A Guide to Falling Off the Map

Zanni L Arnot, Hachette Australia. A funny, tender, messy, and authentic story about two teens who fall in love on the precipice of things falling apart. Vinnie Smith has her future mapped. She and her best friend, Lilah, have been busy manifesting post-graduation lives in NYC. Making plans helps Vinnie avoid thinking about losing her mum to multiple sclerosis, and other problems weighing on her mind. Meanwhile, Roo Carpenter, Vinnie's longtime childhood friend, is struggling day-to-day, never mind plans for tomorrow. He's dropped out of high school under the guise of studying photography, when the truth is he's working a dodgy job to help his mum make ends meet. When Vinnie's carefully laid plans begin to unravel, she decides to fix Roo's problems instead of her own, care of a road trip across inland Australia in her mum's old Kombi. But what Vinnie and Roo don't count on is how close to the surface Vinnie's grief over her mum is, or how her worsening headaches have a worrying familiarity. Plus, they're having these embarrassing, absolutely-not-friend-appropriate feelings for one another . . . ones that could completely ruin their friendship if the other finds out. A Guide to Falling Off the Map is a tender and insightful YA novel about two teens who fall together on the precipice of things falling apart. Perfect for fans of Biffy James, Nina Kenwood and E. Lockhart 'Warm, heartfelt and moving, with beautifully realised characters' NINA KENWOOD 'Captivating and heartfelt - I just adored Vinnie and Roo's warm, complex, sweetly wistful journey' MELISSA KEIL 'Refreshingly unpretentious, fast-paced and filled with whip-smart dialogue, A Guide to Falling Off the Map reminds us we can be broken and special, talented and lost, and still be learning as we go. Perfect for fans of Sophie Gonzales' Only Mostly Devastated and Nina Kenwood's It Sounded Better in My Head ' BOOKS+PUBLISHING 'Vinnie and Roo [make] a tender and funny pair . . . It's a road trip to remember' BOOKLIST, starred review 'A compelling, introspective dual narrative . . . The story follows Vinnie and Roo on a vividly imagined road trip through New South Wales in Vinnie's mum's old turquoise Kombi Volkswagen van, setting the stage for their quirky, poignant romance . . . An emotionally rich meditation on people finding their way' KIRKUS 'A Guide to Falling off the Map is classic YA . . . A journey of self-discovery, healing and a strong dash of romance. For fans of contemporary romances like It Sounded Better in My Head and Dancing Barefoot' READINGS.…