A moving and powerful debut, Amelia Unabridged is a book for book lovers. It tackles so many complex issues that teens will easily relate to and really packs an emotional punch.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own.

Amelia and Jenna have been best friends since the terrible day that Amelia's father left. When Jenna dies in a car accident, Amelia feels bound to stick to Jenna's plan for their lives after high school, even though she was never sure it was what she wanted. Then Amelia receives a mysterious edition of her and Jenna's favorite book, and Amelia knows she has to find out where this book came from even if it mean straying from Jenna's plan.

Amelia Unabridged is Ashley Schumacher's debut novel. The people that Amelia meets on her journey are what really make this book, which is at times a bit heartbreaking, as is to be expected. The bad thing was that this book was also a little boring, and Amelia was rather wooden. I would have liked a bit more life from the main character, even if she was sad.

This was very much a slow burn type of book. I loved the characters. It punched me in the gut and ripped my heart out. and I love how it handled the theme of grief.

Amelia and her best friend Jenna like reading the Orman Chronicle books together. They go to a signing to meet the author who ends up leaving before the signing takes place. Jenna meets him for a brief moment and Amelia holds a grudge she never did. Then Jenna is killed in a car accident and a special copy of the Orman Chronicles shows up for Amelia. She ends up chasing down the original book store that sent the special book which leads her to the author Nolan. I thought at this point the book would turn to fantasy as the characters entered the pretend book world and Amelia would be reunited with Jenna but that is not what happens. Kind of disappointed. Jenna's parents had a weird obsession with Amelia, like they wanted her to replace the daughter they lost. Nolan is an author who wants to be successful as an author but doesn't like all the public appearances that go with it.

Bloomed on a coming-of-age tale, this emotional contemporary dives into grief, loss, and love. When Amelia's best friend, a huge support in her life, passes away and a special edition of Amelia's favourite book waits for her at the doorstep, there's an intrigue that hooks. But the convenient coincidences that raised predictability and the immense focus on a mysterious author didn't serve the plot with enough interest. Having said that, the intensity of sentiments were excellently placed at the centre and an authentic characterisation that builds through sadness and tragedy, by adoration and hope. A beautiful writing that unfortunately doesn't deliver an unforgettable story.

This was such a moving and powerful debut. I'm a sucker for any kind of book that involves hidden identities and authors within the real world, and the powerful exploration of grief alongside the story makes it so so worth picking up!

Synopsis:
Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future.

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.

Review:

This was my most anticipated book of 2020, and it totally lived up to all the hype that it's getting!

I loved Amelia as a character! She was so creative and funny, and she was kind even though she has faced great tragedy. She was also very self-aware and mature, which I find to be rare in young adult fiction! N.E. Endsley was also a flawed, layered character who, at the beginning, seemed like the stereotypical child prodigy: Aloof and reclusive, but he ended up being a very important person to Amelia.

I thought the story was very cute, and I loved the bookish vibes from the bookstores, festivals and bazaars. It's a perfect read for book-lovers like me. The way that Ashley Schumacher described bookstores made me feel.. cozy! It reminded me of how much I miss hanging around in them pre-pandmic.

Very close to perfect, but I wished that the epilogue was not included. It wrapped everything up very neatly, and to be completely honest, I didn't really want to know about Amelia's future. I liked how the book ended, before the epilougue, but it could have just been me.

At the end of the day, 'Amelia Unabridged' is a moving novel about finding love after loss.

*Arc provided by Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Any book lover has one book or one series that is hands down their absolute favorite. For Amelia and Jenna that series is the Orman Chronicles and when the author N.E. Endsley is scheduled to appear at a book festival they both jump on the opportunity to go. Unfortunately, Amelia misses a rare opportunity to meet him leading to a heated exchange between her and Jenna when she finds out Jenna was the last person he spoke to before leaving the festival. Before Amelia and Jenna are able to patch up their friendship Jenna is killed in a car accident leaving Amelia to question everything about her plans for college and life. One day an incredibly rare special edition of the Orman Chronicles shows up propelling Amelia on an adventure to small town in Michigan where she ends up meeting N.E. Endsley.

