YA book adaptations have been flourishing across streaming platforms over the past few years, and Netflix is far from the last to launch its own projects. This new 6-episode adaptation has it all: a difficult coming-of-age, a grieving sister, and mysterious games brought to her by a seductive, silent stranger with secrets of his own. But does this Spanish take on the book by Alice Kellen find its way home?
The concept of dead relatives leaving extensive notes or instructions to the main characters from the afterlife is no stranger to Netflix projects: it is the starting point of Italy’s My Family, with a sick father trying to bring his family together; and 2025’s The Life List, where a mother leaves a bucket list of things for her daughter to accomplish in order to access her inheritance. Here, the starting point is a little more unconventional: Lucy (Georgina Amorós, seen in Élite) contracts leukemia at a very young age; her parents, in order to find a compatible cell donor, decide to give her a sister. Our heroine and the voiceover for the show, Greta (Alicia Falcó), is born a year later, give or take. Her arrival saves Lucy’s life, but she then has to spend her life with many health complications due to a severely immunocompromised system. The situation leaves Greta as sort of a loner, and once her sister—who became her best friend—eventually passes away, she seems unable to move on, left with a stagnant life and distant boyfriends barely holding her together. Then, months after Lucy’s death, a stranger presents himself to Greta while she is mourning her sister in her favorite fast-food restaurant. His name is Will, and he has a strong connection to Lucy, though he won’t reveal exactly what it is. As such, Lucy has entrusted Will with a box dubbed The Map of Longing.
Simply put, it is an Advent calendar-style game made of challenges and trials that both must complete in order to honor her memory.
Two things remain murky to the audience: Will’s past, which he will not elaborate on despite his strong commitment to helping Greta accomplish all of her sister’s challenges to the end; and the magnetic tension between Greta and the elusive stranger, which becomes very clear by the end of the first episode.
Pablo Alvarez (Will), Alicia Falcó (Greta) and Georgina Amorós (Lucy). Cr: Netflix.
The Map of Longing does not try to do too much in terms of plot, and it quickly shows us that the challenges are here to dig deeper into Greta’s psyche and insecurities, as well as to develop her blossoming relationship with Will, which quickly goes from awkward to passionate. In other words, this is a (quite literally) by-the-book coming-of-age story, where a young woman is led to figure out her passions and her direction in life instead of spiraling into grief. The series uses plenty of dialogue between Greta and Lucy to walk us through her various states of mind; as such, it is a fine showcase of the believable chemistry between Falcó and Amorós.
The fact that the series remains focused on its trio is a double-edged sword: it keeps things intimate and easy to follow for a wide audience (and the target audience of the book), but it also misses opportunities to delve into the respective lives and families of Greta and Will. The former has to contend with an absent father and tries to bring her mother to a group therapy session with mixed results. Even though the colorful characters in that group could have provided Greta and her mom plenty of wisdom and possibly lighter moments, The Map of Longing decides it is not worth our time. While he is estranged from his family, Will’s past does come into view later in the season, but the infodump feels more like a wrench thrown into Will and Greta’s relationship than an attempt to address Will’s wrongs. The finale sort of tries to make amends with that character but feels too meandering; even as Pablo Álvarez tries to liven up the proceedings, Will comes off as too much of a bland, two-dimensional chaperone/love interest for his own good.
The Map of Longing is a vehicle built for Greta within the story, and the same can be said for the show itself. Alicia Falcó, as Greta, carries the proceedings with charisma, well-reflected emotions, and enough subtlety to keep the audience on her side, even in moments of doubt or—sometimes righteous—anger at her entourage. Even if it’s hard to say whether this miniseries will find its audience in a year—and a summer—full of YA offerings, the project more than makes the case for bigger and better things for its 23-year-old lead.
MVP of The Map of Longing
Alicia Falcó
Alicia Falcó as Greta. (Cr: Monica Lek/Netflix)
The Spanish actress has had a very busy few years in both movies and TV, and was cast as the female lead in Álex Pina’s big gamble Billionaires Bunker, which was released last fall and quickly canceled. As mentioned above, the wit and raw sensibility brought to the character of Greta by Alicia Falcó sometimes elevate material that could become too bland or sappy in lesser hands. Her performance, far from flashy, ticks all the boxes for a good lead: she reflects the lives of ordinary Spanish twenty-somethings while finding qualities that make her character unmistakable, and she makes all of her screen partners shine within a scene. This includes the B-stories with her vacationing grandfather, who essentially raised Greta as much as her own parents did. The warmth and love exuded by Greta make these—somewhat short—sequences work. Although the competition has already secured Alicia Falcó‘s services—namely Prime Video for the series of movies based on the Dímelo Trilogy by Mercedes Ron—we’re betting that we will see her back on Netflix sooner rather than later.
A coming-of-age show with a big heart, but not many surprises. Still, for lovers of the genre, this should make for an entertaining, heartwarming summer watch.
The Map of Longing is now streaming on Netflix globally.
