The last few months have been awful, and Atlas doesn't have much hope left—so she's been sent out to the wild to do community service trail work. It's not voluntary, and it's a place her father loved deeply—one of the last places she wants to be. On the trail, Atlas is no longer Atlas: she's rechristened Maps, and she's set to work alongside people with equally oblique trail names: Sugar. Books. Junior. King. And it's King, a team lead in his second year of the program, who interests Maps most.

The shape of this community service program is fairly vague—unlike many troubled-teen programs (which this one might or might not be, officially—probably for the best, considering how problematic the troubled teen industry is!), there's little adult oversight, with just-barely-no-longer-teens teaching teens—or telling them to figure it out. Neither Books nor King, the leaders in Maps's group, is talkative, but it's King to whom Maps gravitates, and it's King whom Maps needles and spars with, and it's King with whom she trades smoldering gazes.

Where I really wished for more understanding of this community service program is with fire. It's two things that perhaps speak to something bigger: at one point, Atlas makes an error with fire, and she's read the riot act; later, another character makes a different error (though it's never clear what it is) with a fire, and—I just want to know, were at any point in time these characters taught fire safety basics? Because I'm not convinced that they were. (Fire errors aside, Maps is the designated tent-setter-upper, and she receives almost no more instruction than 'figure it out'.) In a dry state when climate change is upon us, that's just...a sign of bad planning, bad leaders, and a bad program. (I'm also really curious about their trail names, because...typically, trail names are earned, not bestowed ahead of time. I wonder what names they would end up with if they were to name each other?)

With all that in mind: I'm quite sure that I'm going to be in the minority in my neutral-positive opinion here—this will go over like gangbusters for readers of Simone Elkeles and the like. I'm in it for the wilderness, though, rather than for the romance, and I think this would have been a excellent book for me if it had been about friendship rather than romance—but I suspect that most readers will be in it more for the smoldering gazes, and they'll get more out of that (significant) chunk of the book than I did.

Go forth and into the woods, folks. Learn some new skills. Earn a trail name. Don't set anything on fire.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Oh my heart. Kristin Dwyer's books are so special. I think they are written specifically for me in mind (just kidding), but really: for those who love a good cry and a good emotional read.

Atlas is struggling with her grief after her father's death from cancer and she is sent as a last resort to help clean up a spot on a wilderness trail with other kids. The book delves into what it means to be "bad" and how to love yourself and others, how to open up your heart again. I loved the other characters that Atlas connects with and I especially love how much nature meant to her and her dad. This book is so beautifully written, and would be PERFECT for fans of Emery Lord and Jandy Nelson.

"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.

Atlas James not only experiences the loss of her father to cancer but also feels lost in life. Failing to graduate from high school and losing her job at a floral shop, she becomes antisocial, depressed, and struggles with anger issues. Her mother is unsure how to help her.

In a last-ditch effort to find the rehabilitation she needs, Atlas joins a community service program aimed at rehabilitating trails in the Western Sierras. The program is led by her father's best friend, Joe. Holding her father's bucket list in her hands, she embarks on the journey to complete the trail he had intended to hike but never got the chance to.

The program enforces strict rules, including a no-name policy. Atlas chooses the nickname "Maps," symbolizing her desire to navigate her own path once the hiking concludes.

During the program, she meets her teammates, including Books, Junior, Sugar, and the enigmatic King, who awakens complex emotions within her. Atlas tells lies to build walls and conceal her secrets, presenting a false facade of the person she wishes to be. However, she soon realizes that these four individuals can understand her pain, and with their support, she can freely experience sadness, shed tears, and face her struggles without judgment. Perhaps they can see the true Atlas, a side of her that no one else has ever witnessed. What will happen to her once the trail ends? How can she return to her old life and learn to live without her dad? And most importantly, how will she say goodbye to King, who means more to her than just a friend, as he departs for Alaska?

Overall, "Atlas of Us" is a poignant and heart-wrenching novel that guarantees to evoke strong emotions. It is a meaningful exploration of grief with a promising and inspirational conclusion. Keep your tissues ready as you embark on this tear-jerking and beautiful journey.

Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperTeen for providing me with a digital review copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

3.5 stars

This is mainly a story about grief. It did such an excellent job at showing the grief process. I teared up at a few parts at the end. This book made me want to go camp and find myself. I didn't really like the friendships till the end. I also wanted to know more about the side characters. The romance felt very instalove and I wasn't as invested as I felt I should be.