Review:

As someone who's attended many BookCon's and author signings this book hurt a little to read after having all events cancelled last year as this is a book for book lovers. The details of the book festival and the special edition copy of the Orman Chronicles with all the art makes my book collecting heart start racing. Amelia was so was relatable in her excitement and attachment to this book. To read her disappointment at missing the opportunity to meet her favorite author and get her book signed is a very real thing at a festival/convention especially when you have to travel to get to the event. I can't even imagine how frustrating and mad I'd be finding out my bestfriend got to meet them for the whole 5 minutes we were separated. I don't think I'd ever flip out like Amelia does, but I get why she does, The trauma of losing her bestfriend after a fight like that is hard to read because when you lose someone regardless of if it's an accident or you know it's coming I think you always mentally playback your time and question if fights were worth it.

Amelia isn't just learning how to get past her grief though she's also learning who she is identity wise without Jenna. If that wasn't enough she's also learning the very important difference between the person you make up in your head vs the person someone really is. Lots of serious emotions and big topics in this book with enough YA fluff to not put you in a book slump.

I love the fairytale feel to this book. It’s a beautiful story about grief, loss and learning to heal. The two main characters bond because they are both broken and it’s just lovely. Definitely a great YA novel.

This book came with a heavy package. It was brutal and raw in many ways. It needs to be read by all.

Amelia Unabridged is absolutely beautiful. Full of heart and whimsy and heartache and healing, it makes a little nest in your heart where it lights you up from the inside long after the last page.

I got about 15% into this book and just couldn’t bring myself to pick it up again. I’ll probably try again in the future but I just didn’t want to force my way through it and burn out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of ‘Amelia Unabridged’ by Ashley Schumacher. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought the writing in this book was enjoyable and quick to read but my issues came from the story itself. I felt like everyone just needed to find a therapist. It didn’t feel like anyone made progress towards healing and most of the book was characters trauma bonding with each other.

There was a big issue of instalove which didn’t make a ton of sense to me. The characters kept pointing out how unbelievable it was but that doesn’t make it more palatable. I think instalove can be done well but most of the time it isn’t. I also thought there was going to be a setup for Amelia and the boy she bumps into (Alex). You’re really going to have two characters bump into each other and one describe the other as a “human chocolate chip cookie” and then they aren’t the love interest? I felt like Amelia and Alex could have bonded over caring about Nolan and wanting to help him rather than what the story was actually about with Amelia and Nolan instaloving and trauma bonding the whole time.

I also had issues with Amelia’s circumstances when she goes to the bookstore. She shows up at this bookstore and they just invite her to stay and pay for everything. If everyone is super protective of Nolan and his privacy they should have sent Amelia packing. I know she didn’t go there intending to be a stalker but once she realized who Nolan was she did come off kind of stalker-ish. She’s also given all this information about Nolan’s past and they just hope she won’t sell the info or bring the tabloids to their small town despite the fact that they barely know her.

Nolan raised so many red flags for me. Reading bad reviews of your book and destroying your phones by stabbing them with a sword not once but twice is not a cute anecdote it is a big red flag. Nolan needed a therapist. This book really pushed the idea that Amelia was supposed to save Nolan (and other people too like Jenna’s parents) which is not a great message. Again he barely knew her a week and she lived many states away but she was supposed to stay with him? The scene where she was leaving really bothered me as everyone was acting like she owed it to Nolan to stay with him. After they knew each other for a week.

I did like the message about community college being a valid choice as I think that’s something that should be more accepted.

3/5 stars

What a beautiful story of loss and hope and healing after a tragedy. From page 1, I fell in love with Amelia and felt all her sorrow and anger and fear along with her through the entire book. Ashley Schumacher painted such a picture with her words that I could feel myself in Lochbrook, at the festival with Nolan and Alex and Amelia and Wally. Amelia finally found the family of her dreams and herself along the way. I can't wait to see more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. I really loved it.

