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paragraphsandpages 's review for:
Amelia Unabridged
by Ashley Schumacher
I was honestly surprised by how much I liked this. I think my enjoyment can largely be attributed to the absolutely magical bookstore that most of this story takes place in (seriously, can I go??), but I loved the rest of the book a lot too.
I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I started this book, but this book was so much more than I could have ever expected. It's a tale laden with grief and heartbreak, but also deals with so much more than that. Amelia is stuck on a path in life she's not sure if she wants, but it's the path she created together with her best friend, who has just died tragically. This story explores Amelia's grief, her final moments of anger with her best friend, and the immense guilt she feels at not wanting the future they were planning to share together anymore. This guilt is what the book explores the most, as another character is introduced that struggles with this same mixture of guilt and grief.
My favorite part of this book had to be the lyrical writing, especially when describing the bookstore and some of Amelia's dreams/imagined scenes. Often, when books move too close to magical realism, or involve a lot of daydreaming on the part of the MC, I usually get put off if it doesn't well. It can easily feel cringy or too out-there. This book didn't have that issue at all, largely thanks to the gorgeous writing and descriptions that accompanied it, and I found myself enjoying the shared daydreams between the two main characters a lot instead. I also liked how the writing was able to carry the heavy aspects and discussions of this book, conveying the deep and tough emotions of the moment without feeling too dreary or hopeless.
Overall, I ended up really enjoying this, and will definitely be trying other books by this author!
I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I started this book, but this book was so much more than I could have ever expected. It's a tale laden with grief and heartbreak, but also deals with so much more than that. Amelia is stuck on a path in life she's not sure if she wants, but it's the path she created together with her best friend, who has just died tragically. This story explores Amelia's grief, her final moments of anger with her best friend, and the immense guilt she feels at not wanting the future they were planning to share together anymore. This guilt is what the book explores the most, as another character is introduced that struggles with this same mixture of guilt and grief.
My favorite part of this book had to be the lyrical writing, especially when describing the bookstore and some of Amelia's dreams/imagined scenes. Often, when books move too close to magical realism, or involve a lot of daydreaming on the part of the MC, I usually get put off if it doesn't well. It can easily feel cringy or too out-there. This book didn't have that issue at all, largely thanks to the gorgeous writing and descriptions that accompanied it, and I found myself enjoying the shared daydreams between the two main characters a lot instead. I also liked how the writing was able to carry the heavy aspects and discussions of this book, conveying the deep and tough emotions of the moment without feeling too dreary or hopeless.
Overall, I ended up really enjoying this, and will definitely be trying other books by this author!