this was pretty cute and very heartfelt, all of the characters felt very real and I love a good found family trope, especially when they're the "bad kids". Some of the logistics felt a little off and it wasn't as emotional as I expected (there was a scene at the end that almost made me tear up), but overall, a really great story about grief for teens with a lot of important quotes and morals

4*

Dwyer weaves a compelling exploration of grief, recovery, and self-discovery in The Atlas of Us.

Atlas, a young woman grappling with the loss of her father, attempts to piece her life back together through the community service program in the Western Sierras.

Uplifting and heartfelt, Dwyer balances humour against sorrow in this emotional reflection of the human experience of loss and recovery.

I kept putting off reading this book because I had recently lost my dad to cancer. Just like the FMC. I related so hard to Maps. All the things she was feeling, I also was feeling. It was difficult at times, but it is a wonderful book. I will look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book - this was whimsy and a delightful couple of hours!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Atlas (Maps) is a deeply flawed character dealing with the intense grief of her beloved father passing away. Her mother, lacking knowledge on how to deal with her daughters anger, works with one of her father's friends to send her on this week's long trail rehab with a group of other "troubled" teens. As they struggle to work together and through their own stuff, they become friends. Meanwhile, Atlas almost instantly is attracted to one of the leaders, King even though they both know it's a bad idea. The book is well written and the author paints an intensely real portrait of grief. I definitely would recommend this book to others, even though I struggled with the character and what I thought was a slow moving plot. I had difficulty connecting with Atlas and her almost constant terrible choices.

Kristin Dwyer has delivered once again an angsty, YA gem, navigating on the page loss, desire, figuring out who you are and what you want, which can be big coming of age themes. I loved the setting, as it inspires love for the outdoors. the characters were complex, and this story demonstrated the idea of new beginnings and overcoming current circumstances, for those teens who live in a present that live with situations that aren't ideal and feel out of their control, this story gives them hope.
I can't want to see what other stories Kristin writes.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to have access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The "Atlas of Us" by Kristin Dwyer should be on every bookseller's shelf. I went into this book expecting a love story with an interesting backdrop of community service in the mountains of California. What I found was a beautiful tale of a "bad kid" learning how to process grief as she discovered who she was, and how she was stronger for it. In the process, she found a family in other "bad kids" who also were trying to find their own paths. And, of course, a romance that was so realistic and sweet and raw in all the most important ways. I have found such real-feeling romances to be so rare in YA, but Dwyer nails it every time. We did stock this book this spring and are pleased that we did. We will happily put anything of Dwyer's on our shelves. Our community serves a wide breadth of readers, including a number like those portrayed in this book. Thank you, for writing a book for them.

I have given The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer two out of five stars ⭐️⭐️

I really hoped that I would like this book more than I did, sadly it just wasn’t for me. I did, however, like the aspect of handling grief as I think this would be helpful to those reading this book who might be going through a similar situation and unable to navigate their own thoughts and feelings.

I found it difficult to connect with the characters and the narrative wasn’t up my alley, I think that came down to Atlas’ character. I sympathised so much with her in regard to her loss and the pain she’s experiencing but that was all.

The relationship between Maps and King was …interesting. I found these characters frustrated and irritated me with how they handled situations, there was a lack of communication and I felt like they both hardly spoke to each other and yet when they did it didn’t grasp me or interest me in their relationship.

Now THAT is how you write a story. I finished this one in less than two days. Kristin is just that good of a writer. The prose just falls right off the page and into your soul.

From a craft perspective, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Kristin for ACTUALLY KNOWING HOW TO DO A PROPER FUCKING DENOUEMENT. I feel like *I* am the crazy one for always thinking “OMG what a great climax that was really…oh, now it’s over. Okay.” But NO! Kristin GETS how to end a book. She lets us sit with her protagonist in the AFTER for a little bit. Let’s us see that not only has she learned the theme of the book, but that she’s actually THRIVING in her new equilibrium, and I cannot tell you how much that means to me both as a reader and a writer.

From a personal perspective: I can finally say this now that I’ve stopped ugly sobbing, but this book was the orange poppy I needed to close a chapter that’s been open for for almost 20 years. Patrick Ness helped me with another chapter not so long ago, and now Kristin is filling that role for a different one, and those two authors are now in a very elite club that have given me an indescribable light in darkness, and a comfort that’s hard to put into words. And for that, I can only say: “Thank you.”

Kristin Dwyer is an auto-buy author for me. I laughed. I cried. I swooned. And I loved every minute of it.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the ecopy

The Atlas of Us is heart wrenching and exceptionally well written. Atlas is created with such a realism and is so relatable,
I dare anyone to read this novel and not feel intense emotions.
Kristin Dwyer's writing style is so creative and takes us on an emotional rollercoaster, it is so immersive.

I adored The Atlas of Us. The characters and their close relationship to each other is so special and rare. I wanted to be friends with them so bad. This book made me cry so hard. I've lost people to cancer and I really feel like Kristin nailed the full range of emotions a person goes through when dealing with the battle and aftermath of such an ugly illness. I'll admit that it took me about the halfway point to start feeling emotionally connected to Maps but I think that's because her father's character was slowly being built as she went through her hike. Once I had a better idea of her relationship with her dad, I became emotionally invested in the story. The attraction and connection to King also had me hooked. His overall behavior and his secret cues with Books kept me curious about what his deal is. Overall, loved the book. Wish I could read it for the first time again.

