The Map That Leads to You Parent Guide

The summer after university, best friends Heather (Madelyn Cline), Amy (Madison Thompson), and Connie (Sofia Wylie) take an extended trip to Europe as a last hurrah before they go their separate ways and start their careers. On an overnight train to Barcelona the girls meet Jack (KJ Apa) who seems interested in Heather. As the two start to get to know each other sparks fly, and Heather decides to extend her trip to spend more time with Jack. But as the two grow closer Heather starts to realize that Jack might be hiding something from her, something that could affect their futures.

When I was a teen reading YA novels, I thought the protagonists were representative of adults. But as an adult (or at least that’s what my birth year tells me) I understand that those novels depict what teens think young adults are like; not what they actually are. The Map That Leads to You is a perfect example of this. Yes, all the characters are in their early-to-mid twenties, but they act the way a teenager imagines 22-year-olds act, not how they really behave. Every character is immature, stupid, and flat. They make baffling decisions and apparently live in a world where money is no consideration. They throw away thousands of dollars with no hesitation multiple times. It’s maddening.

I could forgive a little teen escapism if the story were any good, or if the romance were believable, but sadly none of that applies here. There is barely any plot and what little exists is held together by scenes of an adult man spouting tripe mangled from freshman philosophy or the pop culture variants thereof. This movie thinks it’s deep and it wants you to believe it, but sadly it’s only deep if you’ve never actually read a book. Or left your house. The two romantic leads, aside from being boring, just do not belong together. They are diametrically opposed on basic values and beliefs. Even worse, Jack acts like a jerk yet Heather gladly forgives him. I was actively rooting against them the entire runtime, which kind of defeats the purpose of a romantic movie.

Parents should note that the show features some mild sexual content, drinking, brief drug content, and a fair amount of swearing, making this inappropriate for the teen audience it’s geared towards. The movie dances around some themes of living life to the fullest, living in the moment, and finding fulfillment, but it does so in shallow, exasperating ways which undermine those messages. These characters are all so insufferable and stupid that I actually want to retreat further into my nine-to-five adult life lest I become anything like them.

About author

Savannah Sillito

Savannah Sillito is a librarian with a master's in library science, a bachelor's degree in English, and a certificate in early childhood education. She enjoys nonfiction books, travel, and is a staunch proponent of the Oxford comma.