caro(lee)na &
A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor

4/5✨ I was supposed to study but I stayed up all night to finish this novel and it was worth it because I just couldn't put it down.

Tales of survival never fail to be fascinating to me, and this was no exception. A Map for Wrecked Girls explores the relationship of two sisters through a shipwreck, flashing back to their life beforehand and what led up to a split between the girls. I really loved the exploration of sisterhood and femininity. Taylor makes girlhood into this sharp, dangerous, thing, and I adored reading about it. The two main characters, Emma and Henri, were great to read about--fully fleshed out teenage girls that had secrets and communication issues and fears that were irrational but made sense in the context of the story. While the book could have done without the romance, I found I didn’t mind it too much and Alex was an interesting character as well, and it was so fascinating to watch the dynamic between the three main characters grow and see how much they all came to rely on each other while keeping secrets as well. I liked the flashback sequences too--the book alternates--and though I didn’t find them quite as interesting as the scenes on the island they provided really good context for the relationship of the sisters back home and how they fell apart. One thing I have to say is that it does seem a tad unrealistic that they got to surviving for so long and knew how to do so many things (especially as Henri and Emma in their flashbacks were fully immersed in a completely metropolitan life - heck, a brief mention of watching reality TV would have sufficed), but I can suspend my disbelief, since the main focus was on the characters and the two sisters. This was a character exploration as much as it was a survival story, and I think it succeeded fairly well in both aspects. This review and more can be found on my blog!

* I got this book from ALA and this is my honest thoughts* I really liked this book. It was fun read. The multiple time periods was a blessing and curse in this novel because I was much more invested in the present storyline and Emma and Alex relationship and that is what kept me reading. I felt like the sister relationship was very uniquely done and not a type of relationship I have seen in the novel. It had some very fascinating relationship drama between them. I loved the survival aspects of this story and that is what motivated me to keep reading. It was a bot heartbreaking novel but also dealt with survival and that is what kept me reading. It is a cute summer read but also dealt with harder topics that kept me engaged as well.

3.75 stars. Overall, this book had very powerful moments, but also I don't think it's one that's going to stick with me for a long time. I also went into it expecting it to be more of a thriller, and while the survivalist aspects were often thrilling, the "mystery" itself was not what I expected it to be. With that being said, I still really did enjoy my time reading this book, especially with the development of the characters. It definitely wasn't the book's fault that I expected it to be something different. The writing was also very cinematic and I could see this being a really good movie. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone looking for a hard-hitting contemporary with survivalist aspects. NOT for someone looking to read a fast-paced thriller. Side note: A+ for the creativity of the cover!! I didn't even notice the shoreline on the bottom until like halfway through the book and it makes it 1000% better. :)

When I decided to pick this book up, I thought the theme of the story was going to be a different one. It turned out that I had confused this book with another one I've been highly anticipating to read, which happens to have a similar cover with the yellow font, and even the flowers and black background. Maybe having gone into this book with a complete different idea of what it was gonna be about influenced my mood while reading it, but I also think that my awful mood was mostly due to the story itself and its characters. I don't remember the last time I read a book with characters that were this unlikeable and annoying. There was nothing I could do to stop from getting riled up by how awful Henri treated her sister, and how horrible her life choices were. Not only that, but also how after all her fuck ups, Henri would never stop playing the victim when it was literally her the only person responsible for the position she always put herself in. You can't expect me to feel an ounce of sympathy towards a character who plays with everyone's feelings and lives like that, no matter how much you blamed that on her "horrible upbringing". It doesn't work like that. No matter how fucking awful you have it in life, you can decide whether to be a GOOD FUCKING HUMAN BEING, instead of a heartless bitch. The way she constantly treated her sister, used her, and all the boys she went after was just unbearable to read. And don't even get me started on Emma. Why the fuck would she always apologize for the consequences of Henri's decisions is beyond me. I get that she is her sister, but that doesn't mean she had to be her sister's doormat. Every fucking time Henri did something awful, Emma would just find an excuse that would make Henri's behavior okay. And I can't even talk about the whole Henri/Mr. Flynn thing, because I swear I'm gonna start throwing punches. (view spoiler)[THAT THING IS JUST WRONG. IT IS ILLEGAL. I get that Emma's decision for telling on her mom about Henri's relationship with her teacher was out of jealousy and anger, but she made the right choice. So why would Henri despise her sister for doing the right thing? Just because you got ousted and now your boyfriend doesn't want you anymore? BOO HOO, GROW THE FUCK UP. IT IS ILLEGAL, YOUR TEACHER IS AN ADULT AND YOU ARE NOT, THAT IS THE LAW, FUCKING DEAL WITH IT. It was the right thing to do, and Emma did it for the wrong reasons, but she did it anyway. I can't believe she would hate her for that. (hide spoiler)] I'm sorry, but I just can't get behind a story whose characters are fucking awful to each other just for petty reasons, and because Henri's ego had been wounded by what Emma did. And the fact that once they get stranded on the island, Henri's whole purpose is to continue being a bitch towards her sister instead of helping TO TRY AND SURVIVE BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH NO RESOURCES WHATSOEVER, that right there, is when I stop giving any fucks about you. You are being beyond stupid and selfish in a life or death situation where you'd rather sabotage every attempt your sister is making at trying to keep all of your asses alive just because you "hate" her. There was nothing redeemable in this story, I literally had to skim the last few pages because I just kept rolling my eyes every time Henri opened her mouth. I hated the characters, there was nothing in their personalities that made me think they were anything other than annoying. There is a difference between making your characters complex and multi-layered and making them annoying and petty just for the sake of drama. I honestly couldn't wait till they got their asses off that island so that the story would be over and I could stop being disappointed by this book. 10/10 would not recommend.