This book completely wrenched out my heart. Gorgeous writing, an unusual premise, and a beautiful setting with unforgettable characters really make this book wonderful.

Atlas, young woman who is struggling with the death of her father, is hiking and rehabbing trails in the West Sierras as part of a community conservation program. She joins her father's best friend, takes on a nickname, and gets to know the others she'll spend four weeks in close proximity with. Her father left behind a list of things for them to do, and this is one thing Atlas feels that she can do for him, in the midst of her life falling apart around her. She hopes by the end of the four weeks she'll have something figured out about her future.

I am not a person who spends much time in nature, but after reading this book, I really wanted to. The descriptions in the book were just gorgeous, especially in the in-between moments. Atlas explains at one point in the novel that she never really paid attention to the danger of the water because everyone else did it for her. But now, we realize as readers, that she can no longer live in her safe past as she must keep walking towards her future. As a person who still feels like she's got some things to figure out, I really resonated with small moments like this. I would have felt so seen as a teenager if I had been able to read something as poetic and raw as this.

Every character has something to bring to the novel, and the characters were well-rounded and vulnerable. I really felt like I got to know them. I think this was a wonderful book that highlights so many things teens have to face, but maybe don't have a place to turn to or a character who just doesn't have herself together. This was a beautiful book, and I really think, an important one.

An absolutely beautifully written book, that made me quite emotional at times, I would definitely recommend, thankyou NetGalley for my arc copy

I ended up purchasing this book for the Young Adult collection, even though I only skimmed through it. It wasn't something I would enjoy, personally, but the teens who come to our library will most likely enjoy this storyline.

This book has lots of things I enjoy in a YA, coming-of-age, dealing with loss and a bit of wilderness adventure which works for me. I liked this story and the characters but they didn't wow me. I did enjoy the trek, the protagonist working through her grief but I didn't like the hiding of the death of her father, not that she didn't have the right, but it went on too long.

Overall an enjoyable story with a few issues.

I loved this book. I loved the grief, the emotional tidal wave I felt at times, and most of all: I loved how real Atlas seemed.

I cried, and I healed, and I cried again. My students don't read books that are as impactful as this was nearly often enough, and I would definitely recommend this to my students. I would absolutely warn them about the grieving and the loss of a parent, but the friendship dynamics we get to see with Atlas and the new gang she meets along the way is unforgettable.

I can see a lot of Atlas in my students. Feeling so many things all at once, but fighting desperately to not show any 'weakness' or emotion. It's honest, and raw, and gut-wrenching at times, especially if you've lost someone to cancer.

I'll absolutely be purchasing a hardcover copy of this!

💛💛💛💛💛 / 5

🌶️.5 / 5

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Review:
I don’t really know how to describe this book, other than saying it was beautiful. Beautifully written, but also a beautifully raw representation of grief and the inner turmoil of not feeling good enough. Kristin stripped each of her characters back to the bare bones of their being and managed to construct a story of grief, companionship and healing without properly revealing their backstories, not an easy feat. I cried, I laughed, I grieved and then I slowly started to heal along with Atlas.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it’s a fantastic book to bridge the transition between YA and NA by tackling important topics while also allowing the reader to take a breather and laugh through their tears (I will admit to doing this a lot). The last 10 chapter has me silently sobbing at every other page while smiling as I wiped away my tears. Honestly an emotional rollercoaster that I really want to read again.

Atlas was written so incredibly well, I think a lot of misunderstood and ignored teenagers and people will relate to her and her outlook on life. I adored that her found family allowed her to be herself and feel what she needs to feel with out invalidating her emotions or pressing her to share her grief. But also her journey and personal growth was superb, I was rooting for her the whole time while also wanting to tear my hair out, but I’m so happy she achieved what she needed to.

I could honestly talk about this book for hours, but it’s late and I stayed up LATE last night finishing this book so I’m tired and I’ve a new book to start! Please read this book, it’s incredibly powerful and a perfect way to embody your emotions.

At the core of the story, it is about a girl called Atlas (also known as Maps) who is grieving the loss of her father after watching him battle against cancer. Now feeling broken and alone, she begins to act out and eventually gets put onto a program to help her. This program basically puts troubled teens together where they have to go on a long hike to try to help them overcome the issues they are facing. On this hike, she ends up finding a family with other kids who are also struggling and in doing so, helps her heal a little. She also ends up meeting King who she begins to have feelings for.

I really enjoyed their romance and how it is explored throughout this story without it taking away from the grief Atlas was dealing with. I loved the balance between her dealing with her grief and whilst also her finding love which helps her heal in some ways but the grief is always there which is realistic. I also love the way that the story builds connections between the characters and the way they see each other as family is so wholesome.

This story moved me in so many ways and I think it sends out a real powerful message of family, love and dealing with grief.