This YA story follows two teens Vinnie and Roo who live in a small town in NSW, Australia. Vinnie has everything planned out, she wants to move to NYC to follow in her mums footsteps and study drama. However she recently lost her mum to MS and is still dealing with her grief.
Her best friend Roo is struggling. He’s a natural caretaker and talented photographer who dropped out of school and doing odd jobs to help his mum make ends meet.
When things start not going to plan for the both of them Vinnie has the idea to go across Australia in her late mums kombi van.

One of my favourite quotes is this one: “Because if I’m honest with myself, there’s only one thing I really want in life and that’s her. Being out here alone with her on the edge of the world, I can almost convince myself that’s possible.”

I really enjoyed this story it was funny, heartfelt and beautifully written! The chapters were short and quick to read. It carefully tread on topics such as grief, illness and suicide.
It was sweet that Roo was utterly in love with her from the start and would literally do anything to make her feel happy. Vinnie was also fiercely supportive of Roo’s photography and helped do whatever she could to make him pursue his talent.
I loved the Australian setting and the mention of Crystal Showers falls in Dorrigo being a special place for them. I went with my family a few years ago and it was so beautiful!

Thank you so much to Hachette and NetGalley for letting me read this one I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I could not put this one down! A Guide to Falling Off the Map is a tender, and at times heartbreaking, story. The characters felt very real, I enjoyed the recognisable places. I think this has become one of my favourite books of the year.

thank you so much NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC of this book! A Guide to Falling Off the Map was such a cute ya romance. My favourite part was definitely the Australia setting because as an aussie book girlie it’s so fun when they mention familiar shops (like kmart). The storyline itself was also good as I loved how reflective yet wholesome it was, and the childhood friends to lovers trope was so cute. My only complaints is that it felt quite rushed and I wish some plot points were explored further. The characters also kinda annoyed me, as their lack of communication really got on my nerves.

Heartfelt, messy, and full of soul, A Guide to Falling Off the Map is a raw and tender coming-of-age story about friendship, grief, identity, and learning to let go of what we thought our futures would look like.

Told in dual POVs, this novel follows two childhood friends, Vinnie and Roo, on a spontaneous road trip across inland Australia. Vinnie is bold, driven, and set on a future in New York City with her best friend… until everything starts to unravel. After a series of rejections, betrayals, and worsening health issues, she sets out in her late mother’s old Kombi to "fix" Roo’s life instead. Roo, quiet and loyal, is just trying to keep things afloat after dropping out of school to support his mum. What starts as a reckless attempt to escape quickly turns into something much deeper: a journey of confronting loss, finding connection, and redefining what it means to move forward.

Zanni Arnot beautifully balances introspection with wit, giving us characters that feel deeply real in all their flaws and contradictions. Vinnie’s grief and fear, especially around her mother’s suicide and the looming possibility of an MS diagnosis, are explored with so much care. While she doesn’t always make the best decisions, her emotional arc is genuine, and her growth feels well-earned. Roo, meanwhile, stole my heart. His quiet resilience, emotional vulnerability, and slow-burn chemistry with Vinnie made the story shine.

The Australian landscape is a character in itself: vivid, vast, and grounding. I only wish the road trip had begun a little earlier in the book, because once it kicks off, the story truly comes alive. Every stop along the way peels back more layers of their past and their relationship, and by the end, I was completely invested.

This book deals with heavy themes like grief, chronic illness, and suicide, but it never feels weighed down. There's a surprising lightness to the humour and the way Vinnie and Roo bounce off each other, offering moments of levity that make the emotional punches hit even harder.

The ending is hopeful and open-ended in the best way. It doesn’t promise that everything will be okay, but it reminds us that we don’t have to face uncertainty alone.

If you love emotionally rich YA with strong character dynamics, introspective journeys, and a bit of slow-burn romance, A Guide to Falling Off the Map deserves a spot on your TBR. It’s the kind of story that stays with you long after the last page.