Shockingly based on somewhat of a true story.

I have had this book on TBR for actual years… yes years. I mean that’s not necessarily crazy for me. I have some books on my TBR from COVID… yikes. However, when I go through my 5ish month cycle of cleaning out my TBR, I always pause over this book and hover over the delete button. Something…. something was stopping me. I reread the premise every time and I think of deleting it off the TBR but I never seem to actually go through with it. Something was calling me back to this book; and I am SO HAPPY SOMETHING DID!

This book is one of the very few five star reads I have this year. When I dropped into my local Barnes and Nobles I had a hard time finding this book in the fantasy section, where it should be mind you. I had to have a book seller take me to the fiction area where there it stood. Cozy on the bottom shelf wayyy to the left. Its like they didn’t have enough room in the fantasy section and said screw it, just stuff it in fiction somewhere and call it a day. Oh what a misunderstood masterpiece this book is.

Geez, get to the point holy cow

What to expect

• Murder mystery

• Second Chance

• Historical Fiction

• Betrayal

• Family Drama

• Map Illustrations

• Multiple POVs

• Flashback narration

• Secretive organizations

Nell, a young adult eager to enter the world of cartography. Coming from a long line of cartographers on both sides of the family, Nell’s whole life and greatest passion has been maps. Anything from ancient maps of the oldest civilization ever to a generic, not so interesting building map in New York City… or is it? Nell graduated top of her class from a prestige university, hopeful for the future, excited to follow in her father's steps. When Nell accepted her first position at the New York Public Library she was on top of the world. There would be whippers in the hallway about the new Dr. Young, being Nell, soon to take her father's position.

But one fateful day everything came crashing down, as soon as Nell started her career… she just about finished it. The Junk Box Incident. Nell, being the over achiever she is, thought she could get some brownie points and start logging and clearing out some donations that were given to the NYPL over the years. Box after box of maps from all around the world at Nells fingertips, it was like a dream come true. Until she discovered a lonely dusty box in the farthest corner of the basement titled, “The Junk Box”. Interestingly enough there wasn’t much in it, just a gross mass-produced gas station highway map.

Little did Nell know, this map would change her life. After showing her father what she found, he became furious. Banishing Nell from the library and also from him. Nell spent the next seven years working for a third-party map printing company that takes famous maps and makes them commercial. Nell was embarrassed of her work, but it paid the bills, and that was as good as it was going to get, for now.

Nell fell into the routine of things for a while. She missed her life at the NYPL, or at least what it could have been. She, however, did not miss her father. Still embarrassed about the situation she never stepped foot in the library after…. until she got a call from an old friend.

Nells father has been found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the same worthless gas station Nell found years ago. After some sleuthing around Nell discovered the map is exceedingly rare and to her surprise, the only one in existence. But why is it so rare and incredibly valuable? Why did her father have this map hidden in a secret compartment in his desk? Who is after this highway map? And more importantly who’s next in the line of fire.

 

Ok so the cons:

I really didn't have any. However, I think the romance side of the book was kind of lame? I didn't feel any sparks between the FMC and the MMC. I understand there has been some bad juju and hard feelings, but I just never seemed to care about where the relationship ended. It seemed like it was just a cute throw away plot. I also think felix wanting to save Nell from everything and help her was useless. He didn’t really have a backbone and didn’t save her from anything.

My rating

FIVE STARS I STILL LOVED IT EVEN WITH THE BOGUS LOVE INTREST. Listen, we don’t always need a cutesy romance, honestly, we don't need one period.

Anyways, this has gone on long enough, go drink coffee or tea and read The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd.