Reviews

Essential Maps for the Lost by Deb Caletti

kvreadsandrecs's review against another edition

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5.0

Oh my goodness. There is just so much that I love about this book. I don't know where to begin so instead I'll tell you it broke my heart. And now I can think of three people I that need this book in their lives.

inesm_92's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I generally enjoyed reading this book which offers a lot to think about in terms of how differently people may process grief and trauma. I did find the pace a bit slow at times.
I wasn't quite sold on the speed at which they become attached to each other and fall in love. I felt it made their relationship strongly based on co-dependency and borderline toxic. Almost made me root for them to never speak to each other again after he finds out about the truth. The last 3 chapters were my favourite ones as I thought the author explored really well that realisation that actually there are choices to be made in the way someone moves on or not from a traumatic experience in their lives. I liked seeing the characters move on from that mentality of 'I am what happened to me, and will be broken forever' to a more hopeful vision of their future.

treparker73's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved it

What a great read. There are some very heady thoughts that make it a bit difficult to read through, however all of the book and reading references make it worth it! I love reading about those that love books. The story and it’s coincidences, the map, museum. I am totally buying the sub book- haven’t read it. But I have a feeling I will love it.

rachelwrites007's review against another edition

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4.0

Some of this was so well written and thoughtful and then other bits (like how fast they fell in love and the third person POV) did not work for me at all. But there are really provoking bits about loving books and how they can take us places and be passed down from generation to generation and how families and people are so so messy.

inwonderland49's review against another edition

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4.0

This review was originally posted on In Wonderland

My Thoughts


I remember reading Honey Baby Sweetheart back in high school (which let me tell you, was a long time ago) and I remember enjoying it and wanting to read more of Deb Caletti's books. Fast forward to 2016 and I still hadn't read anymore of Deb Caletti's books. I did however buy a couple. Then I see a tour for ESSENTIAL MAPS FOR THE LOST and it sounds so good, I immediately sign up for it. I was not disappointed! Reading this book has made me want to read and/or reread the rest of Caletti's books!

What I really love about this book is the emotion that you get while reading it. And that it deals with some important issues. At the very beginning you are thrown into this terrible event, Mads colliding with a dead body in a lake. I would have nightmares if that happened to me. And throughout the whole novel, you see Mads and Billy dealing with some pretty important stuff, not just their relationship.

Now, as much as I enjoyed this book. It did take me a little bit to get through the first third. I read the first few chapters pretty fast considering the beginning is literally Mads colliding into a dead body, but after that it did take some getting used to. And maybe it was because I was in a slight reading slump due to my wedding, but it did take me a few days to push through and finish this. But Caletti's writing is gorgeous. She really does know how to show a story. And I will definitely be rereading this at some point in my life.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this book and if you're in the mood for a contemporary that isn't afraid to deal with tough stuff. I really recommend giving Deb Caletti's writing a chance! Because the story that she tells about Mads and Billy about falling in love amongst the grief, is a pretty fantastic read. :)

About the Author


deb calettiDeb Caletti is an award-winning author and National Book Award finalist. Her many books for young adults include “The Nature of Jade,” “Stay,” “The Last Forever,” and “Honey, Baby Sweetheart,” winner of the Washington State Book award, the PNBA Best Book Award, and a finalist for the PEN USA Award. Her first book for adults, “He’s Gone,” was released from Random House in 2012, and was followed with “The Secrets She Keeps” in 2015. Coming this April: “Essential Maps for the Lost,” her eleventh book for young adults. She lives with her family in Seattle.

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Giveaway


3 Finished Copies of ESSENTIAL MAPS FOR THE LOST (US Only)

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annebennett1957's review against another edition

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4.0

I love this book. I was living inside the lives of Billy and Mads. Ah...I think I will just savor it for a minute.

sc104906's review against another edition

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3.0

Mads has gone away to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin, for the summer so that she can go to college to get her real estate license. It is with this education under her belt that she is expected to return home and take over her mother’s real estate business because it is just too much for her mother. Mads is learning to adjust to her independence from her mother, when she finds a body on the beach. Mads becomes obsessed with the woman, her suicide, and her life. As Mads is stalking the woman’s old home, she crosses paths with Billy, the son of the woman. While neither knows their connection to the other, each works to overcome their family struggles and find their way in the world.

kanaan's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

happyglowlucky's review against another edition

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5.0

You know those books that come along and you just fall in love with them? This, for me, was one of those books. I love it. To me, it is a book about love, and hope. But, the thing is, what I love about this book is that it is not at all an unrealistic book....a lot of love stories kind of make you go, hmmm, that is nice but not realistic at all. This book, to me, is about the realities of love and hope, not the fantasies about it. As someone who has struggled with mental health issues (and as someone who has spent a lifetime with a partner who struggles badly with them), I really appreciated the honesty of this book; the honest way it portrays love, and hope. The rawness of it. The ups and downs. How it breaks you down (and breaks you open) so you can be truly open and close to another person. I love the way the idea of maps is woven into the story. I love the main character. I love the way the book transported me to another time and place.

thegraduatedbookwormblogger's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5/5 Full Review can be found at http://thegraduatedbookworm.blogspot.ca

First off let me say thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC copy of Essential Maps for the Lost!

So this book definitely was a mix for me. There were plenty of parts that I actually really loved, and thought were amazing, and then there were plenty of parts where I felt like it wasn't doing anything.

When I started reading this book, it totally went off strong! I mean right off the bat, you dive into what is happening for both Mads and Billy. After that, it seemed to slow down a bit, going into detail for some things that I don't think needed much detail. I do wish that there was definitely more talk towards the two more than there was.

No moving on towards the more amazing parts! Since it is a really deep story, and discusses all kinds of mental health, I think that Deb Caletti did a great job with it. She wrote more on the view of the person and what is going on in their minds during these moments, rather than the views of someone who is on the outside of it all.

At a certain point in this novel, I could really see more unfold. They say it's always the quiet ones you need to look out for, but to be honest, it's generally the very selfless people who truly need the help. The ones who give so much, and never really ask for anything in return.

Overall, I really am mixed about this book. There were definitely raw and emotional aspects that I felt to be amazing, and really dove into aspects of mental health that no one really wants to talk about. Then I kind of got a bad vibe, and found that sometimes the characters were a little too unrealistic with things that were happening, and found that they sometimes weren't true to their age. If it wasn't discussed, then I would have thought that they were freshman in High School.

There were some slow parts that were often hard to get through, but then right on the other side there would be another little snippet of disaster that would keep me reading! I would say that you should give this novel a try, because I know we all have our own views on novels, and this may be the book that really hits home, or it might not! After reading this book, I can say that it hasn't changed my views on reading more books by Deb Caletti. I will still read her books, because I fin she has a unique writing style that really does work!