A heartwarming story about loss, but then finding someone through books. Amelia found her best friend over a love of reading, but when she dies in an accident, she has to find away to carry out their plan, though her heart isn't in it. She follows the trail of a special book she receives in the mail and learns to love and trust herself.

(actual rating: 4.5/5)

Truly, I'm not sure where to begin with this one.

To say that I loved this book would be an understatement. I lived a lifetime with this book. I cried over this book. I felt just about every emotion you could ever possibly feel with this book, and I loved every second of it.

'Amelia Unabridged' is an emotionally resonant young-adult novel that follows Amelia, the main character, after the death of her best friend, who was like a sister to her. The two met when Amelia's father left her and her mother, and both got into the same book series, the Orman Chronicles, written by a young prodigy. Following the loss of her friend, Amelia receives a special edition of her favorite book, and thinking that it was sent to her from her best friend, decides to seek out the reclusive author.

I've been delibirating on what to write about this book for a while now. I read this incredible book in March. It's August now. No matter what I say, no matter how many times I try to review this book, I can't seem to quite capture what exactly I experienced while reading this book.

For starters, this is Ashley Schumacher's debut novel, and I am beyond blown away - she's officially a favorite author of mine. The characters, including not just Amelia and Nolan but also Alex and Valerie, were so realistic, so lifelike - a testament to how deliberate and well-written this book is. Over the course of the story they grew into people with their own personalities, rather than just being the characters of a book.

The plot is, for the most part, character-driven. It's about Amelia and Nolan and how they make connections and flourish in the midst of all the grief they've experienced, but most of all, it's about their resilliance and how they still love despite what they've gone through. And that's exactly what had me sobbing into my pillow at 4 in the morning as I read this beautiful masterpiece.

That being said, as much as I enjoyed the relationship that blossomed between Amelia and Nolan, and the way they were able to help each other with their mutual love of books, I felt that the insta-love was quite serious with this one. And while they were both quite cute together, I can't see how this relationship is a realistic "solution" to grief either is experiencing. Dealing with grief is a long, painful process, so I suppose that despite how charming and tearjerker this book is, some willing suspension of disbelief is needed to really enjoy it.

I'm not sure what more I can say about this book. I love it with everything I have in me, and even now, just thinking about this book makes me smile.

Ashley Schumacher gives book-loving teens a meta fantastical experience in Amelia Unabridged. This story will put you on a roller coaster of emotion softened only by Schumacher's brilliant prose. These days are so filled with grief, and it's nice to have a book that both takes us away from it and helps us process it all at once.

I have avoided reading this book on my list because it sounded really depressing, and I didn't think I was in the right mental state. While it was about a difficult subject (a close friend dying in a car accident), the author writes so beautifully that it felt much less depressing than I thought. I wanted to both speed through this book and savor every page. I'm so sad that it's over and can't wait to read what the author writes next. Also, I seriously want to read a book about Orman now!

4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this young adult contemporary. It tackles hard topics in a beautiful way and the writing was stunning.

What a debut! This book had me ugly crying. Be prepared for all the feels. Don’t let the fact that it’s YA fool you!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This title is very heartwarming and insightful. It brought up a lot of feelings (not sure I liked that so much! haha) but it gave me a good cry. It was beautiful and tragic and brings to the forefront a lot of questions that we are afraid to face.

This was my first book by the author and I was unprepared for how much I would enjoy it!

It's such a beautiful story of loss, heartache and friendship. It was such a wonderful coming of age story and I truly loved how it dealt with all kinds of different emotions. A very heart felt exploration of grief and learning to live for oneself I'm sure it will resonate with a lot of young readers.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

I adored this story of heartache, loss and love! I listened to this on audio and couldn't put it down. It's beautifully written and imaginative. The way Schumacher weaves this fantastical tale is wonderfully heartfelt and descriptive.

This is the tale of Amelia, who has lost her best friend and her favorite author who becomes so much more to her. My heart was so happy, sad and every sort of emotion as I read this story. A coming of age story while also working through the loss of loved ones and finding your inner strength through story. I'm not ashamed to say that I did in fact tear up at parts of this one.

If this is a Debut, I can't wait to see what else comes from this author!

