Kristin Dwyer's The Atlas of Us explores a teenager's (Atlas/Map's) grief and anger over her father's death, the friendships she forms on a 4-week community service project reclaiming trails in the Western Sierras, and, eventually, her ability to move forward supported by these friends who know and love her.

Apart from the relative absence of meaningful adult input, Dwyer depicts her protagonist's experience of loss realistically, and the romance that develops between Atlas/Maps and her 20-year old team leader, King, has the feels that appeal to a YA audience.

A well-written novel that will engage the target audience.

this is one of my favorite YA books coming out next year. This book was so good. Well written, can't put it down and just overall has a grip on you! A wonderful YA!!

Kristin Dwyer is queen of emotion. She captures it and manages to not only make it real for her characters but for her readers as well. This is such a character driven story that I feel as though these are real people and if I find myself on a hike in the Sierras there thry will be. Laughing, crying. Looking up at the stars. The main character, Atlas/Maps is grieving the dewth of her father who died from cancer recently. At 17, she's reeling from the loss and unsure how to carry on. Who she is, what she wants, and how to love those still with her. She's angry, she's hurt. As a gift to her late father, she decides to complete a bucket list item he didn't get a chance to do with her. Hike and reopen a train he loved that was closed after wildfire. As part of a community service program she's assigned a group with four others who embark on a month long trek that will ultimately aid in self discovery, healing, and develop lifelong friendships and romantic relationships that effect the rest of their lives. All five of them leave forever changed. Poignant, introspective and romantic this story will leave readers ruminating too and yearning for more.

I so wish I had this book at 17! But the next best thing is having it now 🤎 The Atlas of Us is a book that's all heart. There's friendship, and grief, and love in so many forms. It's tender and emotional and honest and raw. On a long hike through the Western Sierras (which become almost a character in their own right), our heroes hide their names but show their hearts in a way which only happens by a camp fire, under the stars, when you're seventeen.

What an emotional roller coaster in the best and most healing way possible. A book I wish I had in my high school years as I was navigating the world after losing a parent. Beautifully written and full of heart and emotion.

This is "Grief is like that. It slowly stabs at you, burrowing itself inside, until eventually your body tries to get rid of it, and it ends up tearing through me."

Atlas has felt a bit lost ever since her dad passed away from cancer. She dropped out of high school, lost her part-time job, and her mom doesn't know what to do so she enrolls Atlas at a month-long hiking program at Bear Creek, that her dad's best friend Joe runs. At this camp, you aren't allowed to share your real name or past, so her name becomes Maps. She meets the rest of her group, Junior, Sugar, Books, and King, and they have to hike the hardest trail together. She begins to connect with King especially, but "fraternization" is vehemently against the rules, along with drinking, drug usage, and violence. Maps wallows and navigates her grief as she lies to the group about her background, as everyone tries to heal amidst this challenging hike. All of the kids are from somewhere in Northern California, like Vallejo (Books), Redding (Junior), Tahoe (King), Sacramento (Maps), etc.

I have been lucky enough to not lose a parent yet, but I deeply felt Atlas's grief and loss of purpose; Dwyer had that come through the page so masterfully. Atlas's indifference and apathy towards anything besides memories of her dad felt so bittersweet. Dwyer clearly wrote this with great care! Dwyer masterfully showed readers how quick quips that assume about someone's background can be harmful at worst, and insensitive at best. I thought it was clever how Sugar or Junior would assume something about Maps, and as she is silently suffering and drowning in despair, she simply lies to play into their assumptions, because the emotional labor to explain her trauma is too much. For example, one of the kids mentions, "I bet you had a sweet sixteen," and Maps thinks about how when she turned sixteen, her dad was going through chemo treatments. This is a great reminder to maybe ask more open questions, rather than guiding questions or making assumptions.

Maps' connection with King left me wanting a bit more, because so quickly he tells her that he can't be trusted around her, and it felt a lot like instalove, which I recognize can be realistic for young/new adults too. I did come around to it though, once the big reveal happened towards the end and once I began to see King's softness and kindness come through a bit more, like when Maps has an emotional moment, and he: "didn't say anything. He didn't rush me. Or ask. He... let me have the moment." Now that is a beautiful display of emotional intelligence!

I do wish there wasn't a homeless joke in here, it felt flippant and glib: "The head of the program, and my dad’s best friend, stands behind his messy desk with his hands on his hips and his eyes narrowed. The blue bandanna around his neck is sweat stained and his cargo shorts have a gaping hole toward the bottom. Joe doesn’t look like the director of a million-dollar state-funded park program. He looks homeless."

