As a reader, of course I'm drawn to books about books. I knew very little about Amelia Unabridged going in apart from it featuring a love of books and a reclusive author, but it is SO much more than that. Transitioning into adulthood, finding comfort in a favorite story, loss, and young love are all key themes.
While the subject matter may seem oppressively heavy (death of a close friend, disappointment after disappointment, and more that I won't share for risk of spoilers), somehow it just feels like the unavoidable sadness that comes about in real life. And just like real life, there are good and uplifting moments sprinkled in between (the mother and son in the bookstore, for instance, are absolute gems). I was somewhat reminded of both The Bridge to Terabithia and sensationalized accounts of real authors who hit it big only to hide away from the public, but the real focus is on finding yourself after a tragedy and figuring out not only how you'll come to terms with it in order to survive, but how and to what extent you let that grief shape your life.
4.5 stars to this emotional and well-rounded story
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a complimentary copy. This did not impact my review.

This is a beautifully written debut novel about love and loss and how there are different ways to deal with grief. Amelia and Jenna are seniors in high school and already have their lives planned out....at least Jenna has planned both hers and Amelia's lives - and Amelia is ok with that. When they get the chance to meet the author of the book that brought the two girls together they are so excited. But when Jenna gets to meet him and Amelia doesn't they have a huge fight, like they never have before. And before Amelia can apologize and make things right with Jenna, Jenna dies in a crazy car accident. Amelia's grief catapults her into a hunt for the person who sent her a rare copy of their favorite book, and opens her eyes ( and her heart) to the wonders that can be found off the planned path. With wonderfully created characters, and a fantasy novel within, this debut novel reminds us to celebrate life while we can.

Finally, a book that tackles grief without a sugar-coated terminal illness. The storyline was just implausible enough to make it a really fun escape; I didn't need it to be acceptably true, it was just a great read. Of course, finding romance in a bookstore? Yes, please! The grief was overwhelming at times in the book, but isn't it always? It just wasn't the only focal point (ie, no trauma porn here), so that made it both more relatable and more useful as a tool for empathy.

What avid reader doesn’t want to find the perfect bookstore? Who among us hasn’t searched for the place that is comforting and welcoming and you could practically live in? I’ve even sought out many of them to differing results. Some are huge and staffed with great people but not welcoming. Some are tiny and you could sit all day in them. Some are cold and staffed with people who either don’t know or care much about books. But I seek them out. Think of the names. Powell’s. The Tattered Cover. Lighthouse Bookstore. Women and Children First. The Last Bookstore. The Book Bar. Some of my favorites. But I’ve always looked for Val’s.

Amelia isn’t looking for Val’s. She is lo9ing for answers. After her best friend dies, her world is askew. Jenna’s family was her family. Their futures were entwined. They were ready to go off to college together. Instead, Amelia is hunting down the sender of a rare copy of her favorite book. Jenna and Amelia had fought over meeting the author just before Jenna’s death. She is convinced that her friend sent it from an independent bookstore in Michigan and Amelia wants to know why. She wants to know what her friends was thinking. What she did and said because her future is now very hard to see.

What she finds is welcoming, and confusing. Within a week, Amelia has to face her own life and her own future.

This was a sit in your comfy clothes and read in an afternoon book. I was immediately invested in all of the characters. Even Wally. Nothing that happens is particularly shocking or surprising. It is a story that you want to play out, even if you know where it is probably going.

Thank you to Ashley Schumacher, Netgalley, and Wednesday books for both the digital and print ARCs of these books. I may have read it late, I wanted the time to appreciate it, but I am so glad I did. What a wonderful debut.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This books is beautiful. The grief so palpable that I could feel it in my bones. I didn't quite cry but I felt it in my chest.

I felt the pacing was a tad off which put me off reading it for a while but the slowness of the story I think actually made the impact feel more real.

There's always an element with YA that I find unrealistic (I.e. falling in love in short periods of time , being invited to stay in a strangers spare room etc.) But I just take that with a pinch of salt. The story could be made more realistic but then I feel it would lose some of its charm.

The epilogue was perfect, it didn't go into lots of detail after the characters future but gave enough to give it the perfect ending.

