“Pretending I just another word for lying.”

From the very first paragraph, Dwyer manages to grab my heart and yank it out of my chest…at least, that’s how it feels to read her lyrical, beautifully crafted prose. Atlas’s grief is so profound and Dwyer’s writing so perfect that it traps you within and forces you to face any unprocessed emotions you might have regarding any of your own grief. I cried several times while reading, but in that way that only happens when you read something beautiful and true. This is an incredible book - five stars.

Wow. Wow, wow wow. This book was good. I haven’t read a book that has this vibe since maybe The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord.

These characters became friends. I was stressed when they were tense or lying. I cried when they grieved. I rooted for them even in their less than stellar moments. I just loved these characters. It’s a diverse cast of friends, and for people looking for LGBTQ inclusivity when they read- this one is for you.

I think this would be considered a new adult novel? Not a subgenre I usually go to. It definitely vibed with my old school love of Sarah Dessen and seemed like it could’ve been YA at first. But the characters are 18-21 and there’s an abundance of cursing, and sexual tension.

This book made me want to hike… maybe I should start making a list of walking books. This one, and Happiness for Beginners would be the pillars of that list for sure!

There are some feelings in this book. Whew. The main characters dad has recently passed away and she is actively dealing with her grief on the page.

Honestly, just read this one. It’s so good.

5 out of 5 stars
2.5-3 out of 5 steam

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Kristin Dwyer won hearts with her debut Some Mistakes Were Made and The Atlas of Us is a fantastic follow up. Kristin writes for the underdogs, the weird kids, and the hopeless romantics. 5 stars

I was a big fan of Kristin’s debut, and her sophomore novel did not disappoint. This one feels personal—probably because I can relate to Atlas, to her grief and her pain—and while it was slightly hard for me to read, it was freeing, and made me feel seen. I have been where Atlas is—not the Sierras, but losing her father and struggling with the After.

The romance was sweet, but I adored the friend group. I would go to war for Books and Junior and Sugar. Kristin has a way of saying EXACTLY what I’m feeling in the perfect phrasing. Highly recommend!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an eARC copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

I ended up not finishing this book. I have enjoyed this authors previous books, but I ended up not wanting to finish this one.

"The Atlas of Us" was a compelling and well-written novel about grief and the strength it takes to pull through. The characters were authentic and the story was heart-wrenching.

Kristin Dwyer has a knack for emotional contemporary YA that breaks your heart while leaving you in a puddle of warmth at the same time. Swoony, romantic, and with a pitch perfect voice, I think teens with devour this.

I’ve now learned my lesson with this author… she just isn’t for me. I wanted to love this angsty YA contemporary, but it was so annoyingly and obviously packed with liberal agendas, I found myself DNFing it by chapter five.

In Dwyer’s sophomore novel, she doesn’t hold back and goes straight for the feels–in the best way. Following the death of her father, Atlas is sent to spend a month restoring trails in central California as a part of a community service program designed to help troubled kids. Grief and anger and hope all swirl and surface as her team works to rebuild her father’s favorite trail and the last item on his bucket list. Fighting the budding friendships and forbidden romance, Atlas must confront her feelings before she can move forward in life, but it’s so much easier to hide behind lies than face the truth. At once heartbreaking and healing, I haven’t stopped thinking about this story.

After her dad’s death, Atlas, decides to spend a month doing community service rehabbing trails on the Western Sierras, with a group of other “troubled” teens. But on the trail, where they’re given nicknames to use in place of their real ones, Atlas can be whoever she wants instead of the broken, grieving girl that she is.

And although she starts the summer as Maps, the rich homecoming queen whose dad is still alive, she soon realizes she isn’t the only one there with baggage—and she doesn’t have to hide her truth. At least not from everyone. She confides in King, her trail leader and the guy she’s undeniably attracted to, and the two grow close, even when he’s pushing her away.

On her hike, Atlas ends up finding true friends—friends who help make the grief a little quieter.

I loved this book so much. Kristin is queen of soft, sad stories, which are my absolute FAVORITE. She has a poetic way with words, making emotions and setting sound almost lyrical in description. She is one of my favorite authors because she not only tells a story well, but as an author myself, I want to study her writing every time I pick up her books. 



Yes, I absolutely cried reading this one. The friendship aspect of this story was done so well, with characters you’re rooting for and authentic feelings and interactions between them. There were so many moments I just wanted to hug each one of them. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I’ll just say, I loved the post-trail content, omg. The portrayal of Atlas’s grief is heartbreaking. The romance is soooo good. I just… really love these kids. 



Can’t recommend this book enough!

Another crying book from Kristin Dwyer. Loved every page. Her sharp wit bled onto the page through her characters’ dialogue and her ability to explore guilt, grief and anger in such a tangible way was perfection. Bravo.

