Amelia Unabridged
A Novel
by Ashley Schumacher


St. Martin's Press
Wednesday Books
Teens & YA
Pub Date 16 Feb 2021



I am reviewing a copy of Amelia Unabridged through St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley:



Amelia Griffin is eighteen and obsessed with the Orman Chronicles. The series of books written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. These are the books that brought Amelia and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. When Amelia and Jenna are given the chance to attend attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is beyond excited about the opportunity. She feels this is the perfect way to spend the summer before she starts college.






In an instant though everything goes horribly wrong. Jenna gets to meet N.E Endsley and Jenna doesn’t , causing them to have a fight unlike any they had before. Before Amelia can mend things, Amelia receives a call from Jenna’s Mother telling her that Jenna was killed in a car accident. Amelia finds herself feeling guilty, grief stricken and questioning everything she had planned for college. Life looks different with her best friend.






After receiving a mysterious rare edition of the Orman Chronicles Amelia is convinced it somehow came from Jenna. After tracking the books 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 her fight with Jenna and perhaps the clue to tell Jenna all along.



In her beautiful debut Amelia Unabridged, by Amelia Schumacher, we learn about finding hope within ourselves and perhaps falling in love while you do it.



I give Amelia Unabridged Five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This is an amazing book and a joy to read. I don't want to give any spoilers and ruin the experience for anyone. It's a love letter to people who love books and one of the best explorations of grief I’ve ever read. The ending was wonderful and the last line was perfect!


Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3294462629

Amelia Unabridged || Ashley Schumacher
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A heart felt thank you for an ARC of Amelia Unabridged thanks to the publisher Wednesday Books through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Amelia Unabridged is the story every teen bibliophile craves. Schumacher writes with a style that truly amplifies a love of books, literature, series, and all bookish things. I can see so much or myself and my students in Amelia who loves books, seeks them for comfort, finds her best friend Jenna thanks to books, is content in friendship being a simple lounge and read in the company of each other, a way to travel to places without hurt and divorces, and a way to find love.

Amelia and Jenna meet at the local bookstore and become instant best friends bonding over their favorite book that takes them to the land of Orman. Amelia’s family has recently broken and Jenna’s family forever takes Amelia in. Their friendship blossoms to sisterhood and a second family for Amelia. During a book event Jenna accidentally meets their favorite author N.E. Endsley while Amelia is in the bathroom line. A week later Jenna dies in a tragic car crash before she can ever tell Amelia what her and Endsley talked about.

During her grief, Amelia cannot even pick up books let alone read them anymore. Reading and all things Orman are to harsh reminders of the glue that held her friendship to Jenna together. Then a book shows up at the local bookstore that Amelia knows has to be from Jenna. She decides to go to the bookshop that shipped it and see if she can learn what Jenna knew of this town and how she sent this book.

In Lou of giving out spoilers, let’s say that the rest of the story wraps you in Amelias journey of learning to live without Jenna by following whales, visiting the creation of the land of Orman, in snow globes, learning about finding yourself and your true purpose, dealing with grief and loss, and maybe even finding someone in her hardship of reading stories who says, “Let me give you stories.”

Amelia Unabridged made me fall in love with language and books again, excited to share literature with my students again, and crying conflicted tears of joy and sorrow.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of AMELIA UNABRIDGED by Ashley Schumacher in exchange for my honest review.***

It's hard to begin when my heart is so full I feel like an over stuffed bear. I read this in two sittings throughout one day and the only reason I had to set it down was because apparently, children need dinner and snuggles.

First of all, I love how best friends is one of the key elements in this story. But not your normal run-of-the-mill variety. No. I'm talking about the preordained destiny kind. Where you forge something stronger and deeper than friendship by constantly choosing that person over and over no matter what. Deciding they are part of your make up and permanently take up residence in your soul. I have one of those myself. She is a rare treasure that I will forever love unconditionally and I haven't found a friendship even close to ours in a long time. But Jenna and Amelia along with Nolan and Alex give us a run for our money. It was heart warming and felt like coming home. And this is just ONE SMALL SPECK of why I loved this book.

