that to open coconuts she spends a significant amount of time throwing them from a cliff. She doesn't explore the island, she doesn't locate freshwater or better shelter, she doesn't fashion shoes (which she repeatedly complains about not having). Coral doesn't show the cleverness, knowledge, or skills that make a survival protagonist interesting. We don't learn about how to live on an isolated islands. Instead, we see Coral be depressed and inert.

The only reason she survives is that a dog shows up. The dog brings her food. The dog leads her to freshwater. The dog leads her to shetler. The dog shows her an abandoned village, which Coral doesn't take advantage of at all. The dog, frankly, is a better protagonist.


Given Coral's father was a wilderness buff, it's strange she eats things without testing if they're poisonous first. For example, she finds berries some birds are eating. That doesn't automatically make it safe for humans. There's a process to testing unfamiliar things for edibility. Contact tests on your skin, mouth, eating a very small portion, waiting to see if there's a reaction, try a slightly larger amount, etc. Coral doesn't care, she just goes to town.

There are a lot of ways to track vessels. Not that this matters to a middle grade reader, but vessels can be (sometimes must be) equipped with AIS (which can be attached to life jackets), VHF, their course could be followed and any nearby islands checked, etc. And it is incredibly foolish that they "anchored" in the middle of the ocean and all went to sleep. Coral's father is supposed to be a skill sailor, and this flies in the face of safety.

A lot of the logical issues are sort of whatever, that can all be excused by the target age group. I guess.

The main problems, for me, are the slow pace, the boring and meandering scenes, and how excessively contemplative the story is.

<i>Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Harrowing but hopeful, <i>Adrift</i> alternates between the perspectives of two inseparable cousins, Isa and Coral. Although the two can barely stand the thought of being apart while Coral’s family goes on a sea voyage, things take a turn for the worst when the boat capsizes and Coral’s family is lost at sea. Coral, who washes up alone on an island, fights to survive while Isa, at home on Pebble Island, remains hopeful that her cousin is still alive.

I originally wanted to read this solely for the Filipino representation—which I did end up enjoying! However, there was so much more to this than I was expecting. <i>Adrift</i> still has the magic of a middle grade novel where it is curious, heartwarming, and highlights the bravery and faith that children exhibit, while also being dark, detailed, and honest. I loved the exploration of processing difficult emotions and events—such as grief, survival, and uncertainty—through Isa and Coral, which looked different in them than it did in the adult who lost hope much quicker for the sake of “reality.”

Beautiful writing, strong characters, and meaningful themes. The only thing I struggled with was the pacing; at some points, things were a little too slow and this therefore took me over a month to finish, but that wasn’t a huge deal. I recommend this one to anyone who likes middle grade books with themes of friendship/family but wants a plot that is a bit more dark and less common in middle grade fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to preview an e-arc of this book! All opinions are my own.

I should admit, up front, that I am a newcomer to the survival subgenre (hence why I am not leaving a star rating), but they remain perennially popular for readers of all ages! What I appreciated most about Adrift was the dual narratives: one of Coral, who ends up alone on a deserted island and the other of her best friend and cousin Isa, struggling with Coral's disappearance with her grief and sadness. I enjoyed both perspectives, found that they added something I think may get forgotten in all the height of adventurous survival stories-that loved ones are affected too. Some middle-grade readers may find Isa's sections boring or tedious, but I believe they will press on to read more of Coral's adventure. The only parts of Isa's sections that I found tedious were the retellings of Ghibli movies via a side character, but readers who haven't been introduced to My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki's Delivery Service may be glad for their inclusion! Middle grade readers will find this an engaging beach read.

Overall, I'm glad to have read this title and I am looking forward to checking out Guerrero's backlog and more survival middle grade!

Adrift is a harrowing story of survival and grief involving two biracial Filipino cousins whose strength is tested when one of them is lost at sea.

Coral and Isa are cousins, but are so close that they feel as if they are siblings. Everyone on the island calls them The Star Sisters. Their mothers are sisters, their fathers are brothers, and the two girls are growing up together in Pebble Island, New York. Coral and her parents are leaving on a months-long sea voyage around the islands of Indonesia. Isa will stay and help her mother in their family run bakery. The girls are understandably sad knowing they will be apart for so long, they promise to write to each other no matter what. .

Then a tsunami causes Coral's boat to capsize in the open sea and amazingly Coral, is washed up on a deserted island. There is no sign of her parents. She did manage to grab a meagre survival kit before being washed overboard. Now Coral s struggling to find strength within to survive in a harsh and unforgiving environment. On the other hand Isa is back home frantic with worry. As time marches on with no sign of the family, Isa is the only one holding out hope that her beloved cousin is still alive. . In fact the authorities say it’s time to call off the search.