I would say this is moreso new adult rather than young adult, because the characters' ages range from 18 to 20. As far as representation, Junior, Books, and Sugar are queer, but I don't know ethnicities of any of the characters. The on-page sexual content is quite tame though, so I'd still say the steam rating is a 1.5/5.

Overall, I felt the friendships between these kids is what shone through the brightest, their banter was adorable and so loving, and I absolutely loved this found family representation. I would read more from KD in the future!

cw: grief, death of a parent, cancer, terminal illness, fire/fire injury, abandonment, tame sexual content, cursing, underage drinking

**Review will be published on my site and socials January 4th!**

A GOOD READ.

I really enjoyed this book. I do want to note this fits into the new adult category and not young adult. The characters are 18-20 and there are some vague open scenes.

Anyways

This was a messy journey in the best ways. Grief is nonlinear and gut punches you at the worst times and this showed a lot of that. I liked that Atlas had ups and downs and that in the end of the book she had found something new to hold on to and look forward to.

The romance grew on me but I do feel like it was missing something, like maybe a little more background King?? I don’t know, but I did like many of their quiet moments and the connection they were trying to forge. The found family was tangled and pushed and pulled all of the emotions. I loved the hiking and nature plot that allowed for the chance to just let go.

It was a really good book and one I’d recommend if you’re in the mood for something heavier.

Overall audience notes:
- NA Contemporary Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: 2 vague open door
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a Dad from cancer, grief/depression depiction, underage drinking

Just a fair warning, have tissues nearby when you read this one because you will absolutely cry at least once. Me? Six times. What a beautiful story and I’m not at all surprised after how much Some Mistakes Were Made affected me. The found family trope in this is top notch. I loved how they grew into these great friends who looked out for each other and held each other accountable. I also loved the way the book handled anger, grief and healing. This is a much more character driven novel than plot driven, but I was never bored. These characters, especially Atlas/Maps, are just beautifully written. And, of course, the romance was lovely. Very much a slow burn, but I loved it like that. I highly recommend this one, especially if you love YA, but honestly just in general.
CW: grief over the death of a parent, mentions of cancer


Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Teen for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

How many words can I use to say this book is perfect? It's perfect, it's raw, it's emotional. Dare I say it, it's just as good or even better than Some Mistakes Were Made!!

This book has a lot of emotion packed into it. I really enjoyed the development of the characters - and not just Atlas, the secondary ones too. I would almost consider this a YA version of Wild by Cheryl Strayed, being in nature hoping to find answers. It is an intriguing premise and not one that you find a lot in YA lit. Let’s talk about what this book really is though…an extremely intimate look into a teenager actively working through grief. This is a constant throughout the book, almost to the point of it being a little too much. But, it does fit with the character and how she would be thinking and acting based on how she is feeling. I will say however, if you are a reader who is currently grieving, this may not be the best option for you right now. It is an accurate portrayal of emotions, but I can also see it being triggering for someone who feels too closely to how Atlas does. If you are a reader that would like to see this perspective from someone going through it however, this will accomplish it. The thing that I didn’t care for with this book was the pacing. It moves very slowly, slow enough to make me not super excited to keep reading, but not enough for me not to finish.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: grief, injuries, cancer death

+ This book is about grief. Atlas James is lost – her life is a mess especially her dad dies from cancer and the only way to get her out of this situation is her mom has her attend a wilderness retreat. She goes without a cell phone for a month and hikes her dad’s favorite trail while learning about the area, surviving in the wild and how to care for the environment. It’s a sad story and tough but it’s a story about moving on and being vulnerable and having a found family in your teammates.

+ Atlas is an imperfect character. She’s dropped out of high school, doesn’t have friends, doesn’t have anything to look forward to and she’s drowning in the grief for her father. She’s a good liar but what she really is – is hurting. This is her journey to work through her grief, open up to strangers, believe in herself to survive for a month and take on responsibility and accountability. It’s a pretty heavy journey but very touching.

+ I love the found family and the friendships that grow from her experience. None of the people in her team really has a good life, each one of them has a past and not the best at making friends. But through their trials in this one month and after…they hold onto one another and try to make their friendships work, which I loved.

~ There is a romance that happens on this hiking trail between Atlas and King, who is their group leader. It’s kind of instant and I can see the attraction between them being believable especially in a stressful situation like this hike – plus Atlas seemed like someone just looking for a connection. But I kind of didn’t like the back and forth between them because of the secrets they were keeping. I understand the secrets and the angst between them but it did get pretty intense for knowing each other only for one month. I did root for them afterwards though, I think at least that was realistic and I like how they rebuilt their relationship after all the secrets are revealed.


