Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Amelia Gray is such a character… the trouble she gets into is hilarious. But it was honestly refreshing to read how she tries to discover who she is with the different personas. It’s a great coming of age novel perfect for middle grade kids and even kids a little older.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it.

Thank you so much @netgalley, @tbrbeyondtours and Jessica for the ARC!

There are multiple reasons why I'm in love with this book. The one that takes precedence is the lovely bond Amelia shares with her father and the fun, adventurous time they spend together. She has such a cool parent, someone who loves to explore and reinvent and move around, which is an enormous blessing. As a child who grew up with minimal contact with my dad since he's a doctor, I appreciate their relationship so much.

Jessica did an amazing job picturing the middle school identity crisis most of us went through. It was harder for Amelia as she kept moving from one place to another and tried her best to form no attachments. But -

Everything changes when one day, a job request comes for her father from Summerville and the hotel owner Annabelle might not be the stranger Amelia thought she is. She almost convinces her dad to try the life 'On the stay' and ruins the structure Amelia has followed for a long time - forcing her to mingle with the locals and make new friends.

I loved Amelia's quest to find her 'thing' and watch her grow as a person as she tries different activities from theatre to journalism to athletics. Creating and maintaining relationships, any relationship is quite difficult and a skill to master and I loved seeing that being reflected in the story. Biscotti only adds to the charm. What a fun, exciting book! Highly recommended ❤️

Amelia Gray is 12 years old, and she’s been to 40 different schools. Her dad has a job that requires them to live in different cities monthly. Amelia’s never really been bothered by it - she likes to blend into the background and has tons of fun with it being just her, her dad, and her dog, Biscotti.

But they get to a new town, and suddenly her dad is throwing out suggestions about staying for longer than a month? Maybe like.. forever? Amelia hates the idea, and her dad respects the fact that they’re a decision making unit :') So he asks her to stick it out for the summer before she decides. (The full deal includes Amelia finally getting a doggie DNA test for Biscotti, whose mutt mix is a source of confusion for everyone who meets her)

Amelia has never been in a town long enough to be in extracurriculars, so she decides to try three at once in order to up her chances of finding her “Thing”. As someone who never had a “Thing” growing up, I relate to Amelia. It can be hard to see other people have passions and goals and planned out life paths when you just never have.

Amelia takes it a step further and invents personas for each activity - Amie does track, Mellie does newspaper, and Lia does theater. They all have different wardrobes and hairstyles, thanks to the theater props she found in the hotel they’re working on. Things quickly become difficult to separate, and Amelia is floundering to keep up with her schedule and make sure the right groups only ever see her in the right personas.

The writing style is so fun and really immersive, and Amelia is so realistic! This is such a fun summery read to share with kiddos in your life - or read yourself :)

I really enjoyed Amelia's positive voice and her enthusiasm in life on the go. The Dad's job is also very interesting and unique, it's nice to see how well they work as a team together and how the dad's imagination unfurled. The mystery on Dad's past and the reason for their stay was also very intriguing. It was both embarassing and fun to see Amelia try out different identities but it's nice to see her growth and finding herself!

Amelia Gray is Almost Okay is a sweet, funny look at what it means to be a young girl on the verge of finding out everything, but also not wanting anything to change. In a time when she could have been bitter about how often she moved, how she never knew her mom, and how her life is nothing like anyone else’s, Amelia is instead happy. She has figured out how to blend in, even if it means buying weird colored clothes. She’s kept everyone at a distance, and that distance has kept her from getting hurt (or so she thinks). But her summer in Summerville changes everything. As she tries to figure out who she is she tries on many other people’s identities – but they don’t quite fit the way she wanted. She has to figure out who she is – a messy blend of her parents, her experiences, and the people she found along the way.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“It turns out juggling three different identities is kind of hard.”

“It’s all my fault. Why did I have to reinvent myself as totally different people? Why couldn’t I have just goined track and newspaper and theatre as Amelia?”

“And then I start to wonder if this town is really as boring as it seems. Of if maybe all the good stories are just buried deeper beneath the surface.”

“When you find your Thing – like dad has – there is no limit to what you can do.”

“It’s been two weeks – you can’t expect to be good at something in two weeks!“

“It’a not just a hotel room. It’s your art. It’s your THING. Do you know how lucky you are to find something you’re good at?”

It’s funny that a YA book hit me right when I have been thinking about my Thing, what it is, and who I am with other people. This is a fun, fast read with a heartwarming message. Definitely recommend.

I gave this one to my niece to read and she really enjoyed it. Didn't really have many words to say about it but gave me two thumbs up.

Jessica Brody has once again proven to be a master of character in this book. We follow Amelia. A girl who moves to a different town every so often due to her dad’s job. And she likes it that way. Her, her dad and her dog Biscotti are all she needs. It’s great getting to see all the different towns in America. Plus she’s her dad’s right hand girl.

He works in the hotel fixer business. Hotels that are struggling reach out to him, he picks on and does extensive work to get it back into working order. That’s how it’s always been. And Amelia is integral to it.

On the last day of school, a group of girls fawn over Biscotti and want to know what she is. Well, Amelia does as well. So why not get a doggy DNA test to discover what makes up her precious pooch? Her father for one, says no. It’s expensive and they don’t need to know. Biscotti is perfect as she is.

Then we end up following Amelia as she tries to disavower who she is. She comes up with different identifies, hangs out with different groups and tries to see where she fits.

This coming of age book is well written with strong characters that feel real and jump off the page.

Who hasn’t been there when we were younger, wanting to try on a new persona? Hang out with new people? But we never had the chance. Or maybe you did and it went great! Amelia struggles on her journey to learn that she is perfect as she is. And make some friends along the way.

I’m giving this a 4/5. I received this eARC from NetGalley. Thanks to them and the publisher.

Adorable story, quirky and fun. Fantastic read. Amelia Gray is not okay is the perfect middle grade novel for young girls in those coming of age moments. Don't hesitate to pick this up

Amelia Gray is 12 and lives with her dad and mixed breed dog, Biscotti. They move frequently since her dad redesigns hotel rooms. Since they rarely stay anywhere longer than a month, Amelia has never made real friends.
So when her dad decides to go to New York for the entire summer, she is shocked.

He tells her to join a club and stick with it for the summer and he would pay for Biscotti s. DNA test.
She grudgingly accepts but has no clue what she would like best.

So she joins quite a few things hoping to discover her "thing".


She meets Finn in the park with his dog ketchup. I really liked the dogs. But their dogs don't get along.

Amelia decides to reinvent herself, so she becomes Amie for track, Mellie for investigating stories, and Lia for theater.

She makes friends with someone different in each activity and her costumes were creative and cute. The treats at the Floats and Boats were creative and interesting.

I liked all the characters, Amelia was creative and fun and I loved the dogs.

I liked learning a bit about her late mother too.


Overall a really good book with a moral even thrown in.

Only complaint was for a small town I didn't believe her costumes were enough for no one to find out they were all her for all that time.


But a great read by a favorite author. The store has gotten many copies. Highly recommended 4 stars

Middle graders will LOVE this. This novel perfectly encapsulates that feeling of who am I that middle graders begin to feel.

I think classrooms in particular would benefit from having copies of this title.

Amelia's father redesigns hotels. They never live anyplace for very long, and they love their life on the go. Amelia is always the new student, leaving before she can get enmeshed in a friendship. When her father takes on a new job in Summerville, Amelia is shocked that he plans to stay for the entire summer and possibly longer. But her father offers a very tempting bribe: a DNA test for Biscotti, their beloved dog of unknown ancestry, in exchange for Amelia attending a summer club. Amelia really wants that DNA test, but she's never stayed anywhere long enough to know which club she should join. When she's not moving to a new state, who is Amelia Gray?

With so many summer club choices, Amelia doesn't know which one to try out. Instead, she copies her father's method for redesigning hotels - she'll try out several options, and choose the one she likes best. Using some borrowed costumes, Amelia turns herself into three different girls, each with a different nickname and personality, hoping that one of them will help her discover a talent or passion for the club activity.

Amelia quickly discovers that it's not easy to pretend to be three different people. And remaining in one town for an entire summer means that Amelia will have a chance to make friends, something she's very good at avoiding. To make matters worse, her father is behaving very out of character. Summerville might be one of the most boring places Amelia's ever been to, but it may also be a lot more interesting than she expected it to be.

Rating:4.5 stars (8.71/10)

Characters-9

Amelia and the other characters in this book are why I wanted to keep reading. Each character was engaging, and I wanted to know the story each of them told. Everyone in this book had the thing they loved and the thing they were passionate about. While this was one of the reasons Amelia had to be in three places, and three different people her first summer in Summerville, it also was a way that she started building a community of her own in her new town. I loved all the characters in this book, and I found each of them charming. My favorite character was Amelia, however; I also really enjoyed Maren and Katerina because of our common interests.

Plot-9

I went into this story thinking it was going to be a Middle-Grade Novel about a girl moving to a new town, and trying to make friends before the school year started. After I finished Amelia Gray is Almost Okay, I discovered that story was about much more than that. On multiple levels, this story is about connections and bonds, and I loved all the connections in this novel. First, there was the connection between Amelia and her dad, Jonas. I loved seeing the two of them bond as they traveled the country for Jonas’s work. Second, there was a connection between Amelia and the three girls she met at each of the activities she joined on her mission to find her thing. These connections were a bond and the start of a wonderful friendship between the girls. Third, there was a connection to Summerville in general, which you find out about as you read the story.

