Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

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Title: Amelia Unabridged
Author: Ashley Schumacher
Published by: Wednesday Books
Release Date: February 16, 2021
Format: eARC
Pages: 304
Genres: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: NetGalley
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Winter, Lenoreo's 2021 Netgalley and Edelweiss Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository
My rating:

Blurb:

Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future in this unforgettable debut novel sure to entice fans of Jandy Nelson and Jennifer E. Smith

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book 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 Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

Ashley Schumacher's devastating and beautiful debut, Amelia Unabridged, is about finding hope and strength within yourself, and maybe, just maybe, falling in love while you do it.

My Review:

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4.5 stars — Well, I’m in a glass case of emotion.  I’m not saying the whole book was a cryfest, but I am saying that I cried forcefully on several occasions.  But for me, that’s not a bad thing.  In fact, for a debut book I think it’s kind of an awesome thing.

I shouldn’t have been surprised by all the emotion, the book quite clearly deals with a lot of grief.  But it was the way that Ms. Schumacher described that grief, and showcased it in Amelia that really got to me.

I will admit that, from the blurb, I was somewhat concerned about what happened between Amelia and Jenna wrt the author and stuff.  I expected characters making mean decisions or something, or the fight being nasty.  If anyone else is worried about that, you can set your worries aside.  There was a lot to that whole encounter, and while it was tough, I was relieved that I didn’t dislike anyone as a result of what happened.  I can’t say more than that, but yeah.

The writing in this one was both out there and delightful.  Sometimes I had a hard time understanding Amelia and her imagination…let’s just say my imagination is not as good.  I wasn’t quite sure what it all meant.  But I can’t tell you how many things I highlighted, b/c they were beautiful or profound or both.

Despite not always understanding all that made Amelia tick, I easily connected with her.  She was earnest, kind, fun, quirky…but she also had a lot of young adult moments that can make a person feel frustrated.  I felt for how torn she was in her life, about what she wanted out of it.  And my god, I felt her grief to my bones.

Nolan and Alex and Val and Wally and all the crazy characters of Lochbrook brought weird shades of colour I wasn’t expecting.  I loved the relationships that were developed, and the fun mixed with emotional upheaval.  I loved that we got both a tiny love story and significant friendships.  The stories that were told here were actually quite unexpected for me, and just really added to Amelia’s journey.

All in all this one took a lot out of me, but also gave so much back.