How do you recover from a death that cuts you to your core? Amelia is facing that question when her best friend suddenly dies right after their high school graduation. When she receives a package at the local bookstore, Amelia goes from Texas to Michigan to find out who sent it. There she finds the reclusive author who wrote her favorite book. Together, they both face the same question.
Opinion
This is such a heartwarming book. I loved the journey these two characters took. Even though it was mostly during one week, the frequent flashbacks gave insight into their relationships. Each character is quirky in their own right but so loveable. This is sure to be a modern day classic for those recovering from a death. This book was truly enjoyable to read.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Amelia Unabridged is a heartwarming and emotional story of the power of books, friendship and love.

It follows Amelia, who is obsessed with a book series called the 'Orman Chronicles'. After a tragic event (which the synopsis spoils, but I would suggest going in blind), Amelia goes on an adventure to an obscure bookshop in Michigan. There, she meets the author of the series, and in the process finds herself along the way.

On paper, this sounds like a perfect book. A quiet contemporary about books, love and grief with some beautiful prose to go along with it. Unfortunately the execution was a little lacking for me and it ended up being pretty forgettable.

Just a warning, my opinion is definitely not that of the majority. In fact, considering all of the five star reviews I think I can put myself clearly in the outlier category. Usually with books like that I can understand why people love them so much, but with this I honestly can't. Its almost like I read a different book to everyone else, or missed something- which is entirely possible considering I started skimming the book toward the middle/end.

The thing is, I thought this book was objectively good- but just nothing special. The characters were fine but they didn't stand out for me. The romance was ok but definitely a case of insta love and didn't feel very believable to me. The dialogue was pretty ordinary for me. The writing was standard to me, not the beautiful lyrical prose I was promised.

But that is all my person opinion- if you loved this I am truly so happy for you!

A small thing that rubbed me the wrong way is something that I have come across in older YA books quite a bit, but not so much recently. It is when one of the main characters has a mental illness or phobia- but gets magically healed by their love interest. I personally find that plot point cheap and possibly even harmful.

Along a similar vein, I found the instant idolisation and adoration from both people to be unrealistic and inauthentic. It meant that I never really ended up believing the romance.

I think this book would be perfect for readers on the younger side of YA, or who enjoy those style stories. I would also recommend checking out some other reviews to get a better idea about what others loved about the story- and if you might too!

Thank you to St Martin's Press for this ARC

Release Date: 16 February 2021

Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the Orman Chronicles, the books that wound up bringing her and her best friend Jenna together. After a tragic accident, Amelia finds herself chasing down the sender of a rare edition of the Orman Chronicles in hopes to uncover the last message from her friend.
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This book is one that I would say everyone should read. The overall message is that you are the controller of your life, but there were so many other tough subjects that we tastefully encountered. I don’t want to say too much else without giving away the plot, but especially if you’re into YA I would be sure to grab this one on pub. day, Feb 16th. Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Ashley Schumacher for the free e-ARC in return for an honest review.
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Favorite Quote:
“There is nothing in the world a good book can’t cure.”
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Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4)/5

Put Amelia Unabridged at the top of your list to read!

Amelia Griffin is left devastated when he best friend Jenna dies in a car accident but when she receives a specially numbered book of the Orman Chronicles, she decides to check out the bookstore in Michigan that is was sent from. Leading her to the reclusive author of the Orman Chronicles that had dropped out of sight after the postponement of his latest book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect reading Amelia Unabridged when I started but it is a book that will stay with me for a while because Amelia and Nolan could be any of us with trying to put their lives back together when they have a devastating loss. A quote that I hope is in the finished book because you live “a story you like telling”. I will recommend Amelia Unabridged because it is that good of a book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a unique, heart-wrenching story. Amelia Unabridged is one of those books that will bring tears to your eyes and keep you flipping the pages. A story of friendship and the power of books. This is one that should not be missed.

You guys. Read. This. Book.

