Dreaming of Amelia

I mean-why do you not just TAKE my money Jaclyn Moriarty and give me ALL of your books. Utterly brilliant fractured narrative told with a mixture of essay answers, blogs and scholarship fund board meetings (yes, really). Moriarty plays with the reader and their expectations (ghosts are real/no they're not/ yes they are/ no they're not) and manages to create some wonderful characters from the ensemble cast-all told via this collage of oddments–Emily being my particular fave. Things get scary and sad and real and complicated, but it all comes together and SOMEHOW still manages to be funny! As well as all the other stuff. Which, strictly speaking, should not be allowed. I can see why this got a namecheck in E Lockhart's We Were Liars. I am going to have to add Moriarty to my ever growing list of wonderful Australian YA authors: Joanne Horniman, Melina Marchetta, Cath Crowley, Karen Foxlee to name a few. What is it with these Antipodeans? Something in the water?Whatever it is I hope they keep taking it because the YA world needs more.

Wow I loved the story through and through. It is great to be back at Ashbury again with the three girls Em, Cass and Lyd. It was great to see them through their final year of school and how they evolved from year 10 in Cass goes Crazy with the pen pal letters. It was great to know that there was new people to meet and show that every student is not perfect and that every one has secrets even if they are dark and not meant to be spoken about. Big well done again to Jaclyn Moriarty. Recommend 100%.

Dreaming of Amelia contains some of the much-loved characters from the previous books in the Ashbury/Brookfield series, but this one is I think aimed at a slighter older audience, as it's longer, more complex, and takes on some slightly more grown-up themes (e.g. abuse). I appreciated how intelligent and well-researched this book was. Unlike the previous ones, this story has a little bit of magical realism and definitely haunts you for a little while after finishing it. I thought that the new characters of Amelia and Riley were a little less tangible than the others - probably intentional because of their otherworldly aspect, but they weren't as relatable and readable as, say, Bindy Mackenzie or Cass, Em, and Lydia. But a well-written, entertaining, mystical addition to this series.

Not my cup of tea at all. Usually, when I read a book, I have it finished in 2 or 3 days, but I really couldn't get into this one. I struggled for about 2 months and only got to page 234. I found it confusing and uninteresting. Clearly my brain does not work in the same way as the Author, or the people that have enjoyed this story.

I started out reading Moriarty's books because of a blog post by the Book Smugglers, two women who review novels (and are pretty much always accurate!), and they really raved about her writing. I picked up Bindy Mackenzie first (wrong order, of course) and I adored it. Understatement, I guess, but I literally can't express how much I loved it. So of course I got her other books one by one, slowly, until I had them all. I bought Dreaming of Amelia last and I'm glad I did, because it is my favourite of them all :) The title is apt, because if I could describe the book in one word, it would be 'dreamy.' It has a strangely nostalgic feel to it, the descriptions are vivid to the point in which it feels as though you are sifting through your own memories. Every character is alive and real with flaws and failings - I literally felt as though these were people who could have gone to my school. The utter genius of Moriarty is that she hands the plot to you in tiny, mouth-watering bites, keeping you hooked until she unleashes the main course in the dizzying end, where everything comes together and finally makes sense! I tend to reread her books instead of reading new ones and whenever I do, I'm left with a sense of contentment - they are always interesting, funny, touching and amazing. Five stars for sure :)

I've been a huge fan of Jaclyn Moriarty since her very first book and have devoured avidly everything she has written, however this book in particular is my favourite of hers and after many reads has become my favourite novel ever. This book is beautifully written, the characters are likable and the story is such an original and enigmatic one. Although written for a teenage audience, Dreaming of Amelia caters to all ages as despite the young age of the main characters, Moriarty's style of writing offers a lot of wit and intellect. Upon my first reading I finished it in a day and have read it five times since, I simply cannot speak highly enough of this book.