Writing-9

I’ve previously read Sky Without Stars (System Divine #1) by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell. This was my first time reading a solo story by Jessica Brody, and I will definitely be reading more. I loved the writing style of Amelia Gray is Almost Okay, and I felt it captures the Middle-Grade genre. The scenes where Amelia is with her friends early in the book are light and fun, and you can tell that the characters are having a great time. Throughout the book, and especially in the third act, there are some heavier scenes, and they handled these scenes with care, and in a way that a middle-grade reader would be able to relate to the characters because it reads as something that could happen to a friend group.

Enjoyment-10

I loved this book a lot. I found it so fun, but some parts of the story were serious, and, as a whole, Amelia Gray is Almost Okay was a heartwarming story.

My daughter, Amelia, loved this book! The main character Amelia has traveled the world with her dad and dog Biscotti! She loves moving around and always being somewhere knew. But she gets scared when her dad wants to stay in one location, she's never done that before! This begins that battle of "who am I?' for Amelia Gray. This was such a great book for those going into or are currently in middle school!

Thank you Negalley, the publisher and amazing author for my ARC!

Now I love me a middle grade and Amelia Gray is Almost Okay was okay sorry about the pun there but II can't help it.


For me there were two halves to this story and I preferred the final part where Amelia fixed things it showed me that even though she was trying to be three different people so she could 'find her thing' but ended up hurting her three new friends Esme, Katerina and Maren and for me that is a pretty brave thing to do.

I wish more of the story was about Amelia finding more things about her Mum after realising that Summerville was where her Mum had grown up and I found that very poignant.

There were two characters I adored and they were Biscotti and Finn were a hilarious combination and both of them in different ways made Amelia to think more about what she was doing.

For all these reasons I am giving Amelia Gray is Almost Okay 3 stars

This was adorable! Amelia has spent the last four years traveling from place to place with her dad while he helps bring small town hotels back to life. When they settle in for the summer Amelia decides she’s going to find out just what her “thing” is going to be.

I had so much fun with Amelia and her multiple identities. Who wouldn’t want to dress up as a different person and try out new and exciting things you didn’t think you’d be good at or even enjoy? Amelia is such a spunky character. I enjoyed watching her navigate through through her summer building friendships and learning more about herself as she counts down the days until they move to the next city. As time goes on she realizes that maybe settling down isn’t the worst idea and that despite trying to keep people at a distance she’s quickly realizing how important friendships can be. As things start falling a part and her identities are revealed Amelia is faced with the reality of what her life is and what it can be, she’s just not sure yet if she’s ready to settle.

This is the perfect book about self discovery, finding your identity, and learning to build lasting friendships. The chapter headers are THE best, the friends Amelia makes along the way are all unique and relatable, and the overall story is heartwarming.

I 100% recommend this one!

Amelia Gray is a shy girl who has changed schools 39 times as she travels with her dad and her dog from design job to design job. With that many moves, there’s no point in making friends at school. Amelia knows how to blend in and fade away from people. No complications.

Until one summer when her dad takes on a special job and she’ll be spending some time in one town. As any middle schooler who has moved knows, this is an opportunity to reinvent yourself. Amelia decides to try out three personalities, complete with individual nicknames: Amie, Mellie, and Lia. She hopes she will find her “thing” and find a way to fit in.

Keeping her three new selves separate in a small town is no small feat. Occasional hiding and quick clothing changes make for some laugh out loud moments.

A fun and satisfying story, Amelia Gray Is Almost Okay, is filled with page turning mystery, creativity, and characters you want to meet.

Reading age 10 – 13 years

Thank you to the publishers at Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Amelia Gray is Almost Okay.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🤔 haven’t yet found your “thing” or calling
🎭 enjoy the film Mrs. Doubtfire
🚌 are always on the move
🐶 have a cute dog

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

Amelia has never stayed in one place for more than a month, that is, until her dad takes her to Summerville, New York.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Amelia’s life has always been predictable. Her dad travels the country fixing rundown hotels so they are never in one place for more than a month or so at a time. But now it’s summer vacation, and Amelia’s dad is bringing her to Summerville, New York, for the entire summer. He wants Amelia to experience staying in the same place for longer than a month, and he’s agreed to get her the DNA test for Biscotti, her super mutt, if she’ll just try to make friends this summer. Completely blindsided by this turn of events, Amelia decides to become not one, not two, but three different kinds of people - Amie the track star, Mellie the investigative journalist, and Lia, a theater star. Which one will end up being Amelia’s true calling though?

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a super fun middle grade read that is good for older kids as well. It reminded me a lot of the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, especially when Amelia had to start changing into her different personas in the middle of public bathrooms. I was rooting for her to just be herself during all of this and also wondering why her father wasn’t really paying attention to the fact that his daughter was pretending to be 3 different people. I got the impression that Amelia had a stronger sense of independence than I did at 12, most likely due to her upbringing. Overall this was a great story about a girl who discovers who she really is!

This book is a solid 4/5 which is high marks for me. I liked that it had aspects of light and silliness but also had deeper conflicts and themes: finding yourself and what that means, grief, on the go versus "running away."