I have a soft spot in my heart for chosen family stories, and this tale definitely incorporates that theme along with a compelling narrative about love and grief that I found completely heartrending and contemplative.

Thank you so much HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 stars
From the moment that I read the first, I knew this was a book that would leave me reeling. And it did. When I finished reading The Atlas of Us , I felt such profoundly intense emotions, ones that I hadn't felt in a while. Kristin Dwyer's writing style is so immersive, I could clearly see myself as Atlas and feel all the emotions she was feeling. This book is a such a beautiful exploration of grief, loss, love and family and your identity as well.

Reeling from the loss of her father, Atlas has been struggling. And because of that, she finds herself enrolled in a wilderness rehabilitation program with others, except under a different name. Maps. As Maps, Atlas carves out a new identity for herself, one where she is not drowning because of her grief, but is a thriving college student with a great social life. Dwyer has done such a fantastic job of portraying grief and loss and how that affects everything you do, and has done it in the most perfect way.

The Atlas Of Us is a heartwrenching, but heartwarming (one of my favourite phrases to use) book and I am truly not going to stop thinking about it.

A great read for people dealing with grief, especially ones who like the outdoors. The descriptions of the trials is great. I like the vulnerability that is shown by all of the characters. It is nice to see kids away from screens and learning to appreciate nature and each other. I am happy with the ending.

A fairly standard plot any more - teens sent into nature to help cope with grief. The combination of manual labor and separation from their normal life helps them connect with people on a deeper basis and come to realizations about themselves. The plot doesn't tread any especially innovative ground but the plot and characters remain believable.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper360YA for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. It delves into grief and the lasting impact it leaves on the ones left behind. At its core Atlas is trying to figure out herself and who she is without her dad. This book explores sadness, depression, anger amongst other emotions, and it was executed beautifully. At times this book had me welling up at the emotions, and other times i felt frustrated with atlas and her decisions. What this book shows is how much a journey grief is for people, and having a secure group of people to be there for you really helps. The cast of characters each felt vivid and really made this book come to life. The author had a way of describing the setting that really transports you with the characters. Overall, this book will stay with me for ages, and i would highly recommend picking this up!!
(*4.5)

I gave this book a 3.5. This was such a great story about grief, love and healing. I enjoyed the found family elements of this story the most,

Kristen does it once again. Her storytelling is just so relatable and refreshing. Gosh. I just love her stuff. Anyone who reads this. Just recommend it. 1000/1000.

This was such a good book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an early copy of The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer.

DNF

I honestly only made it a few chapters into this book and I could already tell that the characters and story would just not be for me.

I really did enjoy this author's debut novel - full of first love angst and drama = and while I knew this one would have more of the same, I don't think I'm the right reader for this story.

This is Kristin’s emotional sophomore novel that is set in the great outdoors and examines what to do when you’re too consumed with grief and the loss of larger than life people.

Read if you like:
⛰️The Great Outdoors
⛰️New Adult Books
⛰️The exploration of Grief
⛰️Unlikely friendships
⛰️ Slow burn (new adult) romance

A TAYLOR SWIFT SONG COME TO LIFE: With thrilling highs and rock-bottom lows, this story will take you on an emotional roller coaster that explores both the pain of grief and the joy of falling in love.

4.5 stars--The Atlas of Us is the most accurate portrayal of grief over losing a parent to cancer I've ever read. (I say this having experienced the exact situation as Atlas, so Kristin Dwyer way to make me emotional by just reading the blurb and feeling seen!!!)

Atlas is unwillingly strong-armed into going to a camp that rehabilitates trails for state parks. This was such an interesting premise, with Atlas and the other four characters being isolated in the woods while working towards cleaning up the trails. Atlas (Maps), King, Books, Sugar, and Junior make an unlikely trail crew, but the found family vibes grow and grow over time through a lot of awkward moments, mistakes, and bonding.