Having lived in both TX and MI I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this story. I could relate to every adjective describing these places and felt it poke my nostalgic heartstrings. It felt like a walk down memory lane, especially the MI setting.

I'm no stranger to grief and loss so this delicately written story about the sweetest most poignant decisions when staring down the rest of your life made me feel seen. Like everything I've ever felt and gone through is valid. I love how intricately detailed Schumacher becomes when reminding us that stories and books are more valuable than we could ever imagine. They are gateways to worlds that can change us quite indefinitely.

There are so many quotable pages in this book, but I don't want to spoil it for you. This is a story that will sit with me forever and I'll reread it for many years to come. I can't wait to hand it to my children and let them find the wonder hiding within these pages. This is one of my top 5 favorite books I've ever read and that tells me that Schumacher will be forever an auto-buy author for me.

This book is for every girl who’s dreamed of meeting and falling in love with their favorite author. Hopefully that wasn’t just me!

When Amelia’s family falls apart, she’s staring into a bookstore window when Jenna sees her. Jenna pulls her into her happy life and family, and the two girls bond over their favorite books: The Orman Chronicles. The two girls plan to best friends forever, and sign up to be roommates at the same college.

As a graduation present, they travel to a convention to meet the legendary, reclusive author, N.E. Endsley. But only Jenna meets him when she bumps into him shortly before he cancels his scheduled appearance. Amelia is bitter, but when Jenna dies two weeks later in a car accident, Amelia’s world is ripped apart again.

When a mysterious limited-edition copy of the book arrives in the mail, Amelia is sure it’s a sign from Jenna. Following a clever wind, she tracks down the sender, finding the damaged N.E. Endsley himself. Do they recognize kindred hurting souls in each other? As Amelia learns more about him and how he built the world of Orman, she begins to doubt everything. Does Amelia still want to follow Jenna’s plan for her life or forge her own way?

This left me with tears in my eyes (the good kind) and a smile on my face. This book is like one giant hug for everyone who’s ever fallen in love with the world of a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing this advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read a copy of this digital book. What a wonderful debut of a book with a gorgeous cover. The entire book's pacing and storyline was perfect. I found myself reading faster to find out more details and slowing down to take in and enjoy the moments/scenery being written. This definitely is a keeper in my digital & physical library to revisit again & again during those times you need a comfort read. I will be hand-selling to everyone of my family and friends who read to not miss this book.

This story starts simply, in a quiet tone punctuated with sudden breathtaking jolts. I found myself wanting to write a review about a quarter of the way through just to talk about the author’s deft use of language which made me feel as though I had plopped myself into the most comfortable chair in which I’d ever sat. The characters are well-drawn and the imagery is stunning. This story is the most beautiful ode to moving through grief I’ve read in YA fiction and I found tears streaming down my face not only for the characters but for the realizations we all face when confronted with loss. Highly recommend for upper middle and high school.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this truly inspiring YA release. From the whimsical cover with its title that mirrors my own name for my book blog to the plot synopsis that left me breathless-- I had so many reasons to be deliriously excited about this debut. What I wasn't prepared for was exactly how much the story would mean to me. All through my life, books have been my escape. I know that, comparatively, my life has been very privileged and easy, but growing up is always painful to some degree. Losing myself in a story lessened that, as well as helped me form bonds with like-minded individuals. So too did this narrative begin; with a novel that formed the groundwork of the friendship that would change Amelia's life.

