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The Movie Version
A whip-smart, heart-wrenching debut YA novel about first love, first loss, and filmmaking that will delight fans of Jandy Nelson and Jennifer Niven
In the movie version of Amelia’s life, the roles have always been clear. Her older brother, definitely the Star. As popular with the stoners as he is with the cheerleaders, Toby is someone you’d pay ten bucks to watch sweep Battle of the Bands and build a “beach party” in the bathroom. As for Amelia? She’s Toby Anderson’s Younger Sister. She’s perfectly happy to watch Toby’s hijinks from the sidelines, when she’s not engrossed in one of her elaborately themed Netflix movie marathons.
But recently Toby’s been acting in a very non-movie-version way. He’s stopped hanging out with his horde of friends and started obsessively journaling and disappearing for days at a time. Amelia doesn’t know what’s happened to her awesome older brother, or who this strange actor is that’s taken his place. And there’s someone else pulling at her a smart, cute new boyfriend who wants to know the real Amelia—not Toby’s Sidekick. Amelia feels adrift without her star, but to best help Toby—and herself—it might be time to cast a new Amelia Anderson, leading lady.
In the movie version of Amelia’s life, the roles have always been clear. Her older brother, definitely the Star. As popular with the stoners as he is with the cheerleaders, Toby is someone you’d pay ten bucks to watch sweep Battle of the Bands and build a “beach party” in the bathroom. As for Amelia? She’s Toby Anderson’s Younger Sister. She’s perfectly happy to watch Toby’s hijinks from the sidelines, when she’s not engrossed in one of her elaborately themed Netflix movie marathons.
But recently Toby’s been acting in a very non-movie-version way. He’s stopped hanging out with his horde of friends and started obsessively journaling and disappearing for days at a time. Amelia doesn’t know what’s happened to her awesome older brother, or who this strange actor is that’s taken his place. And there’s someone else pulling at her a smart, cute new boyfriend who wants to know the real Amelia—not Toby’s Sidekick. Amelia feels adrift without her star, but to best help Toby—and herself—it might be time to cast a new Amelia Anderson, leading lady.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2016
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July 7, 2016
#PROUDOFYAWRITERS
2016 has honestly been such a good year for YA. There are so many books about topics that would never have been published even a couple years ago. Obviously we still have a long way to go with representation, etc. but I think we're heading in the right direction. The Movie Version is one of the books that gives some insight into the life of a girl whose brother suffers from a mental illness.
This review will be short and sweet, since it's spoiler free! Oh, and before, trigger warning: for mental illness
The Movie Version begins with Amelia returning from a summer away from home. I won't say she was the most lovable character, in my opinion, but I felt that her thoughts were real and honest. She is a person who lives a relatively simple life, without drama and is usually in the shadow of her charming, and outgoing brother. Toby (her brother), honestly even charmed me tbh.. he's funny, genuine, a huge feminist, and lover of literature and film. But after a summer away, she notices some huuge changes in that once carefree person.
So things I enjoyed:
• THE HONESTY. A lot of people on here are really educated and open when it comes to mental illness, but in reality, a lot more people aren't. Amelia knows close to nothing about her brother's illness or how to handle it, so I found her frustrations, embarrassment, etc. to be real even though it wasn't the 'right' reaction. Over time she grew to understand, cope, and be there, and even at the end it was obvious that she would have to learn a lot more.
----> And on that note: I know many people might find Amelia's thoughts about Toby's illness to be rude or ignorant, and maybe they are, but I think she grew a lot from the beginning. Obviously this world would be a much better place if people could just become educated/open/etc. overnight, but it takes time for some.
• RAAAY. Aghjklsfdlk. I love reading about friends who are there for the mc when shit gets tough. Ray wasn't perfect, but she was a perfect friend. She gave Amelia space, time, comfort when she needed it, and just liiisteeenedd. Plus, I loved how strong of a person she was- holding down a job, school, and never relying on her mom for money.
• Toby & Amelia's parents. Again, not perfect, but real. They honestly seemed like they did the best they could for Toby, Amelia, the other siblings, and themselves. And with this type of illness, a lot of tough decisions may need to be made, but I think they handled it all so well. I liked how they still gave Amelia freedom and space rather than becoming overbearing, but also had her get help.
So yup, overall I liked.
There were definitely some issues I had with the book, but I think it was refreshing and it was never depressing despite being so raw and honest. And the ending wasn't some bs happy ending either, it left room for our own interpretation, but also felt very hopeful. I'd definitely read more from this author in the future!
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC :D
2016 has honestly been such a good year for YA. There are so many books about topics that would never have been published even a couple years ago. Obviously we still have a long way to go with representation, etc. but I think we're heading in the right direction. The Movie Version is one of the books that gives some insight into the life of a girl whose brother suffers from a mental illness.
