*I won this from a Good Reads giveaway. Thank you to Good Reads and Wednesday Books for the early copy.*
"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 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."
I want to start this review by saying that this book wasn't for me. While it was made for the die-hard fans of good cult literature and the dreamers who get lost in text, I wasn't sold on the story itself. Honestly, I was utterly bored. I applaud the author for the attention to detail and the emotion portrayed throughout the story, but it was too much detail for me. I sometimes thought it took away from what was happening at that moment in the novel.
I do like how the author broke down grief. It's hard to lose someone, especially someone you're very close to. There is no manual on how to get over a death. Amelia was already in a low place when she met her savior and best friend, Jenna. To lose that thing that helped you heal is heartbreaking. I can understand why Amelia latched on to the idea that a mysterious rare edition book showing up addressed to her is a sign.
What I couldn't grasp was the pacing of the book. A lot happened in a week where Amelia took her trip to find where this book originated. She met a boy and somehow fell in love. She went through a metamorphosis of reflection and desire, and all turned out well. The pacing just didn't seem right to me. Like one moment, we're on a nice track, easing into the next phase of the story, and the next minute we're in a speed racing car trying to catch up with the character's awkward love compatibility. The flow didn't come off naturally.
Overall I rate Amelia Unabridged 3-stars. It was an emotional story with a mid plot, and it just didn't do it for me. I'm sure it will tug on the heartstrings of many people, but my heart was rock hard for this novel.
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