Fascinating book- told from a fresh perspective- each character, even minor characters were very well formed, their roles shaped the story and it all came together nicely. Highly recommend

It took me a while to get into this book. I wasn't sure about the main character at first. I nearly gave up.It was only the snippets of story about the grandmother - a writer - that kept me going. And the, about half way through, that changed... And I decided I loved it. All the characters. All the story strands. They all gelled together into a charming whole.

I went back and read it from the beginning again and realised how wrong I'd been. It might have been my mood. It might have been that this really is something different. Whatever, I'm glad I didn't give up or I would have missed out on a lovely book.

I would go further and say I loved it so much I wish I'd written it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and e-copy of this. I'll be buying a hard copy for my shelf.

3.75 Stars

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I picked this book up when it was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm very glad I did!

I will admit that when I first started the book, this formatting took some getting used to. I got confused as to why we kept switching perspectives and why each chapter was so short. But that was when I was reading only two chapters at a time, so I wasn’t keeping good track of the different storylines. Once I realized why I was having an issue, I restarted the book from the beginning, read it in longer bursts, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I found it extremely impressive how this book managed to intertwine so many different storylines in such a short amount of time. Most chapters are only a page or two, some no more than a paragraph, and they chapters alternate between various different storylines that all connect seamlessly in the end.

It was interesting trying to guess how all the characters fit in to the main storyline. Sometimes the answer was obvious, but other times it took another few chapters from that character’s perspective to start putting things together. The formatting of the short chapters ended up being a very useful way of enabling me to keep track of what was going on with whom. Once I starting keeping track of things, I was riveted and was turning pages in order to see whose perspective was next, and how they connected back to everyone else.

I don’t think this was a very plot-driven books. I was mostly interested in the characters. Their specific stories, character arcs, and seeing how they fit in with everyone else. I enjoyed reading about everyone which is important when a book is this character driven. It mainly follows a family through different generations, with some other characters that have strong ties to the family.

All in all, this is a short and sweet book all about the different ways of finding love and family. It’s told in a really compelling way, as the short pages make this an addictive read. I continued saying “One more chapter,” all the way until the end.

Oh dear! I so wanted to like this book, but, it just didn't work for me. The chapters are short, which is a normal plus, but, I never engaged with the characters, nor cared much about the story and indeed found it irritating.

I'll surely be in the minority and I wish it every success, but, it's not a book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, author and publishers for the opportunity to preview.

I loved the switching of view of this book - like hopping around the branches of a wonderful and quirky family tree, peaking in to the nests and feeling the knots of the lives of this family. A wonderful story based in, ultimately, understanding our weaknesses as people and not accepting that how other people seek to limit us is how our lives should be. Each generation of the North family have such wonderful and imaginative qualities - from being an expert in the colour blue, to the power of imagination, to using statistics to explain the world, to sculpting gardens or sand or delicious collections of handbags. A wonderful read.

Charming and quirky - that in a nutshell is how I would describe both this book and the characters within. The style/ structure of the book is untypical but bear with and you wont be disappointed.

This book took me a while to get used to the style of writing...it was quirky with great characters I struggled at first to see how they would all fit together so glad I kept with it as really did enjoy it!

The concept was good, but the execution was not the best. The structure of the book from the different perspectives was hard to follow without an indication of the POV in the chapter title.

A beautifully written book, gentle humour and a little sadness too. It's quite different to most books I've read recently but very easy to read and most enjoyable.

It's 417 pages but they are often pages with very few words. It's a quick and delightful read. Like a tangled pile of string that needs unravelling it can be confusing and frustrating but it is ultimately very rewarding. A delightfully original and quirky book

A sweet story about how life can lead you all over,yet you'll always find the way back to where you should be.

My word what a rambling mess of a book.

I gave this a solid try, tried to get into it, but I couldn't finish it.
The chapters are all over the place and jump from one character to another. Some read like odd poems, some are standard prose, some are just rambling and strange.

Its not a good book, and while I hate leaving books unfinished, I just could not get myself to continue reading this. It felt like too much work for too little payoff.

This book was so original, it had charm , wit, beautiful characters and a story which had multiple layers finely woven together at the end.

I did find it hard to understand at the beginning, I was quite confused but I am so glad I kept reading as I began to put the peices together.

The short chapters I found very refreshing and the quirky characters each with their own charm and individual personalities were interesting.

I loved Tilly who saw life through numbers and statistics. Her grandmother Violet who explores the world through her typewriter and the rich array of relatives and friends who each add to the story.

My advice is keep reading you will not be disappointed , a beautifully written book which is endearing, memorable and quirky. Jules Preston is an author to look out for if this debut novel is anything to go on.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this fantastic book

In my humble opinion this is sat in and has been published under the wrong genre. It is not chick-lit, and that is not meant in a derogatory way in regards to that particular genre, but this isn’t just your normal romcom, romancey and happy-go-lucky read.

Perhaps the publisher struggled to define it and put it into a definitive category. Credit should be given where credit is due though, because this is an extraordinary read.

What is Map of Us about? In a way it is the story of the roots of a family told in the form of short, really short – often only a paragraph, chapters by each character. It’s as if the narrator is making a diary entry about each one of them.

The seedling of the family tree is Violet, and her roots and family, both blood and non-blood, begin with a man without a name and a dog named Dog.

It’s quirky, memorable and in a way a small work of art. Hopefully one day more people will recognise that. I would not only put it in the bracket of women’s fiction, I would also put it in literary fiction.