Amelia Unabridged is such a stunning debut. Ashley Schumacher's writing is sublime. The characters and worlds she created truly come alive and the story is so thoughtful and unlike anything I've read before. I laughed, I cried, and once I started the book, I didn't put it down until it was over.

I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot because I went into it blind and I really think not knowing what to expect is part of what made it so magical but I will say it's a book about books. It's about writers and readers. It's about the power of words to heal and provide hope. And it's also about love. Who could ask for more?

I know it's only February but I have no doubt that Amelia Unabridged will be one of my favorite books of the year.

I read this with @lovearctually and loved our our conversation - I had all the feels after finishing and was so glad to have a great group to talk with who was as bowled over by the story as a was!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for a copy to review.

This story was equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. Amelia's journey through grief, self discovery, and romance are all so earnest that I couldn't help but feel for her, cheer for her, and wish her all the best. I loved the slight whimsy is Amelia's view point and seeing her really figure out what she wants and going for it was a joy to see after the devastation she'd been through.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me an emotional book hangover. I hung onto every word the author wrote. I felt the pain of the characters. I want to re-read it all over again. This was a beautiful book that I have already recommended to several friends and am excited to see out in the book world!

This book is beautiful. I honestly love everything about it. It is a book for book lovers. It is also a book that deals with trauma and grief. The writing is beautiful and Ashley Schumacher writes such a visual tale; I could envision everything in this story. I want to visit Lochbrook. I want to find Orman. I think Amelia and Nolan are wonderful and I love the fairy tale quality to their relationship. Just, so good.

Amelia Unabridged is the fantastic, exceptional debut novel by Ashley Schumacher. This book drew me in and kept its hold on me. It is beautifully and lyrically written and tells a story of not only young love but grief and self-discovery. I loved the characters that came to life for me in this novel. Their emotions were real, raw, and palpable. As a book lover, I appreciated the emphasis the author placed on the importance of books in our lives and the story within a story that she created. This book kept me up well into the night and it will certainly be one that stays with me. Amelia unabridged is a beautiful and emotional YA novel that I would recommend without hesitation to readers young and old.

I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley, which did not affect the contents of my review. All opinions are honest and my own.

There are some books that you just know are going to be an emotional rollercoaster - Amelia Unabridged is a prime example. The book begins with the death of Amelia’s best friend and takes the reader through Amelia’s journey of finding herself in her new (tragic) normal.

The true star of this book is the writing - I can’t find the words to describe how good it is. The writing is almost lyrical at times, and incorporates flashback scenes to effectively build the importance Jenna had to Amelia and how big of a loss her passing was. The book is told from Amelia’s point of view - and through her POV you get to read about how she is coping with the sudden loss of her best friend and how she is managing her grief.

Amelia was a fascinating character dealing with one of the biggest struggles a person can have: she was mourning the tragic and sudden loss of her (basically) sister, Jenna. She was experiencing a touch of survivor's guilt, and a lot of pain around her final interactions with Jenna (they had a fight shortly before the accident). Amelia was exceptionally multifaceted - while she herself was going through mourning, she still dedicated herself to the emotional needs of a boy she had only known for a few days.

What I really appreciated about Amelia Unabridged was how it handled grief and mourning. As the book progressed, Amelia faced reconciling with her grief and how she could not change the fact that Jenna was gone. She also faced the fact that Jenna had planned their lives out together and she felt obligated to follow that life plan in Jenna’s memory. I really liked that by the end of the book her grief wasn’t magically gone - she had just come to terms with it a bit more, but it was still a big part of her life. Most of Amelia’s growth came from her learning to move forward with her life while still carrying Jenna’s memory - and I thought that was a beautiful conclusion to the book.