This book was good. This was my first book by this author.
While it kept me interested I'm wasn't running back to pick it up.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

This was such an enjoyable book. I procrastinated reading it when I realized it was YA and I really regret that. I loved reading about Amelia and her BFF Jenna and their mutual love of books. I was heartbroken with Jenna’s tragedy. This was extremely well written and such a beautiful book about Amelia and how she tries to carryon without Jenna.

Ahhh, I cannot believe I forgot to review this one! I loved it. Every single page! Amelia was a character I just found myself rooting for! Thanks Wednesday Books for bringing this full of emotions book into my life.

Admittedly, it’s taken me forever to write a review of this book, because I still don’t have the words for how much I love it. Amelia Unabridged is a love letter to the delightful and unexpected ways that books connected us and is brimming with a nostalgia for fictional places that I think most bookish folks will relate to. This book captures grief and the grieving process without making it the entire story and gives Amelia the chance to redefine herself and move forward.

If you like bookish mysteries, many many feelings, books within books, supportive romances, and of course whales, this might be the book for you.

From a Librarian’s perspective I can say that since we purchased physical and ebook copies of Amelia Unabridged, they’ve been constantly checked out, so I’d say it’s a hit with patrons. I also had the pleasure of interviewing the author on one of our library’s virtual author panels this year and she brought such a fun and insightful perspective to the group, we will absolutely be inviting her back again.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this audiobook.

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher is a young adult novel that is mostly contemporary but with a bit of mystery and romance. I have to admit it was the cover that got me with this one and wasn’t sure it would be one I’d like but I’m glad I took the chance after picking it up.

Amelia Griffin has recently lost her best friend in the world, Jenna, when she was killed in a car accident. Amelia and Jenna shared so much in life but one thing was their love for the Orman Chronicles which caused a riff between them right before the accident took place. When a rare edition of the chronicles arrives for Amelia she can’t help but think somehow Jenna is responsible so she decides to pack up and head to Michigan where the book came from to investigate.

Amelia Unabridged was an absolutely beautiful story to match the absolutely beautiful cover. The writing drew me into the world immediately and the emotion involved came across the pages amazingly. I really enjoyed all of the characters in the book and felt a pull to learn more about them and couldn’t help but turn the pages faster to find out how it would all turn out in the end for them all.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This story was so beautiful. The way it was written was gorgeous and evocative. I found it impossible not to fall in love with this entire book and it's characters.

Amelia Griffin has had a tough life. Her friendship with Jenna and her love of the Orman Chronicles has made Amelia's life fuller and more bearable.

Amelia and Jenna travel to meet the author of the Orman Chronicles, N. E. Endsley. Amelia is sadly disappointed that he has cancelled his presentation. When Jenna dies in a tragic car accident Amelia is adrift in her grief.

Then a rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives for Amelia. She is sure that this is a message from Jenna. She traces the book to a bookstore in Michigan. The trip forces Amelia to face her life, who she is , what she wants, and her grief for Jenna among other losses in her life.

This was a fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Thank you Netgalley and Wednesdays Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Schumacher’s debut novel Amelia Unabridged gently, yet fearlessly, explores the debilitating nature of grief and trying to find one’s place in the universe. Perhaps the most sobering truth to learn as a young adult is that we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

As young adults we think of death as a wave far off in the distance, coming only for those who have lived a full life. We are on the shore, dipping our toes in the water and trying to figure out our place in the universe. When death’s riptide carries away a life that barely started, we are left drowning, wondering if we’ll ever break the surface again.

In Amelia Unabridged, 18-year-old Amelia Griffin comes face-to-face with this truth after her best friend Jenna dies in a freak car accident. However, it’s not just grief that wracks Amelia’s heart, but also guilt. In her last moments with Jenna, they had one of their worst fights. To make matters worse, Jenna planned their college future together, including what school they would attend and which majors they’d study. Amelia isn’t even sure she what wants for college anymore, yet still feels bound by the desires of her now deceased friend.

Guilt-ridden and heartbroken, Amelia finds herself at rock bottom until a mysterious package shows up to her house. The package contains an extremely rare first edition copy of her and Jenna’s favorite book series, The Orman Chronicles, by N. E. Endsley.

