Amazing!!!!! This book sucks you in from the first chapter and you are easily immersed within the story. I cried, laughed, smiled, cheered, and every other emotion with the characters.

This book came as a bit of a surprise for me! I haven't heard many people talking about it and yet, I really enjoyed it! This book follows our main character Amelia. After getting into a fight with her best friend Jenna, she finds out that Jenna has died in a car accident while vacationing in Ireland. Lost and unsure what to do with her and Jenna's 10 year plan for after high school, she soon receives a special edition version of her and Jenna's favourite book from a random bookstore out of state. Convinced that Jenna had somehow sent it to her, she visits the bookstore to unravel the mystery of where the book came from and ends up finding out more about herself, what she wants to do in the future, and about the mysterious author of her favourite book.

This book was written in a very beautiful way. The main character is an avid reader and a lot of the descriptions in the book were almost magical, especially with the flying whales. It really helped to illustrate the grief that Amelia was going through and her journey in grieving the death of her best friend. I also really enjoyed the small town vibes and just how the setting was described throughout the story. It really helped set the atmosphere and tone of the story. I really enjoyed the plot overall and felt very immersed in the story the whole time. The only problem I had with the plot was the instalovey romance in it.

I also really enjoyed the characters. They were all dealing with pretty heavy things in their lives and the way they navigated and grew from their pasts was interesting to read. Amelia really grew throughout the story and seeing her figure out whether she should do what she thought Jenna wanted or what she truly wanted was interesting to read. I also really liked Nolan's character and how we slowly learned about him as he slowly opened up to others in the book. There were some points where the character development did seem a little fast, but overall I loved learning more about each of these characters.

Overall this was a really deep book about grief, friendship, and finding yourself that I would highly recommend people read!

When I saw Amelia Unabridged by Ashely Schumacher on NetGalley the cover immediately drew me in. Then I read the synopsis and I thought, sounds pretty good. I am sooo glad that I requested this book…

Description
Amelia and Jenna are best friends. They have been inseparable since the day Jenna saw Amelia standing outside their favorite bookstore looking lost. This not only started their sisterhood friendship but their love for the Orman Chronicles by N.E. Endsley, a boy not much older than them who is known as a recluse. Their dream finally comes true when for their graduation they get tickets to the only festival that he will be speaking at. Sadly though when they get to the festival they find out something happened to Endsley and he had to cancel his event. Amelia is devastated. To make matters worse, while traveling home, Jenna confesses that she actually met N.E. Endsley while Amelia was in the bathroom. Amelia is furious and the fight that ensues is the worst they have ever had. She decides to half-heartedly forgive Jenna since she is going to Ireland for the summer. Amelia finds out a week later that her best friend has involved in a horrible car crash and didn’t survive. Amelia is left alone and not whole. She can’t even pick up a book because the grief is so strong. Then magically one day she receives a rare edition of the Orman Chronicles. As crazy as it seems she has to find out who sent her this edition, even if she has to travel out of town to the bookstore it was sent from. She has a feeling that Jenna had something to do with it and she has to know. When Amelia gets to this mysterious bookstore she not only finds N. E. Endsley, but she ends up finding herself as well.

Thoughts
OH MY GOODNESS. I absolutely loved everything about this book. The characters, the storyline and plot, and the Orman Chronicles. I wish this was a real series, because I know I would love it. Ashely Schumacher knows how to rip your heart out and slowly mend it back up. She knows how to create characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. And she created a magical world in the Orman Chronicles.

I could seriously relate to Amelia. She is a huge reader and fangirl like myself. I couldn’t get enough of her. And the quotes!! Y’all the quotes in this book are soo good.

After reading the synopsis of Amelia Unabridged I wasn’t sure how this book would play out. When you see that a book lover gets to meet the ever so handsome favorite author, you wonder how the events will unfold. Well, they unfold magically in this book. Ugh, it has been a while since I couldn’t put a book down. Like, sorry family that the dinner is late, but I have to finish just one more chapter. Any moment of reading time I had I took it. Even if it was only 2 minutes. The minute I finished the book I ordered the physical copy. I had to have it!