I loved how this book had Atlas trying to work through her grief while trying to make connections with the others. I think the inner monologue was so well done, with seemingly random or unrelated things prompting her to think of her Dad (both happy and sad memories). I felt seen because that's exactly what happens to me still and is why grief is often so nebulous a thing. The semi-reveal I saw coming but I think the point was that Atlas should have seen the signs. She didn't though, because she was trying to figure out how to help her crew and make it through to the end. This is a YA book that showed us how the character was handling being back in the real world once again after beginning to work through her grief. I think it's just as important to note that she is still hurting and sad about his death at the end, but she's processing her grief and it takes time! Grief's a tricky thing.

Overall, I think this book was really well-written. It made me tear up quite a few times because Atlas was going through it and.... I've been there. The depiction of grief and healing was well thought out and was given the proper time to air out in the narrative!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital advanced readers copy. This did not affect my reviews in any way.

My review only consists of me sobbing, screaming, crying and burrying myself under my pillows for the foreseeable future.
Kristin Dwyer will be the end of me and I am not even mad about it. She is extremely talented in writing emotionally charged, beautiful friendships and heartbreaking romances, grief and new beginnings.

The Atlas of Us is magical, raw, devastatingly honest and at the same time hopeful, inspirational and cozy.
I loved it SO much!

Thank you so much Harper360YA, Netgalley for the earc. My opinion is my own.

The Atlas of Us is an excellent, realistic portrayal of grief and a compelling read. The characters are flawed and three-dimensional, and the slow-burn romance will resonate with teens.

A thought provoking novel about a young lady trying to navigate her way through grief after loosing her father to cancer. This book will make you stop and think about how we all navigate our own "hikes" and journeys through the universal human emotion of grief. You might want to have some tissues handy as you make your way through this one.

I thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank harper360ya and Netgalley for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book for an honest review.

I, actually, enjoyed reading this book. I love how Kristin writes about grief in this. I know we've all been through it at some point in our lives and this is a beautifully written story on what the whole process is like. We get to see Atlas throughout the journey and we see her from rock bottom at the beginning to her healed version at the end. I found myself hooked and always wanting to read more. Each character was interesting in their own way and i liked to see Kristins' own interests shine in this book. I love it when a story is gripping and i can, confidently, say that this book did what it needed to.

I was so excited to read this book, but unfortunately it didn't ever catch my attention. It took me awhile to read just waiting for it to pick up, but it never picked up for me.

All the swoon. I love Kristin Dwyer and devour her books. Atlas was impossible to put down. Such a powerful story and beautifully told. Kristin is queen.

This was a unique plot! The Atlas of Us is about a group of young people who go out on a trail to clean/restore it, and while they're there, they get to know each other and work through their personal problems. It's a good look into grief and adolescent life, especially when it doesn't go as planned. For the most part, I liked the characters, but overall, I found the book kind of meh. But objectively, I think it is a good book.

5 Stars

I didn’t realize this was a book about grief and moving on after loosing someone to cancer. Cancer is something I’m easily triggered by, what with me almost dying from it a year after my dad DID die from it. But this book…. I felt so so seen and understood, especially in all the messy bits. So Kristen, I’m sorry you also have to know this unique experience so intimately, because that must be the only way someone can write this so well while also putting a love story in it.

This quote really summed up the underlying feelings of the story, as well as my own personal experience as both a daughter losing someone to cancer AND as a survivor myself:

“That’s how cancer is. 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.”

I don’t want this review to only focus on that aspect of the story because it also captured so many of my favorite tropes: finding yourself (and love) in the outdoors, found family, emotionally complicated and messy leads, camping, and will they won’t they tension.

The Atlas of Us is a beautiful story of loss and love and just how grief can truly eff us all up. I loved it and I hope everyone picks it up and gives it a shot!

This was heartbreaking story of grief, depression, loss, failing, and so much more.

Alas loses her father and so many other things all around the same time and falls into depression. This story is about her finding herself and her will with help on her journey.

This is definitely a book that will make you feel all the things!