When I tell you I picked this up after seeing someone write a great review about it on Instagram without even looking to see what age range the characters were....I was SO nervous when I realized this was YA contempt because I haven't read one in YEARS. I can't handle the immaturity of the characters anymore and I worry too much about ~mom things~ lol.

This story.....did not give me any of those vibes. It was about grief and healing and found family and my heart is aching just thinking about all of it. Maps's story was such a good reminder to me that everyone deals with the death of loved ones differently and how important it can be to find the people who are going to help you deal with all that needs dealing with.

That's not to say Maps, King, Books, Sugar, and Junior had an easy go if it. No. Their group was messy, fought, kept secrets from one another, and did a few terrible things. But....then....they grew to trust one another and also, just grew. There's a scene where they all come together at the end for Maps and I just...sobbed. It was lovely.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Maps and King, too. The way they were drawn to one another and the connection King ended up having with her (even if it caused a rift for some time).

If you're like me and typically don't read YA contemporaries anymore, throw that right out the window with this one...you won't regret it!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!♥

The Atlas of Us is a searingly beautiful and real story from Kristin Dwyer. Atlas is struggling after the death of her father. She ends up on a community service program where they rehabilitate wilderness trails in the Sierras. Before he got sick, Atlas’ father helped with the program and gave the area special meaning to Atlas. As she wrestles with her feelings of grief, Atlas bonds with her team and does intense physical labor. When Atlas develops a connection with a member of the team, does their relationship have a chance of continuing when the trail ends?

I LOVE Atlas!! She has all the emotions and I felt them so deeply. Kristin Dwyer is so good at writing about grief and the many ways in which we experience it, including anger. I loved how Atlas is given the freedom to experience her grief however she needs to. Atlas and King are drawn together right away, sparking an intense and captivating connection. Even while doing community service in the wilderness (not necessarily the most romantic place!), Dwyer creates intricate romantic moments that add tension and depth to their relationship. I loved the supporting characters, especially Books. Dwyer’s writing is hilarious and filled with witty banter. Everyone is on the trail for their own reasons and the team must learn to work together to start to heal.

This book would be perfect for fans of the exploration of grief and deep emotions from The Summer I Turned Pretty. Kristin Dwyer's writing is delightfully nostalgic, melancholy, relatable, and heartwarming. She's an auto-buy author for me at this point, as I know she will sweep me up in her story and give me all the feels. I can’t wait to read what Kristin Dwyer writes next!

Thank you so much to Kristin Dwyer, HarperTeen, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

I knew I would like this book because Kristin Dwyer wrote it and I adored her first book. I didn't realize I would love it and it would make me cry and feel some serious feels. This is a book about Atlas and her grief and loss over losing her father to cancer. Atlas has lost her way and she finds herself on a hiking trail clearing trip run by her father's best friend. At camp she is "Maps" because anonymity is a powerful thing, and at camp she can reveal as much or as little about herself as she wants. Her team for clearing the trail is one she finds herself both enjoying and causing her pain. She is drawn to one of her guides and she finds people who she may want to share a bit of herself with. This is a story about loss and grief and the pain of losing a parent. This is story about letting yourself feel the emotions and being who you need to be to get through those emotions, while finding out that the people you need may be found in unexpected place. I loved this book and I am immediately ordering a copy for my classroom. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Whatever that “something special” that some authors have, Kristin Dwyer has *it* in spades. Evocative, lush settings? Check. Dynamic, fully formed and flawed yet so precious characters? Check, check. A plot that matches the emotional intensity of the conflicts heartbeat for heartbeat? Check, check, check.

The Atlas of Us is gorgeous, painful, tender, and ultimately a love letter to all the ways we experience grief.

Similar to Some Mistakes Were Made, Maps and King will be on my mind for quite some time.

“The trail is a weird place. Where your past doesn’t really matter, but you drag it with you, anyway. Like your backpack, you’re never really without it, despite how heavy it makes everything.” 🥾🧭🗺️

If you loved Some Mistakes Were Made, you will fall hard for Kristin Dwyer’s sophomore novel The Atlas of Us.

Maps and King and Sugar and Junior. These characters are quirky and raw, made perfect by their imperfections. They are messy characters in the best way possible.

By the end of this novel, we learn, along with Maps, that through the worst moments in life, sometimes we make it to exactly where we’re supposed to be 🖤 So get your tissues ready. Be prepared to feel broken and sewn together again. And of course get ready to swoon over King. And if you haven’t, preorder this book already so we can cry and swoon together!

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins and Harper Teen for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"...Like one day he just decided to give up.... It’s long days of torture and then suddenly they’re gone. And you’re left wondering if you’re a bad person because you feel relief at it finally being over. Left wondering if you wasted moments that could have been spent with that person. Wondering how the world keeps going on without them in it. All while people sit around waiting for you to break...."

The Atlas of Us is Kristin Dwyer's sophomore novel and a fantastic follow-up to one of my favorite contemporary reads Some Mistakes Were Made. The expectations after reading Some Mistakes Were Made was very high and I believe The Atlas of Us was able to reach them.