Amelia Unabridged is a beautiful story about finding yourself in the wake of tragedy as well as a coming-of-age story. The writing was gorgeous, the handling of grief and survivors guilt was excellent, and the idea of finding oneself despite horrific circumstances was well portrayed. I can’t say enough good things about this book - it was easily one of my favorites of this year. If you’re looking for other excellent YA contemporary books, check out You Have a Match and Tweet Cute. 5/5

Amelia Griffin and her best friend Jenna were big fans of the Orman Chronicles, written by the reclusive N. E. Endsley. The two attend a book festival, but only Jenna is invited to meet the author. After their argument, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. When a rare copy of the Orman Chronicles arrives for her, Amelia feels it's a sign from Jenna and tracks down the book's origin. It brings her face to face with Endsley himself.

Amelia Unabridged tackles family, friendship, and grief. Books started out as a way for Amelia to cope with her father abruptly leaving, and how Jenna and the Williams family essentially adopted her as a member of the family. The series of books were a means to bond and discuss weighty topics between them, and the prologue explaining the conflict between the sisters in the book clearly foreshadows how the two argue after the festival. It's the silly kind of argument that eighteen-year-olds have, one that doesn't really wound yet does at the same time; Jenna's death is sudden and leaves a gaping hole in its wake. For a voracious reader like Amelia, this is especially poignant: "my eyes refuse to change the letters into sentences, the sentences into pages," and "I would focus on the crumpled edges of the removed pages and call it Amelia Abridged."

I was actually close to tears reading large swaths of the book. There's the grief of Jenna's loss, of the fractures in Amelia's family, and then even with Nolan himself. The Orman books were born out of his own grief, and the anxiety left in their wake had forced him to close himself off from much of the world. The snippets of the books within this novel add to the poignancy of the story, to the feeling that a teenager wrote them to deal with loss and pain. Of course, there are obstacles to force both Amelia and Nolan out of their comfort zones, pushing them further than they can push each other.

By the end of the book, as Amelia really grows into herself and her choices, I really was crying. This book hurt my heart in such a good way. It's wonderful and has to be read by everyone. Life should be lived, even if there are parts that are awful. Beautiful things are more intense in response to the dark, and we carry forward the pieces of our loved ones into the future that they'll never get a chance to see.

First I wanna thanks Netgalley and the publisher for give the an earc of the book in exchange of my honest opinion.

I was first taken by the description of the book, an 18 years old girl, a fangirl of a series of books called Orman and her best friend fight over the fact that her friend met the author and she didn’t a little after that her friend dies in a car accident and she is left alone, until one day she receives a weird edition of her favorite book, she then decides to go discover who sent the book and why.

Before you keep on reading just beware of the fact that the book deals with the loss of loved ones and mentions of suicide.

It’s not a spoiler i think the fact that in her travel she meets the author of the book with whom she develops a relationship.

I’ll start saying that the book was beautifully written. The way the author describes things is amazing, you can almost see them for real.

Overall, is a lovely story, with very special and peculiar quirks, like the way Amelia keeps imagining whales all the time, which i found interesting.

The main problem i had with the book was the insta love part of it, the author of the book and Amelia fall in love too quickly for my tasting, they trusted each other too easily, especially for someone like the author, Nolan who has if difficult to be around people. I know it is sort of explained later but it wasn’t enough for me.

The background of the characters is important in the book and they are well developed. I truly felt sorry for them in a way.

The story is very soft, very sweet, Amelia is a very lovable main character, Nolan is very likable as well.

I just, for some reason couldn’t fully connect with the story and all the time was hopin g for it to be over already. I can’t explain why, i just did.

The ending though, the epilogue was beautiful.

I think the book mostly talks about the difficult topic of losing someone and how you shouldn’t stop living your life because of it. It talks about being independent, about learning what you want and to move on, to be yourself again or for the first time, to look for what you want and be happy.

I gave it 4 stars on goodreads, though it may be more of a 3.75 stars. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t really moved me the way i expected it to do.

Title: Amelia Unabridged
Author: Ashley Schumacher
Genre: YA
Rating: 5 out of 5

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

I loved this read! I completely identified with Amelia throughout the entire book. Her friendship with Jenna was fun and so realistic! Her grief over Jenna’s death and her struggle to find sense in a world that suddenly doesn’t contain any was heartrending.

