Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Impressive book and I enjoyed it for the most part! Hope to see more from this author soon. And great debut.

This was a solid read.

I did not particularly enjoy the narrative voice of our MC but the story itself was great. My issue with the MC's voice, is just that, a reflection of my particular likes in regards to the writing "voice".

Zhang allowed us into the mind of an interesting MC who is struggling. It is written beautifully, without forcing itself to be anything but the thoughts and movings of someone navigating a difficult time. It made me feel seen. If you're very much into having an existential crisis, this might be a great read for you.

Lovely writing and sweet story about a brave young person. I loved the descriptions and the overall fel of the story.

In The Cartographers Chinese American Ocean Sun struggles with depression and anxiety. Rather than confessing her mental health issues to her demanding mother, she secretly defers her acceptance to a prestigious NYC university and moves in with two girls, Georgie and Tashya, looking for a roommate in Brooklyn. Although they quickly become her friends, they are distracted by their growing attraction to each other and leave her on her own at a nightclub on the night that the city loses power. She heads to the subway to make her way home, when the lights go out. She is rescued by a graffiti artist known as Constant Brave. He takes her with him on a spray-painting journey where he graffities subway maps on bare walls and spouts mythological musing that enchant her. They continue their relationship via google docs, discussing life, society and their dreams. Ocean frequently questions whether the life she is living is really a waking death. Their poetic philosophical communications shed light on the desperation of anxiety and living up to others' expectations. Although Ocean sees him occasionally, most of their relationship is conducted online. All of the characters are seeking to map out their lives. listening to their own hearts.

Wonderful story about taking control of your future and mapping out your own path! Ocean Sun feels the pressure to be successful and do everything right from her immigrant mother. So much so that she decides to defer her freshmen year of college and not tell her. She goes to New York City and begins a new life trying to figure out what she really wants. Along the way, she has adventures with her roommates Tashya and Georgie and a boy named Constantine Brave she met the night the city shut down. Full of all the ups and downs of life and the drama of early adulthood, Amy Zhang does a fantastic job crafting a realistic story of what it's like for young people just trying to figure it all out.

CW: suicidal ideation

Ocean Wu struggles with mental health after high school graduation. She decides to take a gap year, without telling her mother, where she takes a room in an apartment with Georgie, a budding comedian, and Tashya, a concert pianist. The three soon become close, but Ocean finds herself abandoned one night and meets Constantine, a philosophy student, as the lights of the city go out. Ocean and Constantine’s relationship waxes and wanes over the course of the story as they meet in the dark of night and converse through GoogleDocs.

The story is well-written and flows easily from one episode to the next. The characters are interesting. I enjoyed Ocean’s transformation over the course of the story, from a teen riddled with self-doubt to a young adult who knows she is capable of making decisions to move her life forward.

Early on in the story, Ocean reflects that she began feeling unmoored once she was accepted to college. I have seen this several times in my career. I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of that connection, but maybe that is for a different story. The suicidal ideation throughout much of the book might be too much for some sensitive individuals.

This book is great for those who like stories with a philosophical bent (exploring big questions such as what is real?) or strong female characters who make their own way in the world.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children’s Books, and author Amy Zhang for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was beyond boring. It takes a girl who is recovering from a suicide attempt and tries to toss her into a romance that she's just not really ready for. I wish that this book would have focused more bout Ocean trying to find herself vs. someone or something to fill the hole in her.

This is another book where I feel like the cover copy doesn’t truly reflect the story. I get it, though– this is a really hard one to put into a neat and catchy few paragraphs. Ocean spends a lot of time obsessing over her relationship with Constantine and trying to understand her depression. But that makes the book sound like a downer, which isn’t good.

While THE CARTOGRAPHERS doesn’t shy away from emotional anguish, I wouldn’t describe it as a downer. I liked the way the writing pressed into messy feelings and relationships without closure or clear communication and how addicting they can sometimes be. I found myself nodding along with some of Ocean’s observations and thinking about a particular relationship in my own past that reminded me of the dynamic between her and Constantine.

The philosophy conversations were really cool, too. The whole book felt really smart to me and also a little bit whimsical. Sometimes funny, sometimes deep. Lots of chasing wild ideas. I loved that.

Some of those things make this a tough book to categorize. It’s not really a romance. Maybe it’s more of a coming-of-age story? A journey through depression? It’s a lot of thing, so many of them heartfelt, brave, and smart.

