#Review - Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher #YA #Romance #Contemporary

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: February 16, 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher
Genre:Young Adult / Romance / Contemporary

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 had before. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna dies 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. 18-year old Amelia Griffin's life has had it's ups and downs. First, her father left her and her mother for a newer version and disappeared. On that same day, Amelia meets Jenna Williams at a bookstore who takes her under her wing, and makes her feel welcomed. This includes Jenna's parents who are always happy to have her over for dinner or whatever she needs.

Jenna introduces Amelia to the Orman Chronicles by N.E. Endsley and his characters Emmeline and Ainsley. The girls form a special bound and Amelia is saved by the Orman Chronicles, getting lost in magical world of two sisters who are competing with each other winning the right to wear the crown. Both of them start finding similarities between them and those little sisters. So much so that after graduation, they travel to see him in an event in California. If you've ever been to a book convention, you know what I am speaking of. 

Unfortunately, Amelia misses out on meeting her favorite author after he cancels out and leaves suddenly. What makes things even more aggravating is that Jenna claims that she did meet him briefly before he left the convention. Knowing how much the author means to her, Amelia feels like she’s been betrayed by her best friend. To make matters even worse for Amelia, before she left, they had a fight which was lingering when Jenna dies in an unfortunate accident while traveling to Ireland. 

Grief-stricken, heart broken, and without her best friend to guide her, they both planned on attended college in Montana, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future. Amelia stops reading because she feels that if she opens a book she may betray the last memory of her best friend. 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, handsome, and reclusive Nolan Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along. What Amelia learns is that she's not the only one who has faced tragedy. Here she'll meet Valerie, Alex, and Wally, the dog who will eat anything. Here she'll learn courage and secrets about herself and Nolan which forms a beautiful connection between the two characters. Here she'll discover who she is, and her own future not laid out by someone else. 

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

I have walked in Amelia's shoes. I could relate to what she was going through. But I never had anyone like Jenna who tried to plan my life out for me. I loved Nolan. He's really a special character whose own background is tragic. His loss ended up with him writing the Orman Chronicles. One could say that it was his way of crying out for help which was finally heard by Amelia. Alex is a very likable character and a hard worker. He's straight up protective of Nolan and gets upset if anyone upsets him in any way. 

 

They are like brothers who stick together and rely on each other thru thick and thin. Val is the mother that Amelia lost when her own mother checked out after her husband walked out. Val decided to do something with her life and opened a book store, and teaches music, Amelia's mother decided that TV was more important than her own daughter. I liked Jenna's parents as well, but they could be just a bit overbearing. However, they were there for Amelia when her own parents weren't. Of course, there's also Wally the dog who is a menace to society but also adorable, and lovable. 

 

 

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository