REVIEW: “The Atlas of Untold Stories” by Sara Brunsvold

About the Book...

*Title: The Atlas of Untold Stories

*Author: Sara Brunsvold

*Genre: Contemporary Christian

*Series: No, seems to be a standalone novel

*Recommend for: ages 15/16+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐

📖Synopsis

A literary journey beckons them . . . and may profoundly rewrite their stories.

Chloe Vance, dreamer of the family, needs to tell her pragmatic mom, Edie, that she has accepted a low-paying art instructor role at a Christian school in Prague. Her older sister, Lauren--the "responsible one"--is doing all she can to hide the fact she's been fired for a foolish mistake and is desperately seeking her next career move. Meanwhile, Edie, estranged from her own sister following their mother's recent death, is frankly in no mood for anything else to change.

The one thing they can all agree on? Life in books sure is easier to navigate than life in the real world. As the three women embark on a nine-day road trip to visit significant literary sites throughout America's heartland, they hope to find inspiration through the works and lives of literary greats. As they experience firsthand the adventure and wonder of the classics, they'll discover the value of being honest with themselves--and their family--about their losses and failures. Only then can they come to terms with their own needs and desires and find support from the most important women in their lives--each other.

💭My Thoughts 

Hmm. I have mixed thoughts on this one.

First of all, I did love the premise of a bookish road trip sooo much. It was so fun and different, and I really enjoyed the many references to classics throughout, and finding out how many I recognized. I so appreciate Sara Brunsvold’s ability to write meaningful stories that don’t rely on romance, however I will say the tiny thread of romance that was in this story I did not care for. 

While this book had less faith content than “The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip” in my opinion, it was thoughtfully written, and the author did a good job of contrasting the character’s perspectives- pessimism vs optimism, for example. That being said, I really did not like any character except for Chloe. She was sweet and positive, and her “not wanting the cubicle life” and just her ambition and energy in general were super relatable to me.

I guess I just never understood WHY Edie was the way she was with her own daughter. Her mother being the same way was given as a sort of reason, but I personally don’t think the why of everything was ever fleshed out. As well, I’m not sure why the dad wasn’t in the picture more…? If he had been a stronger part of his family’s interactions, I feel like things could have been different.

While Edie realistically wasn't a full-on "villain" in the story, and had rare, brief moments when she showed a kinder, more tolerant side, her and Lauren's attitudes still annoyed me and significantly brought down my enjoyment of the book. Honestly, after a while it was a bit grueling. I felt so bad for Chloe, who was trying her best to win her mom's heart. Also, if I could note one more thing, there were nods to an eating disorder of Lauren's throughout, but as far as I can see, it was never properly dealt with or wrapped up aside from a sentence towards the end about her "eating fuller meals" and thus could potentially be harmful to some.

It should be noted that I am not a big fan of contemporary fiction, so as with every book I’ve read that takes place in modern times, there were times when this book was a little jarring and off-putting, particularly with the mentions of Instagram and Taylor Swift, for instance…🤨 But that’s merely a personal note, so if you don’t mind contemporary books, that shouldn’t bother you.

This book just had a sadder feel to it, and there were elements I didn’t care for within. The ending was quite touching, but possibly a little rushed. Overall, while this was not a terrible read, and I can see why many would love it, it wasn't fully my thing for several different reasons.

***Thank you to the publisher (Revell) for sending me a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

⚠️ Broad content notes

Grief, extremely strained family dynamic, an evident eating disorder, discussion of the history and sad conditions of orphan trains, no language besides "blasted" and curses said by characters but not written out, and semi-detailed injuries and pain.

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Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.