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adammm 's review for:
Amelia Unabridged
by Ashley Schumacher
At first, I found Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher to be very strong - so strong that I was convinced it would be one of my favorite reads of the year. Unfortunately, somewhere around 2/3rds into the book I realized that I was sadly mistaken. Although this is a YA novel, it follows a common romance trope: the outsider comes to town with a departure date already in hand, falls in love, helps to save the day (a town-wide event, or failing coffeeshop, or whatever), and then leaves... or does she? Schumacher twists this trope by setting it against the backdrop of grief, with Amelia grieving for her recently deceased best friend while the love interest also works through his own loss(es). And honestly? The mix of romance and recovery from grief really doesn't work for me in this book. This is emblematized by a scene in which the protagonist and the love interest kiss on the grave of a significant (loved) character. That is a failure no matter how you frame it.
Besides that, I think there are a few structural issues that take away from a very, very strong beginning. First, I think it's pretty clear from early on that Amelia is with the wrong love interest. In virtually every romance or YA story I've ever read, the first boy/man the protagonist encounters is the love interest. Maybe there's instant attraction; maybe they fight; but they are always together in the end. That's not the case here. Instead, that character is relegated to the friendzone and we end up with one who is... how shall I put this... damaged. For most of the book I thought he was on the Autistic spectrum, but eventually we learn that his somewhat unusual actions and behaviors result from grief. I do not get "grief" out of his actions. Just sayin'.
Second, I realized that the book doesn't really work for me when I noticed the author falling into metaphor and simile for the billionth time. Yeah, this is a stylistic choice; but when we yet again read about the dense forests in the love interest's eyes it gets a little old, y'know? Sometimes writers focus on style to the detriment of the story, and I think that happened here.
Third is a follow-up to my previous point: this book has a very, very strong plot but the author sort of throws it all away to focus on the interiority of the characters, but this was done so poorly that I found myself not really even caring about what happened next. This is a sign of poor writing instincts, frankly, or at least a pretty lousy editor.
If I were to rewrite the book, I would
I have some other complaints with the book but I need to get to work so I'll wrap up this review here. I'm just kind of annoyed - this book was so strong and suddenly I got the ick and couldn't stop noticing the flaws. I'm still giving the book 3 stars (technically 3.5 rounded down), and I'll probably read more books by this author, but I am prepared to be disappointed.
Besides that, I think there are a few structural issues that take away from a very, very strong beginning. First, I think it's pretty clear from early on that Amelia is with the wrong love interest. In virtually every romance or YA story I've ever read, the first boy/man the protagonist encounters is the love interest. Maybe there's instant attraction; maybe they fight; but they are always together in the end. That's not the case here. Instead, that character is relegated to the friendzone and we end up with one who is... how shall I put this... damaged. For most of the book I thought he was on the Autistic spectrum, but eventually we learn that his somewhat unusual actions and behaviors result from grief. I do not get "grief" out of his actions. Just sayin'.
Second, I realized that the book doesn't really work for me when I noticed the author falling into metaphor and simile for the billionth time. Yeah, this is a stylistic choice; but when we yet again read about the dense forests in the love interest's eyes it gets a little old, y'know? Sometimes writers focus on style to the detriment of the story, and I think that happened here.
Third is a follow-up to my previous point: this book has a very, very strong plot but the author sort of throws it all away to focus on the interiority of the characters, but this was done so poorly that I found myself not really even caring about what happened next. This is a sign of poor writing instincts, frankly, or at least a pretty lousy editor.
If I were to rewrite the book, I would
Spoiler
either have Amelia and Nolan become friends who help each other with their grief and leave everyone single at the end, or make them friends while pairing Amelia and Alex. Amelia and Nolan really doesn't work for me.I have some other complaints with the book but I need to get to work so I'll wrap up this review here. I'm just kind of annoyed - this book was so strong and suddenly I got the ick and couldn't stop noticing the flaws. I'm still giving the book 3 stars (technically 3.5 rounded down), and I'll probably read more books by this author, but I am prepared to be disappointed.