Our protagonist was looking for a way to leave her broken home behind for a bit as she stood in front of her local bookstore. A classmate of hers, Jenna, saw her through the window and recognized something in her. The two girls meandered the shop as Jenna picked up Amelia's broken pieces and handed her the gift of literature. They returned to Jenna's house that night physically, but the girls spent the night with their minds firmly planted in alternate universes spectacularly crafted by masters of the pen and page. This is when Amelia first visited Orman. 'The Forest Between the Sea and the Sky' resonated with Amelia in the way I'm sure any reader will recognize. We all have a book or a series that made us feel like anything was possible, like we were the heroes, and like we were seen and heard. The girls found their counterparts in the sisters written into the plot, and as their friendship blossomed throughout the years, so too did their fascination with the novel and its author, N. E. Endsley. When a plan to meet him goes awry, Amelia is left devastated, but soon learns the true meaning of the word. Jenna passes away, possibly leaving behind a mysterious copy of a book that shouldn't exist, and Amelia follows the trail to put her friend to rest. What she doesn't count on, however, is finding herself in the process. Against all odds this search leads her to Nolan, the boy behind N. E. Endsley. He is quiet, scared, and broken like her. The more she finds out about him and the Michigan town she's spirited herself away to, the more alive she feels for the first time since Jenna left her side.

There are so many things that I love about this book that I don't know where to start. Amelia is such a strong and relatable character, and I felt her pain as my own while she is suddenly loosened from the bonds that held her firmly to earth and seems to be floating aimlessly. Jenna was her rock; having taken Amelia into her family and planning both of their lives. It's mostly the latter that haunts Amelia; and the look at just how damaging others' expectations of you can be is so sobering. Not only does she want to honor the memory of her friend, but she doesn't want to upset Jenna's grieving parents even more than they already are, even if it means losing herself in the process. Nolan shows us how trauma effects someone long term, and it is painful, unpredictable, and easier when shared with others. The town of Lochbrook is incredibly charming, housing an exciting array of personalities from Wally, the bumbling horse of a dog to the spitfire piano teacher, Valerie. It would be a fairytale setting if not for the air of tragedy that surrounds it. Despite that, you can feel a clear change between the crowded and memory-ridden streets of Dallas and the whale-streaked skies of Lochbrook. It's like the world goes from grey to technicolor as Amelia realizes she may have reached Orman after all.

Speaking of Orman, I always admire authors for creating a book within a book, and the lore included for this fictional narrative is intriguing and lovely; something I can see myself picking up in real life. I am head over heels for how the story was a vehicle for so much positive change in this world. Ashley Schumacher really shows off how much magic a novel holds. It has the power to bring you to tears, to mend your heart, to make you smile-- all from words on a page. She knows that it is up to the readers to use those words, and that they will interpret them however they need them at that moment. So, as Amelia's life turns from the fantasy she imagined, she begins to write an autobiography instead. It's hard work, but she finds her way to living for herself, which I think is a huge message for readers of all ages. This book will remind you to keep that spark alive within yourself; the one that says 'I am, I am, I am' with beautiful imagery and chapters that are so easily devoured I could have finished it in one night. However, like Nolan, I despise endings, so I was loathe to let this one go. Just like in life, though, all things come to an end, and I am a more hopeful soul after having been touched by this poignant story of love and life.

I received an ARC of AMELIA UNABRIDGED thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

I just finished reading the epilogue and I’m still teary-eyed. Amelia and Nolan’s story was a pure pleasure to read that I couldn’t put it down. I ended up succumbing to exhaustion reading it at 2 AM and I can’t tell if I happy to have had more time living without completing this book or wishing I had a late night cup of coffee with Wally to finish it. I guess both and neither at the same time.

AMELIA UNABRIDGED follows Amelia on her journey of grieving and finding herself after the death of someone she was incredibly close to. One thing leads to another and the ‘ghost’ sends her on an emotion packed adventure to a bookstore in Michigan where she discovers her idol. But because life isn’t simple, he is infuriating and broken and so much like her.

I cannot say enough about how wonderful this story is! It is bookish and fantastical and swoony. The cover should absolutely be the entrance to Orman because it is the only thing that could represent this book in one image. The current cover is wonderful, but gives an air of 13 Reasons Why rather than A Light Between Worlds meets Starry Eyes. Although that really doesn’t capture it.

Tackles mental illness and grief in a wonderfully heartwarming way. Definitely going to have a book hangover! If I could give 6 stars I would!