The details of the bookstore and the small-town life were enchanting. I need this bookstore in my life! The characters are fantastic—all of them—and I loved every single page of this. Go read it!

Ashley Schumacher lives in Dallas. Amelia Unabridged is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

* Thank you to Wednesday book for the advanced copy for my honest review*

Wow, what a magical heartfelt book this was. I went into it blindly and came out feeling different towards the way I look at life.

Amelia’s home life isn’t normal. Her father leaves and in turn her mother becomes a zombie. To escape she runs and hides in books. On the day he leaves, she meets Jenna, a girl more beautiful and popular than her. Jenna invites Amelia into her life and they become the best of friends, like sisters. Jenna’s family even treats her as their own; inviting her on trips and paying for luxury meals. The girls decide to take a trip to a book event to meet and author they instantly bonded over, but sadly the author declines the event and afterwards tragedy happens. A book is sent to Amelia a couple weeks after and she takes a journey to find the magic again and to find a purpose for what’s happened. Along the way she meets people who change her life and make her realize that it isn’t always as mapped out as other make it for you. That you have the will to make yourself something in this world.

I didn’t think I’d love this book like I did. Like I said I didn’t set out knowing what to make of it or the impact it would have, but I love this book! The characters and the emotions that came with Amelia were exactly what I needed. Amelia is this not so perfect bookworm, who’s had to read to escape pain but then finds herself in people. She doesn’t want to disappoint, but she also needs to learn that not all things in life can be controlled and she just follow along, but that she needs to find herself for herself. That tragedies don’t make the world stop, if anything they make you want to keep on living. I also loved the complexity of Nolan and the things he’s been through that made the world more scary for him until Amelia makes him see there’s nothing to be afraid of.

This book is perfect for a bookworm or someone who’s gone through grief, to see it in a different light!

To say that I was blown away by this book is an understatement. Every so often a book comes along that you know, once you start reading it, is something incredibly special. The House in the Cerulean Sea and Strange the Dreamer were that for me last year. Amelia Unabridged is it this year, and yes, I know it's only February.

This is such a beautifully written story of friendship, sisterhood, finding oneself while dealing with grief, and opening oneself to love while learning to navigate through the difficulties and challenges of life to come out alive and still hopeful at the end. It's a tribute to books and to lovers of books, and it encourages you to believe in magic.

The main characters stay with you long after you turn the last page, and the author includes so many gems of wisdom that you can't help collecting each one, and keeping them for later, to turn in the palm of your hand.

Fans of "I'll Give You the Sun" will fall in love with this book, and even if you're not a fan or that type of reader, please still give this a chance because it has the power to change your life. It is that special and that beautiful.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing a free e-arc to read.

Wow, where do I begin. Sometimes a book finds you at the right time when you need it most. This book was exactly that for me. It was a reminder of what life is truly about.

The story is simple, Amelia is trying to figure herself out just like everyone else in this world. It is a melancholy journey but whimsy. I loved Amelia's character but I may be bias since she is from Dallas and I am from Dallas. All of the characters are well developed. The writing is beautiful too! I cried as I read chapter nineteen. Sometimes happy ends are needed even if it isn't realistic. I can't wait for the book to release. I already pre-ordered it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Ashley Schumacher!

It’s always a lovely experience to pick up a novel by a new-to-you author and discover that you click immediately with their writing style and that, friends, is exactly what happened to me with Amelia Unabridged. I knew from the first couple of lines that I was going to devour this story – and that’s exactly what happened! Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you a little bit about what it’s about (though it’ll be the bare minimum since I didn’t know much before going into it myself and that worked in my favor). This is a story about Amelia, who is wrestling with the void of grief and confusion left behind by the abrupt loss of someone she cares very deeply about, and how stories (and a specific book series) play a role in her journey towards making sense of her feelings & future. It’s a beautiful tale, complemented by Schumacher’s lovely, lyrical writing and the way she weaves melancholy and magic into the narrative. I appreciated reading yet another perspective on how one might handle grief and loss through the experiences Amelia had, though I’ll objectively admit that the whimsy, the air of destiny and the budding romantic connection that provides colorful background detail might not work for all readers as well as it did for me. I also really liked how Schumacher incorporated the magic and importance of stories and storytelling into her work. Stories can offer so many things to readers – an escape, comfort, a connection, perspective – and this theme is something I could get behind. Amelia Unabridged ended up being the good sort of reading surprise, and I look forward to whatever Schumacher releases next. (I also wanted to mention that, while this is a YA book, I strongly related to it as an adult reader and that’s probably because of my own personal life experiences.)