For me personally the best moment and quote from the story, aside from the Compatibility Index of course, is ‘nice toast’ courtesy of Abby. So much more than just a throwaway comment, it’s a point of connection and affirmation of feeling comfort and possibly even trust for the very first time.

What I take away from this story is that sometimes blood doesn’t bond and bind us and it’s ok to walk away from toxicity. Family isn’t necessarily who we are related to, it’s the people we connect with and become part of our inner circle. Simultaneously at some moments in time family can be the protective cocoon we yearn for and need.

It’s a remarkable read and there will probably be real requests for the fictional Compatibility Index. It will definitely be going on my exceptional reads of the year list.

This was such an unexpected and charming read! It did take me a little while to get into it as the flow is a little unusual but then I was hooked. I loved the different viewpoints and the unique characters. It was unconventional but really grew on me and I am glad I stuck with it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

I really appreciate Jules Preston's debut novel. You can find a very complete story. A poignant story for family, sadness, full of drama, confidence, love and a strong sense of courage.
Since opening the first page I began to fall in love with the Jules Preston writing method. Find short, easy-to-complete chapters like working on puzzles and adventures. The shorter the writing, the more I feel more curious.

Honestly, there are indeed some repetitive and very strange story lines. But in the end I found all the story lines connected. I did not expect that all the plots made by the author were also very reasonable and in the end it was not strange. Sometimes in some parts of the chapter the author gives great hope and it makes me smile.

The story of Violet North who is sick and looks so bad is indeed a touching story. Then his parents started leaving Violet when he was an adult. Strangely, all of that could be an advantage for Violet. That's the best time in Violet's life.

What Violet will do, for me like entertainment. He wrote to develop his imagination, take a walk, travel to the hills and mountains. It's really a wonderful thing for Violet. Without realizing it, Jules Preston made Violet's life more beautiful than before.

Then the story about Matilda North (Tilly) who worked as a statistician. When her marriage broke so badly, she began doing research. She does complex calculation analysis and finds compatibility equations. Tilly just lives to like the numbers she considers very simple. This family is increasingly complete with different habits and distinctive characteristics. Jack's character likes all colors and Jack's older sister likes handbags. Also their father who made creations of sand carvings.

It is truly a unique family and has a very happy drama. This story is full of fresh and love stories that are not easy to forget. I hope there are many other works from Jules Preston, of course with different story colors. A story that will tie you up till the end.

I was given in advance or just copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is very likable, even when the characters or not. It’s a very well worn trope – the horrible yet level family, and everything works out in the end. If you like that kind of book you will love this. No new ground but still very sweet and charming

The Map of Us is quite an odd yet innovatively crafted novel, which if I’m honest initially irritated me, but which I ended up enjoying. The story comprises two hundred very short, choppy chapters, (although the book is only 180 pages) and it all seemed quite disjointed at first. We’re given glimpses of each character’s character, of which there are quite a few and most of them are eccentric to say the least. I have to say that I seriously considered giving up on this novel until I got 45% in, at which point I got to know enough about the individuals to want to know more.

The characters come from three generations and include some truly lovely souls, some heinously cruel villains, some confused, troubled individuals and some obsessive personalities. There are several threads to the storyline, but it mainly centres around Tilly and her broken marriage to Matt and her grandmother, Violet’s inspirational elevation from a disabled start in life, abuse and abandonment to a life that she could not have dreamed would be possible. Tilly’s family seem to be a motley crew. Her Dad competes at sand sculpture festivals and always comes second; her Mum seems to spend her life getting washing machines repaired or replaced due to all the sand; her brother is a world renowned expert on the colour blue; her sister is an obsessive handbag shopaholic. Tilly is an unapologetic number cruncher, who writes a report on her broken marriage with footnotes, a summary and a series of conclusions together with a detailed questionnaire called ‘The Compatibility Index’.

In the end we come away feeling that this is indeed a tender, uplifting story and all the dots have been joined up.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Harper Impulse and Jules Preston for the opportunity to read and review The Map of Us.

Charming, Quirky, Perceptive - loved it!

I found this to be such a fun, emotional and original story , and the short, snappy chapters really gave this such a fresh feel compared to some other books! It does take a short while before you become used to the flitting between characters and timelines, but once you are in that zone the story just flows really nicely and you find yourself eagerly anticipating each new chapter to see whose story you'll be plunged back into next and where their journey will lead to!

It's the story of families, the journeys we all take through life, finding the meaning of happiness and all that entails! From Tilly who works in market research and analyzes every aspect of her life into charts and facts, to Violet who is housebound and extremely creative, to Jack who is a world expert on the colour blue, to Daniel the workaholic who is never out of a suit, and to Katherine who is slightly obsessed with buying handbags! All the characters share a link and it is fascinating to see how it all links together and how those personalities all affect one another.

There are so many things you'll find yourself thinking about when you read this book! There are many random observations that you often wonder why they're being mentioned, but it all begins to make sense by the end!

Each character has such a different way of having their story told and this was another clever aspect of the book. It helped sum up their personalities and their stories in different ways. If you loved the quirkiness of Eleanor Oliphant or The Keeper of Lost Things, then you'll love this too!!

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with this book. While I love the story and the ending, i didn't really care for how it was written. The repetitiveness of the language through me a little and I struggled at first to really get stuck in to it. I feel if it was written in differently, I would have loved it a lot more. That said, I did enjoy it. I liked the different characters and the different stories. My favourite character has to be 'dog' ha ha! His little bits always made me smile. Absolutely worth a read, but just persevere with the beginning.