to NetGalley, Bindery Books and the author for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The concept behind this book intrigued me and led me to request this ARC! I went in expecting a science fiction novel & soon realized this was more fever dream & less science fiction. And I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way…

I have ADHD & took all my meds today but I’m interested in how a neurotypical would read this story. It jumps A LOT & a lot is always happening but not always with much explanation….

I struggled with the randoms sections of “family history” for some of characters because it didn’t seem to drive the plot. I enjoyed knowing I was reading from a diverse lens of individuals, but much of that could have been established with less background information.

I’d describe this book as chaotic with a strong concept. I truly think the concept & story telling had the potential to be 5 stars but somewhere fell short (for me) but I’d recommend this to a very niche group of people… people with chaotic brains that are always moving.

I will say I did feel like I needed a nap after reading the book due to the chaotic nature.

A frustrating take on a near-future event that could have been moving (no pun intended) and fascinating, but ended up being a slow internal look at some annoying characters that we barely get details on, with very little focus on "a city’s descent into chaos and confusion". The reason for the whole event is bizarre but in a somehow uninteresting way, and the name Marcus (a side character we barely see) is used so many times I wanted to scream.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been following Mares for years on TikTok and YouTube and I've always enjoyed and appreciated her thoughtful approach to book reviews. And while I don't *always* agree with her perspective, I always find that it broadens my viewpoint. When I found out she was getting an imprint through Bindery, I was STOKED! I just knew any book she chose to support would be thoughtful and thought provoking.

The Unmapping by Denise S. Robbins did not disappoint! In a world that remakes itself night after night, we find Esme and Arjun trying to find balance. And while these two main characters are not my favorite of all time, I chose to read this book for the ideas and the world and the commentary on the dystopian landscape that inevitably surfaces after massive disasters.

In that way, this book delivers! So many dystopian books that I grew up with were amazing! But let's be honest, they centered around the white, female protagonist. This book dives deeper into the look at who are truly the victims in massive disasters and climate change.

I encourage you to pick up this book if you're looking for something that will open your mind in the most unexpected story! I loved this book and would absolutely recommend to friends in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the eARC!

This book had such an interesting premise but, unfortunately, none of the characters were even a little bit inspiring or well-written. We learn essentially nothing about any of them, and I didn't like that we didn't know all of their names - they instead got called by their titles - like the blonde woman.
We never really learn anyone's motivations, and I wish the story had stayed more focused on how the Unmapping happened and how people worked to fix it or lessen the impact.
I think the author tried to do too much - they had too many ideas and not enough focus.

DNF at 39%.

The writing style here is conversational and extremely staccato in a way that never really clicked for me and was hard to look past. It’s like that from page one, so it will be easy to get a sense of the style from a sample.

But I was extremely intrigued by the premise, and by the promise of a character-driven story of people trying to do what they can in a bizarre situation, and through the first 40% of the book, I just didn’t see much of that promise come good. The actual logistics of finding ways to help are almost entirely absent, mostly featuring people in positions of power giving instructions that may or may not make sense or be at all effective, with no regard for the input of people who report to them. Realistic? Maybe. Not certainly not interesting in a problem-solving way.

Unfortunately, the characters aren’t especially interesting either. In the first 40%, there are probably six or eight POV characters, though only a couple are named, and the voices run together badly. Furthermore, none of them get the kind of depth to make me care about their interests or what happens to them. One has a missing fiancé and reflects periodically on her religious disagreements with his family. One was waylaid on her way to a date. One is ineptly trying to help people while occasionally pining for a crush. But that’s…about it. Nobody has depth. Perhaps that depth develops over the back half of the book, but there’s nothing in the first 40% that makes me excited to figure out.

Thank you so much to the author, the Mareas Books imprint of Bindery Books, and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a genre that I don't dive into often, one of the things I enjoy about contemporary speculative fiction is being able to dig deeper into the themes that are presented. The Unmapping is one such case where I was pleased by the inclusion of climate change, modern social media, and human relationships amid a global crisis.

The story follows a mysterious phenomenon called "the unmapping," where various architectural structures are moving in random directions for no apparent reason. Two characters of New York City's Emergency Management Team, Esme and Arjun, play the role of the main protagonists. While Esme is driven to despair over the sudden disappearance of her fiance, Arjun is driven by sheer determination to become the "hero" that the state needs.

One of the aspects that stood out for me was the writing style. The long passages are a creative endeavor to represent the insanity that the unmapping created. The bigger cast of characters and their perspectives (even one as young as an adolescent) provide a variety of storylines that gradually come together as the story progresses. And, having BIPOC individuals as the protagonists provided an extra layer to the narrative with how their cultural backgrounds influenced their actions.