Now I need someone to write the Orman Chronicles please!

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free review copy.
This might be my favorite book of 2021. I just loved this story and did not want to stop reading. I am going to push everyone to read this now. I feel that anyone can relate to these feelings the characters face in this novel. Schumacher wrote the characters with such depth and feelings. I liked reading about their struggles with life and death. The book series in this book also sounded amazing. All of the literary references make this book a bibliophile's dream. There is so much complexity in Amelia and Nolan. They both are dealing with different things, yet they both can find solace in similarities.
I liked how Amelia had to learn how to live without Jenna and what that means and looks like. How hard it would be to lose a friend right when adult life is starting. N.E. Endsley must figure out what is going on with his life and fame from such an early age.

I adored the way Schumacher deals with family difficulty, friendship pains and loss, immense remorse, feelings of guilt and abandonment, trauma from unexpected hardships, all the while weaving an intricate adventure of fantasy that helps Amelia to confront and deal with these griefs, and explore mysteries that need to be untangled.
I was so impressed by all that this book accomplishes.
Amelia clings to narrative and stories to help her through life and through these deeply painful experiences in ways I recognized. It is handled so precisely and beautifully.
This story will resonate with readers who are still in their youth and less youthful folks like myself who felt that books were a lifeline during times of chaos and deep personal pain.
The hints of magic and fantasy illuminate the beauty of the grief we all deal with at some point or another. Schumacher writes about love, loss, community, and belonging in ways I’ve never seen managed like this before. It’s cultivated so well.
For me, Amelia Unabridged was not a light read. But I loved it.
It pulled emotions out of me that were heavy and thick and intense, and I think it’s important for readers to know that about this story going into it. But I wasn’t mad about it. Schumacher earned these feelings from me and not once were they, or I, left un-cared for.
It was a wonderful reading experience I would highly recommend to everyone. I’m eager to see what Schumacher writes next.

I loved this book so much. For one, there is nothing like a book that is a love letter to books. Amelia Unabridged reminded me just how important books can be in a person's life. This was a beautifully written story, one of friendship and brokenness, and discovery. I loved everything about it.

Thank you for allowing me to spend some time with it.

It’s been a long time since I picked up a book that I knew I would cry over on purpose. This book is absolutely breathtaking in its whimsy, prose and story. I became so invested in every single character that I wish I could have several books with them. Amelia, Alex, Jenna, Val, Nolan, Wally- I love them and want to protect them at all costs. The tone is reminiscent of The Starless Sea, Strange the Dreamer, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It is poetic in tone and moved me to tears in its beauty. With tones of friendship, loss, the bonds we create and the paths we choose, you will think of Orman and whales for long after this book has been finished.

Nolan is probably my favorite grumpy cinnamon roll of ALL time and I am so grateful to have entered Orman.

Adding to my Fave Books of All Time Shelf.

This book had me at booklovers going to a large book convention. Oh how I miss book signings. If you love insta-love with some heartache and coming of age stories than I think you will enjoy Amelia Unabridged. Amelia comes from a broken home, her father has left to be with another woman, and Amelia's mother is not very nurturing. Amelia makes friend with Jenna by chance at a local bookstore. Through there love of books they head out to a book convention. I loved the Michigan setting, as a Michigander myself it's great to see my state represented.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. This did not influence my review.

I really, really loved this book! I don't usually enjoy books that deal with grief because it is just too sad. But somehow, Amelia Unabridged came through with hope and wonder to win me over!

Smiling from ear to ear, feeling the warmness in my heart, I could truly say: this is fascinating! The author’s way of telling how great novels can be life anchors to save us from great tragedies of life and how fill our hearts with true happiness. And the magically beautiful romance in this book, the innocence, genuineness of pure hearts of the characters widened my big smile. I’m absolutely happy to say this book is secret gem and I’m giving my five gazillion magical orman(forest)stars without thinking. I loved it so much!