My Thoughts:

This was a good read for me because I was reading so much fantasy and needed something contemporary but different and I liked that this was more of a personal journey through grief than a straight romance. It’s a heavier read because of the grief but Atlas overcomes a lot of things and in the end she comes out stronger than ever and I really love that.

Reeling from the loss of her father to cancer, Atlas is struggling to find her own direction. She dropped out of school and isn't sure where she belongs. In an effort to cross an item off her father's bucket list, she agrees to spend a month hiking and working on the trails of the Western Sierras, hoping that by the end of the summer she will be ready to make some decisions about her future. Instead, what she finds is the experience isn't quite what she was thinking. Living in the woods and working with a bunch of strangers isn't as horrible as she thought, but she sees reminders of her father every step of the way and eventually is forced to confront the feelings she's kept bottled up for way too long. And somewhere along the way, she may just find herself.

A great read dealing with loss and processing grief. I would consider this more new adult than YA as the characters are all out of high school and working to move into the adult portion of their lives. Atlas deals with a lot of heavy topics, and she will be relatable to many readers who are dealing with similar experiences in their lives.

Thank you, Kristin Dwyer, HarperTeen, and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book wrapped itself around my heart and squeezed. It’s a story about grief, coming of age, and the power of both platonic and romantic love. Found families always tug at my heartstrings and the family that forms out of the Blue Team (King, Books, Maps, Junior, and Sugar) is so sweet. This book made me laugh out loud and it also had me in tears. Beautiful, poignant, honest, and raw. I started it in the middle of the night, trying to fall asleep, but it’s 6:30 AM now and I read it in one sitting. I will be recommending it to everyone.

A moving and beautiful exploration of grief that had me invested from beginning to end. I was rooting for Atlas from the moment we met her in all her seeming brokenness and loved seeing how she changed through mistakes and strengths. The cast of lovable characters was quirky but realistic, and the unique setting of rehabbing the trail worked well to set this book apart from other books about grieving teens. The end wrapped up a bit too quickly for me, or maybe it just tried to give several endings in few pages, but I still liked how everyone turned out. Nothing was too perfect, and yet each character had a satisfying resolution that felt fitting for each journey. A book to read when you’re ready to feel all the feels.

Thanky you so much to @netgalley for the chance to review The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer. I requested this book because of the awesome cover and blurb, but I did not realize that it was YA. Much to my surprise, I really loved this coming of age story. Atlas is working on rehabbing trails, and it is hard work. She has her team, which starts as five strangers, but grows to much more. Amazing, vivid writing and Dwyer was able to draw such emotion from this reader. I was pleasantly surprised and would highly recommend this book!

Kristin should teach a masterclass on how to rip your heart open, hold up a mirror to your own trauma, and then find a way to stitch yourself back together through the pain. This is the second book she's written that's left me in tears.

3.75

This was a tricky one for me to rate. I didn't expect it to be as heavy as it was, content-wise. The hike itself was very melancholic and had few happy moments. I sometimes wished we were following a different group on the trail because our group dynamic was sad and lacking vibrancy. This story is primarily about the grief of a teen who just lost her father to cancer; this is a vital element of the entire plot and gives reason to the melancholy. While I like the group of trail mates, I felt like the main romance was insta-love and lacked depth. The two characters fell so hard for each other, but there were little conversations of substance and I never grasped what it was that made them fall for each other besides physical attraction. This author writes very human characters and angst drips from the page - but it was hard to buy into with the missing relationship development I needed. I'll read more of her books in the future (and will probably still buy this for my own shelves), but I don't see it as a favorite or a re-read like Some Mistakes Were Made.

LGBTQ+ rep: m/m side character relationship

Kristin Dwyer does it again. Her debut novel Some Mistakes Were Made was an emotional punch in the gut and her newest book, The Atlas of Us, is no different. This book is a beautiful look at what it means to lose someone you love and the process of trying to come back from that. The writing was just stunning and I, once again, found myself getting teary eyed at the profound but true statements in this book. The characters are relatable. The words are poignant. The emotions are very much present and ready to tug on your heart strings. The journey is one you also feel part of. Read this book. You will not regret it!

"Atlas of Us" is a compelling exploration of grief, as it delves into themes of anger, sadness, depression, and the journey of finding oneself amidst emotional breakdown. It beautifully portrays the process of healing and reinventing oneself to embrace a new beginning, bidding farewell to the past.

Really enjoyed parts of this book.

There were times I did find it kindof boring; however, I LOVED the characters. I also actually liked the setting too.. made me want to go hiking and camping.

Ultimately, this is a story about grief and the many different ways we handle it. It’s also about finding your people and where you belong. I definitely feel that Kristin handled the strong emotions of grief very well and realistically.