I received this ARC from Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on January 7, 2020
Pages: 368
Source: ARC from Publisher
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads
Acclaimed author Emery Lord crafts a gorgeous story of friendship and identity, daring to ask: What happens after happily ever after?
It's senior year, and Paige Hancock is finally living her best life. She has a fun summer job, great friends, and a super charming boyfriend who totally gets her. But senior year also means big decisions. Weighing "the rest of her life," Paige feels her anxiety begin to pervade every decision she makes. Everything is exactly how she always wanted it to be--how can she leave it all behind next year? In her head, she knows there is so much more to experience after high school. But in her heart, is it so terrible to want everything to stay the same forever?
Emery Lord's award-winning storytelling shines with lovable characters and heartfelt exploration of life's most important questions.
My Thoughts:
It had been almost five years since I’d read The Start of Me and You. I remembered the basics and how much I absolutely adored it. When I first heard that The Map from Here to There was a companion novel I was so thrilled! I reread The Start of Me and You and then dove right in to The Map from Here to There. It was such a treat to spend so much time with these characters.
Immediately after finishing this one I went to twitter and posted:
It was everything I hoped. Fun and sweet. Thoughtful, honest, and real. Most importantly, it treats teenagers, especially teenage girls, with the respect they deserve but so often don’t get from adults.
And that really sums up my thoughts on this book. And, frankly, all of Emery Lord’s work! One thing I see come through in Emery Lord’s stories, time and time again, is the validation of teens, especially teen girls. So often teen’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are dismissed or made light of. They are considered dramatic or hormonal or some other variation of these words meant to convey that they are not as “real” as the thoughts, feelings, and actions of adults. Not so in Emery Lord’s books. She portrays her teen characters realistically and with respect. So refreshing!
And then there’s the way she can balance “serious” issues with the more fun/sweet aspects of a story. Ugh. So great. I especially appreciate the way she writes about anxiety. If I had read books like this when I was a teen, those years may have been very different! Just knowing that it wasn’t just me would have meant the world to me.
The Map from Here to There was everything I was hoping for. I loved getting to see characters I was already invested in again. The story allows them to grow and change while still remaining beloved. I’m sure I’ll be gifting these books to the teens in my life.
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