Despite the bookstore the package came from denying Jenna’s involvement, Amelia finds herself convinced that the book came from Jenna and that she was trying to tell her something. Her investigations take her to the enchanting bookstore in Michigan, where she is shocked to discover the standoffish, recluse author, N. E. Endsley himself. He was the reason for her and Jenna’s final big fight and perhaps the only person in the world who knows what Jenna wanted to tell her.

While heavy in its subject matter, Schumacher manages to explore these raw and crushing emotions with great tenderness. Amelia has been run through the tragedy gauntlet, yet Schumacher doesn’t glorify the pain and suffering but rather shows a young woman quietly going through the grief of losing a friend. My favorite way Schumacher does this is through the imagery of floating whales calmly swimming through the trees or bookshelves in Amelia’s mind. These whales comfort Amelia and guard her from the pain of reality. It is both melancholy and enchanting to read.

Melancholy and enchanting are also the perfect words to describe the aesthetic of this book. It’s set in a small Michigan town near a gloomy lake with a lighthouse and yet also home to the most charming bookstore. (I never have wanted to be transported to a place so badly!)

Despite being a shorter story, I feel like I know the characters’ deepest desire and darkest secrets. The characters come across as completely alive and fleshed out. Amelia’s struggle with finding what kind of story she wants to tell with her life rings strong and true, and I’m sure many young adults, like myself, will resonate with her existential uncertainty.

Finally, the love story is absolutely breathtaking and heartfelt. While some may complain that the romance moves too quickly, may I just say that trauma has a way of bonding people together unlike anything else? The way these two characters mend each other’s broken souls makes my insides melt into a pile of feels.

At the end of the day, this novel is for anyone who is hurting or feels lost. Perhaps you just lost a loved one or experienced some kind of tragedy that has left you spinning. Maybe you’re at a crossroads in college or in your career, and you don’t know if you should turn left or right or just turn back around. Amelia Unabridged is just the medicine for your soul.

This is a whimsical, coming-of-age story about an 18-year-old girl named Amelia, who is at the cusp of adulthood. Amelia has been obsessed with The Orman Chronicles for years, a book series written by a young prodigy named N.E. Endsley. Amelia comes from a broken home and at the beginning of her high school career when her mind was in a very bad place, she meets her best friend for life, Jenna, who introduces her to the novel. Jenna saves her from her own mind, and Jenna's family takes Amelia in as their own. The two girls are inseparable through high school and have plans of attending the same university, but this plan gets altered when Jenna is killed in a car accident. Not long before the accident, Jenna and Amelia attended a book festival where they paid to meet the author of their favorite series, but the author backs out of the event last minute, leaving Amelia devastated. Amelia later learns that Jenna had a close encounter with N.E. Endsley right before he slipped away AND that she is partly responsible for his quick departure, which infuriates Amelia to the core. Amelia and Jenna get in a wicked argument over this and had not yet made up before the deadly car crash occurs. Shortly after Jenna's funeral, Amelia receives a mysterious box that she is sure was sent by Jenna before she died. What does this mean, and why did Jenna send it? Now, Amelia is distraught with grief, guilt, curiosity, and determination to find out the truth behind the box. Amelia is also faced with making the decision to continue on with her and Jenna's college plans on her own, alone. Will finding out the secret behind the box be the answer to all of Amelia's problems?

This book tackles some very hard topics such as death, grief, and guilt, as well as more common teen dilemmas such as deciding what to do and where to go after finishing high school, first loves, friendships, family, and identity. The author does a great job of addressing so many issues in one story in such a magical way instead of in the usual dark way. It's definitely a one-of-a-kind, five-star read for me!

Thank you so much to Ashley Schumacher and St. Martin's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of Amelia Unabridged.
While this was not a book I devoured in one sitting, it was a book that greatly entertained me during long hours through the night when I was awake rocking my baby to sleep.

This is such a wonderful book that I think is perfect for actual young adults vs. adult readers who enjoy YA lit like me. It is a story about finding yourself and opening up to others whilst in the midst of heartbreak – and I know that it is going to find its way into the heart of young adults who need this message at this point in their lives.

For me, it was a 3-star read, because it’s a beautiful story, written amazingly well, it just no longer connected with me and this point in my life. A wonderful example of different stories being for different people at different times.

This is the type of book that people will either love or hate. I really think it just matters on the person. It is a heavy read, and has a good gut-punch, but it is good. Prepare for an ugly cry.