This book felt like a love letter. A love letter to books, a love letter to love. It was a spellbinding, complicated portrait of love and its restorative powers, of grief and the hold it can have on an individual. It made me yearn for the childlike magic of a breathtaking bookstore, and the love story between Amelia and Nolan was that of every literature student’s ultimate unspoken fantasy. But for as much as I wanted to be swept up by the enchantment of Amelia Unabridged, I felt like I was constantly hitting a wall. Something was blocking my ability to really give myself to this book, and it wasn’t the moments that made me cringe a bit over fangirl culture and cheesy book lover quotes, but rather how unbelievably purple this prose could be.

I love purple prose. Adore it most of the time. I want descriptions so lush you have to read them six times, tangents that feel feverish. But they should never be without cause. And there is where I think I diverge from purple prose haters: I’m able to see most overly-flowery language as meaningful and worthwhile just because I love a kind of lyricism in my reads. But with Amelia Unabridged, I struggled to find the meaning and purpose behind some of the more metaphorical bits. Namely, the whales and the clever wind.

Because this book was so rife with over-description, there was no way for me to have been able to feel out, when sifting through the long-winded paragraphs, which images, themes, and ideas were going to end up being really important. So by the time the whales and the clever wind asserted themselves as central to the story and Amelia’s character, I had literally no idea what Amelia was on about. I think it needed to pull back a bit, and it would’ve been more effective. It would still have its spellbinding qualities, but they may have even been enhanced if some of it did not get reduced to chatter.

But what I loved most dearly was the relationship between Amelia and Nolan. I am not a fan of insta-love, but I am a fan of characters who coax each other out of their shells, and I was willing to overlook the insta-love element in recognition of the subtle magic at play here. I loved how they came to know each other so deeply over such a short amount of time. Though it could feel both too gradual and too rushed, like nothing was happening and then all too much, I really loved watching them grow together. Their pairing felt natural, like a beautiful act of fate. It touched my heart.

Grief and recovery after loss was an enormous element in this book. While I may just be too much of a cynic after reading A Little Life and thus have adopted a sort of wariness towards the belief that love can always pull you out from under the weight of grief and trauma, I appreciated the hope Amelia and Nolan strove to find in themselves and through each other, how they committed themselves to being individuals who charted their own paths. I think it was ultimately a message worth celebrating, and an important one to impress upon young readers.

While Amelia Unabridged and I may not have been head over heels for each other, there is an undoubted and unshakeable beauty to this novel. It worked its magic on me, and even though I wasn’t swept away in its current, I found much to love within these pages. I cannot wait for more readers to feel the same.

To be posted 2-16-21 as part of a blog tour.

I got an ARC of this book.

Welcome to the middle of the blog tour!

I was emailed by the publisher to check out this book. At first I was wary, I was offered a copy when I kept getting requests to read books that were so unappealing. I was worried this was just another book that glorified jealousy or was way out of my interest. I read a few lines of the description, maybe three. I saw the cover. Then decided that this at least looked like a book I could read most of.

Then I started the book. I read half of it before I looked up. I was hooked. This was an emotionally powerful book. It was complicated, it was complex, it was glorious. I didn’t read far enough in the description for the death or the possible love to exist, so they were surprising little details.

The book told the story of Amelia trying to survive in her new normal. She would have little flashes of memories of Jenna. She would try to do what she could do to survive, which she was barely doing since even reading wasn’t something she could handle any more. The raw emotion that I felt from her and the dead inside feelings at time were so well done. This book is very character driven and I fell in love with every character. All of the characters had depth. They weren’t just their role in the story, but also feelings and motivations that made sense. Think Nina LaCour level emotions, but the epilogue made me tear up which just made me mad.

That epilogue DESTROYED me. There were some details that just did way too much emotional destruction for me to say anything nice about it (outside of I was blown away by it and it was such a perfect ending for the book).

I needed all the details of everything. I want to read the Orman stories so badly now and I am not even a fan of classic fantasy. I need to know how the boys became friends. I need to know everything about Val. Who is the guy in the café? I NEED TO KNOW. I know there is a reason I can’t know, because this story is already pretty near perfect in scope. No detail was frivolous. Nothing was out of place. It flowed smoothly. I may want more, but in the way that I loved the story and didn’t want it to end, instead of I was left wanting.

