Reconstructing Amelia {Discussion}

 I finished January’s book, Reconstructing Amelia, last week so I had some time to reflect on my thoughts about it. In short, I loved it, but I’ll go into more detail in a minute. I’ve put together five questions that I’ll answer below about my thoughts on the book. The questions will be the same each month since they are really general, but in some instances I’ll probably throw in a more specific question depending on the book we read. 

Let’s get into the discussion! {Spoilers ahead}.

1. What was your favorite part of the book?
I wish I could name a hundred parts, because I really enjoyed this book. Every detail came full circle at the end, which is why I love mystery novels so much. I like that we find out Amelia’s English teacher was the author behind the Gracefully blog, because it was so unexpected to me. How could a teacher write all those hurtful pieces of gossip about her students and stream it live online?! But honestly, she could overhear everything that was going on in the school and she really had an inside look into all the craziness that high school kids go through including all the “secret” societies they were a part of. I also loved the part when we finally learn all the details that occurred that day on the roof. I don’t think I put the book down once I got to that point. It was so beautifully written and almost had me in tears. 

2. What did you dislike?
I found myself rushing through any chapters detailing the love life of Kate, Amelia’s mother. I didn’t find it that interesting and I thought it was insignificant to the overall mystery of the story. Obviously, we later find out that it’s a hugely important aspect of the book. Jeremy is actually Amelia’s biological father and is also the man behind the “Ben” character that Amelia befriends online. If I have time, I might go back and re-read these parts of the book. Maybe it would make more sense to me, given I now know the ending.

3. What were your thoughts as you read the last page of the book?
As I mentioned above, I couldn’t put the book down once I got to the part detailing Amelia and Sylvia’s time on the roof. All Amelia’s secrets finally came out. My jaw dropped when Sylvia learns in a picture text message that her boyfriend took the explicit photos of Amelia, which eventually led to their argument and Amelia accidentally falling. The last chapter when Kate reflects on life without Amelia and how she’ll always keep her memory alive really had me choked up. I thought it was the only fitting way to end the book. One thing that I wish was more explained was Dylan’s condition. We learn that she has something going on (I’m guessing high-functioning autism), which is why her mother sends her up north. I would have liked to learn more about what happened to Dylan and more about her back story. 

4. What were your thoughts on the writing? 
The book bounces from present day to the past depending on the chapter. You get to hear the story from Amelia as well as from her mother. This was a bit to get used to at first, but once the story got underway, it was really interesting. In some instances, you learn about an event in Amelia’s life firsthand from Amelia, and in other instances you find out at the same time as her mother. 

5. Would you recommend this book?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. I loved this book so much. There were definitely parts that (in my opinion) were drawn out, for example Kate’s relationships with random men, but overall this book was phenomenal.