WOW what a book! A true gem! This book absolutely exceeded my expectations. I’m not certain what I was anticipating but I wasn’t expecting such a beautiful story that pulled on my heartstrings. Amelia and Jenna are BFFs who bonded over their love of books. For their graduation trip the friends go to a book festival with the hopes of meeting the author of their favorite fantasy series. When Jenna happens to meet the enigmatic Author and Amelia doesn’t it causes a rift in the friendship. Jenna is killed in a car accident while visiting Ireland and Amelia is heartbroken that they never really set their friendship right. When Amelia received a mysterious book in the mail from their favorite author she goes on a quest to Michigan to find out how Jenna sent her this book. And more importantly what is the message behind this unexpected gift.

Such a gorgeously told story filled with grief, hope, resilience, and love. Amelia was such a wonderful character I was completely captivated by her story. The bookshop that she travels to in Michigan was serious book heaven. I just loved all the vivid descriptions of the shop I felt like I was right there alongside Amelia. The Romance in the Story was so touching it hit me right in the feels. The connection between Amelia and Nolan was emotional and real. I could go on and on but I will spare you all. If you are looking for a stunning story that will make you smile, swoon, sigh and cry, then this is the book for you!

This book in emojis 📚🐶 🐋 🌊 📸

*** Big thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

i think my students will love this book. Just enough sadness combined with a love story - something that they are always asking for.

How am I supposed to go on living life normally after this book? How am I supposed to continue on knowing that this book didn’t get the marketing it deserves and I’ll (most likely) never get five different special editions of this book?

Amelia Unabridged is best going into mostly blind. Just don’t read the synopsis. The book is about grief, and the main character using her understanding of her own grief to help someone else deal with their grief and anxiety. The book is also a love letter to the all of the books that helped us through our traumas and hard spots in life, and to the authors who wrote them.

It’s hard to describe how much this book means to me, and personal too. I really loved Amelia as the main character who we saw a bit before the incident, and then we got to see how she responded after the incident. What I love so much about this book was the importance it put on a strong support system. And how sometimes your biggest supporters can be found families.

I truly love this book with all my heart, and I can’t wait for someone else to pick this up and love it too.

I started this book with very high expectations, as I was told that it was very good. However, the longer I read it, the lower my opinion of it became. The beginning started out fine, but once Amelia meets the guy there is immediate insta-love. The whole romance was just so rushed and just all of the sudden there that I found it very hard to believe. The whole plot to me was just unrealistic, and a bit cringy at times. Who stays the night in the bookstore/apartment of a complete stranger they just met half an hour ago?? That is so creepy. I also had a problem with how Amelia and the guy just met, she leaves, and they suddenly know they're soul mates?

I guess I just gave this book three stars because it was average. Nothing special, nothing that I will really remember reading down the road from now.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

So here is Amelia, a high school girl who has all the chips stacked against her. Her father left, her mother is a depressed shell of herself but at least she has her bestie and her super supportive parents. Oh and she loves this book series about sisters who move between this world and a mythical one.

Lots of promising set up. The beginning of the book was easy to get into.

But her bestie dies. And she decides that she’s going to stop reading because the love of reading and that particular book series is something that they shared. Hmm...

Then, she gets a mysterious copy of the book and even though she calls them and they say they have no record of anyone sending her the book, she decides to take a plane BY HERSELF for a week to track down the bookstore. For real life?! Oh and did I mention that she’s a senior in high school?

So she gets on a plane, rents a car (is that even possible?) and drives herself to this bookstore without making any hotel or lodging arrangements. And what does she find there? An big dog and insta-love. Ugh.

Kids, don’t try this at home. Please.

The rest of the book felt like a love story written by a middle schooler with an idealized version of love. And a big dog.

Am I too old for this book? Too jaded? Too parental? Perhaps. This is the kind of book I read when I was young and impressionable and led me to anxiously await my very own hot insta-love. Take one young girl, add sulky misunderstood boy, simmer for five days and POOF! Lifelong happiness! *sigh*

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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.