Omg I loved this book so much. It was real, and gut wrenching and beautiful. A debate that should not be missed!!

Amelia Unabridged is PERFECT YA. I mean it. This book is FLAWLESS. Literally every single part of this story hit it out of the park for me. I'm pretty thrifty with my own pennies so I don't normally tell people they should buy a book, but this is an instance where I'm gonna call it - if you love YA, go ahead and click pre-order for this one.

Y'all probably know how much I loved Words in Deep Blue. I'm going to be honest...I loved this one even more. The friendship between Amelia and Jenna is one of the best things I've read in a long, long time. And the way in which the author writes about the exhausting and terrifying pressure of living up to someone else's expectations really hit home with me. I wish I would have read this book when I was 17.

Amelia Unabridged is written with an authenticity that is painfully disarming, yet the hope that is weaved through every chapter is that intangible sweetness that makes the YA genre so special. This book is beautifully written and is a promise of all the good that life can hold, even in the midst of tragedy and pain. It's a love letter to stories. It's an exploration of trauma. It's balanced and good and deep and sad and uplifting.

I will absolutely be buying this one when it comes out in February, and it is going on my favorites list! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+❤

This story was beautiful. It took me through such a wave of emotions. The story was rich and the characters loveable.

Ameila Unabridged is a beautifully written book about life, grief, found family, fate, and those magical moments in between moments that only a camera can capture. It's bout finding your own path, and the people who save you along the way.

This book is not about grief. This is about what comes after the grief. This book is about being at the cross road of your life and realizing you get to make your own choices and live your own life. This is beautifully written with enough magic to keep the reader believing and enough heart to fall in love too. Well done, truly enjoyed.

***Thank you NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review***

This is a beautifully written, moving story about how we pick up the pieces of our lives when the people we thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives with suddenly disappear.

Any reader who has been saved by a book will see themselves in our heroine, Amelia. Like many of us, she is a child of divorce. Her parents are neglectful, and her father is downright cruel at times with the things he says to his daughter. Nearing rock bottom, Amelia meets Jenna outside a bookstore, and Jenna saves her in many different ways. Jenna shares her parents, two people who take Amelia under their wings and treat her like their own daughter. Jenna offers Amelia friendship when she'd never felt more unwanted and lonely. And Jenna introduces her to the power of a book, the kind that make you forget all your troubles and sucks you into a different world.

They have their whole future planned. College in Montana with majors already decided, and a lifetime by each other's sides after that. As a final hurrah together to celebrate graduating high school, they attend a book festival that will be attended by their favorite author, N. E. Endsley, who also happens to be the author of the book that jump-started their friendship.

Except he backs out of the festival at the last minute, crushing Amelia, and only later Jenna admits that she actually met him before he left. This produces a little rift between them that they don't fully patch before Jenna goes to Ireland and is killed in a car crash.

Now what is Amelia supposed to do?

As she's debating that question, she receives a mysterious copy of her favorite N. E. Endsley book in the mail, sent all the way from Michigan. She just knows this is Jenna's doing, and she travels to this bookstore in Michigan to track down her best friend's last moves.

From here, I'll be more vague to avoid spoilers, as everything previously stated is in the book description.

Once she reaches the bookstore, she is shocked to come face-to-face with her favorite author, someone who refuses to talk about his books with her but who has more in common with her and her grief than she expects.

The story that follows is one that anyone who has ever lost someone close can probably heavily relate to. I lost my dad when I was 20, so reading Amelia struggle between honoring what the dead wanted for you and choosing your own path in life was one I definitely understood and experienced.

Her descriptions of her grief also hit a little too close to home, like only the best kinds of books can. She has a hard time returning to reading and finds that even happy things have turned bittersweet.

The main setting of this book is a bookstore that I desperately want to visit in real life. It is a book lover's haven. I loved all the characters who inhabited it, and the author has done a masterful job of breathing life into this place and these people.

The love story between Amelia and Endsley is sweet without being cloying and hits the perfect beats. They both have their issues, none of which are just magically fixed, but they learn how to help each other and deal with what's haunting them together.

I straight-up bawled through the last 10% of this book. My heart ached for Amelia. Though the story has a happy ending, this story, like everything you experience after feeling deep grief, is tinged with sadness as well.