This review will be short and sweet, since it's spoiler free! Oh, and before, trigger warning: for mental illness
The Movie Version begins with Amelia returning from a summer away from home. I won't say she was the most lovable character, in my opinion, but I felt that her thoughts were real and honest. She is a person who lives a relatively simple life, without drama and is usually in the shadow of her charming, and outgoing brother. Toby (her brother), honestly even charmed me tbh.. he's funny, genuine, a huge feminist, and lover of literature and film. But after a summer away, she notices some huuge changes in that once carefree person.
"It doesn't get easier," he whispers.
"You just get more used to it."
So things I enjoyed:
• THE HONESTY. A lot of people on here are really educated and open when it comes to mental illness, but in reality, a lot more people aren't. Amelia knows close to nothing about her brother's illness or how to handle it, so I found her frustrations, embarrassment, etc. to be real even though it wasn't the 'right' reaction. Over time she grew to understand, cope, and be there, and even at the end it was obvious that she would have to learn a lot more.
----> And on that note: I know many people might find Amelia's thoughts about Toby's illness to be rude or ignorant, and maybe they are, but I think she grew a lot from the beginning. Obviously this world would be a much better place if people could just become educated/open/etc. overnight, but it takes time for some.
• RAAAY. Aghjklsfdlk. I love reading about friends who are there for the mc when shit gets tough. Ray wasn't perfect, but she was a perfect friend. She gave Amelia space, time, comfort when she needed it, and just liiisteeenedd. Plus, I loved how strong of a person she was- holding down a job, school, and never relying on her mom for money.
• Toby & Amelia's parents. Again, not perfect, but real. They honestly seemed like they did the best they could for Toby, Amelia, the other siblings, and themselves. And with this type of illness, a lot of tough decisions may need to be made, but I think they handled it all so well. I liked how they still gave Amelia freedom and space rather than becoming overbearing, but also had her get help.
So yup, overall I liked.
There were definitely some issues I had with the book, but I think it was refreshing and it was never depressing despite being so raw and honest. And the ending wasn't some bs happy ending either, it left room for our own interpretation, but also felt very hopeful. I'd definitely read more from this author in the future!
I just sit on my bed, close my eyes, and think about what I'm going to do next.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC :D
June 26, 2016
Received from: Amulet Books
Received Via: NetGalley.com
THE REVIEW
Why this book?
Seemed like a book for me
What I thought
Being someone with the same illness as Toby's I found this book insulting. Amelia seems so ashamed of her bother and it really pissed me off. She acted like he will never would be normal again which isn't true. This also made me dislike Amelia even though I liked her in the first half of the book. As for the romance it was so awkward, especially the way Amelia explains the love scenes. However I did like the flashbacks it showed how close her and her bother were. I also liked how they focused more on the family then the awkward romance. With that said I know alot of people will love this book as for me I feel insulted.
Received Via: NetGalley.com
THE REVIEW
Why this book?
Seemed like a book for me
What I thought
Being someone with the same illness as Toby's I found this book insulting. Amelia seems so ashamed of her bother and it really pissed me off. She acted like he will never would be normal again which isn't true. This also made me dislike Amelia even though I liked her in the first half of the book. As for the romance it was so awkward, especially the way Amelia explains the love scenes. However I did like the flashbacks it showed how close her and her bother were. I also liked how they focused more on the family then the awkward romance. With that said I know alot of people will love this book as for me I feel insulted.
May 26, 2023
YA
This was a "heart on your sleeve" type of story about a teenage girl and her struggle to accept her older brother's recently diagnosed mental illness. The book, cut into two, relates the 'before" and "after" with snippets of movie scripts that relate Amelia's memories/dreams. The true heart and soul of this novel is the sibling relationship between Amelia and Toby. I have a younger brother and could totally relate to the love and loyalty that Amelia feels towards Toby. Especially when those secrets are so hard to keep. Every interaction between the two characters, even when the relationship becomes strained, rings true of the relationship between brothers and sisters. Which, quite honestly, is a nice break from the preferred literary choice of waxing poetic about how amazing and angst ridden sisterhood can be. Don't get me wrong, I read those stories too, but stories about brother-sister relationships are few and far between.
I also loved Amelia's BFF, Ray. Ray was written so beautifully and supports Amelia, even when she doesn't treat Ray very nicely. I think she provided the grounded, common sense approach that Amelia so desperately needed to hear. As a reader, Ray proved a nice balance especially when Amelia completely shuts down and won't communicate with others.