This book is an emotional coming of age story that follows amazing characters thought their adulthood. Although I didn't enjoy quite as much as I wish I would have, this YA novel is beautifully written and I would highly recommend it.

Amelia Unabridged is a delight for book lovers. I felt an instant connection to Amelia. She is bookish, a photographer, and lost in a sea of grief after losing her best friend in a tragic accident. Serendipity takes her on a life-altering trip that begins in the most magical bookstore I’ve ever had the delight of imagining. I want Val’s to be a real place!

I loved this novel and can’t wait to purchase a copy for my teen daughter once it’s released,

A beautiful and heart warming coming of age story that travels through the pushes and pulls of friendship, through grief and guilt and out into the revelation of incipient adulthood. With a nod towards novels that act as lifelines during difficult times of life, this is one of those rare contemporary YA novels which I highly recommend.

Requested at the encouragement of my friend Cassandra, I enjoyed this! She pitched it as heartfelt and emotional and genuinely authentic, all of which I found this to be. Well done.

On the day Amelia’s father left, Amelia and Jenna’s friendship had begun. Years later, Amelia and Jenna are still inseparable as ever, and they are huge fans of the Orman Chronicles. To Amelia, Orman is not just a simple book series, it is the series that got her through a difficult time in her life. Amelia and Jenna have only one summer left before they begin college, and they decide to go to a book convention to meet the reclusive N. E. Endsley, author of the Orman Chronicles. Upon arriving at the convention, Amelia and Jenna discover that Endsley decided not to show up. Disappointed, they fly back home. On the plane, Jenna tells Amelia that she met Endsley briefly, and the two have a huge fight ending with Jenna leaving for Ireland for a few weeks.
A few weeks later, in Ireland, Jenna is killed in a car accident. Amelia is left directionless and does not know where to turn, until a mysterious package shows up addressed to Amelia.
Amelia Unabridged is a young adult contemporary novel that takes us on a journey through dealing with grief and finding your place in the world. I think every eighteen-year-old has the same feeling of restlessness that Amelia has when it comes to knowing what you want to do in the future. Jenna tells Amelia that she should be an English Literature professor, and she makes a detailed life plan for the two of them. But after Jenna’s death, Amelia begins to question Jenna’s plan.
I was a bit torn with rating this book. On one hand, I loved the story and the characters. I loved the dialogue between Amelia and Nolan. On the other hand, the writing style – the narration – bugged me a lot. The writing drew attention to itself and took me out of the story. I kept feeling as if the writing were telling me how to feel instead of showing me how to feel.
After reading Amelia Unabridged, I really hope the author would consider writing a book (or maybe a short story) about the Orman Chronicles. I know that Orman is just a made-up book series, but I really hope that it might take on a life of its own (sort of like Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On).
I would recommend Amelia Unabridged to bookworms.

It may sound strange to rate a book 5 stars that made you cry at least 3 times. Amelia Unabridged is the type of book that makes you feel so many different emotions. One minute your smiling due to something a character said or how someone acted in a certain situation and other times you are trying to hold back tears as you read about a young girl experiencing so much grief and confusion. This book was amazing from beginning to the very end. The pacing was fast enough to keep me interested, but it knew when to slow down and let certain scenes breathe. The characters felt like real people and even the setting felt like a little Michigan town that I would want to visit too (especially Val's bookstore.). I really don't know what else to say about this book, but I know you won't regret reading it. This book will make you feel emotions that you may want to feel or may even not want to feel. But this is a book that will make you feel, care, and want to know more...which is what every good book should do. And Amelia Unabridged is definitely a good book to say the least.

<i>A huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</I>

4.5 stars
<U>Amelia Unabridged</u> captured my heart and soul. Amelia's struggle after the death of her best friend, Jenna, became a beautiful story about resilience through love and loss. This novel focused on the messy process of finding yourself after surviving unexpected tragedies, and I loved it.
The characters were lovely and eccentric, the atmosphere was absolutely magical, and the plot had me enraptured from the first page. I could not stop thinking about this one even as I set it down. What bibliophile would not want to find friendship and romance in a quaint small town bookstore? My only qualm was the writing style felt periodically unpolished and stilted, but as this is Schumacher's first published novel I only expect their writing to improve from here.