I would highly recommend this book to any YA contemporary fans who like sweet combined with somber. This book will make you feel many things, but it's all worthwhile. For anyone who has dealt with losing someone close and trying to figure out the rest of your life, I promise this book will speak to you. My only regret is that I haven't been able to read this sooner!

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Amelia Unabridged. I certainly didn't hate it, but it was missing a certain oomph for me. I guess ultimately I found the premise itself a little too farfetched. It's wish fulfillment in the vein of self-insert fanfiction--which is fine for the right reader, but not for me. It didn't help that I found Amelia occasionally very annoying. I really didn't believe that she would be able to chill out enough to be in a fulfilling relationship with her favorite author, especially not in the short time in which the story takes place. Perhaps me reading this as an adult was the issue but I have read a lot of YA that I love--this wasn't it.

4 Stars

I really liked this book. It kind of slowed down in the middle but picked back up in the end. The prose was beautiful and made jealous that I don't see the world like that. It definitely reminds me of how I felt reading some of my 1st books. I would absolutely love for an "Alex Unabridged" to follow but I won't hold my breath.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book.

Oh. Wow. This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The atmosphere throughout the whole book was reminiscent of a cozy rainy day in the fall, where it’s cloudy but there’s still a bit of sun peeking out. A day when you’re curled up and daydreaming and reminiscing, and while it’s bittersweet, you’re also present and content. I really don’t know how to describe the feeling eloquently, but reading this book was just an incredible experience.

I adored all the major characters in this book. They all had their lovely qualities and their flaws, and my heart ached for each of them. I found that Val’s Bookstore and the books themselves (Orman Chronicles, etc.) were also characters in the story. I’m now on a mission to read more books featuring books as characters.

Look, I don’t read much hetero romance. I’m queer, and so are most of the books on my shelves. But that being said, the romance in this book has gotta be one of my favorites date. Oh my god. The things these two say to each other...the forces that bring them together...it’s so soft and achingly beautiful I might just explode. I’m surprised that, even though the main events of the story happen over about a week, I didn’t find it to be too rushed. In fact, I wouldn’t even say it reads like insta-love at all.

If I had one complaint (and it’s really is our just one), Chapter 3 felt awkward to me. I felt like a lot of the emotions were just glossed over. It would’ve hurt, but I would’ve liked to have seen more depth in this chapter.

Overall, this was amazing. I am blown away and I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the free eARC!!
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Amelia is grieving the death of her best friend, Jenna, when a surprise package arrives for her. Inside is a special edition copy of Orman Chronicles, Amelia’s favorite book that also originally brought the two friends together. In seeking out where the mysterious gift came from, Amelia stumbles upon so much more.
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Amelia Unabridged is heartbreaking and heart-mending. It’s beautifully written; I don’t remember the last time I highlighted so many passages in a book! It speaks to the power of books, the importance of friendship/chosen families, and the rush of first love. It’s rooted in reality and loss, but also has a certain fantastical feel as well. I had a couple minor critiques until I slowed down and put myself in the place of these characters - their ages, their life experiences, etc. and remembered that 18 year old me was very different than present day me.
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I highly recommend this for those that love books about books, Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley, and Julie Buxbaum’s books.

This book offers a bit of everything for bibliophiles! A little bit of romance, intrigue, adventure, and LOADS of bookish references. I was not fully anticipating a romance going into the story, but WOW I am so glad it exists! It was so swoon worthy and I loved how the pairing met. This was amazing.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed going on this journey. I look forward to more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

This was my first request on NetGalley because I was so hooked by the book's summary and the beautiful cover. The first few chapters of the book had me intrigued, especially when the two young friends attend a book conference to meet their author idol. The significance of that first moment formed the basis for the rest of the story and pulled me in.
I also really enjoyed the description of the bookstore Amelia visits and the reclusive author she grows to know and love. His dark broodiness was appealing but at times I was confused by what was happening. A lot of the prose felt unnecessary and something I had to wade through to get to the real story.
On the whole, however, this book was light and enjoyable and in the future, I will look for other books by this author and give them a try.