Amelia Unabridged is both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story about love and loss. Amelia, who has never really felt like she belonged anywhere, one day meets her soon to be best friend Jenna. They complement each other in the ways only true best friends are able to and bond over their love of a book series called the Orman Chronicles. They both intend to follow a ten year plan Jenna has set out for the both of them until tragedy strikes and Amelia is left alone. With Jenna no longer in Amelia’s life, Amelia doesn’t know what to do next and is left with a mysterious and rare edition of their favourite book. Searching for answers Amelia travels to the bookshop across the country where the mysterious book came from. When Amelia arrives in the town, she ends up face to face with N.E. Endsley the famously reclusive author of the Orman Chronicles and while searching for answers, gets everything she never knew she wanted.
This was honestly one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I was genuinely sad to have finished it but I know I’ll end up reading it again. I admitedly didn’t read the full synopsis when I received a copy of this book but I think that added to my love of the story because everything was so unexpected in the best ways. All of the main characters were beautiful in their own ways and were so well constructed. The love story between the friends and the romantic love between two of the main characters was fleeting in a way but I loved every bit of it. This is a great story for those who are no longer in the teen years of their life but still don’t totally know where they fit in the life they’ve created for themselves as well of course for those who don’t know where to go next in life. 5/5 stars for sure and would be great for a teen book club I am running!

This book was perfect, it is by far the best book I’ve picked up this year and I am confident saying this will be a best of 2021 if not on my all time favourites list.

This book is about grief, about losing someone and having it completely rock your very existence. But it is also about healing and finding your way out of something so seemingly hopeless.

This book broke me, I cried, full body sobbed, but then it put me back together again, much like the people in this book.

The internal dialogue of Amelia is so whimsical, raw, thick in empathy and understanding, she has this ability to draw parallels between real life and stories. There is magic in books that are also about books.

Every supporting character in this book is also just so original and you come to love them all. A real under theme of found family.

And despite this being about grief it is so much more there is so many facets explored, it is such a beautiful story and I feel better for having read it.

I have to thank NetGalley and St Martins Publishing Group for giving me an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review, I wish I had read it sooner, it is already out. With that said I’m going to go by a few copies, it’s a book that demands to be given.

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher, 304 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2021. $19.
Language: PG13 (23 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
While her life has been far from perfect, Amelia has been happy -- in large part because of Jenna. Jenna is Amelia’s best friend who has planned out their lives perfectly. But then Jenna dies. Following a hope that is 60 percent whim, Amelia goes to Lochbrook to somehow get part of Jenna back, but happiness without Jenna is harder to grasp than it is to let go of.
Choosing to keep reading this book was difficult for me because I felt every blow that hit Amelia in the first few chapters, felt hope and happiness slipping from my grasp as I desperately reached for it to give back to her. To protect both Amelia and myself from more pain, I put down the book for weeks. I finally went back to Amelia’s story, praying that things might get better. Amelia’s journey took me with her step for step. There was more pain, but we found hope and dreams, too. Grief and loss never really go away, but we can move forward despite their weight that encourages stagnancy. Schumacher has crafted a story of hope for happiness even if our lives aren’t inherently happy. The mature content rating is for underage drinking.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I really liked this book! I really didn't know a whole lot about this book before I decided to read it. I loved the cover so I decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did. Amelia goes through a lot in the pages of this story and I enjoyed watching her deal with everything. I found this to be a very touching and entertaining story.

Amelia and her best friend, Jenna, are just like sisters. They do everything together and Amelia is included in Jenna's family functions. As a graduation gift, they go on a trip together to a book festival where N.E. Endsley is scheduled to appear. He is the author of their favorite books and Amelia is really looking forward to meeting him. Things don't work out as planned and they head home to follow the rest of their plans for the summer with Jenna going on a trip and Amelia doing some college prep. Then tragedy strikes and Amelia is left to try to pick up the pieces and figure out how to move on.

I really liked the characters in this book. Amelia went through so much in this book and I thought that her range of emotions felt very authentic. I really enjoyed getting to see her work through things and make new connections. I love that she was willing to open herself to new connections and possibilities. Nolan has also been through a lot and is very guarded. I loved seeing him come out of his shell and take a chance. All of the supporting characters from Alex, Jenna's parents, and Val were all wonderfully done and added a lot to the story.

This was an emotional yet hopeful story. I loved the fantastical elements that played a role and appreciated the fact that there was a good dose of humor worked into the story. The romance was well done and I couldn't help but hope that they would be able to make things work. I had a fantastic time reading this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books via NetGalley.

