*Arc provided by Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Any book lover has one book or one series that is hands down their absolute favorite. For Amelia and Jenna that series is the Orman Chronicles and when the author N.E. Endsley is scheduled to appear at a book festival they both jump on the opportunity to go. Unfortunately, Amelia misses a rare opportunity to meet him leading to a heated exchange between her and Jenna when she finds out Jenna was the last person he spoke to before leaving the festival. Before Amelia and Jenna are able to patch up their friendship Jenna is killed in a car accident leaving Amelia to question everything about her plans for college and life. One day an incredibly rare special edition of the Orman Chronicles shows up propelling Amelia on an adventure to small town in Michigan where she ends up meeting N.E. Endsley.

Review:

As someone who's attended many BookCon's and author signings this book hurt a little to read after having all events cancelled last year as this is a book for book lovers. The details of the book festival and the special edition copy of the Orman Chronicles with all the art makes my book collecting heart start racing. Amelia was so was relatable in her excitement and attachment to this book. To read her disappointment at missing the opportunity to meet her favorite author and get her book signed is a very real thing at a festival/convention especially when you have to travel to get to the event. I can't even imagine how frustrating and mad I'd be finding out my bestfriend got to meet them for the whole 5 minutes we were separated. I don't think I'd ever flip out like Amelia does, but I get why she does, The trauma of losing her bestfriend after a fight like that is hard to read because when you lose someone regardless of if it's an accident or you know it's coming I think you always mentally playback your time and question if fights were worth it.

Amelia isn't just learning how to get past her grief though she's also learning who she is identity wise without Jenna. If that wasn't enough she's also learning the very important difference between the person you make up in your head vs the person someone really is. Lots of serious emotions and big topics in this book with enough YA fluff to not put you in a book slump.

I love the fairytale feel to this book. It’s a beautiful story about grief, loss and learning to heal. The two main characters bond because they are both broken and it’s just lovely. Definitely a great YA novel.

This book came with a heavy package. It was brutal and raw in many ways. It needs to be read by all.

Amelia Unabridged is absolutely beautiful. Full of heart and whimsy and heartache and healing, it makes a little nest in your heart where it lights you up from the inside long after the last page.

I got about 15% into this book and just couldn’t bring myself to pick it up again. I’ll probably try again in the future but I just didn’t want to force my way through it and burn out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of ‘Amelia Unabridged’ by Ashley Schumacher. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought the writing in this book was enjoyable and quick to read but my issues came from the story itself. I felt like everyone just needed to find a therapist. It didn’t feel like anyone made progress towards healing and most of the book was characters trauma bonding with each other.

There was a big issue of instalove which didn’t make a ton of sense to me. The characters kept pointing out how unbelievable it was but that doesn’t make it more palatable. I think instalove can be done well but most of the time it isn’t. I also thought there was going to be a setup for Amelia and the boy she bumps into (Alex). You’re really going to have two characters bump into each other and one describe the other as a “human chocolate chip cookie” and then they aren’t the love interest? I felt like Amelia and Alex could have bonded over caring about Nolan and wanting to help him rather than what the story was actually about with Amelia and Nolan instaloving and trauma bonding the whole time.

I also had issues with Amelia’s circumstances when she goes to the bookstore. She shows up at this bookstore and they just invite her to stay and pay for everything. If everyone is super protective of Nolan and his privacy they should have sent Amelia packing. I know she didn’t go there intending to be a stalker but once she realized who Nolan was she did come off kind of stalker-ish. She’s also given all this information about Nolan’s past and they just hope she won’t sell the info or bring the tabloids to their small town despite the fact that they barely know her.

Nolan raised so many red flags for me. Reading bad reviews of your book and destroying your phones by stabbing them with a sword not once but twice is not a cute anecdote it is a big red flag. Nolan needed a therapist. This book really pushed the idea that Amelia was supposed to save Nolan (and other people too like Jenna’s parents) which is not a great message. Again he barely knew her a week and she lived many states away but she was supposed to stay with him? The scene where she was leaving really bothered me as everyone was acting like she owed it to Nolan to stay with him. After they knew each other for a week.

I did like the message about community college being a valid choice as I think that’s something that should be more accepted.

3/5 stars

What a beautiful story of loss and hope and healing after a tragedy. From page 1, I fell in love with Amelia and felt all her sorrow and anger and fear along with her through the entire book. Ashley Schumacher painted such a picture with her words that I could feel myself in Lochbrook, at the festival with Nolan and Alex and Amelia and Wally. Amelia finally found the family of her dreams and herself along the way. I can't wait to see more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. I really loved it.