I could go on all day about how much I enjoyed this book. How I stretched out the last 25% over a few days, just so I didn’t have to let the characters go yet. How there were times I snorted at the ridiculous inside jokes. Everything sucks, except this book.

I really liked this book and I think it's very interesting the characters were so original and the attention grabbed my attention from the start

Wow! What a remarkably beautiful story about finding hope after tragedy and trusting the path that leads to healing and happiness.....even if it’s not the path you expected. The characters were beautifully flawed and I loved every single one of them. Many times, I felt whisked away with the author’s lyrical writing style that transformed this poignant tale into an unforgettable debut novel. Amelia Unabridged is sure to tug on your heartstrings and nestle itself deep in your thoughts long after you close the book. One of my favorite reads of 2021!

First drawn in by the beautiful cover, I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to read Amelia Unabridged after reading the description. I didn't want another book leaving a melancholic imprint but I couldn't help myself. Amelia Unabridged is so many wonderful things. It's at once beautiful, tragic, and magical. It didn't leave the sense of longing I expected it to, so it hit me a bit differently but still in a good way.

It's a story about dealing with grief but where I thought it would be about looking for closure, as in life, closure was just one small piece. The book instead focuses on trying to figure out what's next. Jenna has always been the one to pave the way for them. The way, ever since becoming best friends, has always been together. Jenna's death pushes Amelia to contemplate moving forward, alone. Even after her death, Jenna remains a catalyst when the unexpected book arrives, and Amelia finds herself in Michigan. Amelia's courage to stand on her own is tested throughout the book.

The book is also very much a YA romance novel. This is likely what helped to soften the blow of Jenna's death for me. As Amelia is grappling with her grief, she makes connections to someone else trying to do the same; only it's been more difficult for him. Together they try to find the answer to the question of whether moving on also means losing connection to those who have passed on.

Generally, I liked the flowery language. It's what made the book and Michigan feel so magical. However, there were times I could get lost or distracted trying to connect all the different pieces of a single scene. Amelia would be looking at or doing something but in her head, she would also thinking of something else.

The book moves at a contemplative pace. I never felt rushed, nor was I constantly trying to guess or think ahead about what was coming next. It was one of those rare books where I was present in the moment. Everything held so much meaning. I was pushed to read every word and feel the emotions running through Amelia as she grappled with Jenna's death and tried to find the courage to define her future.

Overall, Amelia was a satisfying read. While I shed tears in a few places, it didn't leave quite the impact I thought it would, but I was still left in awe. Again, it's a beautifully written book.

Amelia Unabridged is the most emotionally packed books I've read so far in 2021. Schumacher's writing flowed perfectly through this story, wrapping around scenes like a cozy blanket, and taking readers in. I almost had a sense of being underground - everything outside of the story felt far away and hard to refocus on.

Amelia has a plan with her best friend Jenna. Jenna always makes the plans, and Amelia usually goes along with it. But this time she's not going to Ireland with Jenna. Despite the request, Amelia feels like this would be crossing and uncrossable line, finally revealing that she would go along with anything Jenna says.

This is a coming of age story, a reckoning with one's own self about one's true desires. Amelia is figuring out who she wants to be, and how her person can move through the world with other people. It's a story of grief and loss, but also new beginnings and new friendships. I love how obsessed with books Amelia is, and how she lets that passion take her over sometimes. I love that the main setting takes place in a bookstore, and that bookstores are intrinsic to the plot. Without bookstores, there would be no story.

Beyond all of these good moments, the writing took my breath away at times. Shumacher has passages that hit home in such a unique way. I read a few passages out loud to my roommate, and despite her not knowing the characters, she was crying, laughing, frowning, and smiling along with me as I read.

The only part I didn't enjoy fully, was how fast the romance developed. Amelia calls attention to that feeling, acknowledging that many people will not understand it. It kept me from being fully invested, but at the same time, they were so sweet and innocent about it that I was able to pass it off.