I didn't tear up the way I did with Dwyer's debut but I could feel Atlas's grief and anger after losing her father and her feeling like a disappointment in her mother's eyes and in life.

“If places have memories, that one is filled with beginnings.”

Atlas is to serve at a community service program rehabbing trails in the Western Sierras. On a bucket list left by her father, she hikes on one of her father's favorites with a rag-tag group of strangers for weeks.

Kristin Dwyer's writing is so realistic, relatable, and engaging. I was thoroughly invested in Atlas's story and seeing the walls of lies she built slowly torn down by the strangers around her. The secondary characters: Junior, Books, Sugar, and King are complex, interesting, and understanding of Atlas's rage. I liked the bonds they formed as they navigate the trail and face what may come when it's all over.

"...swallow the pills. Swallow the lies. Swallow down the girl I am and try to replace her with the girl I wish I was."

If you love listening to Taylor Swift and find anime references awesome then I highly recommend checking out The Atlas of Us, which comes out January 2024 🥺 while I greatly appreciate being able to read books early, I'm sad because it's going to be an even longer wait for Kristin Dwyer's next release.

The Atlas of Us is focused on a ragtag assembled crew of teenagers needing to hike a trail and clean it up in the process. While that premise isn't very captivating on the surface, the characters themselves more than make up for the story & the setting becomes a unique backdrop to the development of histories, friendships, and futures.

While I wasn't totally sold on "Maps" as the MC, I did come around to her. The sexual tension hit early, but it was still interesting and engaging to watch it play out. The assemble of supporting characters all had depth that made getting to the truth of their stories engaging.

It was nice to see a strong foundation of environmental obstacles to overcome, not all of which were successfully tackled. Also, the relationships between adults/teens, teens/teens, and adults/adults added many layered nuances to the overall story.

Once I got past my initial distaste and eye rolling for our MC, I couldn't read this one fast enough. Satisfying ending with good overall thinking points.

Overall: 4.5 stars

I'll tell my students about: alcohol, language, sex, drugs, trauma, parental death/cancer, LGBTQIA+

**Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books / Harper Teen for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I don't read contemporary YA. I tried a couple of times but it's just not for me. But. I have exceptions. Or rather, I have authors for whom I make exceptions.

Some mistakes were made was one of my favorite reads of the last year. It made me cry, it made my heart ache, and at the same time it healed my inner teenager. So, after that book I vowed to read everything Kristin wrote.

The Atlas of Us is her new YA book that's coming out in January 2024.

Kristin has this way of reaching inside me and affecting me so deeply. I don't know how she does it, but every time I read one of her books I feel like she's writing about me. Of course that is purely narcissistic on my part. But what I'm getting at is that Kristin has a way of making me relate deeply to her female characters. A way to make me feel understood. That my feelings, my hurt, my contradictions are normal.

I think Kristin understands human emotion so well that she is able to put it in a book and make you feel seen. Her characters are messy and complicated but that's what makes them feel so real and so relatable.

Atlas is trying to survive after losing her father. She doesn't know what to do, what is the right way to feel, how to think in the future when her world is falling apart now.

Grief does not have the same face for everyone. It does not affect all of us in the same way. And not all of us deal with grief in the same way. Atlas in this book needs to understand that, she needs to find herself but also try to find her own path forward with that truth.

I loved this book. It made my heart ache, it made me emotional, it made me angry but in the end this book felt like a hug to my soul.

The Atlas of Us is the story of a girl trying to heal and move on, but it is also the story of Books, King, Sugar and Junior and how their lives become intertwined with the life of a girl named Maps as they find a new home in each other.

The Western Sierra Trail was one of the final wishes of Atlas’ father to experience with her. Despite his passing, Atlas’ chance to reconnect with him through rehabilitating the trail and process her grief brings friendship, love, identity, and family. It was a successful narrative told through the eyes of Atlas/Maps about how teenagers experience the ups and downs of what life brings. I felt my heart strings being pulled and twisted through the growth of Atlas and the romance between her and King. The supporting characters stepped up to the role by being there to support her, but also knowing when to take steps back in order for the relationships to properly develop.

Sometimes the best bonds that you have are ones with strangers that share the same struggle or goal, and The Atlas of Us was able to depict just that. The slow but emerging bond that was built between the four of them is one that took time to bloom. The romance that is depicted had plot twists but did not over explain or over romanticize the relationship. Although the romance given was not complex in nature, it still was able to accurately describe how naturally people in their early 20s go about establishing romance. A happy ending is to be expected within this story, but not without shedding a few tears first. Due to the lightness and broadness of the story, the ability to finish the book was not difficult at all, as I found myself picking this up when I needed something to take my mind off things. I recommend this for anyone who is looking for a simple YA story about troubled teens learning to understand their identity and how they take on the struggles and challenges of grief.