This book was captivating and emotional. I loved the setting of Val’s bookstore as well as the town. These characters weren’t very realistic but I really loved them.

This is such a heartwarming story that is also heartbreaking. The love story is not what you expect but so relatable. Beautiful tale.

This was a cute story. Some parts were a little far-fetched, but overall the message and growth of the characters were really nice to see.

This is well written and organized book. The character choices and style of the author is felt and moving. This is a book I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good read.

Okay, so... This was a romance? Am I asking... Yes... And not in a bad way. It's just... To call this a romance when it was so much more than that.

Again, if you've been reading my reviews recently, you know I've been having a love/hate with YA. It's either right on the mark or too young. And when I complain about how young it is, it's always with the understanding that that's my issue. It is YA, after all.

So when I decided to read Amelia Unabridged, I went into it with the same hesitancy that I have been for a while. Knowing that it was a roll of the dice.

It took about three pages for me to realize that with this one I was going to be in for a ride.

The plot. A newly-graduated Amelia and Jenna--best friends/chosen sisters--have a last to-do at a book conference, hoping to meet N.E. Endsley, author of the Orman Chronicles. The Orman Chronicles, in many ways, helped Amelia with loneliness and helped bond the girls over the shared love of the series.

So when the meeting doesn't go as planned, Amelia and Jenna have their very first fight. They manage to make-up--barely--before Jenna goes on a trip--and is killed in an accident.

And then she receives a package that leads her to a bookshop in Michigan.

The feelings of this story were a bit too much for me sometimes. The sadness just rolling off Amelia is difficult to read sometimes. Her grief, staggering.

And when she meets new characters at this bookshop, the story gets even deeper.

N.E. Endsley has his own story. His own heartache. And while difficult to navigate, Amelia and N.E. are bonded in that sadness.

I absolutely adore this story. I loved so much of the way Schumacher expressed the characters' feelings. And some of the poetry in her writing was beautiful.

"I have the strangest thought that, if I wanted to, I could bring this whole bookstore crumbling to the ground by touching my index finger to the boarded wall of this room and releasing all the energy stored in my body."

And some of Amelia's thoughts on relationships really nailed it for me,

"It seems unfair that the world is often critical of finding meaning in another person. We're allowed to find ourselves in places, books, music, nature, but not in another human. We aren't allowed to mourn losing a piece of ourselves for too long--especially when young--because we must learn to stand on our own two feet.

But if the world must be made of car crashes and unspeaking books, let there at least be no guilt in companionship, no matter how brief."

This book is a must-read. There's romance, even in the midst of heartache. There's found family. There's so much beauty in all the sadness.

Although written for young adults, it did not read like a YA book at all. My heart broke for Ameila when Jenna passed and the fact that their relationship was essentially ended on a bad note had me so sad. Jenna basically planned out her and Ameila's lives for them without knowing whether or not Amelia wanted the same things as her will really stick with some people who have these kinds of friendships. I like that Amelia took the reins without the crutch of Jenna next to her and found out what she really wanted out of her own life. The book starts out with Amelia being unsure of herself and yes, she struggles in the middle too, but reading about her finding her path and making those difficult decisions that make you an adult had me cheering her on the whole way. So good.

I wasn'y as gripped with this one as I had hoped to be. The reviews had me so hyped but there was something missing but I don't know what it was.

When I started this book and quickly realized it was about grief I thought that it was going to be a much heavier read and I got nervous. However, I realized that while this book is about grief it is also about love, hope, finding yourself, and making your own choices about who you want to be in life.

This story is so beautiful. It made me smile from ear to ear and it made me laugh so hard. I loved Endsley’s big floppy brain dead dog. That dog was a part of so many precious moments in this book and I wish more books had more fun including animals in it like this. All the moments with him were absolutely incredible.

This book absolutely made me tear up. I still felt the grief along with Amelia. Yet, even though Jenna is dead from the first few chapters of the book, she lives throughout the pages. We get to learn about her and come to love her and appreciate the effect she left on Amelia’s life and the adventure she went on because of what happened to Jenna. It’s beautifully woven and I adored it.

This book is also just one of those books for book lovers. It has such a beautiful appreciation for the written word and even though Amelia stops reading after Jenna dies, you still feel the effect that books have had on her and the love she still has for books. This is basically every bookworms contemporary fantasy romance. It made me so happy.

This is another one of those books that I feel everyone needs to read and experience the journey of it for themselves. It’s a whirlwind and it has these amazing descriptions and heartfelt introspections that are so incredible. It feels magical in the way that reality can sometimes be magical, even as something terrible started it all. It’s what the core of what living and loving is all about. I loved this book!

I didn't enjoy this one. It didn't work for me. I found myself bored most of the time and I did not want to pick it up most days.

