Review: The Movie Version by Emma Wunsch

Real life is never scripted and that is something of a problem for Amelia, the protagonist of this well meaning but poorly executed YA novel. Amelia wishes that everything could be safe, comfortable and perfect. However, when her beloved older brother starts taking illicit drugs as a coping mechanism for a severe and initially undiagnosed mental illness she is forced to realise that life is not always safe and is rarely perfect, and she has to accept things as they are.

I did not enjoy this novel. I should have known something was up when I found my copy--a pristine hardcover--going for fifty cents at a council library book sale. Despite the fact that it was published eight years ago, and probably landed on the library shelves soon afterward, it does not look as though any reader before me has ever read past about page thirty. Even the librarian gave me a look of surprise when I purchased it. Anyway, despite the deceptively pretty cover (just like a movie, I guess,) this one is surprisingly dark and explicit for YA. (Just like real life, I guess.) The writing is a little choppy and I felt that some things were done purely for shock value and added little to the story, such as some of Amelia's early sexual experiences. It leans a little too far into how unromantic real life can be, which is by no means a terrible thing but the story could have stood out a lot more if the writing was better and if the book itself was pitched appropriately at older YA readers via the cover and blurb.

Not recommended. 

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