In exploring the topic of mental illness, Emma Wunsch doesn't try to be preachy or ever show that any character has all the answers. Time and time again, we see Amelia's parents, boyfriend, younger brothers, and friends all face the frustrations that do arise. This story is first and foremost, about how the family and family cope with the mental illness diagnosis of their family member. That does leave Toby as a bit of a side story, but I just accepted that not every character's story can be told.
All in all, a good book that I wouldn't mind having in my classroom library.
Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Kids( Amulet Books) for an advanced e-copy of this book.
Goodreads review published 24/07/16
This was a "heart on your sleeve" type of story about a teenage girl and her struggle to accept her older brother's recently diagnosed mental illness. The book, cut into two, relates the 'before" and "after" with snippets of movie scripts that relate Amelia's memories/dreams. The true heart and soul of this novel is the sibling relationship between Amelia and Toby. I have a younger brother and could totally relate to the love and loyalty that Amelia feels towards Toby. Especially when those secrets are so hard to keep. Every interaction between the two characters, even when the relationship becomes strained, rings true of the relationship between brothers and sisters. Which, quite honestly, is a nice break from the preferred literary choice of waxing poetic about how amazing and angst ridden sisterhood can be. Don't get me wrong, I read those stories too, but stories about brother-sister relationships are few and far between.
I also loved Amelia's BFF, Ray. Ray was written so beautifully and supports Amelia, even when she doesn't treat Ray very nicely. I think she provided the grounded, common sense approach that Amelia so desperately needed to hear. As a reader, Ray proved a nice balance especially when Amelia completely shuts down and won't communicate with others.
In exploring the topic of mental illness, Emma Wunsch doesn't try to be preachy or ever show that any character has all the answers. Time and time again, we see Amelia's parents, boyfriend, younger brothers, and friends all face the frustrations that do arise. This story is first and foremost, about how the family and family cope with the mental illness diagnosis of their family member. That does leave Toby as a bit of a side story, but I just accepted that not every character's story can be told.
All in all, a good book that I wouldn't mind having in my classroom library.
Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Kids( Amulet Books) for an advanced e-copy of this book.
Goodreads review published 24/07/16
September 30, 2016
With that cover, title, and synopsis, I went into this book thinking it was going to be some fluff and minor teenage angst that was probably blown way out of proportion. I was not expecting mental illness.
I didn't click with Amelia. Her inner monologue is much younger than her 17 years. She's quite awkward and whiny and a little selfish. Most of that can be attributed to teenage stuff, but it got repetitive hearing her struggle with how Toby's illness was going to make her look. And I absolutely loathed the way she treated her friends and Epstein.
The plot could be realistic. I liked the family scenes, how hard her parents tried, and the support meetings. I really liked the movie quotes. The sex scenes were honestly the weirdest thing I've ever read in my life and I cringed every time.
Overall, I think if I would have known what I was reading before hand, I might have enjoyed it more. Sadly, it was not as all what I was expecting.
**Huge thanks to Amulet and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
I didn't click with Amelia. Her inner monologue is much younger than her 17 years. She's quite awkward and whiny and a little selfish. Most of that can be attributed to teenage stuff, but it got repetitive hearing her struggle with how Toby's illness was going to make her look. And I absolutely loathed the way she treated her friends and Epstein.
The plot could be realistic. I liked the family scenes, how hard her parents tried, and the support meetings. I really liked the movie quotes. The sex scenes were honestly the weirdest thing I've ever read in my life and I cringed every time.
Overall, I think if I would have known what I was reading before hand, I might have enjoyed it more. Sadly, it was not as all what I was expecting.
**Huge thanks to Amulet and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
September 19, 2016
Things I loved about this book in no particular order: the movie references (I may not have understood all of them, but quoting films is something I do a lot IRL, so it felt very realistic!), best friends who care about you (I adored Ray and her actual cinnamon bun selling job), sibling relationships, reading about how a mental illness affects everyone around the sufferer, sex scenes that weren't romanticised and Abdi, who was kind of like Abed from 'Community' (maybe it's not a coincidence that they're names are so similar??)
I can't be sure if it's an accurate depiction of the mental illness Toby suffers from, and as I know very little about it, don't really feel like I can comment, but I definitely appreciated the visibility this book gave to an issue we don't see much of.
I can't be sure if it's an accurate depiction of the mental illness Toby suffers from, and as I know very little about it, don't really feel like I can comment, but I definitely appreciated the visibility this book gave to an issue we don't see much of.