I did wish I enjoyed the subplot romance of Esme and Arjun. I wanted just a little bit more chemistry out of their relationship, to the point that I was more invested in their character development instead. I also wanted to see the social media aspect utilized a little more since it played a significant part in the story.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a story that gives you something to think about and thoughtfully tackles real-world issues.

3.5 stars for this interesting book, which I'm not sure I loved but I found incredibly fascinating!

The sci-fi concept of this was super unique and fascinating, with entire cities becoming "unmapped" aka buildings changing locations every day at 4am. As expected, for a big city like NYC, this causes an insane amount of issues and dangers. We follow this phenomenon for many months with a cast of characters either named and fully realized (Esme, Arjun), named and kind of missing (Marcus, Antony), or unnamed and characterized in small details (the mayor, the blonde woman, the wife). The jumps between characters was at times incredibly frustrating, and at times super insightful. This book really walks the line here between something I really loved reading and something I was slogging through, what a weird contradiction!!

If what you're looking for is a vibes book with sci-fi elements and a world that feels lived in, this is perfect for you. If you're looking for answers or a straightforward plot, this may not be for you. I'm walking away from this definitely curious but not super moved.

Thanks so much to Denise Robbins, Bindery Books, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many conflicting thoughts about this book! On one hand I was so impressed by the premise and the scope of this epic story. It was such a unique concept for a scifi book and I was hooked by the weirdness of it all and needed to know more.

On the other, I was not thrilled with the pacing of this book. It was definitely on the more literary side, but I don't think I was expecting it to be as slow as it was! For such a high stakes concept, the execution was weirdly boring? I also wished I cared about the MCs a little more! They weren't unlikeable persay, but they definitely weren't LIKEABLE either.

Overall a really fantastic debut effort that could have used a bit more refining, but interesting enough that I'll continue to follow up on this author and am excited to read more from her.

I was so excited for this book! It is a little bit out of my normal genre but I was first intrigued by the cover. When I read the Synopsis, I thought this book was meant for me to read. As someone who works for emergency management, I was so excited to see it in a book! I loved the authors writing style, it felt personal in a way. I also love the name Esme, that was a name I picked out if I had a daughter. I don’t want to say too much without giving anything away, but this book was sooo good. I am so glad I decided to go out of my comfort zone. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy.

Unfortunately this was A DNF around 20%. The premise of the book was great, but the execution fell flat. The writing style was the main issue for me, it was almost lyrical and i felt it difficult to connect. I am sure some people will adore this way of writing, but it left, for me, something to be desired.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has been on my radar for months because the concept is so unique: What would happen if buildings in New York City suddenly started moving around? Residents wake up one morning to find that has happened, and it continues to happen every morning afterward. They might wake up with a view of a skyscraper one day, a view of a river the next. How would you react if you never knew where your home or business might end up?

That's the question that Denise S. Robbins explores. Of course there are the logistics of disrupted power grids and other utilities, as well as people who are lost and don't know where their home went if they weren't there when it was Unmapped. Robbins does tackle this, looking at how emergency management and governmental agencies would respond. She also looks at how individuals react. Some of these people start out nameless and may even remain nameless, presumably because there are so many others whom they could represent. However, there are two characters who get the most page time, Esme and Arjun, both of whom work for the New York Emergency Management Department and have their own personal reactions to the Unmapping.

Esme and Arjun are both moderately compelling characters, though not necessarily deeply layered. It was still engaging to follow them around. In an interesting storytelling approach, the author's disjointed narrative mirrors what the characters and residents are going through, helping readers understand in some way what it might be like. I loved seeing how everything was unfolding, how people were coping with events. Threads get dropped and picked up again later, keeping readers interested.

A couple of these threads are related to Gleamwood City, a small Wisconsin town where an Unmapping first happened. This part of the novel didn't work as well for me. While I appreciated that Robbins didn't go in the direction with this that I had feared she would, the payoff of that storyline didn't resonate with me. My other qualms with the book are fairly minor, and it was such a captivating read that my enjoyment eclipsed those issues. This is Robbins's debut novel, and it seems like she's going to be an author to keep an eye on.

The Unmapping is written in a very lyrical and flowing way. I struggled with it keeping my attention because of this and ended up having to DNF at about 20%. While it wasn’t for me, I do feel that there’s people who will love this because of the writing style, and just sink in to be transported into the story.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When you present a premise as unique and fascinating as a city that unmaps and rearranges itself overnight, I expect a plot and a story as exciting as the premise sounds. And parts of this story were. But mostly, the uniqueness of the premise was overshadowed by uninteresting and flat characters. While I do understand this is supposed to be a character-driven novel (as evidenced by the many comparisons to Station Eleven), not one of these characters were compelling enough to hold a candle to the aforementioned premise. Had the characters been interesting enough aside from their roles in this odd apocalyptic event, I may have enjoyed this one more. As it stands, I didn’t love it.

