Take a photo of a barcode or cover
nickvk4 's review for:
Amelia, If Only
by Becky Albertalli
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Imogen, Obviously was my first Becky Albertalli book and instantly became my literal #1 all-time favourite, not just for its warm characters, excellent writing or banger one-liners. For me it was deep personal relatability to Imogen as a character, inner monologue and her arc, that came at the right time in my life.
There was no way Amelia If Only, a spin-off with different main characters in the same universe, was ever going to measure up to that. It’d be cruel to expect it to.
That said.
Man, Becky Albertalli can WRITE.
The experience of reading both these books is the closest I’ve come to the feeling that is tied to the idea of “reading a book in a comfy chair with a blanket near the hearth in midwinter”, but then it never turns out to be as comfy as you imagine it. But Albertalli’s books not only make me feel that way, but invoke that feeling everywhere I read it.
Amelia If Only has funny, heartwarming characters, witty dialogue, great supportive friendships. It is clearly informed with her own experience of parasocial relationships, and critique of fan dynamics, but grounded in great (side)character work.
I will have to concede that I didn’t relate to Amelia as I did to Imogen as a character. At all even. But she was still a chaotic, sympathetic goofball. Neither did Amelia If Only hit me as hard as Imogen did, but it was still an incredibly cozy read.
There was no way Amelia If Only, a spin-off with different main characters in the same universe, was ever going to measure up to that. It’d be cruel to expect it to.
That said.
Man, Becky Albertalli can WRITE.
The experience of reading both these books is the closest I’ve come to the feeling that is tied to the idea of “reading a book in a comfy chair with a blanket near the hearth in midwinter”, but then it never turns out to be as comfy as you imagine it. But Albertalli’s books not only make me feel that way, but invoke that feeling everywhere I read it.
Amelia If Only has funny, heartwarming characters, witty dialogue, great supportive friendships. It is clearly informed with her own experience of parasocial relationships, and critique of fan dynamics, but grounded in great (side)character work.
I will have to concede that I didn’t relate to Amelia as I did to Imogen as a character. At all even. But she was still a chaotic, sympathetic goofball. Neither did Amelia If Only hit me as hard as Imogen did, but it was still an incredibly cozy read.