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

This book was incredibly touching.
I stayed up way too late to finish this, and it wasn’t that there was a whole lot of suspense I needed answers too. It was more that I was so sucked into the story that I couldn’t stop and I was not ready to get off the ride until it was completed.
Amelia and her best friend Jenna share a love of reading which brings them to a book festival the summer after their high school graduation. The happenings at this book festival and the sudden death of her best friend send Amelia on a campaign across the country where she faces her own internal struggles as well as helping other battle theirs.
This book was so relatable to both young adults and adults alike. It touches on topics of friendship, first love and overcoming hardships while also exhibiting a realistic look at the selfish vs selfless that I feel a lot of people face in everyday aspects of life.
This was way more than what I expected. For a young adult book, it had so much depth.
My only complaint is there were a couple scenes where I felt like Amelia and Nolan were treated more like they were 16 than their 18/19 years and that didn’t flow with the rest of the maturity in this book. A minor issue that was easy to overlook.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves all the feels that come with a well written young adult novel.
Fans of Sarah Dessen would devour this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this incredible book. All thoughts are my own.

As a dedicated book lover, I know the power of the written word.
It can heal.
It can provide a great escape.
It can bring tears and laughter.
And it can serve as a bond with fellow readers.
This story explores those ideas as two characters find peace within fictional stories.

Following her father's abandonment, Amelia Griffin struggles to find direction in her life. But a young girl by the name of Jenna Williams, throws her a lifeline and the two find comfort in stories, specifically a fantasy series called the Orman Chronicles by N.E. Endsley. The same stories that brought them together, later drive them apart. When tragedy strikes, Amelia is once again lost, unsure of herself and her path. But everything changes when an unexpected package arrives.

I won't get into any more details of the story, other than to say that in Amelia's search for answers about the mysterious book, she finds someone just as lost as she is, and like Jenna, they form a connection through stories. From the moment Amelia steps foot in Lockbrook, Michigan, I knew this was the right journey for her. I adored all the characters in this tight-knit community and how they embraced Amelia without question.

While Amelia set out to find her own direction, her presence in Lockbrook offers someone else the chance to heal and move beyond their guilt. I loved the connection Amelia and Nolan share and how they work through the loss that continues to haunt them.

"We've already been hurt," he murmurs, slowly reaching out to take my hand, to lead me from the lake, "What's one more scar?"

The message of this book is one that resonates, as the story provided me my own escape. An escape to a world where a young woman can recover from loss and open herself up to new possibilities. And a man can reconnect with the fantasy world that provided his own healing. This is a story written for true book lovers.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Amerlia Unabridged" by Ashley Schumacher. This book was really lovely and beautifully written. I highlighted a lot of excellent quotes as I went along—it had so many great insights and emotional truths. Some aspects of it were a little far-fetched and sometimes I couldn't tell if it wanted to be a light-hearted YA romance or a deep, literary YA contemporary about grief. I guess it was straddling the line between both, but sometimes that left me unsure of how to feel about it. Mostly, I loved it and it's lessons on moving on and living the life we choose for ourselves. And, of course, I loved the bookstore and all the book love in general and wish I could read Orman in real life. Maybe the author will pull a "Carry On" and write it for us. :)

4.5 stars

This is a beautiful story with plenty of heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. I loved it! I loved Amelia and Nolan, and their character growth was really well done. With a wonderful cast of supporting characters, this book is one that I will have to reread again in the future!

There’s so much I could say about this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything because I want people to read and love this book as I did! I will say though that I loved the little snippets from the Orman novels that Amelia loves, and I would totally read them if they were published in real life! I also want to give both Amelia and Nolan hugs because they need them. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future!

Content:
Mild swearing, with the exception of two s - words. (That’s the reason for a half star being taken off my rating.)
Sweet and clean romance

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

I devoured this book from start to finish - but also found myself wanting to slow down and just soak in the beauty that this was. This book just captured the amazing way that a beloved novel can sink into our very souls and get us through tremendously difficult times. But aside from that connection that I felt to this book simply as a lover of reading myself and having my own favorite stories that I have turned to again and again during difficult times, this book also was just a lovely analysis of grief and how it can be softened through connections to others.

This book made me laugh, and cry, and laugh some more. This book is about the hope that springs from tremendous loss and shows that the path forward from grief can lead you to unexpected places. This book has most definitely touched my soul.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the utter privilege it was to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a story about books and authors and readers. A large portion of the story takes place in a bookstore, and there are many literary references throughout. I loved it. I flew through it, finishing it before I even realized I was close to the end.

