I’m not always the biggest fan of new adult romance, but this book really hooked me and drew me in. The story revolves around Kinsey and Sasha two seniors at NYU. Kinsey is recovering from a relationship gone wrong and Sasha has been crushing on Kinsey for the last few years but Kinsey doesn’t even know that Sasha exists. What follows is an incredibly sweet story of roomies to friends to lovers romance.

What I really loved about this book was it balanced hilarious flirty banter with some serious issues facing both the two MCs. It was in turns laugh out funny / cheesy, serious and heart meltingly sweet. I really liked how both characters were brought to life. Sasha is super easy to love and Kinsey is this “grumpasaurus” being who is actually a big softie inside. I did notice somewhere in the last third the pacing did slow down a bit, but picked up within a few pages.
Also kudos for representation, I always like to give books major brownie points for steering away from the standard MC stereotypes in f/f books. For an author who is only two books in - the writing is fantastic and I look forward to Rachel Stockbridge’s next! Quick note: The cover was pretty awesome too, which was what got me interested in the first place. I believe this is the author’s own creation - so well done Rachel!
A super fun and easy read. 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Rachel Stockbridge for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute friends to lovers new adult queer romance but the only word I have to describe it is fine. The premise was good and I thought Kinsey and Sasha were both dealing with realistic issues but the second half in particular dragged. I'd have liked more establishing scenes of their friendship and less time spend in their heads that were (repetitively at times) swimming in self-doubts and angst.

I thought this was an adorable friends to lovers rom com! I did not read the first book in the series, but all of them are also standalone novels, so you do not need to.

I found myself relating to parts of Kinsey and parts of Sasha and I thought that they were developed well as characters in the novel. It was sometimes hard to get into the plotline of Sasha and her mom because it felt like there wasn't sufficient backstory, but I did really feel for Sasha in those interactions.

The Map to You by Rachel Stockbridge
Friends to Lovers, Secret Crushes, Taking Chances, Kindness, Opening the Heart, Lgbtq+ (flf)
This was such a cute and enjoyable friends to lovers novel about two college roommates. I read it in one day and just could feel the emotions and insecurities of the characters as I read along.
But taking that chance also means opening themselves up to heartbreak. And neither is sure they’re willing to risk losing the other forever.
This is my first novel by Rachel Stockbridge and I will now check out some of her other novels as I do not normally read very many romcom type books and really enjoyed it.
This is technically NA, but could but could be read NY a Jr high or HS student as there is no explicit content. I would rate it pg-13, but the MCs are all in college.
Also, great cover & title. I would like a hard copy if offered.
Thank you netgalley & publisher for the e arc. 4-4.5*

Best friends to lovers? Mutual pining? Road trips? Bed sharing? Yes, yes, yes!! This book is absolutely perfect without coming off as too cliche.

The Map to You is such a cute but at the same time deep and heartbreaking romance - with a gorgeous cover, I must add.

Kinsey moves dorms after a rough break-up with her first love, Evie. Her new roommate Sasha flirts with her at every chance that she gets, but that’s just a running joke. Or is it? Sasha has been crushing on Kinsey ever since she first met her, but she doesn’t think her feelings will ever be reciprocated. Over the course of the term they become fast friends, and Sasha doesn’t even think twice about offering to drive Kinsey all the way from New York to Charlotte for a family emergency. During their trip, they will have to re-evaluate not only their feelings for each other, but also their pasts.

The first half of the book moved really quickly. At first I was a bit confused by the jump in the timeline right at the beginning, but once I found out that this book is actually a sequel and looked up the plot of the first book, it all made much more sense.

I thought that Kinsey and Sasha had great chemistry and I loved seeing their friendship develop into something more. It was so relatable for both of them to struggle with their feelings and with the commitment that comes with taking a friendship to the next level. Of course, the whole situation wasn’t exactly made easier by their respective pasts.

Over the course of the book, Kinsey goes through a lot of character development and I loved that for her. Her parents are incredibly supportive and such a cute couple themselves (can we have a spin-off of how they met, please?). Kinsey eventually managed to gather the courage to bring up their fight about the ex-girlfriend and I almost cried over that whole conversation because it was just so wholesome.