This book is a perfect reminder that I need to read more YA, it was absolutely wonderful. It opens at a book festival, so obvi I was hooked already, and we begin with 18 yr old Amelia Griffin running off to use the restroom right before heading over to see the headliner, who also happens to be her obsession, the writer of the famous Orman Chronicles series. He is the young prodigy N.E. Endsley, and is a bit of an introvert / recluse. Her bestie Jenna goes to get them a spot, and on Amelia’s way back, well, everything goes to poop. Jenna got to meet him, and then he bailed. ON HIS EVENT. Amelia understandably is not happy, they get into a huge fight, and right after Jenna is headed overseas for a trip with her family. And then on said trip, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident and Amelia is left to deal with a future that does not include Jenna. But then, a rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia expects Jenna sent it but cannot confirm it. And so she sets off to find out the source, finds N.E. Endsley himself, along with a bit of self-discovery of her own in the process.

I mean, if this one doesn’t sound like a doozy, it is. I was thrown for a loop with Jenna’s death just like Amelia was. But this was SO good. The setting is wonderful, the plot is centered around books, and Amelia definitely has her struggles but she is a phenomenal character and I absolutely loved her. She comes into her own really well, and I enjoyed the flashbacks on how she and Jenna became friends and how she just knew her friend had not quite left her yet. She was fearless in going overseas by herself to find the origin of the sender of that book copy and ended up finding herself, met some great people along the way, and learned that although life is cruel sometimes there are also many reasons worth living. I think you should add this one to your list, and I definitely have a travel bug after reading this!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @wednesdaybooks for the e-galley to review.

Amelia met her best friend, Jenna, in a bookstore the day her father left the family. She also found the world of Orman, written by N. E. Endsley, a reclusive wunderkind author. Years later, Amelia and Jenna’s plan to finally meet N. E. Endsley at a convention falls through, but when Amelia learns that Endsley won’t be making his appearance, but Jenna saw him right before the decision was made and possibly had something to do with that decision, their friendship is shaken. Jenna’s unexpected death, less than a week later makes any sort of discussion impossible.

Schumacher understands what it is to love books, and it shows in the way she has Amelia talk about the way she feels reading. Which is why it’s so terrible that Jenna’s death makes it impossible for Amelia to read anymore. Even the mysterious arrival of the 101st out of 100 signed, super-special leatherbound editions of her favorite book, nearly two weeks after Jenna’s death, cannot reignite Amelia’s love for reading, but it does send her to Michigan on a quest to determine whether Jenna was the one who sent the book.

And thus she meets the enigmatic N. E. Endsley, who is surly and uncommunicative and maybe more than a little broken. She also meets his best friend, Alex, who seems to be to him what Jenna was to Amelia, at least somewhat. He is a voice of reason and a fierce protector and a good person, whose mother is much the same, and looks out for his best friend, Nolan.

The whales (you’ll see about those), the more I think of them, are a wonderful image for someone who is grieving. They are large and ponderous and somber and they sing mournfully. But they have huge, expressive eyes, and for all their weight, they are buoyant and graceful in their element, and their songs can last for so long it’s almost like they can sing across time. I have decided I very much like Amelia’s whales.

I also very much like Jenna’s parents. Jenna’s parents are amazing human beings. I’ve known people like them, and they always seem like they don’t quite live in the same world as the rest of us, because they treat unlimited generosity and consideration as a matter of course, and can offer love to people who are not their family and draw them in as if they were. Even when they make mistakes (and they do) they admit that they’ve done so and work to make amends. They are lovely, loving human beings.

This book is a beautiful, painful exploration of grief and the burden that expectations and even love can become. I was certain, as of page 131, that I would need to buy a copy to keep. Though why do bookstore romances like this always have to have someone dying to be so achingly poignant? (Looking at you, Words in Deep Blue.) It is possible to experience emotion without death, after all. Whatever. This is a wonderful book.

I received a pre-publication copy of this book from Netgalley.

The first thing to catch my eye about this book was the cover. It's simply lovely. The title, too, drew me in. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into, but I knew I wanted to read the book. What did it mean, I wondered, for a character to be unabridged? By its very nature, unabridged implies that an abridged version exists. Even more intriguing, then, what would be it mean to be abridged? To be cut off, incomplete?