This was such a sweet read and definitely the first of many I will be reading by this author. I found all the characters relatable in their own way. The romance aspect was written so well.

I really liked this book, but I felt that there were lulls in the story that needed some help.. However I found this to be really enjoyable and entertaining and would recommend.

Amelia and Jenna are from two worlds, but the best of friends. Their whole lives are laid out together, college and beyond. As they grow up, the Orman Chronicles books bond the girls. Amelia often parallels her present with this fictitious world, using it to escape and cope with the hardships in her life, giving her a sense of comfort when things get hard.

But when Amelia graduates high school, tragedy strikes, and she must learn how to carry on without a big piece of her life standing by her side. Grieving, Amelia receives a mysterious package that forces her on an adventure to a tiny Michigan town to figure out who sent it. There, Amelia meets the reclusive Nolan, who just might be the key to not only finding out the origin of the mysterious package, but also the key to finding Amelia's true self.

Amelia Unabridged is Ashley Schumacher's debut novel. The writing is absolutely masterful. It grips you from page one and you cannot put this book down. I found myself constantly highlighting lines and passages. Not only are the cast of characters unique, they also each have their purpose on Amelia's journey. And the setting is absolutely divine.

But what I loved most was how deep this book was. It forces you to think and to feel. And goodness, will you cry. THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ. Whether you like YA novels or not, Amelia Unabridged is a book for everyone. Amelia Unabridged tackles loss, grief, anxiety, and finding one’s true purpose in life.

Did I read this book almost two years ago and never submit a review? Yes, but here I am finally doing so. As a person who feels that books are great for helping people, and you find the book you need when you need it, it was great to see them using the power of books part of the story line. Will definitely be recommending this book to others.

Yet again I am late to the review squad. Let’s not act like we are surprised anymore…

Books lie. Life isn’t finished with you when you are eighteen or when you think you’ve had enough. It’s never enough. You’re never in the clear.”

Amelia Unabridged is an artfully written work about a girl struggling with unimaginable grief. She feels things deeply and wholly. She struggles with a despair that is felt through the pages.

I didn’t want to start this book because I was afraid it would be too sad, but it grips your attention quickly. You find yourself on a journey of self discovery with Amelia. Chapter 3 will break you in two. Chapter 19 will glue you back together again.

Thank you to the publishers for the arc of this book.

It took me a while to get to this because I think I knew that it would hurt. I had to be ready and in the right space to read a book about grief and regret. And I steeled myself and read it, knowing only an inkling of the beauty and hope that the book had to offer as well.

Amelia Unabridged is about grief and regret but also about writing your own story and finding people to share that story with. Its about starting over and second chances after unimaginable loss. And it was beautiful. I love the characters and how warm their interactions and the setting made me feel. I enjoyed the love story blossoming between Amelia and Nolan, even if it felt a bit instalove.

This was a remarkable debut novel by an author I'm very much looking forward to reading again.

I think too much time passed and I am such a mood reader. The mood has yet to strike to read this one so I don’t have feedback.

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

Amelia and Jenna are best friends for life when they meet at a bookstore. When they are separated due to a tragic event, Amelia is at a loss on how to cope, when she receives a book at the bookstore where they met.That becomes a mystery she needs to solve as she didnt buy a book and now she wonders, did Jenna buy it and have it delivered? She even calls Michigan where the book was delivered from and the boy that answers the phone, well he is no help. So, next step? Go to Michigan and find out what in the sam hill is going on? Once she gets there, she will meet people who will forever change her life.

This was an emotional read as Amelia not only grieves for her friend, she makes friends with Nolan who also is grieving and they are a mess, for lack of a better word. What makes this melodrama worth the read even dealing with such a depressing storyline is the writing. Ms Schumacher is a wonderful storyteller who has you rooting for both people and other characters in the book. She deals with grief and the power of love that had me in tears at some point and I was okay with it.

I look forward to reading her next book. I did find a few errors in the review copy that I hope will be caught before the release but if not they did not impact the story in any way.

Rating 4
Linda C

This story was well-told and engaging throughout. I think it will definitely find its right audience and continue to inspire.

I am sorry to say this book was just not for me. I could not finish even though I tried several times The blurb sounded great and the stories plot had great potential, I just think that the writing was a tad slow with too much going on with the characters.


2 out of 5 stars


Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Best friends Amelia and Jeanna get a chance to meet Amelia’s favorite author. Something happens and the girls get into an argument. Jenna is killed in an accident before they make up. Soon Amelia receives a rare edition of her favorite book. She decides find out who sent her the book. During her search, she meets her favorite author. What follows is a beautiful and emotional adventure that changes Amelia’s life.