I just wish that Sasha had got the same amount of development as well. It is of course a huge step for her to put herself first and cut herself off from her emotionally abusive mother, but I wish she had received more support from her family after that, and started therapy - because she clearly needs it.

Much of the book was focused around resolving these family problems and although that wasn’t what I had expected from the story, I really liked the way it was written. I do wish Sasha and Kinsey had been better at talking everything through in the first place instead of Sasha doing what she criticises her mom for, which is up and running when being asked to face her problems, but it’s all a part of the process so I understand why it happened. Kinsey needed to learn to give Sasha some space, and Sasha had to learn to open up to someone she trusts, difficult as both may be.

All in all, this was a really cute, diverse romance with a focus on mental health and I enjoyed reading it!

4/5 stars.

This wlw romance genuinely has everything. Best friends to lovers, sharing a bed, hurt/comfort. I’m absolutely in love with Kinsey and Sasha and their relationship is so cute.

Sasha’s past is really well written. I liked how the author brought up the ways that her trauma still effects her, and how difficult it was for her to open up to Kinsey after taking care of herself by herself for so long.

Kinsey is like my ideal best friend. Her attitude is just so funny and her constant grumpiness usually stems from care for the people around her. I love her relationship with her parents and her brother, their bond is what everyone wants.

Everyone should read this once it comes out, even if you don’t love romance you’ll love these girls romance.

First off thank you Netgalley and the publishers of this book for allowing me a chance to read this Arc of The Map To You.
I found myself in conflict with this book, while I really enjoyed the storyline, the same sex relationship, the struggles that both main characters had, and while the book was really well written. I just felt something was missing, and I cannot put a finger on what it is.
I read this book in a week (a quick read for me).
I would pick to read this book again, and I would recommend to family and friends.
Happy Reading!

This book was super cute. Sasha gave me Julie Etrz vibes but without the tragic backstory/crazy mom. I really enjoyed Sasha's emotional journey and change throughout the book. Kinsey had to learn to be not so self-absorbed. The banter was pretty great and I hard core related to Sasha's sarcasm.
As far as steamboats go, there were only kisses and cuddles, but they were adorable and moved the plot forward.

Kensie and Sasha began as friends and ended up on quite a rollercoaster ride. The story involves the past and present for both girls. They are in college and about to graduate when they changed their relationship. The plot involves self image and coping skills.
The story is a bit wordy but worth reading. The supporting characters are great and give a wide view of emotions. Young love is hard enough with the baggage Kinsey and Sasha bring to the table.
I recommend this book for young romance readers.
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

Wow, this is the fastest I have ever read a book! I instantly felt invested in the budding relationship between Kinsey and Sasha. The second half of the book was less fun than the first. In terms of themes, I related to the relationships between the main characters and their families. I also enjoyed what this book had to say about what it means to be strong.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 1/2 stars.

This book is real cute. Its not gripping but it’s an easy read with low stakes (although there’s the box standard miscommunication drama) and an obvious HEA.

Give me mutual oblivious pining and roadtrip tension. Give me the grumpy one wants the sunshine one. Give me roommates who are in love with each other but are too fucking stupid to see their arses from their elbows. I’ll eat that shit up as fast as anything.

Is this book groundbreaking? No. But WLW deserve slightly generic <I>omg they’re roommates!!</i> romcoms as well as highly plotted, intricate concepts do they not! Give me the WLW holiday novel tat, is what I’m saying. And whilst this doesn’t revolve around a seasonal holiday, it has the vibe, for sure.

That’s not to say that the characters aren’t fleshed out, because they are. They’re not bland, and the plotline isn’t bland either, just a little predictable. Which I thought was fine—sometimes you just have to take books as they are, and this book is clearly meant to be an easy romcom read, and it does that job well.

However, whilst Kinsey isn’t bland, I did find her “everyone hates me” attitude to be a little tedious/frustrating by the end.

The last half/3 quarters does drag a little as well, I think some scenes could have been shortened.

But, solid 3 1/2 stars.

So much angst and so much personal drama in these characters. The story captivates you quickly so I read this in one go, that’s always good news.
The book is well written and the characters are developed nicely and you can see their growth throughout the book. If you love an angsty YA romance this is the book for you.

This was an enjoyable NA book by an author I hadn't read before. This is apparently the second book in a series, and I was unaware of that going in until I was finished with the book so it's fair to say this stands on it's own.