WOW what a book! A true gem! This book absolutely exceeded my expectations. I’m not certain what I was anticipating but I wasn’t expecting such a beautiful story that pulled on my heartstrings. Amelia and Jenna are BFFs who bonded over their love of books. For their graduation trip the friends go to a book festival with the hopes of meeting the author of their favorite fantasy series. When Jenna happens to meet the enigmatic Author and Amelia doesn’t it causes a rift in the friendship. Jenna is killed in a car accident while visiting Ireland and Amelia is heartbroken that they never really set their friendship right. When Amelia received a mysterious book in the mail from their favorite author she goes on a quest to Michigan to find out how Jenna sent her this book. And more importantly what is the message behind this unexpected gift.

Such a gorgeously told story filled with grief, hope, resilience, and love. Amelia was such a wonderful character I was completely captivated by her story. The bookshop that she travels to in Michigan was serious book heaven. I just loved all the vivid descriptions of the shop I felt like I was right there alongside Amelia. The Romance in the Story was so touching it hit me right in the feels. The connection between Amelia and Nolan was emotional and real. I could go on and on but I will spare you all. If you are looking for a stunning story that will make you smile, swoon, sigh and cry, then this is the book for you!

This book in emojis 📚🐶 🐋 🌊 📸

*** Big thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

i think my students will love this book. Just enough sadness combined with a love story - something that they are always asking for.

How am I supposed to go on living life normally after this book? How am I supposed to continue on knowing that this book didn’t get the marketing it deserves and I’ll (most likely) never get five different special editions of this book?

Amelia Unabridged is best going into mostly blind. Just don’t read the synopsis. The book is about grief, and the main character using her understanding of her own grief to help someone else deal with their grief and anxiety. The book is also a love letter to the all of the books that helped us through our traumas and hard spots in life, and to the authors who wrote them.

It’s hard to describe how much this book means to me, and personal too. I really loved Amelia as the main character who we saw a bit before the incident, and then we got to see how she responded after the incident. What I love so much about this book was the importance it put on a strong support system. And how sometimes your biggest supporters can be found families.

I truly love this book with all my heart, and I can’t wait for someone else to pick this up and love it too.

I started this book with very high expectations, as I was told that it was very good. However, the longer I read it, the lower my opinion of it became. The beginning started out fine, but once Amelia meets the guy there is immediate insta-love. The whole romance was just so rushed and just all of the sudden there that I found it very hard to believe. The whole plot to me was just unrealistic, and a bit cringy at times. Who stays the night in the bookstore/apartment of a complete stranger they just met half an hour ago?? That is so creepy. I also had a problem with how Amelia and the guy just met, she leaves, and they suddenly know they're soul mates?

I guess I just gave this book three stars because it was average. Nothing special, nothing that I will really remember reading down the road from now.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

So here is Amelia, a high school girl who has all the chips stacked against her. Her father left, her mother is a depressed shell of herself but at least she has her bestie and her super supportive parents. Oh and she loves this book series about sisters who move between this world and a mythical one.

Lots of promising set up. The beginning of the book was easy to get into.

But her bestie dies. And she decides that she’s going to stop reading because the love of reading and that particular book series is something that they shared. Hmm...

Then, she gets a mysterious copy of the book and even though she calls them and they say they have no record of anyone sending her the book, she decides to take a plane BY HERSELF for a week to track down the bookstore. For real life?! Oh and did I mention that she’s a senior in high school?

So she gets on a plane, rents a car (is that even possible?) and drives herself to this bookstore without making any hotel or lodging arrangements. And what does she find there? An big dog and insta-love. Ugh.

Kids, don’t try this at home. Please.

The rest of the book felt like a love story written by a middle schooler with an idealized version of love. And a big dog.

Am I too old for this book? Too jaded? Too parental? Perhaps. This is the kind of book I read when I was young and impressionable and led me to anxiously await my very own hot insta-love. Take one young girl, add sulky misunderstood boy, simmer for five days and POOF! Lifelong happiness! *sigh*

—-

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I would like to extend my thanks to the author, #NetGalley and publisher for sending me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. It is beautifully written, and the characters so well described I felt like I was on their whimsical journey together. There is nothing bad to say about this book. I cried. I laughed. I held my breath. I am not giving anything away about this book as I would hate to make anyone miss the magic written in these pages.

This book broke me! I cried so hard with this one. I could not put it down and I read it so fast and I just died while reading this. If you need an amazing read that will break you in the best possible way then read this one now!

Love, love, love!! Amelia Unabridged is a FANTSTIC novel that I fell in deep with. A book about books, friendship, and life. What more could I want?