February 25, 2017
Full detailed review on my blog :
Word Wonders
*I was provided an eArc of this book by the publishers through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
What I was led to believe -and actually believed- and what this book actually was are 2 things on different ends of a spectrum, which in this case was a big issue. When I read the blurb for this book and requested it I expected to read a fun, cute contemporary with a strong sibling bond as well as a little romance maybe? What I got was a book about mental illness. And not the kind I like.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind reading about mental illness, I even like books tackling the matter when they’re done right but the problem with this book is that it wasn’t announced. Some people may want to steer clear from these books because of their own reasons and they have the right to a heads up. Now that this is out of the way, let’s start the actual review.
I really liked the writing style. It is simple and easy to follow. It might not be to everyone’s taste but I appreciated how different it is. It is blunt and explicit, everything is just put the way is actually is.
Sadly, this was one of the only things I liked. The story in itself made me cringe endless amounts of times and it was very depressing. Though, not because of the mental illness itself, it was because of the Main character’s outlook on things. Her reaction to her brother -Toby-‘s diagnosis is basically everything I wouldn’t want to see in a book, nor in real life for that matter. Amelia’s initial shock was to be expected and understood but then it dragged on forever and she was so fatalistic about it that it truly felt like the guy had died. Add to that the fact that the romance was weird and had no real chemistry, it felt like it had no business being there, I would’ve liked it better if there was no love interest. This book was sadly not for me.
Amelia is as dull as a main character as they come, she was passive and lacked personality and reading from her voice often felt gloomy and boring, I didn’t like her right off the bat but when she turned selfish, self-centered and ASHAMED I just couldn’t stand her, she was actually embarrassed of how her brother’s illness affected him and kept saying over and over again “I wish people knew how cool he was before” and she also endangered him many times making excuses for herself and actually BELIEVING that she was “protecting” him.
All in all, this wasn’t a book for me because I felt like it dealt with mental illness in all the wrong ways.
*I was provided an eArc of this book by the publishers through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
What I was led to believe -and actually believed- and what this book actually was are 2 things on different ends of a spectrum, which in this case was a big issue. When I read the blurb for this book and requested it I expected to read a fun, cute contemporary with a strong sibling bond as well as a little romance maybe? What I got was a book about mental illness. And not the kind I like.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind reading about mental illness, I even like books tackling the matter when they’re done right but the problem with this book is that it wasn’t announced. Some people may want to steer clear from these books because of their own reasons and they have the right to a heads up. Now that this is out of the way, let’s start the actual review.
I really liked the writing style. It is simple and easy to follow. It might not be to everyone’s taste but I appreciated how different it is. It is blunt and explicit, everything is just put the way is actually is.
Sadly, this was one of the only things I liked. The story in itself made me cringe endless amounts of times and it was very depressing. Though, not because of the mental illness itself, it was because of the Main character’s outlook on things. Her reaction to her brother -Toby-‘s diagnosis is basically everything I wouldn’t want to see in a book, nor in real life for that matter. Amelia’s initial shock was to be expected and understood but then it dragged on forever and she was so fatalistic about it that it truly felt like the guy had died. Add to that the fact that the romance was weird and had no real chemistry, it felt like it had no business being there, I would’ve liked it better if there was no love interest. This book was sadly not for me.
Amelia is as dull as a main character as they come, she was passive and lacked personality and reading from her voice often felt gloomy and boring, I didn’t like her right off the bat but when she turned selfish, self-centered and ASHAMED I just couldn’t stand her, she was actually embarrassed of how her brother’s illness affected him and kept saying over and over again “I wish people knew how cool he was before” and she also endangered him many times making excuses for herself and actually BELIEVING that she was “protecting” him.
All in all, this wasn’t a book for me because I felt like it dealt with mental illness in all the wrong ways.
January 8, 2017
DNF at 35%
The main character is so whiny and everyone is always on drugs. There was also this very graphic scene with the main character's preppy boyfriend and that's where I stopped. I just cannot relate to this book at all. The fact that the main character is so dislikable was a real turn off. Just not for me.
The main character is so whiny and everyone is always on drugs. There was also this very graphic scene with the main character's preppy boyfriend and that's where I stopped. I just cannot relate to this book at all. The fact that the main character is so dislikable was a real turn off. Just not for me.
Read
March 8, 2017Another book I DNF at about 40%.. I always feel bummed out about not being able to finish a book, but I've been so busy lately that I'm in this "life's too short to read books you don't like" mindset. So, I just couldn't finish this one. It was not for me.
The Movie Version started off interesting. We meet Amelia and her brother, Toby, as they are ditching class to get high. Which brings you to believe this book is going to center around their relationship. . . Which it did for the most part and their dynamic was the only thing that kept me reading up until I stopped.
The story picks up when Amelia gets home from being away for the summer and she immediately notices how much Toby has changed since she saw him last. To the readers, it's easy to see that something is seriously going on with Toby and he's struggling but Amelia refuses to see all the red flags.