Something about this book reminded me of THE PARADOX OF VERTICAL FLIGHT or AWAY WE GO by Emil Ostrovski. (Both of which I LOVED!) I think readers looking for a book that doesn’t shy away from messy relationships and emotions, that explores the connections between people, will like this one.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So...jumping right in. The big problem with this book was Constantine.

I'm starting to find that a lot of books could benefit from either:

1) Leaving out romance subplots altogether, or
2) Making them more nebulous, and come around more organically

Honestly, he just added to Ocean's struggles more than he helped, and yeah, she had Georgie and Tashya. And I loved the trio's dynamic and support for each other. But Constantine really made me want to huck my kindle across the room.

Overall, I enjoyed it!

As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I will always try to give books featuring these subjects a chance, even if they might be somewhat triggering. These are subjects that I feel should be explored, especially in a YA space, instead of ignored as they have in the past.

At times the story does feel very raw and real. I really enjoyed the relationships between Ocean, Georgie and Tashya. It was nice to see how they grew and bonded as the book progressed and the different struggles they each had.

I did like the Google Doc exchanges that were included, but there were times I felt there could be a little less of them. Still, I enjoyed the different ways the conversations could be interpreted and how different readers could see the exchanges different ways.

This was a great exploration of Ocean's growth and journey through her gap year and recovering from past events. Definitely be mindful if suicide talk, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues are triggering.

I had a tough time with this one. (It didn't help that the marketing blurb somehow both reveals too much of the plot and is wildly misleading.) I appreciate Amy Zhang's raw exploration of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and other aspects of mental health, particularly in young adults. This comes up not only for Ocean, but also for her roommates Georgie and, to a lesser degree, Tashya. Speaking of them, I loved the dynamic between the three girls--the way their relationships develop and the way they support each other is oddly heartwarming.

But Constantine. Constant. I couldn't stand him. I suppose that's the point, but I found myself skimming all of the Google Doc exchanges between him and Ocean. It was like all the worst, overly esoteric discussions I had in grad school. I understand Zhang's reason for including them, and some readers might enjoy them, but they didn't work for me.

I think this is worth picking up for Ocean's mental and emotional journey. Just, you know, skip the Google Doc ramblings if you don't want to think too much about philosophy or The Meaning of Life.

Vintage maps, a mysterious past, and a touch of magic make this book an exciting adventure. This book has enough intrigue to keep the pages turning with a then & now timeframe and multiple narrators. This is a great mystery for folks who don't want blood and gore or sex scenes in their storylines - a little bit of murder and a little bit of romance to propel the storyline, but I'd feel comfortable putting this in the hands of just about anyone.

I had a really hard time writing this review, because I have very conflicting thoughts on this book, and felt unable to integrate them well.

This book does a few things well: it puts the reader deep in the mind of someone dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts, it critiques the manic, mysterious artist YA love interest stereotype that is all too lauded, and, for me at least, it fostered new compassion for those I know who deal with depression. For that last part specifically, I appreciate what this book attempts to do.

However, for me, this book was a chore to read. Much of the time it was nothing short of painful, and I would have stopped reading it many times had this not been an arc I felt compelled to give feedback on. This was partly due to the suffering Ocean is enduring, but even more due to the relentless esoteric ramblings (of above mentioned love interest) which continue throughout the book. By the time Ocean had a migraine 70% of the way through the book, I did as well.

My biggest concern, and area of disappointment, is that by the ending, there is only a throwaway reference to a possible therapist and a “the worst is over” line, which doesn’t feel true, at least not long term - especially when there was no space in the book focused on treatment, therapy, medication, and etc. To me, this book is not about healing, it’s about coming to a breaking point where you realize you need to heal.

Perhaps that is the point, but left the book feeling too much like the love interests responses, which were circuitous and never addressed Ocean’s real concerns or needs.

Ocean Wu has graduated from high school and, now looking to put the pressure to succeed and the heaviness of depression behind her, moves to to New York. She has been accepted to a very prestigious university and will receive a very nice scholarship.

But Ocean is still uncertain about what she wants to do, and now, out of the immediate shadow of her mother and with some unique freedom, she chooses to defer her first year of college for a year and decides to live off her savings and explore life and what New York has to offer. She moves in to an apartment with two strangers (though they become fast friends).