Character Love
Amelia- I loved Amelia so much. She had such a hard time adjusting to what was going on with her family but because of Jenna and Orman, she got through it. She is a fantastic character and one all of us book lovers can relate to.

Jenna- Oh sweet Jenna. She was an awesome character and friend to Amelia. I just loved their friendship.

Endsley- You can’t help but love him. I liked being able to see the struggles of a young author, but also how he grew from his loss.

Alex- He reminded me of Jenna a lot. I really wish they would have had the chance to get to know one another.

Conclusion
This book is amazing and oh so magical. I honestly think all book lovers will enjoy this one. Go right now and get it!!!

Amelia's parents split in a ghastly way and she is able to lose herself in a new friendship with wonderful new friend Jenna. Together they get lost in the Orman Chronicles -a fantasy book series written by another teenager that is still in progress. Years later, after trying to meet the author N E Endsley, they get in a horrible fight and then Jenna dies in a tragic accident. All of this happens at the beginning of the book so this is not a spoiler.
After Jenna's death, Amelia is left to decide whether to follow Jenna's plan for their future or to try to make her own dreams. She is sent a collectible copy of book one of the Orman Chronicles anonymously and it sends her on a quest to find the reclusive author.
Amelia and Nolan are so beautifully written-pure of heart, full of sorrow but yet abounding in creativity. Their love story was angsty yet not overly so.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This book deals with grief and trauma, and even with all that, it also deals with moving forward and having the strength and courage to choose life. It has emotional turns and I guess you just have to feel the plot as well as feel for the characters. This is a special one, so please add this to your TBRs.

Amelia Unabridged follows Amelia Griffin, a book-obsessed girl who loses her best friend in a car accident after they have a big fight over meeting their favorite author, N.E. Endsley. Amelia feels rudderless in her grief as she tries to make sense of her life without Jenna, a mysterious edition of Endsley's book arrives at her local bookstore with no sender to be found other than Val's Bookshop in Michigan, which denies sending the book in the first place. Amelia is convinced that this is a sign sent from Jenna beyond the grave. She travels to Michigan where she meets N.E. Endsley himself. Will Amelia discover the connection between Jenna and Endlsey, or will she find more on her adventure than she ever anticipated.
Contemporary YA is either a big hit or a big miss for me. It isn't something I care for in general, so let me preface this review that way. Amelia Unabridged is not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination. It poignantly deals with heavy issues associated with traumatic losses and how they can impact people in different ways. As someone who lost a best friend in childhood, I could relate to what Amelia was going through and how confusing the aftermath of life after loved ones pass can be. I enjoyed Amelia's developing relationship with Endsley and watching them both deal with the grief of the people they've lost. I also found it heartwarming and relatable that Endlsey and Amelia are bookworms and how the author captures how many of us bookworms are. There is a sweet tone of hope and strength in the author's writing that made reading this book worthwhile. That being said, Amelia as a main character irked me. I don't mind flaws in a character and I understand how grief can impact behavior, but even before she loses Jenna her behavior came off as bratty and self-centered, and I couldn't shake that first impression off as I read the book. I also must have missed the part about the significance of the whales because that confused me. Also, the Insta-love trope is in this book and I don't care for those kinds of things. But Amelia Unabridged is a beautiful story of friendship, grief and hope that bookworms and fans of Contemporary YA will enjoy.

I really wanted to love this. The synopsis was so my cup of tea, and the writing was beautiful. However, I couldn’t relate to the story or the characters. I finished with a sense of “what was that”?

I think the effects of grief and depression are portrayed well in this, but the romance was a big flop for me. There was also a lot of repetition and the story was drowned out by the beautiful prose. Almost like it was trying too hard to be a masterpiece of a novel and it ended up totally drowning everything else.

I hope other enjoy this more than I did. I loved the idea and the synopsis. The execution of the story line and characters did not work for me.