The good parts were the event of the Unmapping and how it’s happened in other cities. It’s been on the news and several characters realize the event for what it is. They also realize the danger involved pertaining to things like gas leaks, unsettled structures, and all of the other perils that come along with a city that’s no longer structurally sound. It’s a fascinating premise for sure and certainly one I was able to imagine happening in my own city.

Each of the characters had their own roles to play in this disaster, but much of th focus was on Arjun and Esme as they’re first responders and know their way around f a disaster. Interspersed with their present circumstances are some flashbacks and some memories about their histories and backstories. While I found them to be sort of interesting at first, I found I eventually didn’t care. There was something missing that made me connect to them and I don’t know what that something was. Emotional investment maybe, because I truly didn’t feel a thing emotionally.

Bottom line — this had a great premise, the writing was fine, the characters fell flat for me. I did love the NYC setting and the feeling of total confusion as the city descends into chaos. 3.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the early copy of the book. Next, Denise Robbins you can always take my money and time. This book had me already because it was set in New York, secondly the suspense and the narration style was literal icing on the cake.

I sometimes feel that books are sold based on plot alone. By the time they reach their final form, it's far removed from the initial story in an attempt to be something larger.

The Unmapping is an odd sci-fi story about blocks shifting. The Empire State Building is no longer in Midtown, it's in Coney Island, and it's not permanent. See concept-wise, excellent. Execution? Eh. Underdeveloped characters who had potential to be deep and have strong inner and outer growth, but instead felt surface level and flat. There's no progress on the key relationships, so this is a story that didn't shift along with the city blocks.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Unfortunately, I DNF this book. I was excited to read this book, but the description of the book and the actual book did not come together for me. I attempted to read this book over several weeks, picking it up and putting it down. First, I could not connect to the characters and I didn't feel a real connection between the characters. I recognize and appreciate climate fiction, but I felt like this one was so boring and a bit redundant.
This all said, perhaps if I kept reading I might have liked the book, but I want to be drawn in early in books. I also think I might have stayed with this book longer and enjoyed this book better if it was an audiobook.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. I wish the author success, and maybe I will pick up the audiobook when that is released.
Thanks again.

A surreal, fascinating concept with flat execution.

I really enjoyed the prose, which was beautiful, and the ideas the author was swirling around in this book. However it did feel somewhat like the plot was playing second fiddle to the concepts, and I found that frustrating. I enjoyed the many viewpoints and liked seeing how everything was connecting - but in the end there was no "and THIS is how everything fits together". Which maybe that's what the author wanted, but I found it disappointing. It was like a meal that's all appetizers; no main course, no satisfying dessert to finish it all off.

Overall not a bad read, just a somewhat frustrating one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I loved this book so much! Give me more weird scifi/speculative fiction please! I was intrigued immediately by the premise and then fell in love with the "flawed but trying their best" POV characters, Esme and Arjun. I think fans of Hank Green's An Absolutely Remarkable thing will enjoy this book; while the writing styles are pretty different, both explore similar "weird/intriguing what if" scenarios.

I know some readers didn't like the fact that the cause of the Unmapping is never fully determined, but I personally am glad the book didn't provide an answer about "why" it happened but instead focused on how it impacted the characters and what the response was. My least favorite parts of the book were actually the moments when they explored potential theories for why it might be happening. I also loved the Franz/Christmas tree plot line - I had started to get a bit worried the book was going to only focus on the NYC emergency management response and was beginning to feel a bit too "routine" when the Franz storyline made things delightfully weird again!

But don't worry its not all weird scifi! This book has a lot of heart too. I was not expecting it would make me cry but it did in multiple places, which I find to be a sign of great storytelling. Esme, Anthony, Esme's Dad, Patricia, and Arjun all immediately had my heart and even though Arjun was a immature/cringe at times it was lovely to see him become so self aware and grow as a character (he's actually my favorite character in the book!)

All in all a lovely read!

This was such a unique read! I was very entertained by the concept of the city resetting but struggled a bit to connect to the FMC. I think it’s well written just not for me unfortunately

At 4 a.m., New York City unmaps itself, causing all the blocks and roads to switch places, resulting in complete chaos the next day. I really love the unique concept of this book and immediately want to read it. The book follows a couple of characters throughout the story as their lives intertwine with each other. If you enjoy character driven narratives, I highly recommend this book. Overall, I really enjoyed it and will definitely check out the author's future works as well. Thanks to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.