It's also a powerful story about grief. I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but I'll say it again: YA books don't get enough credit. The author did an amazing job exploring the depths of guilt, grief, and human connection. This would be perfect for fans of I'll Give You the Sun. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an advance digital copy. This is my honest review.

First off, I must comment on the cover of this book! It is so beautiful and colorful. I adore it! The story within it’s pages was equally beautiful and I loved every minute of it.

Amelia’s life was better before her father took off for a younger version of her Mom and before her Mom couldn’t handle life anymore and decided to become a marathon TV show watcher. When she meets Jenna, they become inseparable and form a very strong bond over their favorite book series, The Ormand Chronicles.

This book was pure magic. It had everything a good book should have. Unique characters, a great plot, romance and interesting scenery. This book is about grief, starting over, finding your way, standing on your own two feet, getting over the past and love. There was so much to love about this story and so much that I could relate to. From meeting your new best friend, to taking chances, to falling in love, to being absolutely heartbroken. I loved it all.

This story is for every reader that has become obsessed with their favorite author and series, for any reader whom has shared their obsession over a book with their best friend and for every reader whom has dreamed of meeting their favorite author.

I cannot express how so very much I loved this book and I encourage everyone to read it! Thank you so much to Netgalley and the author for the book for this review.

This is a phenomenal story about life. The writing was fantastic and lovely, the story was well paced, and I had to keep my tissues close while reading. I highly recommend!

Part budding YA Romance and part touching coming-of-age story, this was a solid debut for author Ashley Schumacher. Amelia Unabridged wears its heart on its sleeve, and though I breezed through it I can see why so many people have fallen head over heels for Amelia and co.

For me the first quarter or so is the strongest portion of the novel. That initial gut-punch was extremely well done, which is why I don’t understand why the publisher decided to include it as a spoiler in the synopsis of all places. If you haven’t read that yet and don’t know what I’m talking about, then I’d recommend not looking it up!

The back half of the book is focused on a quirky romance between two people in their late teens. They bond over shared traumas and a love of storytelling, which as a theme is practically catnip to YA Contemporary readers who’d normally be drawn to a story like this. The romance is sweet, if a little corny and predictable, but I say that about a lot of books in this genre, so if you’re typically a fan don’t take my word for it!

I found the premise of how Amelia actually *goes* to Michigan (where the majority of the story is set) to be a stretch. She is handed money, freedom and almost a suspicious amount of random kindness from total strangers to chase down something that is pretty far-fetched, if I’m being honest. That transition from where she begins in Texas and where the author wants the story to end up needed some more consideration. A lot of Amelia Unabridged feels like it’s trying to be a Bridge to Terabithia type of fantastical without actually making the jump into full-on fantasy, and putting further thought into that early plot development would have given the story more credibility to build upon.

Schumacher’s writing, though, is really good. There’s plenty of memorable lines and even the sad bits have the potential to uplift and buoy you. The characters’ thoughts and musings take on a lyrical quality, which isn’t surprising since they are all big readers and writers. I liked this book well enough, even though it wasn’t as affecting for me in the way a lot of other reviews have described. Still I’m impressed with the author, and I’m looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

Amelia Unabridged hits the ground running and doesn't let up until the very last words. This book was a full on, emotional journey that I needed several days to recover from - and I mean that in the BEST POSSIBLE WAY. This novel is raw, magical, and explores so many themes.

Amelia and her best friend Jenna are waiting to meet N.E. Endsley, the author of their favorite series, at a convention. He ends up pulling out of the panel he would be a part of, but not before meeting Jenna - but not Amelia. A few weeks later, Jenna is killed in a car accident, and Amelia is adrift without her. She gets sent a rare copy of their favorite book, and does what she can to track down who sent it to her. Along the way, Amelia just might find everything she's been looking for.

This book made me so emotional. I spent A LOT of it crying uncontrollably. Ashley Schumacher's writing style is emotional, magical, and devastating. I was floundering from chapter three on. But outside of the emotional aspect, there was also so much character development, and so many amazing characters! The side characters were amazing, but Amelia and Nolan are masterpieces. Also, I want to live in the bookstore that a lot of the book take place in. That is all.

Don't even get me started on the epilogue. Read this book and take the harrowing, emotional journey.

**Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

"Dead means something new when death has touched you."