The book opens when Amelia's life changes. Her father abandons his family for the company of his much-younger girlfriend. Her mother is practically catatonic with grief. Unable to handle the circumstances of her home, Amelia retreats to the local bookstore, where one of her classmates, Jenna, saves her. Jenna is one of those perfect people that no one quite knows how to approach, but she approaches Amelia. Their intense friendship begins that day, when Jenna distracts Amelia from her pain with books. She offers to buy a book for Amelia, and Amelia chooses the first book in the Orman Chronicles--and it becomes an obsession for her. The book is so wonderful that it transports her away from her pain. Amelia and Jenna become the best of friends, so close that Amelia goes on family holidays with Jenna.

As the cover copy explains, all that changes shortly after they graduate from high school. Amelia and Jenna have a serious fight, and Jenna is killed in an accident before they can reconcile. Here, we meet Amelia, Abridged. Without her best friend, Amelia feels herself to be incomplete, missing a part of her own self. She is completely helpless in her grief.

This book is about Amelia's journey back to herself, to recognizing that she is a whole person on her own. It's also a love story, about two souls recognizing each other in grief and seeing their way forward together. It's a good story, and I truly liked it.

In addition to being a story of healing after the loss of a loved one, Schumacher's book is also about fandom. It's something that could only have been written after a generation grew up breathlessly waiting for the conclusion of the Harry Potter series. For me, one of the most troubling and compelling parts of the book was Amelia's relationship to the Orman Chronicles. She finds this fantasy world so attractive that it shapes her own imaginings. I'm not quite certain what I make of her relationship to fiction, and I've given myself a couple of weeks to mull it over. On the one hand, Amelia's relationship with these books does provide a path forward for her. On the other, the level of obsession is very concerning. At times, I found myself wondering if I even knew Amelia all that well, even though I'd been reading this book about her for hours. But I also think that one of the major focus points of the book was that Amelia didn't know herself, either.

I suspect that teens that love books (or any fandom, really) will be able to see themselves in Amelia and appreciate her journey. The sweet romance will help.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t read many books like this one, but I really should because I end up enjoying them a lot.
This book had my attention from the beginning, it took hold of me and refused to let go, but I was not complaining.

The story follows our protagonist, Amelia, who, after her father left Amelia and her mother, met Jenna. They bonded over a book series The Orman Chronicles written by the young author N. E. Endsley, and became best friends soon after and planned their lives together. They attend a book festival to meet the author but the panel is cancelled before they have their chance, only afterwards Amelia finds out that Jenna met him, sparking a fight they have. Then, a few days later, Jenna dies. Stricken with grief, Amelia travels to Michigan to visit a bookstore from where she received a package she knows was connected to Jenna, but she doesn’t know how. Jenna’s parents, who are also grieving Jenna’s death, help arrange Amelia’s trip. But in Michigan, when she goes to the bookstore, she doesn’t get the answers she hoped for. Until she meets Nolan Endsley.
Amelia Unabridged is a story about grief, friendship, love, and becoming who you want to be. This book was very sweet and beautiful, and I loved every second of it.

I loved all the characters. They all had their own story and were unique and passionate. The characters are that are central in this book are Amelia and Nolan. They learn how to deal with and overcome the issues they have and how to grow from their grief together. They help one another and we learn how much books and Orman was to them.

It was written brilliantly; the descriptions were poetic and still was unmistakably from the perspective of an eighteen-year-old girl. The writing helped connect the reader to the story and made us empathize with the characters. It brought this story to life as well as the characters, which I will hold dear to my heart. The ending was just stunning. The author did a lovely job in wrapping up the story with a hard blow to leave the reader with something when they closed the book.

This book was simply perfect. Everything about it is masterful. I can definitely see myself rereading this in the future, I actually wanted to reread it as soon as I read the last page. I really, really recommend this novel to everyone. To every reader of whatever genre, to everyone who cherishes books, to everyone. Read this book. You won’t regret it.

I love Amelia Unabridged with my entirety of my soul and being. I rate this book 5/5 stars.