I just couldn't connect to Amelia. The heart of this story is about the struggle of a certain mental illness.. And I think it would've been better if this story was told from Toby's POV because he was the most interesting character from the very beginning. It was a nice thought to see how a family member has to deal with someone they love struggling with a mental illness though.. I just found that it wasn't dealt with in a positive way. As someone who has struggled with depression/anxiety for most of my life, I just couldn't help but feel irritated that it was being almost seen as if her brother physically died. Like he would never be okay again? I just didn't relate to this situation at all.
I found the writing to be the best part of the book, including all the movie references. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep me reading when I couldn't connect to the characters or their situation. This book wasn't for me, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends. If the synopsis does grab your attention then I recommend reading other reviews to help make your decision if you would like to read this one!
The Movie Version started off interesting. We meet Amelia and her brother, Toby, as they are ditching class to get high. Which brings you to believe this book is going to center around their relationship. . . Which it did for the most part and their dynamic was the only thing that kept me reading up until I stopped.
The story picks up when Amelia gets home from being away for the summer and she immediately notices how much Toby has changed since she saw him last. To the readers, it's easy to see that something is seriously going on with Toby and he's struggling but Amelia refuses to see all the red flags.
I just couldn't connect to Amelia. The heart of this story is about the struggle of a certain mental illness.. And I think it would've been better if this story was told from Toby's POV because he was the most interesting character from the very beginning. It was a nice thought to see how a family member has to deal with someone they love struggling with a mental illness though.. I just found that it wasn't dealt with in a positive way. As someone who has struggled with depression/anxiety for most of my life, I just couldn't help but feel irritated that it was being almost seen as if her brother physically died. Like he would never be okay again? I just didn't relate to this situation at all.
I found the writing to be the best part of the book, including all the movie references. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep me reading when I couldn't connect to the characters or their situation. This book wasn't for me, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends. If the synopsis does grab your attention then I recommend reading other reviews to help make your decision if you would like to read this one!
February 12, 2018
A touching read! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I became attached to the characters. Amelia's character grew exponentially throughout the story and her family began to learn how strong she was. I loved the importance of mental illness in the novel. I felt like her brothers illness was portrayed well with the proper respect. Although it was not my typical read, I did enjoy this novel. I would highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy YA contemporary novels.
September 5, 2017
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting when I requested this book...obviously the title had me thinking it'd be something involving real-life, and then the "movie version" of this life would be the better, more exciting/interesting on. But this wasn't the superficial fluff I'd excepted, though sure, it was still very superficial in that dramatic way that is stereotypically teenaged.
If I were to sum up the synopsis of The Movie Version, I'd basically just be telling you that it's about MC Amelia (or 'Meals as she's called many times...cringe...I just couldn't stand that nickname, and couldn't imagine calling my friend's daughter, also Amelia, by a nickname that would conjure up images of food...), who pretty much worships her older brother Toby. All she does is talk about how amazing and cool Toby is, and though she supposedly has a life outside of Toby, her all seems to be centered around him. But when Toby stars exhibiting strange, irrational behavior, Amelia doesn't know what to do with herself. Amelia looks at Toby as the star of her life (mentions of movies and the like are very common between the two), so what is she supposed to do when the star isn't playing his part?
Amelia was pretty annoying. She took out her anger on her friends and her boyfriend Epstein - whose status she took a million chapters trying to figure out. Seriously, she took about 40% of the book wondering if he considered himself to be her boyfriend, and when it's FINALLY clear, Toby's problems get worse, and instead of allowing Epstein to give her support, she pushes him away and treats him horribly. Or whenever her best friend or other friends would try to ask about Toby (who was friends with them as well), she'd shut them out, cause no one could ever understand what she was going through...at least, according to her. And then when it's realized that Toby has a mental illness, Amelia gets embarrassed and continues to lament over how Toby was supposed to be so cool, not this person he was now.
I get that Amelia is a teenager, and having relegated herself to sidekick status with Toby, she would have a hard time, but it got to be a whine-fest on her part, cause again, NO ONE could understand what she was going through. Not her father, mother, grandmother, or younger twin brothers, who are all related to him as well...I couldn't help but think that if Toby really had that big personality in which he was easily loved by all he came across, then wouldn't it make sense that others would have concern for him, so it wasn't fair she was keeping everything to herself? Shrug.
I appreciated the author touching on the reality of mental illness, and the fact that it can affect anyone, but because Amelia didn't want to learn more about what it meant or entailed, we don't actually get to read much about Toby's illness and basically have to work with any knowledge we may already have on it (I'm not going to be specific as to what he has, because I feel that it may be hard to go into the book unbiased if you already know). I wish it could have expanded on mental illness more, but I guess I'll just have to read other books if I want to learn more.