I loved this book. The voice was great, I enjoyed all of the main characters and how the story kept me guessing.

I wasn't sure where the story was heading in the beginning. Was Orman a real place? Were they going to go there? Was Jenna really dead or was she waiting there? Maybe this was my imagination running wild, but I liked that I didn't see the clear path from the get go.

Around 50% I was totally hooked. I read from there to the end in one sitting. I loved the budding relationship between Nolan and Ashley. I loved Alex and Val as supporting characters, and of course Wally.

I especially loved how Ashley didn't give up anything after she fell for Nolan. She got everything she wished for, and more.

This is just an amazing and powerful debut of a novel.
Beautiful and heartfelt. It had everything I was looking for in a book- love, friendship, mystery and the power of books. I loved Amelia's character and her world, I was so drawn in. This was a book I savored over several days.
Classified as YA but I think anyone can and should read it.
Looking forward to more from this author.

Thanks yo Netgalley for my advanced copy.

After Amelia’s father leaves her, Jenna swoops into her life, giving her a friendship and second family. The two initially bond over a shared love for a book series called the Orman chronicles, and it’s author. But only days after the pair attend a book conference centered around the series, Jenna dies in a car crash. When a mysterious first edition copy of the book that brought them together arrives addressed to Amelia, she feels it must be from Jenna, and sets out on a quest to discover where the book came from...but she ends up finding more than she ever could have imagined.

This is the kind of book that sneaks up on your heart when you’re least expecting it.

What I loved most about it was the characters. Amelia, Jenna, Nolan, Alex, Valerie, and especially Wally are all so incredibly tangible. I was captivated by their personalities, and thought that their narratives were woven together with just the right amount of banter and poignant moments.

Initially I was scared that this was going to be an extremely sad book given the subject matter, but I was pleasantly surprised. While it definitely deals with heavy topics, Amelia did a great job at working through grief and the process of finding joy in life after tragedy. By the end I felt more of a bittersweet kind of happiness, but wasn’t at all disappointed in the feeling.

The one thing I have to say is that it took me a while to get into this one. The initial romance seemed unlikely and very fast, and by the end it still was a bit unbelievable. I love romance, but when two characters are head over heels for each other after less than a week, I just don’t buy it. Some of the motifs (blue whales, photography) also felt abruptly included at first. However as the story went on these things stopped bothering me as much. I think you just can’t focus on them too hard, and a sort of suspension of disbelief is necessary.

I really did enjoy the journey of this book, and found enjoyable even if some aspects of it weren't quite realistic. I believe it falls somewhere between 3/5 and 4/5 stars, but definitely closer to 4/5.

Intended audience: young adult
Content warnings: death of loved one(s), mentions of suicidal thoughts

First off, the cover is gorgeous. There was some great imagery in this book, from the reverence paid to stories to the magic of bookstores and the way that books can bring people together. I think bibliophiles are really going to love those parts of it.

In terms of its portrayal of grief and anxiety, I just don’t think I would recommend it for that. There were times when I felt like instead of just letting the characters be, they were forced into a narrative and some of their actions or the words they used felt a little melodramatic or cliche. For example, Nolan had pretty severe anxiety being around water because he lost someone he loved in a drowning accident, and mere days after a triggering incident, he gets in a boat with two other underage kids where they drink alcohol. (He doesn’t feel anxious anymore because he has Amelia.) That not only felt pretty irresponsible to me, but didn’t really fit with who the character was and what he was dealing with.

I think the timeline also just felt too short. It might have felt more natural if Amelia had been in Michigan for weeks, but within a few days she essentially cured Nolan of his anxiety, gained his trust even though he had become extremely guarded, and made some major life decisions. I know it’s a YA book which means there might be heightened emotions and higher stakes (which I usually love!), but some of those things actually took me out of the story rather than being able to get swept up in the magic of it.