Reviews

A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor

molly_dettmann's review

Two sisters, one wild, one mild, and now they're stranded on an island. This story was a fast-paced, and interesting ride. Emma and Henri had a falling out shortly before their Puerto Rico vacation nightmare. One chapters takes you back to before, and the next is all about their survival. I picked it up a few hours ago and somehow found myself done, as I was unable to put it down until I found out what happened to them before and if they would survive being stranded!

Fans of survival stories, and sisterly bonds will enjoy this. There's surprisingly still plenty of romance, drama, and intrigue that'll make other fans of YA racing to finish this one.

gabydeppe's review

1.0

No. Nope. Honestly, there was only one moment in this book that got me teary-eyed and that definitely was towards the end. The rest I found a bit boring. Aparently they survived for about 2.5 months on an island and barely had food and drinks? Is that even possible? SPOILER! The moment that got me a bit was when the sisters were saved and in the hospital, then her mother and father arrived, reunited with their daughters. Everything else was bland.

kimmyrichards98's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

xdarkthunderx's review

3.0

Beginning was great and very exciting. Once the reason for Henri and Emma fighting was revealed, however, the quality took a plunge. The conclusion was not satisfying in the slightest.

daniellebeverly's review

2.0

Maybe I had too high of expectations for this book—the dazzling cover and premise enticing me to believe it would be a sexier version of Lord of the Flies—but it really fell flat for me. Maybe it's because I'm too old for certain YA novels now, or because I don't have a sister, but the sisters' relationship was super weird and toxic, and the lack of resolution at the end of the book was infuriating.

Spoiler

(Really?? You're not going to give us a scene reuniting Alex and Em? After all that she just goes back to school like nothing happened? Smh.)

Overall, it was a decent read for a week spent on the beach, albeit forgettable.

dlberglund's review

3.0

3.5 stars? I was swept away(by a wave?) while I was reading this, but as soon as I finished, I started picking it apart.
Henri and Emma are attached at the hip, codependent sisters. Emma depends on Henri for her social life, her mirror, her fashion advice....pretty much all of her identity. And Henri depends on Emma's dependency to validate her.
Then....some stuff happens, and Henri is very mad. (More cold than mad, I guess. Seething hatred.) Then the girls are washed up on a deserted island somewhere sort of near Puerto Rico, and need to both figure out their issues and also not die. It's all very dramatic, and there's also a boy. (There's always a boy.)
They cover a lot of interpersonal issues in this book, and I don't think they covered them all well enough or deeply enough. I also left feeling less empathy for the two of them than I did in the beginning. It had some great moments, but I don't think it holds up under scrutiny.

ladyophelia's review

2.0

Honestly, I wanted rate this book 2.5 stars, but I can't. I almost quit reading this book several times. The sisters had a very unhealthy relationship, and I'm glad that was portrayed. However, there were several issues in the book. Like Henri was almost gang raped, then comes home drunk and has sex with Jesse. This situation was just overall problematic. Then there's the issue of Henri and Gavin, her teacher. So these two get involved, and when her sister tells her mom, she comes to regret it later. Henri is portrayed as the seductress and her sister later regrets outing them. Henri even gets slut shamed by Jesse in front of her classmates. This entire situation was just problematic, and I really want to give the author 1 star. The 2 stars is because she has decent writing skills.

I would also like to note that Henri was in no way at fault in the "relationship " with Gavin. It takes two to tango, and Gavin is a goddamn adult. He should know better. Portraying Henri as the seductress and later having the sister state he already forgave her for reporting him was disgusting.

lexyg's review

3.0

This wasn’t what I was expecting. I mean, it was fast paced, it kept me interested on the characters, but I hate them. Every single one of them. Henri was the worst by much, she was annoying, mean, rude and actually a little bit evil, thought Emma was never able to see it. I guess Alex was the best? I don’t know. And the whole ‘horrible’ thing that Emma did… Man that was lame! She did the right thing for the wrong reasons, but still. I’m conflicted about this book, so, I’ll give it 3 stars.

abbiekelly's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

anthama's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0