Amelia is obsessed with the book series the Orman Chronicles, When a rare edition of the series is mysteriously sent to her, Amelia is sure it came from her best friend Jenna, who recently and suddenly passed away in a car accident. As a bibliophile, the description had me intrigued... I'm thinking literary mystery, a story of young woman overcoming grief, but instead it was more sappy YA Romance, my least favorite genre. Everything was all too convenient.: Jemma's meeting the author during an anxiety attack at a conference; Jenna's parents paying for everything for Amelia, Amelia's being invited to stay with the owner of the bookstore (despite her being a total stranger), the owner having connections to the author, the author falling in love with Amelia, and on and on. This one just wasn't for me.

I don't want to give a full review since the book doesn't come out until Feb, but OMG. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. It hit me in a way that I wasn't expecting to be hit and I'll be honest I cried.
If you are getting ready to put together, your 2021 TBR, you need to add this book. It has everything, love, loss, friendship etc. I can't thank #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Full review to come closer to publication date!

What in the world did I just read?
I haven't the faintest idea of how to begin this review but I'll try.
As impossible as it sounds, the inside of the book is even more beautiful than the cover *heart-eyes*.
I thought that a book could get any better than some of my favorites, but this one was in a category of its own. The character's emotions seemed so deep and lifelike. It was incredible to read and I felt myself feeling their emotions as the story progressed. All the characters were great and I would really love to see more about Alex someday.
Normally I am not a fan of epilogues but this one completely different from any other that I've read.
The writing style just drew me in and all the bookish references kept this bookworm quite giddy with excitement.
Now, I HIGHLY recommend that you find a copy of this book ASAP once it releases on February 16.

Rating: can I give it 10/5?
Language: a**, s***
Romance: kissing
Spiritual: n/a
Violence: deaths of loved ones

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.


Reveiw scheduled to be published on Jan 16, 2021.

Rating 5

Wow. Having just finished reading "Amelia Unabridged" by Ashley Schumacher I am at a loss for words. When I started reading this book I knew I stumbled upon something beautiful but it was more than that. Once you start reading this book it is so hard to put down and return to everyday life. How Amelia feels about books is exactly how I feel about books. Your favorite book world is always on your mind and you never want it to go. I thought the author captured this love perfectly. I loved the little references to other books and how it was compared to her own. This book will make you want to re-read an old favorite just so you can capture that feeling that you once had. If you have not experienced what Amelia is experiencing with Orman then sadly you are missing out and you NEED to go searching. What Amelia went through in losing Jenna and the promise she felt she had to keep to her felt so real and relatable. She lost her better half and it left her alone and confused which is of course normal. During this time Amelia had no enjoyment from reading because she was too burdened by her grief. She was too angry, hurt, sad, and guilty to focus on the words on the page. Personally, I think all readers will go through this in their life but with help from a loved one they can find that enjoyment in reading again. I honestly loved all of the characters in this book. They were all written so well having their own emotions, personalities and likable traits. I loved how the bookstore was described and have actually visited a bookstore like this and like Amelia I never wanted to leave. 

Should you read "Amelia Unabridged"?
YES!! This book shows a character struggling with grief who doesn't want to lose their friend who is already gone.They struggle with keeping old pinky promises or deciding what is better for them no matter the cost. You will want to follow Amelia as she struggles quietly cheering her on. I guarantee this book will make you feel again. 

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the review copy!

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT! I loved this story so much. It gave me all feels I was looking for. If you are a reader and you love books over bonding over a book! Pick this one up. This plot and story were done great and so easy to follow. The characters were written very well!

I highly recommend this read!

ALL THE STARS! I absolutely LOVED this book. I have a feeling this will be one of my favorites of the year. I couldn’t stop once I started. I loved these characters. I love the book references throughout from so many stories I have cherished in my life. Grief, loss, love, friendship, family - so many themes in this book and it was all done so well. The writing came to life for me, and it has been a while since a story has done that for me. I wish this story didn’t have to end, but I think this was a wonderful story - it was incredible from start to finish. I highly recommend this book!

THANK YOU to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I truly loved this book, and it is exactly what I needed right now.

I would like to begin by thanking NetGalley and Wednesday Books. I was provided an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Amelia Unabridged was not what I was expecting. Too often with books, this realization is inherently negative. While the novel could be overwhelming at times, with its rollercoaster of emotions and its urgency, I'll say this: Amelia Unabridged may not have been what I was expecting, but its arrival was timely. This was a book that I needed. (More on that later.) The novel manages to seamlessly weave grief, humor, and found families together. To call it 'heartwarming' would be cliched, because Amelia Unabridged is so much more than that. It's as much about loss as it is finding yourself, how to survive when key pieces of yourself are lost, and a reminder that sometimes, magic can be found in small, mundane things.