Finally, when coming to the end of my review, I feel like I have to say that the ending of this book did not work for me at all; there were too many things left unresolved, and I strongly dislike unresolved "open" endings. Anyway, not sure I'd recommend this book...I don't think I've spoken very positively of it in this review...
Thank you to Amulet books for this copy received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
If I were to sum up the synopsis of The Movie Version, I'd basically just be telling you that it's about MC Amelia (or 'Meals as she's called many times...cringe...I just couldn't stand that nickname, and couldn't imagine calling my friend's daughter, also Amelia, by a nickname that would conjure up images of food...), who pretty much worships her older brother Toby. All she does is talk about how amazing and cool Toby is, and though she supposedly has a life outside of Toby, her all seems to be centered around him. But when Toby stars exhibiting strange, irrational behavior, Amelia doesn't know what to do with herself. Amelia looks at Toby as the star of her life (mentions of movies and the like are very common between the two), so what is she supposed to do when the star isn't playing his part?
Amelia was pretty annoying. She took out her anger on her friends and her boyfriend Epstein - whose status she took a million chapters trying to figure out. Seriously, she took about 40% of the book wondering if he considered himself to be her boyfriend, and when it's FINALLY clear, Toby's problems get worse, and instead of allowing Epstein to give her support, she pushes him away and treats him horribly. Or whenever her best friend or other friends would try to ask about Toby (who was friends with them as well), she'd shut them out, cause no one could ever understand what she was going through...at least, according to her. And then when it's realized that Toby has a mental illness, Amelia gets embarrassed and continues to lament over how Toby was supposed to be so cool, not this person he was now.
I get that Amelia is a teenager, and having relegated herself to sidekick status with Toby, she would have a hard time, but it got to be a whine-fest on her part, cause again, NO ONE could understand what she was going through. Not her father, mother, grandmother, or younger twin brothers, who are all related to him as well...I couldn't help but think that if Toby really had that big personality in which he was easily loved by all he came across, then wouldn't it make sense that others would have concern for him, so it wasn't fair she was keeping everything to herself? Shrug.
I appreciated the author touching on the reality of mental illness, and the fact that it can affect anyone, but because Amelia didn't want to learn more about what it meant or entailed, we don't actually get to read much about Toby's illness and basically have to work with any knowledge we may already have on it (I'm not going to be specific as to what he has, because I feel that it may be hard to go into the book unbiased if you already know). I wish it could have expanded on mental illness more, but I guess I'll just have to read other books if I want to learn more.
Finally, when coming to the end of my review, I feel like I have to say that the ending of this book did not work for me at all; there were too many things left unresolved, and I strongly dislike unresolved "open" endings. Anyway, not sure I'd recommend this book...I don't think I've spoken very positively of it in this review...
Thank you to Amulet books for this copy received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2017
This was sent to me from a Goodreads giveaway and I absolutely loved it. From the beginning of the book it was apparent that Meals and Toby shared a wonderful relationship as siblings but could that last mental illness? The poignant way the struggle is described is wonderful, particularly for families struggling to understand. I would highly recommend
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2016
Review link: https://booknerdmomo.wordpress.com/20...
This book wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible. I had moments while reading where I was enjoying it and then moments where I absolutely couldn’t stand what was happening or how the main character was acting. The fact of the matter is that the synopsis is extremely misleading – it doesn’t highlight the fact that this book is about mental illness, instead it made it seem like it was going to be all about a girl simply learning to stand on her own outside of her brother’s shadow (I was thinking it would be a feel good, empowerment type of contemporary). That aside, I love the fact that the author addressed a mental illness that I don’t often see in books and would love to see more of. I just wish it was alluded to or hinted upon in the synopsis because not only does that make it a sidelined plot in terms of importance to the novel but in the novel as well.
“Terrific? That’s now how to describe Toby. He’s charming and brilliant and bright and shiny. Toby is the movie star in his own movie! In all our movies!”
The Movie Version by Emma Wunsch is about Amelia’s (and her family’s) journey in navigating around the fact as well as coming to terms with the fact that her older brother Toby is diagnosed with a mental illness (I won’t say which one as some might not want that spoiled). The biggest aspect of this book is the fact that Amelia has always looked up to her older brother to the point of hero worshiping him. Not only are they close in age but they are close as siblings, practically best friends. Thus, she has a really hard time coming to terms with his diagnosis and joining the before and after together. It’s always been Toby and Amelia against the world so when he isn’t exactly her Toby anymore she is lost. Throw in the fact that Amelia is completely obsessed with movies and life being like ‘the movie version’ and there you have it.
