The Map to You

I binged read this book. I love the concept and the main characters interactions. I believe this would be a friends-to-lovers trope.

I enjoyed Kinsley's prickly nature..shes cantankerous in a good way. Sasha is the opposite an outwardly always happy person who's hiding her true nature.

Both have been hurt before and have been damaged both are carrying some baggage.

It was great to watch these two finally came together. It's a cute love story.

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.

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.

And they were roommates…

The Map to You by Rachel Stockbridge is a super cute read and you can tell immediately by looking at this adorable cover art! It is a fun and easy college roommates/friends-to-lovers New Adult romance. It is the second book in the Next Stop Love series, however, I personally haven’t read the first book and can safely say that The Map to You can be read on its own.

This book follows Sasha and Kinsey who have become friends and roommates at NYU. Kinsey has gone through a recent breakup and Sasha has had a crush on Kinsey since seeing her in a shared class.

Personally, I found Kinsey extremely relatable as an artistic introvert while Sasha is a jock who uses humour to mask her feelings about both Kinsey and her troubled childhood. It had the perfect balance of angst and cute romance for me. In saying that though, I did find it somewhat frustrating that two sapphic friends who shared their space couldn’t open up to each other. I understand miscommunication tropes and I usually like them as humans are naturally always pretty bad at it. But, being a lesbian who is close to my friends, I did find the extent to which they were closed-off a little unbelievable at times as we stereotypically share our feelings quite easily.

Overall, I had a great time devouring this book. I’m always such a sucker for friends-to-lovers stories and this one was great.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Stockbridge for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

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.

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.

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.

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 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*

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.

The Map to You is a wonderful book that follows the two main characters, Kinsey and Sasha. Kinsey and Sasha are best friends and they both have a crush on the other, but both are convinced the other could never like them in that way. All that comes to a head when Kinsey's mom has a heart attack and Sasha offers to drive Kinsey to the hospital--600 miles away.
I especially appreciated that although both characters have their own baggage, it is never implied that falling in love magically makes those issues disappear, as is common in many pieces of media. Instead the two support each other through the tough times together.
Super cute and a wonderful story of young love and the ups and downs of families.

A new favorite book! Stockbridge is a very talented author with a distinctive writing style that leaves me wanting more. Very well done!

Ok I don’t know how professional I need to be but AHH! This was so cute! I’m a huge sucker for romance and an even bigger one for LGBTQ+ romance!
Kinsey and Sasha’s story from friendship to romance was such a great journey. It didn’t take long to read because I COULDN’T put it down!! Thank you for the read!

The Map to You follows Kinsey Han and Sasha Deforest, two college students in New York City, who met as roommates when Kinsey needed a new place to live following a brutal breakup. Kinsey is, generally, the grumpy one, reserved and cautious after being cheated on by her ex girlfriend and having lost herself in that relationship. Sasha, on the other hand, is warm and generally upbeat and desperate to keep her life before New York separate from the life she is making for her self. They have both been harboring secret crushes for nearly a year, playing it off as a joke or burying it as they can. But when Kinsey has a family emergency, Sasha drops everything to drive Kinsey 600 miles to be with her parents and things become harder to call platonic.

I love a friends to lovers trope, add on two sapphic main characters and some good old fashioned shared space pining and I will almost always have a great time. This book was sweet. I read the own thing in one setting as the pacing was just right for me to keep going oh I could do another chapter. The leads were charming and cared so much about their friendship. Both women wanted to be the best support they could for each other and we love to see it. I loved the ways this book allowed for and showed different love languages and how difficult it can be to accept them even when you desperately want to. Stockbridge creates a warm story that wraps the reader in the character's genuine care for each other, for their friends, and family. It is cute from cover to ending.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to get to read an ARC of The Map to You. It’s the first book I have read by this author but I don’t believe it will be the last. This book is about being young, being queer, being in love, and how messy and complicated life and family can be in amongst all those other things, which is why I think it resonated with me so much.
I certainly made my share of bad decisions in college when I was trying to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be. There were moments when I thought the author had somehow been able to hijack my memories and some of my experiences and she put them into this story! I don’t think she did (who can ever really know😏) but I do think that speaks to how many shared experiences we have with our peers even when we seem worlds apart.
Cheers to a wonderful queer story, and I really hope you all get your hands on a copy of this when it’s released on 1/25/22.

This book. THIS BOOK. It is SO sweet. A genuine delight to read. The characters were well thought out. The writing was realistic. It was funny and heartbreaking all at once. I’m really excited for when more people get the chance to read this.

Kinsey is full of frowns and bossiness. Sasha is sunlight in human form. Their personalities and the way they’re written is stunningly complementary. Their chemistry is flowing and natural. The transition from friends to lovers feels genuine. It’s not rushed, it doesn’t come out of nowhere. Getting a narrative from both girls really helps to get up close and personal with both of their feelings (and hurts my feelings along the way). Even the side characters are fully formed and have clear roles within the story.

When Rachel Stockbridge said she makes her characters work for their happy ending, she meant it. I was so happy for Sasha and Kinsey. Then came the spiral. While it was a little dramatic, I could also very clearly understand how it happened. We all say stupid and selfish stuff when we’re backed into a corner we don’t want to be in. But both girls end up recognising that. They find support from their friends and family (shoutout to cousin Travis) and in the end, work to uplift each other to be better people.

I think the conflict was a bit too much at times, especially with Beatrice and Nova. Otherwise, this was the wlw rom-com I didn’t know I needed. Yeah it hurt my feelings but it cellotaped my heart back together too.