As Coral attempts to adapt to her surroundings, she cones across a dog whom she befriends and she becomes her constant companion. She manages to use the skills her parents taught her to find food, water, and to build shelter. Although the food she must consume to survive is pretty disgusting and revealed in rather graphic detail. Starvation will change the outlook on what one will consume to survive. The dog, she has named Bambi, plays a vital role in her survival… in her search for food and also for her mental state, . The perils Coral and Bambi face left this reader holding my breath and hardly able to read fast enough to learn if the two would survive each encounter.

The experience in a most difficult time is agonising and vastly different for both cousins as they wonder if they will they ever be reunited?

This story is packed with realusm and reads as if it truly occurred. Middle and upper grade readers will enjoy this book as they are swept into a world of physical and mental endurance in a beautiful and most challenging setting. The take is revealed in alternating points of view. From Isa and Coral.

This is a gripping and unrelenting story of loss and hope, love and family, and the unexpected resilience of the human spirit. Do not miss this one!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Adrift by Tanya Guerrero. This middle grade novel will be published on September 6, 2022. All opinions are my own.

Coral and Isa are cousins. They’re so close that they’re basically sisters. Isa is sad when Coral and her parents start a months-long sea voyage to explore the islands of Indonesia. The two promise to write to each other no matter what. Then, disaster hits when a storm comes out of nowhere and capsizes Coral’s family’s boat. Coral manages to make it off the boat only to be stranded on a deserted island. She must find the strength to survive and make it home. Meanwhile, back on Pebble Island, Isa is holding onto hope that Cora is still alive.

I enjoyed the survival elements of this story. It offered a unique setting for middle grade survival books as they’re often set in the U.S. wilderness. I liked the focus on family and how close Coral was to her parents and how she survives by remembering things her parents taught her. I love Bambi! She’s cute, loyal, and strong. The story is told through the alternating perspectives of Coral and Isa. This, I didn’t really enjoy. I would have preferred it just be told from Coral’s perspective. I found myself skimming over Isa’s parts, so I could get back to what I felt was the main and more engaging story. This is a book about friendship, grief, and survival. It’s well-written and I think it will interest reader who enjoy books like Peg Kehret’s Escaping the Giant Wave, Rebecca Behren’s Alone in the Woods, and Watt Key’s Deep Water.

Tanya Guerrero has crafted a page-turner with high adventure and deep emotion. Middle grade readers will be completely absorbed in this story of friendship, survival, and hope. Highly recommended!

Cousins Isa and Coral are very close. Their mothers, who are from the Phillipines, are sisters, and their fathers are brothers! The families spend a lot of time together, although this will change when Coral and her parents set off on a sailing journey around Indonesia. Isa returns with her parents to the bakery they run in Pebble Beach, New York, and plans on writing frequently. When there is news that the family's boat is missing after a tsunami, Isa is devastated. She hopes that her cousin is okay, but as the months pass, this seems unlikely. In alternating chapters, though, we see that Coral has survived, and is scraping together an existence on a deserted island. She is befriended by a dog, and manages to use the skills her parents taught her to find food, water, and to build shelter. She worries that her parents are dead, and that she herself may never be rescued. It's a difficult time for both cousins; will they ever be reunited?
Strengths: Most of the middle grade survival books are set in US forests, so it was interesting to see Coral navigate a tropical island. She was able to grab an emergency pack from the boat, which was interesting, and she had lots of skills that were helpful. The inclusion of a dog is always good. I enjoyed the close knit family and the bakery, and wish we had seen more of Coral's family back in Pebble Beach before their sailing trip.
Weaknesses: At one point, Isa calls a customer a "Karen", and I wish that this manner of stereotyping wasn't used in middle grade literature against any group.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy survival tales like Behren's Disaster Days, Freeman's Alone, or Greenslade's Red Fox Road. I would have liked it better if it were all from Coral's perspective.

This is a book about loss, grief, survival, friendship and family. Written beautifully with tagalog intertwined in the dialogue. Told in alternating voices, Coral the girl lost at sea, and her cousin Isa who never loses hope that Coral will be found. Stranded on a deserted island, Coral uses all survival skills to live with the help of a loyal dog, Bambi who becomes her companion. The question of how she will finally be found does not let you put the book down.
One point made in the book is that people grieve loss in different ways and has nothing to do with gender. The dad breaks gender stereotypes by being sensitive, showing emotion, while the mom works through it all and hardly ever shows her sadness. The book is full of emotions; how each girls is feeling through this difficult event. Isa will not even allow herself to have fun or enjoy the moment out of guilt that Coral will be forgotten and consequently not found.

Adrift is a middle school book and so, packs a punch with gritty realism. The parallel story is one of survival and undaunted determination. Survival can be both physical and emotional. The book will appeal to young readers as its sweeps them away to a world of endurance placed in a challenging setting. Do or die. At the same time, the second protagonist deals with surviving without her best friend. Move on or die. Lots of opportunities for book club discussion or classroom research. As with all middle school survival books, the parents play minimal roles.