If someone told me that Amelia Unabridged was a debut novel before I began reading, I wouldn't have believed it. Ms. Schumacher's literary debut shines, and it's absolutely worth losing yourself in.

Writing quality/readability - 5/5 The writing in Amelia Unabridged was, for me, immediately appealing. It's lush and descriptive, and the imagery it creates is at once vivid and easy to picture. So much of this writing feels like a love letter to stories; to the sense of wonder and magic dormant until you thumbed through its pages. This book is like that; even the mundane has a clear sense of wonder. It feels slightly surreal, at times - sort of like a fever dream - but in the best possible way. The pacing is a bit sluggish, at first; the novel largely gains momentum after the events of chapter 3. However, the slower pace doesn't detract from the writing or the enjoyment of the novel whatsoever. It maintains a steady pace throughout the rest of the novel. Stylistically, the writing is gorgeous. From a technical standpoint, it is clear, concise, and easily followed, with no major/noticeable grammatical errors or flaws.

Plot - 4/5 Amelia Unabridged introduces us to best friends Amelia and Jenna. Though polar opposites in nearly every respect, they both share a deep love for books. Their common bond isn't just any book: it's The Orman Chronicles, written by the reclusive, mysterious N.E. Endsley. Following Jenna's untimely death, Amelia is unmoored. No longer sure of the path Jenna had planned for them, and unable to find comfort/take refuge in books, Amelia's life is uprooted by the arrival of a mysterious limited edition copy of the first book in The Orman Chronicles. The only problem is that the edition shouldn't - and doesn't - exist. This is the catalyst that sends Amelia on a cross country quest trip, and ultimately leads to a journey of self-discovery, complete with unexpected friendships along the way.

The premise was refreshingly original, and, in many cases for fellow book lovers, achingly familiar. The novel does a masterful job portraying grief and its aftermath, the uncertainty that faces all young adults as the transition from high school to college, and how isolating it can be when you're desperately trying to forge your own path. It also manages to capture the excitement and nostalgia readers often experience about favorite series/novels. There's also the fact that the few glimpses of Orman that we see are so tantalizing, I'm genuinely disappointed that it isn't a real book series. My only gripe was that the romance subplot was disappointingly predictable, but not so much so that you aren't hopeful for the outcome regardless.

Characterization - 4/5 The characterization in Amelia Unabridged is solid. While there are times Amelia can be frustrating (prone to being whiny/childish, and her extreme fangirling can be cringe inducing, at times,) I saw so much of my (younger) self in her: wide eyed adoration towards her favorite author, and the inevitable disenchantment as you realize that they're people, not gods. She is flawed, but her flaws don't detract from her overall character; if anything, they make her more sympathetic and relatable. I admittedly wasn't overly fond of Nolan, at first; his introduction felt very tropey and overdone (Surly teenage boy with zero social skills, but automatically swoon-worthy because he's Troubled, TM.) I was pleasantly surprised by his character development and growth as the novel progressed, and he quickly grew into my favorite character. Alex provides much-needed levity to the heavier topics/themes addressed throughout the novel, and his fierce devotion to Nolan is not only admirable, but refreshing. (It's nice to see healthy, wholesome relationships between two young men in YA literature for once, instead of casting one as the rival for the heroine's affections/a foil.)

Each character felt fleshed out, fully realized, and above all, human.


This score is largely scored higher than it typically would be for a modern reason for two reasons: Val's bookshop, and the brief glimpses of Orman. Val's bookshop is exactly the kind of bookstore I'd fall in love with, and the kind, frankly, I'd love to own someday. The lore and few glimpses into Orman are fascinating, and the idea of a story-within-a-story, although certainly not new, works particularly well in this setting. It feels organic, and more importantly, natural. I'd half expect to find a copy of The Chronicles of Orman on the shelves of my local bookstore.

Amelia Unabridged broke my heart more than once. But it also allowed me to grieve, and more importantly, it normalized grief in a way that was at once respectful and genuine. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever loved a book or author fiercely, for anyone still grieving, and simply because this is a book that deserves to be read.