The Map to You is released on January 25th 2022 and I would recommend it to anyone. Buy this book to warm your heart. Thank you NetGalley and Rachel Stockbridge for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I finished this one yesterday on the train back from visiting my Mum for the weekend, and it was the perfect travel read to take me back to Melbourne – a fictional road trip for a ‘road trip’ of my own. The Map to You was such a sweet read which made me laugh, cry, and feel the need to close my eReader occasionally to take a breath when the characters were just being way too adorable (or at times frustrating) for me to cope.

In The Map to You Rachel Stockbridge has created a collection of vibrant characters all with their own unique perspectives and backgrounds. I loved getting to know the two main characters Sasha and Kinsey through their point of view chapters. Their differences in personality and interests, as well as the way that each character deals with their emotions is wonderfully written.

The dual narration was perfect for this story, with each narrator having a deeper insight into the thoughts and feelings of that character, and so making the complications throughout the novel even more impactful. Especially with a romance, knowing what both characters are thinking or feeling before the other character knows makes for an interesting and at times suspenseful read.

The plot for The Map to You was engaging and entertaining and played with some of my favourite romance tropes. It was also nice reading a queer romance where those involved were already out to those who mattered to them, and so the focus could be on the romance plot. Don’t get me wrong, I love a ‘coming out’ novel, but it was a nice change from what I usually read. This was especially as while the queer characters were confident in their sexuality and who they were, they still had similar, very human insecurities as portrayed in more mainstream romance stories.

This novel is about love, trust, and learning how to be yourself when all you want is to be anyone else. If you are looking for a sweet queer romance story with great characters, an entertaining yet emotional plot, and more wonderfully cheesy pickup lines than you can poke a stick at, this is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sending me this free eARC (eAdvanced Reader Copy). I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title will be published 25th January 2022.

One of the very first things I noticed in this book was how much I loved the way the characters talk to each other.

Often while talking about banter in books, I focus specifically on the way the main character and love interest banter. But in this book, my first thought was how much I loved the way Kinsey, one of the main characters, banters with one of her friends. It’s just a part of her character and the way she interacts with anyone, hiding herself behind a wall of somewhat abrasive words. But I really like that about her.

I was really surprised by the fact that this book truly focuses on both of it’s main characters and their problems. Based on the description alone, I imagined this book to be about the road trip to Kinsey’s family emergency, ending with Kinsey getting on scene and figuring everything out. But this book is also about Sasha and her own family emergency, which she is keeping hidden as she helps Kinsey. I’d even go as far as to say this book is kind of angsty as both readers and Kinsey find out more about the past Sasha is trying so hard to hide…

But one of my favorite things in this book is how the relationship between Kinsey and Sasha develops along their road trip. At times I was screaming (especially at a certain gas station scene…) as I read about these two hiding their crushes from each other, so sure that the other wouldn’t like them back.

I really enjoyed myself with this book and highly recommend it to anyone who seems even the slightest bit interested. I honestly already want to do a reread and watch their story unfold again…

A lovely romance novel that has us on a fun journey, both literal and metaphorical. This book is heartfelt and fun, perfect for everyone searching for something inside themselves

ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.

4 ENDEARING STARS

Three Minute Thoughts:
This was such a sweet book! It was a little darker than expected, with unexpected but meaningful conversations on neglectful parents and toxic relationships, but the adorable sapphic relationship between our protagonists evened out the book nicely. Both our mains had defined and realistic personalities that I loved reading about, and the friends-to-lovers relationship that blossomed between them was so gorgeously depicted. I also didn’t realise this was part of a series when I started it haha, but thankfully it can be read as a standalone, so there was little confusion involved.

The Extended, Long, and Very-Probably-Messy Review:
This was really precious!! Our characters were a little messier and a little older than I originally expected after seeing the cover (I probably should’ve read more about this book before I requested it haha), but I really enjoyed their characters nonetheless, and thought this was a really good bridge between YA and NA. The conversations about issues such as drug addiction and self-esteem problems were valid and well-written, and I really enjoyed this, though it may not have been exactly what I expected.

One of my favourite parts of this book was the relationship that developed between our mains! Their banter was peak quality, and the “playful” flirting between them was heartfluttering, I almost wanted more. I couldn’t help but almost giggle at stages, and though both characters had some serious issues, the fact that they could relax around each other was so sweet.

“‘What’s the matter, darling?… Worried you might be labeled a cougar, what with our insurmountable age gap of slightly over six months?'”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

Another thing rife in this book was angst, because MY LORD it never stopped haha. That’s not necessarily bad, but it did reach the stage where I just really wanted to shove our mains together and tell them to freaking TALK to each other. But I get it, communication is difficult, and I do have to give props to the author for not fully including the dreaded miscommunication trope.

Oh, and an unexpected but brillant thing in this novel was the family relationships. God knows I’m an absolute sucker for wholesome families – found or otherwise – and Kinsey’s parents really hit that spot for me. They were supportive and funny and adorable, and definitely made me smile on more than one occaison, because who doesn’t love humourous Asian parents! Something that I definitely wish I’d gotten more of was Sasha’s cousin Trevor, because he sounded like a whole riot in the best way, but even just the little aspects of him were so sweet.

“‘You’re not broken, Sasha… You’re a fighter. You always have been.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

Overall, this was really sweet – though a little darker than perhaps expected. The characters were three-dimensional and their romance was adorable beyond measure, and with the cute family wholesomeness sprinkled in, this was such a fun, quick read for me. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful and touching! It can be so difficult to walk a line of characters with low self-esteem so they are both believable and readable, and Stockbridge perfectly threaded this gap. I didn't realize until the end that this was a second in the series, so it read perfectly on its own. I seriously cried so hard I had to take a break, because I was so moved by both Kinsey and Sasha's journeys, High, high recommendation.