The Atlas of Us was my first Kristyn Dweyer book and it was instant love for her style of writing. From the opening scene to the very last line my heart  ached in a million different places.

I will secondly say that this is a life after cancer loss story, a working through depression story, and it will trigger all the feelings.

In The Atlas of Us we follow along with a lonely young adult nick named Maps, she is drowning in the aftermath of her father's death. Experiencing issues with processing grief her life spirals out of control and she finds herself reluctantly taking part of a month-long hiking trip.

Accompanying her on the trip are four complete strangers who are also working out their own personal issues. Slowly, one by one, each story unfolds, and their facades fall.

Even though this story hurt so much I could not put it down and finished it very quickly, it was SO good.

My favorite leg of the book was after the trip ended, going through her dad's list, slowly letting people in one by one, her healing process.

I loved all of the characters, loved the reference to Howl's Moving Castle, and loved the ending - it made me feel whole after all of the sorrow.

The Atlas of Us is the perfect story when you have bottled up emotions and need a little nudge to  let it all out. It is for those who enjoy Rachel Griffin's writing style.

Kristin Dwyer doesn’t just write YA novels, she writes smart YA novels. Thought-provoking, poignant YA novels that are so real and raw that they tug at your heart at every turn. The way she writes emotion into every single line is incredible. The imagery was stunning and I felt as though I could picture every trail and every tree in the forest. The characters felt like friends. The conversations, authentic. Kristin Dwyer is one of the greats. Truly a storytelling genius.

The Atlas of Us is a breathtaking YA novel about grief and healing. It’s about the lies we tell—both to those around us and ourselves—to protect our hearts from hurting. But when we can’t shield them, it’s okay to feel our feelings, no matter how big they are or how silly they feel. It’s about finding your people in the most unexpected of places and how it’s okay to be messy. Find the people who love your mess—they’re out there, and they’re waiting for you.

I know I’ve said this before, but Kristin has the most honest YA voice I have ever read. It’s as if she ripped open her heart and soul and bled on these pages to finish this book. Like she has once again shown another piece of herself through her writing, and I think that’s a beautiful and precious thing.

I loved Some Mistakes Were Made. Every page was excellent. I laughed, and I cried. But The Atlas of Us made me feel even more. More emotion. More depth. More pain. Just, more. It’s really something special and I can’t wait until it’s out in the world for everyone to read.

This was such an incredible story. Adventurous, wonder, compelling, and delightful are the perfect ways to describe this story. The plot is executed well and the characters are well fleshed out. It pulls at you and keeps your interest the whole time.

There is something about Kristin Dwyer's writing that always punches me in my feelings - it happened with her debut, Some Mistakes were Made, and it just happened again with The Atlas of Us. A beautiful coming of age story about Atlas, nicknamed Maps, at a camp program where she hikes the trails Sierras as she deals with the loss of her father and finds forever family in the group she is hiking with.

"THE WORLD DOESN'T STOP. It marches on for hours and days. Grief doesn't care about time."
--
I was immediately drawn into this story. The writing is impeccable and the way Atlas struggles with grief is so relatable and gut wrenching. I'm not someone who usually much of a crier, but I'm two for two with Kristin Dwyer's books and I was sobbing as I read this, all in one sitting since I could not put it down. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, The Atlas of Us will give you all the feels wrapped into a warm hug of found family and a cast of perfectly imperfect characters.

Thank you netgalley for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a pretty basic YA novel with simplistic prose and a lot of melodrama. I think I've read too many books with beautiful prose, and have therefore been spoiled. This book also had a troubled teen industry vibe that made me very anxious... and the characters were pretty toxic. And it honestly might have gone on too long...? HOWEVER. I did like the reconciliation! And it had some really good lessons.

The Atlas of Us stabs your heart in all the best ways. I laughed, I cried - I went though the entire spectrum of grief as I turned the pages. I absolutely adored Maps, Sugar, Junior, Books, and King - their personalities and pure friendship came to life with Dwyer’s lyrical prose. The themes of grief and love were so well done and the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada provided the perfect setting. How can a book be so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time?! This is a true contemporary masterpiece.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Teen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.