<I>I received an advanced copy of the novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </I>

I cried soggy tears with this one.
Ugly, snotty tears that left me with a hole in my heart, a little bit broken, but still complete and put together by the sheer love and hope transported by the words in this book.
I loved every second of this story, that felt magical and was still so real, that I felt it tearing through my heart and nestling into it to never be forgotten by me. I really need to buy a physical copy now!
I loved every single character in this book. Like literally everyone. The Williamsons, Jenna (just the best!), Amelia, Nolan, Valerie, and Alex. All of them are super individual and precious and I couldn't find a single thing I didn't love about them.
The Storyline also felt super magical, even when there was no magic involved at all. I don't know how the author did that, but I could feel the magic gliding through my fingers when it was only emotions she gave us. For me, this book was extraordinarily beautiful, calm, and stormy at the same time and it made me feel EVERYTHING.
I felt the guilt pushing into me, the hope for something new, the friendship, the loss, the love for books and the desire to change, the desperation of losing someone, and the gladness when beginning to find yourself.
The language in this book felt like prose and magic the same. It was real and yet so eery and like someone just poured their own heart on the page in black ink.

This book! It spoke to my love of books and to the grief I’ve felt when I’ve lost a loved one. Amelia’s story is beautifully written and I loved her character growth through the story. I don’t really know how to describe how this book made me feel, but I just wanted to wrap Amelia, Alex, and Nolan in a hug and spend days in Val’s book store. This book had me crying at a few points and laughing at others. I loved the experience of reading this story.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of the most anticipated YA books of 2021, Amelia Unabridged is about friendship, finding your own way, and dealing with loss. Admittedly this was a slow one for me and I felt the romance was a bit forced in the middle(it won me over by the end). On the other hand, I am not the target audience but was invested enough in the "mystery " to keep on turning the pages.

Publication Date 16/02/21
Goodreads review published 28/03/21

Amelia Unabridged is a remarkable story and one that has the potential to hit on a deep level. If you consider yourself a booklover, have experienced loss, and/or are a fan of YA fiction, don't hesitate to pick this book up.

Amelia's father ran off with another woman and her mother barely pays attention to her. A chance encounter at a local bookstore marks the start of Amelia's friendship with Jenna. Soon they are inseparable and Amelia essentially becomes a second daughter to Jenna's parents. Both Jenna and Amelia are avid readers and after graduating high school they attend a book convention. The author of The Orman Chronicles, N. E. Endsley will be there, and to say Amelia is super excited to meet him seems like an understatement. This is a story of love, loss, and finding direction just to name a few things.

This book was SO AMAZING. You'll cry, laugh, grieve, celebrate, and yearn for summer friendships of old. #netgalley #AmeliaUnabridged

Schumacher's writing is full of lyrical prose and imaginative scenery. Amelia's acceptance from the Williams' family is beautiful and I especially enjoyed the way she tucked glimpses of her friendship with Jenna throughout the book. I am a sucker for a love story, and this was more of a romance than I was expecting based on the description. I almost wish there was more of a mystery for Amelia to solve, though I understand the idea that "solving' her path forward into adulthood and navigating her choices without hurting those few people who care for her is the mystery that she needs to unravel in the end.
The analogy of the rope/thread for Amelia and Nolan's attraction was a bit overused, but I could roll with the 'instalove' moment from the photo and the way that their love helped them out of their grief. Yeah, it's a little 'love fixes everything' but I am okay with that and with the idea that found family is quite often stronger than blood relations.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to sharing it with my high school patrons.

I absolutely loved this book! I didn't know what to expect from it, but I very quickly became engrossed in Amelia's life and her world. The secondary world of Orman was fantastic, and I wish it was a real book series! We are introduced to the characters of Alex, Val and Nolan quite quickly, not to mention Wally, and I instantly fell in love with them all, and I knew they would be exactly who Amelia needed, a chosen family!
I am so glad I was able to receive an ebook copy of this, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. This is a fantastic debut novel from Ashley Schumacher, and I will be eager to read any future books written!

