This book begins with how Amelia met and became best friends with Jenna, after Amelia’s father walked out on his family. I didn’t read the summary before I began to read, so my emotions were all over the place when we got the news that Jenna died in a car accident. To prevent the unnecessary anguish, I give you – the summary!

Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future. 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 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. 

WHAT I LOVED

If I had to sum up what I loved about the book in one word, it would be everything. The way Schumacher writes pulled me in immediately (when I grow up, I want to write like she does!) as I immediately became invested in her relationship with Jenna. Hence the absolute shock at her life being cut short. When Amelia set off on her adventure to Michigan, I found myself jealous at times, wishing I could pick up and have an adventure of my own.

The chemistry between Endsley and Amelia jumped off the pages, as they navigated each others lives. I tried swiping the pages as fast as I could to find out who sent her the book, and why. Watching Amelia not only navigate meeting her favorite author, but also trying to figure out what message Jenna was trying to send her and determine what she wants to do with her life made me swipe the pages even faster!

There was no part of this book I did not enjoy. I have read so many bookos about characters who live and breathe books. Who become lost in stories and tout how much of a bibliophile they are. I feel like this is one of the rare books that I truly felt it.

WHAT SURPRISED ME

Fantasy books are not ones I naturally gravitate to. I will dabble from time to time, but I prefer books that are more in line with women’s fiction. Imagine my surprise when I am reading this book, and within the story are details of Endsley’s book series The Orman Chronicles. I was even more surprised to find that after hearing what The Orman Chronicles was about, I found myself wanting to read it! I wonder if the author will make that a side series she writes (I’m thinking like how the author of Younger had a character on the TV show that wrote a book, so she wrote it). I would be one of the first in line to give it a try!

I highly recommend this young adult fiction book – out now! As the cover states – it’s never too late to start a second chapter!