This is a story about grief. Amelia parts with her best friend Jenna over a trip the latter takes to Ireland, only that Jenna comes back in a coffin after her car crashes on an Irish highway. What Amelia is left with is the masterplan Jenna had for both of them to achieve in their lives.

But does griefing, troubled Amelia want to go through with it?

Well...

"The dead can hold more sway than the living."

Both Jenna and Amelia were bibliophiles. They bonded over a fantasy series called the Orman chronicles. And when a mystery limited edition of the book is delivered to Amelia after Jenna's death, Amelia starts to wonder where it came from and who sent it. Amelia embarks on a trip to lake Michigan only to find a troubled boy griefing as much as she does and is in need of her help. But then Amelia has to choose between Jenna's masterplan and following her heart.

Overall, I loved the writing, the fantasy part and the moments captured in this story just about right. I love the notion of how people can bond over fiction, all sorts of people, old and young, rich and poor, can bond over all sorts of fiction. As I said I loved the partial world-building of the Orman chronicles. There were definitely more than a few five-stars chapters and five-stars passages, and even sentences that I fell in love with. Take this one for example :

"I feel old, a tattered sail on a boat that has barely weathered the storm."

Or this passage:
"Bathed in a yellow light I thought was only real in movies, I want to believe in stories again. I want to believe everything has a purpose, no matter how terrible. That the fairy tales were right, the stories were true, and at the end of all the muck and despair, light can be found."

However, for sensible, intuitive Amelia, and despite her grief, I expected more panache from her. Sometimes things got a bit too angsty for my taste, or for her character for that matter. It just did not add up and it could hardly be attributed to grief. Some situations were just added up to build conflict that wasn't there. She didn't ask the questions she came all the way to ask in the most opportune of moments. She takes roundabouts despite the road forward is just obvious. She's neither subtle nor direct and it was a bit frustrating.

Overall, I loved the story, enjoyed the ride, but I wanted to enjoy it even more.

Many thanks for NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my eGalley.

Amelia Unabridged was such an unexpected experience. I was pulled into the story right away and never wanted to put it down. The writing was beautiful and had me feeling such a range of emotions. It explored grief in such a unique and poetic way, yet it also felt completely relatable. I enjoyed the story within a story feeling and how whimsical the imagery was at times. Make no mistake though, this is not a light and easy young adult novel. There were times when I would finish a chapter and need to take a deep breath. The heaviness in my heart was simply too much to hold for too long. Through all the pain and heartbreak, however, there was also joy and hope.

I loved the connection between Amelia and Nolan. They knew just when to push and when to just be. I appreciated the journey that each of them had to take to make it to the other side of their grief. As much as I enjoyed it, I actually could have done without the romance aspect of the novel. It was certainly touching and heartwarming, but I think Amelia learning to trust in herself and finally coming into her own was the heart of the story. The themes of friendship and family by choice were very powerful. The secondary characters were wonderful and I especially loved Val and of course, Wally. The ultimate conflict and resolution were somewhat predictable, but it didn't take away from the story and helped make the epilogue feel that much more satisfying. An incredible book from start to finish. I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future.

CW: death of a loved one, anxiety, drowning, car accident, grief

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

This book wasn't for me, despite the intriguing premise and gorgeous cover. I really dislike instalove stories (except in straight-up romance novels), and here the romance element wasn't particularly believable (or conducive to the wider points the novel was making about grief and anxiety taking TIME to process and deal with). I wish the romance element had been a friendship element as well, because it seemed rather cliched and fairy-tale-esque. However, I'm not exactly the target audience for this any longer, and were I 14 years old again, I'm sure I would've eaten this up.

This was a delightful surprise. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but when I learned that the main character loved books but that she lost her best friend suddenly, I was intrigued and decided to give it a try. I loved her journey of discovery as she tries to cope with her best friend's death, but also what she discovers about her favorite author (no spoilers). If you love books, sad realistic fiction with hopeful endings, you should definitely read this book. Yes, there were a couple of devices used in the book that one might consider stereotypical YA tropes, but honestly, I loved the story and I loved the way the story worked its way to the end. I loved imagining the world of Ormon and how it was used to help Amelia (and Nolan) deal with their pain and find a way to live with it. And I loved all the characters. I've already recommended this to people I know, including my daughter because I enjoyed it so much.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.