Amelia Griffin and Jenna Williams are best friends, practically inseparable. They’ve been that way ever since they bonded over their shared love of novels, specifically the Orman Chronicles, written by the elusive N. E. Endsley. And ever since then, Jenna’s had their whole shared lives mapped out.

But everything goes quickly astray when, while travelling in Ireland, Jenna is in a fatal car accident and dies. Now Amelia is alone, set-adrift, and unsure what to do. That is, until a mysterious package shows up and contains none other than a rare edition of the Orman Chronicles – one that shouldn’t even exist. Believing it must be somehow related to Jenna, Amelia sets out to find out where it came from, a journey which takes her all the way to a small bookstore in Michigan… and N. E. Endsley himself. Who turns out to be very different than Amelia expected.

Amelia Unabridged is an ode to book lovers everywhere. It’s clearly evident that Schumacher wrote this story with fellow book lovers in mind. Amelia, herself is a huge book lover, the kind that willingly stays up all night just to finish one more chapter, the kind whose thoughts leave reality behind more often than not to soar to distant magical lands with adventure, intrigue and glory the like that can only be found in fiction.

With a main character like that, and a premise that surrounds and interweaves the fictitious world of Orman and soaring whales as much as it does the real world of Michigan, Amelia Unabridged can’t help but feel like it was specifically written for the type of person who finds solace in reading the same way Amelia does herself.

Each sentence of this story is layered with so much emotion and vibrant imagery, it’s hard not to become entirely immersed within its universe. I can’t lie, I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this novel, but my, did it ever blow me out of the water. Between the relatable characters, the heartfelt emotion throughout and the realistic struggles that Amelia must confront, it’s easy to get swept up in this tale of grief, loss, love and hope. The writing style is poetic, poignant and just a joy to read, even while you have tears running down your face as you do.

Amelia Unabridged is a novel that’s beautifully written, and impossible to put down.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This was more than simply fantastic. I can't even express how well written and thought out these characters were. It does a great job of handling grief and friendship and I will definitely be re-reading this book in the future.

This book is an amazing portrayal of grief, love, and friendship. It has a magical book, soft and cute love interest, and a snappy main character. I adored it!

4⭐️

Amelia’s world has just been completely upturned. Then at the moment she needed it the most, she receives a mysterious package in the mail, one that sends her from Texas to Michigan in search of answers.

Amelia Unabridged is one that hits you in the feels, but also gives you hope. It’s a book that makes an impact and leaves a lasting impression. It’s a book that wants you to believe there is still a little magic in the world.

In many ways it reminded me of On the Jellicoe Road Melina Marchetta with the weaving of mystery, romance, grief, and healing. And in the way it explores the idea of soulmates, from friendship to the romantic. The writing was lyrical and layered, and had a unique way of blending contemporary and fantasy elements.

I loved the glimpses of Amelia and Jenna’s friendship, and they way they were peppered through the story. It left you feeling the loss of what could have been, and I found myself wishing they had had more time together. More than friends but each other’s family, they are the other’s person. However, I do think it’s a disservice to the story revealing Jenna’s fate in the synopsis. It took away from the impact of the moment because as a reader you go in already knowing to to get attached to the characters and the importance of their friendship.

There were a few things that kept this from being a 5-star book, like how fast the Amelia and Nolan go from strangers to being fate to be together forever in the matter of a few days. And how farfetched some of the elements are that the story is built upon, like total strangers taking her in at a moments notice, etc. It requires too much suspension of disbelief to actually be as effective as it could have been. It is one of the rare times when I wish a book was a part of a series rather than a stand-alone, I would have loved more more development and building of the relationships and plot.

I am thankful for whatever clever wind blew this book to me because it is a gem of a book. This was a wonderful debut from Ashley Schumacher, and I will enthusiastically read whatever she has planned next.

Maybe it’s middle-aged grumpiness. Maybe it’s cynicism and jadedness. Maybe it’s the book.

But “Amelia Unabridged” left me cross. Annoyed. And while I wish I had only wonderful things to say about Ashley Schumacher’s debut Young Adult contemporary novel, I just don’t.