“What’s the movie version?”
“It’s the better version.”
I’m still not sure how I feel about Amelia. At times she was incredibly immature, shallow, and self-centered. I can’t count the times I was forced to read her thoughts about how she couldn’t stand her boyfriend’s ears and hoped no one else noticed them. I wanted to scream! Not to mention when she blamed her newly diagnosed brother for her “terrible” winter vacation. During those moments I couldn’t stand her! However, there were times where I really felt and related to her struggle to accept the changes in her life. I’ve been there, everyone has been there. Change can be hard. There was such a raw and realistic feel to how Emma Wunsch highlighted Amelia’s struggle. I was in tears several times and that right there is when you know an author is achieving their purpose, when you’re feeling it.
“I feel like the kid in The Sixth Sense and my brother’s the ghost. Or maybe he’s the kid and we’re all ghosts to him. Either way, I feel like someone has died.”
However, I didn’t like the initial reaction to Toby’s diagnosis – everyone acted as if he had died instead of as if he was still Toby just a Toby who was now living with a mental illness. The way it was handled angered me.
I thought the whole side plot with the romance was incredibly awkward and not needed. The book would have been completely fine without any romance. Some of the scenes between Amelia and Epstein made me cringe because they were explicit in the worst way. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Epstein as a character – he was quirky and caring. I loved his friends! I just didn’t see the point of the romance at all.
I really enjoyed the family and sibling aspect of the book, Amelia’s family, while not being perfect, is a close-knit family. That stands out in a world full of YA books that have more absent parents and/or families. I loved their dynamic and her little brothers David and Sam were very entertaining. And the flashbacks of family events where we got to see Toby pre-diagnosis? They were extremely insightful and helped to really validate that whole aspect.
I also loved the friendships – while some were not perfect friendships they were still great. I especially loved Ray! She is the prime example of a supportive not afraid to tell it like it is the type of friend. Amelia was better for having her in her life.
“You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!”
“Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring. Easy.”
And Amelia’s movie obsession quirk? That was one of my favorite aspects of her! The fact that she could quote so many movies by heart or know where a quote came from was endearing if not slightly geeky. I, however, didn’t like how that obsession led her to the unrealistic expectation of life needing to be like ‘the movie version’.
If you’re wondering why I haven’t brought up Toby in more detail it’s because beyond his diagnosis, flashbacks, and Amelia’s instance that he is the coolest person to have ever lived we don’t get to see much of his journey. In the end, the whole plot of Toby’s mental illness becomes a plot device to further Amelia as a character. There wasn’t a complete resolution for him and I kept coming back to the thought – “What about Toby?” “How is he dealing with what he is going through?” No one ever asks him. The main reason this book is a two-star read instead of three, for me, is because of the fact that the mental illness was a plot device and I didn’t like that.
Would I recommend this book? Personally, it’s not a book I’ll be rereading. But if you want to give it a chance then go for it! Everyone gets something different out of the books they read and someone else might completely love this where I didn’t.
I received this eARC via the publisher from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
All quotes are from the ARC and subject to change.
This book wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible. I had moments while reading where I was enjoying it and then moments where I absolutely couldn’t stand what was happening or how the main character was acting. The fact of the matter is that the synopsis is extremely misleading – it doesn’t highlight the fact that this book is about mental illness, instead it made it seem like it was going to be all about a girl simply learning to stand on her own outside of her brother’s shadow (I was thinking it would be a feel good, empowerment type of contemporary). That aside, I love the fact that the author addressed a mental illness that I don’t often see in books and would love to see more of. I just wish it was alluded to or hinted upon in the synopsis because not only does that make it a sidelined plot in terms of importance to the novel but in the novel as well.
“Terrific? That’s now how to describe Toby. He’s charming and brilliant and bright and shiny. Toby is the movie star in his own movie! In all our movies!”
The Movie Version by Emma Wunsch is about Amelia’s (and her family’s) journey in navigating around the fact as well as coming to terms with the fact that her older brother Toby is diagnosed with a mental illness (I won’t say which one as some might not want that spoiled). The biggest aspect of this book is the fact that Amelia has always looked up to her older brother to the point of hero worshiping him. Not only are they close in age but they are close as siblings, practically best friends. Thus, she has a really hard time coming to terms with his diagnosis and joining the before and after together. It’s always been Toby and Amelia against the world so when he isn’t exactly her Toby anymore she is lost. Throw in the fact that Amelia is completely obsessed with movies and life being like ‘the movie version’ and there you have it.
“What’s the movie version?”
“It’s the better version.”