Amelia's dad has run off with a younger woman. Her mom ignores her. All she has are her books. Until the day she befriends Jenna. Soon, she is enmeshed in Jenna's family and finally feels a part of something. For graduation, Jenna gets tickets for a book convention where Amelia's FAVORITE author will be speaking. Say what? How amazing is that, right? Well, unfortunately he cancels, which really disappoints Amelia. However, she gets outraged when she finds out that her BFF, Jenna, actually met the author. Yep, turns out she met him at the airport when he was having a panic attack. Suffice it to say, Amelia is not happy and the two wind up having a MASSIVE argument. They don't get the chance to really make up, because Jenna winds up passing away in an accident in Ireland. Devastated by the loss of her best friend, Amelia stops reading and questions everything about life. And then, she receives a book in the mail. A book by her favorite author. Could this be from Jenna? Convinced her best friend is behind this happy mail, Amelia decides to track the book down - where did it come from? She winds up tracing it to a bookshop in Michigan where she meets her favorite author. Say what? Yep, Amelia finally comes face to face with him. And, her journey to the bookshop and what happens after wind up opening Amelia up to the her future and the possibilities it can bring.

Talk about a fascinating and gripping story. I just loved getting to know Amelia and Jenna. And I absolutely LOVED reading about their love of books. This story was so much fun to read. I would happily recommend Amelia Unabridged to anyone and everyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book to bits!!

It's a crummy feeling when, rather than enjoying a well written YA romance, I brood over how it isn't logically possible to fall instantly and insanely in love with someone you've just met. Maybe the younger me would have immensely liked this book, the present me wasn't floored while reading it. It's cute and everything else a book on young love should be like but I am such a cynic. The premise was intriguing and it started off quite well too but after a bit, there were some aspects in the story that I just can't shakeoff. As in how Valerie openly welcomes a person ( Amelia ) she just met, into her home or even how all the characters bond so well together over such a short time and yet Amelia doesn't make an effort to reconnect with her mom.
Too bad it turned out this way for me because I did try hard to like reading this book but I found very little in it to connect with. I still recommend this book because maybe you will find the magic in it that alludes me.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Rating: 10/10
Steam:🔥/4

This is a stunning debut novel written by Ashley Schumacher. It has so much depth and quotable moments. I want to read this book every year. I’ve lost many close family members and the grief never leaves but transforms as life my continues. I continue to get little signs and messages from my angels in Heaven. I am grateful for the gift of this book and the message it shares.

This book, to put it plainly, is incredible. The characters are raw and genuine and believable and the setting is so whimsical and somehow hyper realistic at the same time.

It is very clear that the author has experienced grief because the way it is tackled in this book is so accurate. I was torn between wanting to devour it all in one setting and spacing it out over time to savor it so it wouldn’t end too quickly.

This will absolutely be on my top books of the year list and is getting recommended to everyone I know.

5 ⭐️

Everything is a story, not just writing. You need to find the story that means something to you, a story you like telling."

Title: Amelia Unabridged
Author: Ashley Schumacher
Type: Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Amelia Unabridged is a very "YA" book, a genre that lately I haven't been falling in love with, hence although the story might be brilliant for me it fell a little flat in comparison to my expectations. Amelia and Jenna are best friends, I loved their meeting story and felt it resonated throughout the whole story. However, I didn't really feel the connection between them, apart from that first scene that stuck in my mind all the other scenes between them felt really inconsequential. Jenna's death, which is not a spoiler but the force that drives the whole story, felt very rapid and I never really felt sadness because I didn't connect with them or at least her relationship with Amelia.

The story quickly turns into a coming of age story. After Jenna's death, Amelia has to figure out how to live without her friend and how to live in reality not in her daydreams or books. This turns out to be hard as she receives a book from her favorite author, a one of a kind edition that she knows was sent by Jenna. Before embarking into the journey to college she knows she has to figure out why Jenna sent her the book this way, if it even was Jenna. She travels alone to this strange library where she meets her favorite author who happens to also be going through the motions of grief and has not been able to finish the glorious books Amelia holds so close to her heart.

The story is one that comes alive, and the writing speaks by itself. However, I was never able to connect with the characters which made it really hard to be amazed or proud or every happy for them. The romance was super cute but very PG. I think my biggest issue was that at times I felt I was reading about Middle Schoolers, not almost college students. Amelia sounded very immature and distant. Overall the story is not forgettable due to the great writing, but the characters definitely are.

The feelings that the story evokes are marvelous and I feel the book would be great for another audience that is not me. Thus I still recommend it 100% if you're looking for a one of a kind YA story, but not if you like things to be darker and steamier like I have been recently in the mood for.

--- 2.5 stars ---