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is infatuated with N. E. Endsley’s best-selling novels, “The Orman Chronicles.” They have been her lifeline, her anchor, ever since she first discovered them years ago, on the same day she met her best friend, Jenna.

As a high school graduation gift from Jenna’s parents, the girls attend a book festival with Endsley as the headliner. But when Jenna meets the author without Amelia, the two friends have a horrible fight. And then shortly thereafter, Jenna is killed in a tragic car accident, without Amelia ever having an opportunity to patch their relationship. Lost and drowning in grief, Amelia begins to doubt her future plans – the future that Jenna so perfectly mapped out for her.

But then a rare edition of “The Orman Chronicles” mysteriously arrives for Amelia. With no sender listed, she is convinced it somehow came from Jenna. After tracking the book to a small bookstore in Michigan, she hops on a plane, determined to learn exactly how the rare edition came to be in her possession.

Inside the bookstore, however, Amelia finds much more than she expected – none other than Endsley himself. And she instantly knows that he is the keeper of all the answers for which she has been searching.

So that I may first give credit where it is due, allow me to set aside my annoyance with “Amelia Unabridged” for a minute. Because the novel is certainly not horrible. It’s far from it.

At times, it is a beautiful story of grief, guilt, and regret. The first few chapters are especially sharp and poignant, as we are given great insight into the sisterly nature of Amelia and Jenna’s friendship. Jenna’s death hits hard. It’s a gut punch.

And for the most part, the novel is also an effective and empowering coming-of-age tale. Amelia has spent most of her teenage years allowing others to set her path. To control her course. And Amelia now knows she must stand up and decide, for herself, the direction of her life.

But then Amelia meets Endsley. And quite abruptly, “Amelia Unabridged” loses sight of its own beauty and becomes nothing more than an insta-love romance. The googly eyes, the tender face caresses, the sunshine smiles – I couldn’t buy into any of it.

It is at this point, too, that Schumacher’s writing takes a disappointing turn. Suddenly, her previously spare and lovely prose feels weighted down with overdone, sometimes nonsensical metaphors. Clever winds blow, invisible threads pull, and whales swim in the air – CONSTANTLY. It’s as if the same awful joke is being repeated, time and time again.

Of particular irritation were the whales. I never got the point of them, no matter how many times I reread the passages in which they appeared. And Schumacher’s brief explanation of their meaning at novel’s end did nothing to soothe my exasperation.

Sigh. I was SO over the whales.

Even more irritating than the insta love and whales, though, is the slightly off-kilter message that the ending of “Amelia Unabridged” sends. From a feministic perspective, it is not as progressive as I had hoped it would be, and I’m unsure as to whether Amelia truly accomplishes what she originally sets out to do. Instead of totally breaking free from the influence of others, it seems to me she simply trades control and manipulation for more control and manipulation, only wrapped in a prettier bow.

But again, this is my annoyed, middle-aged, grumpy opinion. Take it for what little it is likely worth.

If you’re a fan of YA contemporaries, by all means, still give “Amelia Unabridged” a go. My crankiness with the novel makes me a lonely outlier.

And just because I found fault with it doesn’t mean you will.


My sincerest appreciation to Ashley Schumacher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

I loved this!!! If you are a lover of reading, it is a MUST READ! Amelia is alone. She has a mother, but she doesn't have a mother. One day while at the local bookstore, Jenna befriends her, and her life changes for the better. A tragedy strikes, forcing Amelia to look at her life, where she wants to go, and who she wants to become. THIS WAS AMAZING!!! 5/5 stars for me!!

