A Guide to Falling off the Map is classic YA. A coming-of-age romance, this story follows childhood friends Vinnie and Roo as they try to navigate the turmoil of teenagehood and their own feelings. Vinnie is coping with the loss of her mother to multiple sclerosis and suicide, while trying to deny the same symptoms developing within herself. At school, she’s contending with her dreams to become a professional actor and the reality that dreaming doesn’t necessarily equal reality. Roo, on the other hand, dropped out of high school to help his mother financially. In his desperation he finds himself in increasingly unsafe situations and is balancing a delicate web of lies to keep her from finding out. After a disastrous day, Vinnie decides to sweep Roo away on an epic road trip visiting all the places of their favourite childhood memories. What follows is a journey of self‑discovery, healing and a strong dash of romance.

This book tackles a variety of problems teens could face, both big and small. Plagued by friendship problems, problematic boys and terrible bosses, Vinnie and Roo both make some very bad decisions, but this book does a really good job of exploring the emotions behind those choices, and how they manage to grow from the experience. 

I would recommend this for fans of contemporary romances like It Sounded Better in My Head and Dancing Barefoot. Perfect for readers 12+. Content notes include the loss of a parent and suicide.