The Map to You follows Sasha Deforest and Kinsey Han who are close friends at NYU. Sasha has had a crush on Kinsey for a while now and has been too afraid to tell her upfront so she deflects her feelings to Kinsey in the form of sarcastic flirting. Kinsey met Sasha right after her heart was broken and after getting through that, started to get feelings for Sasha, but doesn't think exuberant Sasha will ever have feelings for an introvert pessimist like Kinsey. So they both keep their feelings to themselves until a sudden road trip brings them even closer together.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. This premise promises a lot of angst and it's not let down here. Ask and you shall receive! All the fun parts of a YA friends to lovers book is in the first half. But for me the second half of this book was a more frustrating read.

After Kinsey and Sasha are on their trip parts of their respective pasts come up around them, but they also refuse to talk to each other about it and instead it just drives a wedge between them. And like? Just talk to each other!

It's kinda a joke in queer friend and relationship circles that I know of that we trauma dump far too easily, and there's truth to that. But this seems to be a vast overcorrection and it was just kinda frustrating to read that best friends won't open up.

The things that happen to Sasha and Kinsey aren't bad narratively. In fact I think it adds depth to both characters, and I liked the characters of this book a lot and it all invoked a lot of feelings- which is what I love in books. But just how they handled communication was tough for me. And I can't even label this as miscommunication as it was more "no communication"

I did like this book, probably more than I let on in a lot of this review. It was cute, angsty, and had fun characters. I just also had a but of a frustrating time with it too. 3.5/5

This book is so perfect. I love that it's best friends to lovers and the angst is so perfect. I just wanted to give sasha and kinsey a hug, they both have so many insecurities and once they were brought up they were really able to shine. Their speeches to each other once they actually professed their love were so beautiful.

I received an arc from netgalley.

4 stars
This was super cute. The friends to lovers felt really natural and the main characters had genuine chemistry. My only complaint was that the conflict felt a little bit forced at times. Still, a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a surprisingly quick read because I got so invested in the story! The characters are well developed and even though I hadn’t read the first book in the series I didn’t feel lost at all so it’s a great stand alone book as well. I personally have a hard time with misunderstanding/miscommunication storylines and this book has a LOT of them. Once you think you’ve gotten through it another one pops up so for me personally it was a little frustrating but that’s nothing against the quality of the book and if you like that I think you’ll love this! Some of the pacing was a bit inconsistent for me as well but overall it’s a really cute story and I came to really like the characters. Lesbian romances are a favorite of mine and I LOVE a book set in college vs high school. Its harder to find! I definitely recommend this book!

The Map to You is a work of New Adult fiction, a genre which has long been under-saturated. What's more, it's a queer, sapphic love story. I thought it was well written, but while the plot does focus in on the protagonists' romantic arc, it didn't feel like a romance in any typical way. This wasn't my cup of tea, but I can imagine many others enjoying it.

Kudos for the cute cover. It is instantly appealing. This is a new adult story about two NYU students meeting up in the college dorms. Kinsley Han describes herself as prickly and ends up taking her first relationship break up very hard. Changing dorms means meeting Sasha Deforest. Sasha is firmly in the friend zone as Kinsley isn't looking for anything more. But Sasha is crushing unrequitedly on Kins over the next year. A weekend road trip everything changes.

These two new adults spend a lot of time thinking in their heads. The insecurity and self doubts about being worthy of love comes through on every page. Some of it is heartbreaking and this is much more of a drama than I was expecting from the cover and blurb. I like both characters and understand it is a story of college stress, understanding yourself and learning to lean on others. I wish they were better at communicating earlier but that is part of their journey. It is a fairly quick read and the ending is appropriate for being college students. The book has kissing, no intimacy and some language. It is second in a series but easily read as a stand alone. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Map to you is a heart warming story of two college kids finding their way to each other while navigating a few obstacles on the way. Sasha and Kinsey have a mutual crush wishing for a relationship that they both think could never happen in real life until they spend a bit more time together on a road trip. Family drama ensues and throws a wrench in their hopes for the future. These two were great characters and I enjoyed reading their story. Overall good read but the self doubt on both sides was a intense at times and some of the dialogue didn’t quite fit with the character, but was forcing drama. Also a couple of scenes that seem to have some holes.