In a frightening moment of power outage while hoping to take a subway, Ocean meets a boy - Constantine "Constant" Brave. Constant is a graffiti artist, painting maps on subway walls. Ocean is perhaps more fascinated than attracted to Constant, but his apparent freedom is highly appealing to the girl searching for her own path as an adult.

The two stay connected primarily through a shared Google Docs file, writing notes and sharing their stories with one another. This endears Ocean even more to Constant Brave so she seeks him out in person where they become more intimate. But the 'real' Constant is not the boy she was imagining and Ocean's new friends come to her rescue.

For months Ocean has kept the secret from her mother that school has been deferred and she's been on her own, but it's not a secret she can keep for long and ultimately she will need to let her mom know that, like Constant painting maps, she is also mapping out her own future.

This was a really nice slice-of-life novel of a voyage of discovery or a coming-of-age novel. We immediately feel as though we know Ocean and anyone who has experienced the angst of living up to someone else's expectations (particularly a parent's), can identify with her desire for independence.

Her journey is a bit more risky and dangerous than what most of us might face, but that danger is only a slight undertone through Amy Zhang's book. Mostly we have Ocean's journey - a creating a map as she charts new paths of discovery and new paths of love.

Ocean is the only character we really get to know in depth - her roommates have some background, but the reader doesn't really get too familiar with them, which is slightly disappointing as they offer a safe haven for Ocean and it would be nice to have a little more insight to them.

Who Constant is is a mystery, but this is okay ... that's part of Ocean's journey to discovery.

This book should be very popular with many YA readers - particularly those who are about to graduate from high school or are in their early years of college. So much of this coming of age story will resonate with these younger readers.

Looking for a good book? The Cartographers by Amy Zhang is a beautifully told story of a young woman breaking away from expectations from her family and mapping out her own path to the future.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I expected at all (outside the confusion around the other book published with the same title). When I read the blurb, a story about a girl who is trying to find balance in her life, I figured it would be a relateable but breezy read. I was wrong. This book is written with the grace and gravitas of someone who knows how truly being unraveled and unstable feels. It hit me on more emotional levels than I expected it would. Ocean is a raw character who spends more time waffling between complete denial and uncomfortable honesty with her own mental health. Throw a cute, charming, and mysterious boy in the mix and... well... I had to pace myself on this one. Ocean's roommates are a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed this book. I stumbled upon it and I'm looking forward to recommending it to others.

Amazing and thought provoking story with a strong main character development. Cannot wait for publication date!

Ocean is lost. She has taken a gap year without telling her mother and is now trying to survive in NYC. When she meets a young man named Constantine on the subway she is instantly drawn to the way he sees life. She loses herself but in the end she finds herself. This young adult novel is positive in its view of constant parental love and the support of friends. It deals with suicidal thoughts in a nonjudgmental way. It shows a way through the dark times of finding yourself on the bridge between childhood and adulthood. I think this novel will appeal to teens and young adults. The characters are interesting and realistic.

Ocean is still a mystery. And her story is too. Part Midnight Library meets It's a Wonderful Life, blended with shades of Hadestown and One Last Stop, just for good measure. The book winds as much as NYC, as much as Ocean. Truly, without a map.

"It was a hopeless endeavor without a map." Ocean seems both lost and found. But honestly, who among us hasn't felt that? Sometimes it seems like teens float in a grey world of their own, until somebody finds them. And plenty of adults too.

"Lies and lies. The truth, strangest of all... Last night felt like a dream, but I kind of liked that."

Thankfully, the author's note at the beginning of the book completely saves it. Yes, CW: suicide, anxiety, mental health issues. But the work comes from a place of love. "There is no way out of hell. Every system is outdated. The worst has already happened."

"You can fix a map, but you can't fix a system." In the end, we keep walking or we don't. There isn't a map; just finding the way that works.

Oh, and read The Little Prince. It won't be time wasted. I promise.

Ocean Wu is trying to find herself in New York City. On a gap year before beginning school, she struggles to make ends meet, connect with her roommates, and find inner peace. During a city-wide blackout, she meets Constantine, whose presence begins to unravel her to her core. The two strike up an unlikely friendship through a shared Google Doc that she cannot help to check incessantly for updates.
As it becomes clear this unusual relationship is not a positive one, Ocean grapples with her head and her heart.

The Cartographers provides readers with an inside look at a young adult struggling with depression as she tries to chart the course of her future.

**I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.