A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor (Spoiler-free!) Review

In this twisting tale of loyalty, betrayal, and love, two sisters must survive the wilds, if they can first survive each other–for fans of “Pretty Little Liars” and “Gone Girl.” Emma has always orbited Henri, her fierce, magnetic queen bee of an older sister, and the two have always been best friends. Until something happens that wrecks them.

“I’d trusted Henri more than I trusted myself. Wherever she told me to go, I’d follow.”

Then the unthinkable occurs–a watery nightmare off the dazzling coast. The girls wash up on shore, stranded. Their only companion is Alex, a troubled boy agonizing over his own secrets. Trapped in a gorgeous hell, Emma and Alex fall together as Emma and Henri fall catastrophically apart. To find their way home, the sisters must find their way back to each other. But there’s no map for this. Can they survive the unearthing of the past and the upheaval of the present?

“For the first time, I was afraid we’d die on this shore.”

Emma and Henri are the best of friends as well as sisters. There’s no one else more important to each other than the other. That is, until one day Emma shares a secret that destroys her sister’s life and her sister’s trust. Can they ever return to the relationship they once had? Emma is hoping that this trip to Puerto Rico will be just the way to bring them back together again. Then, the inevitable happens; they become shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island. Now they must try and survive the sweltering heat, find food, water, and build shelter. Stranded with only one other person, Alex, a boy they just met in Puerto Rico, Emma and Henri must put their differences aside and work together to survive and find a way to get off the island.

This book is told in the perspective of Emma in alternating time periods; before and after the wreck. We slowly begin to learn what exactly happened between Emma and Henri to cause such a rift, and we also get to see how their time on the island plays out. This is a wonderful story about sisterhood, love, and survival. I really enjoyed this read. Throughout the story, Henri is hostile towards her sister and Alex because of what Emma did prior to coming to Puerto Rico, while Emma spends her time just trying to gain back her sister’s forgiveness.

This book is most definitely a teen book. There is underage drinking and partying and not as much blood and gore as you would expect from a survival book. They also add in a bit of young love. This definitely separates it from being an adult novel to young adult. Not that this is a bad thing at all! It focused on more of the sisterhood aspect, which I thought was great.

All in all, this was a wonderful read for teens, especially those that have sisters. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to the publisher and Jessica Taylor for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.