I was granted eARC access to Amelia Unabridged via NetGalley, but when publication day snuck past me I borrowed the audiobook through Libby. Thank you anyway to whoever was in charge of approving me on NetGalley, I'm glad to have an ebook copy to return to later, and I'll still be putting my review in all the appropriate places. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Amelia Unabridged is heartbreaking, beautiful, uplifting, raw, and real. Just as Amelia's home life is falling apart she catches the eye of a school mate she'd never approached before, Jenna, a rich girl who's just as careful about her looks as she is about the condition of her beloved books. The unlikely pair spend high school attached at the hip, with Jenna's well-off parents practically adopting Amelia as their second daughter and doting on her like the functional family she so desperately wishes she had. Then suddenly Jenna's gone, buried too soon, and Amelia finds herself the substitute daughter off to college for Jenna's parents. They want her to go to the school she and Jenna had planned to attend, and they'll pay her way. They want her to take the degree program Jenna thought she should. They want everything to go the way it was supposed to go, and a barely-coping Amelia is willing to go along with it all. That is, until a mysterious gift appears for Amelia, mailed to the local book store. It's a special edition of her favourite author's first book, a printing that shouldn't exist, and she's convinced it's one last gift from her best friend. Wanting answers, Amelia takes a trip to visit the book store that sent it, not expecting to find her favourite author there, only a year her senior, wallowing in the shadow of his own grief.

The first two chapters felt like a parallel universe version of my own high school years. Even though my name is Jenna, I was the Amelia in my story. The quiet bookish nerd from the broken family who bonded with an unlikely best friend over a love of books. Mine was equally well off with a complete and loving family who were willing to take me along on family vacations and indulge the two of us as we chased bookish opportunities. Mine survived summer vacation after high school but our friendship didn't, for equally tragic reasons. Perhaps one day I'll get the chance Amelia doesn't get and reconnect with her. I think anyone who's lost someone so important to them as Jenna was to Amelia, be it through death or other means but especially through death, will also see themselves in Amelia.

The rest of this book is the roller coaster of Jenna's loved ones, and people she barely met, walking through a season of grief and learning to accept a world without a loved one (or two) in it. Amelia is learning that there's a light at the end of this tunnel, she can find other people to love and make her happy, but it's going to take making choices that don't necessarily make everyone waiting for her back home all that happy. Jenna's parents are using their honorary second daughter and the intent to keep supporting her through the original college plan as a bandaid that hides some of their loss, and they're not ready to accept that without Jenna, Amelia's plans for the future have changed. And that author? He's learning that sharing more of the fantasy world he created out of grief doesn't have to mean letting go of the memories that spawned it.

Amelia has a beautifully wild and chaotic imagination that lets her see whales swimming through the air around her, imagine a more mood-appropriate outfit change for herself in a flash, and walk through more mood-appropriate weather even if Mother Nature won't oblige. I do like a creative character and the way the things she sees are described truly remind me of the way Celia's performances are described in The Night Circus (which I just re-read before this,) but I'm not quite sure if I LIKE this level of immersive waking dreams for her. Amelia's a high school graduate, 18 or about to be, and she's lucid daydreaming ALL THE TIME. Since Jenna's death happens so early on in the book it's hard to decide whether or not this has been amplified by grief, which would be forgivable, but the uncertainty leaves the possibility that she's spending this much time in a fantasy world of her own because its her nature and it makes her seem too young. Her love of photography and desire to pursue that as a career are hinted from the very beginning, but as she starts to confront the fact that the English degree at the prestigious school she'd planned to complete with Jenna isn't truly what she wants to do, I honestly expected her to pursue writing. It might have felt too neat and tidy to have her path cross with an author and then have her turn into an aspiring author, but that imagination of hers that possibly makes her seem too young could paint compelling new fantasy worlds that leap off the page... and she's still drifting toward professional photography. This felt like she's completely oblivious to her greatest strength, which she might very well be, but I wanted her to take creative writing classes and start building a world to rival (or compliment) Nolan's.

I very much appreciate how unapologetically anxiety, panic attacks and dissociation are described and used in this book, and how the characters help each other ground and get through it. I hope this book will make a lot of teens and young adults suffering from mood disorders feel seen and understood, and that this will help to normalize mental health struggles and care.

This book is a strong 4, maybe 4.5 out of 5 stars, and I would recommend it to anyone who's ready for a story that will shatter their heart into pieces and then slowly put it back together again in the best way.