3.5/5 stars

Amelia Unabridged is a beautifully written narrative about loss, grief, fear and finding your path in life. I was quite taken with the book for the first half but unfortunately, it felt a bit flat and predictable after that. We follow Amelia's journey when her best-friends Jenna dies after they had a huge fight. She receives a book which she believes was sent to her by Jenna and travels to solve the mystery, only to meet her childhood favourite author.

To go with the positive firsts, I really love the author's writing style. It's what drew me in with the way the characters are created and how beautifully their emotions are expressed. I really like the different ways in which grief, pain, sorrow and fear were written through the characters, letting us know that there's no one way to experience emotions. And of course, I fell in love with a fictional world created in this book and the overall aesthetic of the bookshops and readers, because how could I note.

Where things really started falling apart was insta-love. God, I hate this trope and especially in this narrative it just came out of nowhere. I would have gladly taken a slowly developed liking and love between the two characters but instead we got an emotionally heavy scene after which the two of them are inexplicably attracted to each other. I know that the author wrote that there are some incidents that you go through with someone after which you can't not be friends but I would disagree. Such experiences certainly shift your relationships but they don't just immediately make you fall in love. And believe me, I really wanted to root for the romance but t was too quick and imposed and dare I say cheesy. I hate that the mystery part of it dwindled after a while but it's also understandable. I found the second half to be incredibly predictable and at that point I was reading only because I liked the writing style and had grown fond of some of the characters.

But this isn't a bad book, despite all the faults I pointed out, I do like this book and if you don't mind the insta-love trope I really believe you'll end up loving this book.

4.5 stars — Well, I’m in a glass case of emotion. I’m not saying the whole book was a cryfest, but I am saying that I cried forcefully on several occasions. But for me, that’s not a bad thing. In fact, for a debut book I think it’s kind of an awesome thing.

I shouldn’t have been surprised by all the emotion, the book quite clearly deals with a lot of grief. But it was the way that Ms. Schumacher described that grief, and showcased it in Amelia that really got to me.

I will admit that, from the blurb, I was somewhat concerned about what happened between Amelia and Jenna wrt the author and stuff. I expected characters making mean decisions or something, or the fight being nasty. If anyone else is worried about that, you can set your worries aside. There was a lot to that whole encounter, and while it was tough, I was relieved that I didn’t dislike anyone as a result of what happened. I can’t say more than that, but yeah.

The writing in this one was both out there and delightful. Sometimes I had a hard time understanding Amelia and her imagination…let’s just say my imagination is not as good. I wasn’t quite sure what it all meant. But I can’t tell you how many things I highlighted, b/c they were beautiful or profound or both.

Despite not always understanding all that made Amelia tick, I easily connected with her. She was earnest, kind, fun, quirky…but she also had a lot of young adult moments that can make a person feel frustrated. I felt for how torn she was in her life, about what she wanted out of it. And my god, I felt her grief to my bones.

Nolan and Alex and Val and Wally and all the crazy characters of Lochbrook brought weird shades of colour I wasn’t expecting. I loved the relationships that were developed, and the fun mixed with emotional upheaval. I loved that we got both a tiny love story and significant friendships. The stories that were told here were actually quite unexpected for me, and just really added to Amelia’s journey.

All in all this one took a lot out of me, but also gave so much back.