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 had before. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna dies 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.
After suffering the loss of her best friend, Amelia is mysteriously sent a limited edition of her favourite book and is convinced Jenna has something to do with it. Avoiding the life decisions and grief that are haunting her, she finds herself on a trip to track down the origins of this book and ends up finding alot more than she expected. New friendships and bonds are formed but can Amelia find it in herself to create her own future instead of the one that's been offered to her?
This was not my usual cup of tea, I tend to stay away from sad books because I'm a total wimp and will spend my lunch break trying to cry stealthily so my colleagues don't see me weeping all over my book. However, I loved this SO MUCH! I think it is genuinely perfect, I couldn't put it down and now I'm sad that my time with Amelia and her friends is over. The mixture of heartbreak, warmth and humour is so perfectly portrayed and has such a wonderful cast of characters that I couldn't recommend it more, a total gem!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