I’m still not sure how I feel about Amelia. At times she was incredibly immature, shallow, and self-centered. I can’t count the times I was forced to read her thoughts about how she couldn’t stand her boyfriend’s ears and hoped no one else noticed them. I wanted to scream! Not to mention when she blamed her newly diagnosed brother for her “terrible” winter vacation. During those moments I couldn’t stand her! However, there were times where I really felt and related to her struggle to accept the changes in her life. I’ve been there, everyone has been there. Change can be hard. There was such a raw and realistic feel to how Emma Wunsch highlighted Amelia’s struggle. I was in tears several times and that right there is when you know an author is achieving their purpose, when you’re feeling it.
“I feel like the kid in The Sixth Sense and my brother’s the ghost. Or maybe he’s the kid and we’re all ghosts to him. Either way, I feel like someone has died.”
However, I didn’t like the initial reaction to Toby’s diagnosis – everyone acted as if he had died instead of as if he was still Toby just a Toby who was now living with a mental illness. The way it was handled angered me.
I thought the whole side plot with the romance was incredibly awkward and not needed. The book would have been completely fine without any romance. Some of the scenes between Amelia and Epstein made me cringe because they were explicit in the worst way. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Epstein as a character – he was quirky and caring. I loved his friends! I just didn’t see the point of the romance at all.
I really enjoyed the family and sibling aspect of the book, Amelia’s family, while not being perfect, is a close-knit family. That stands out in a world full of YA books that have more absent parents and/or families. I loved their dynamic and her little brothers David and Sam were very entertaining. And the flashbacks of family events where we got to see Toby pre-diagnosis? They were extremely insightful and helped to really validate that whole aspect.
I also loved the friendships – while some were not perfect friendships they were still great. I especially loved Ray! She is the prime example of a supportive not afraid to tell it like it is the type of friend. Amelia was better for having her in her life.
“You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!”
“Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring. Easy.”
And Amelia’s movie obsession quirk? That was one of my favorite aspects of her! The fact that she could quote so many movies by heart or know where a quote came from was endearing if not slightly geeky. I, however, didn’t like how that obsession led her to the unrealistic expectation of life needing to be like ‘the movie version’.
If you’re wondering why I haven’t brought up Toby in more detail it’s because beyond his diagnosis, flashbacks, and Amelia’s instance that he is the coolest person to have ever lived we don’t get to see much of his journey. In the end, the whole plot of Toby’s mental illness becomes a plot device to further Amelia as a character. There wasn’t a complete resolution for him and I kept coming back to the thought – “What about Toby?” “How is he dealing with what he is going through?” No one ever asks him. The main reason this book is a two-star read instead of three, for me, is because of the fact that the mental illness was a plot device and I didn’t like that.
Would I recommend this book? Personally, it’s not a book I’ll be rereading. But if you want to give it a chance then go for it! Everyone gets something different out of the books they read and someone else might completely love this where I didn’t.
September 19, 2016
REVIEW BY BETH
The Movie Version is a great novel about so many different things, it’s one of those books where the author cleverly uses the passions of the protagonist as a way of telling a more serious tale with a much deeper message.
Amelia is obsessed with movies and so she has always imagined the movie version of her life. She has always been in a happy and content situation which meant she always knew who played what role in her life. Her older brother Toby is the star of her movie and definitely her idol. Amelia is happy to play the little sister role and loves watching Toby as he fits in with absolutely every group there is and stands out as the star he is. Things change however, and Amelia is forced to confront the real world instead of thinking of everything in terms of a movie.
The Movie Version shows how Amelia handles her brother’s sudden change. It is a novel about mental illness and how young adults cope and handle finding out something hard to digest about someone close to them. The Movie Version is Amelia’s story, looking at how she copes with Toby’s diagnosis. It’s an interesting angle to take as Wunsch could have told us a story from Toby’s perspective, but Amelia’s is fascinating in its own way.
The Movie Version follows that classic coming of age style that many YA novels do, as the extent of change and difficulty Amelia goes through, as well as simply having to grow up, changes her profoundly. Of course it has more of a significant effect on Toby but he isn’t our protagonist and so some of his story is missing.
I loved many elements of this novel, I loved how the change in her circumstances allowed Amelia to step into the limelight she had always hidden from as she was happy to just be Toby’s sister. As the title suggests this novel is full of movie quotes and similar, not all of which I got but they allowed Amelia to become a more rounded character. I just wish I’d got a couple more of them.
I really enjoyed the way Wunsch allowed her characters to be honest. Amelia’s reactions to finding out about Toby’s mental illness include embarrassment and frustration and this is much more believable of a teen character (or any character) than immediate empathy and understanding.
The Movie Version is a hopeful novel with plenty going for it and I think Wunsch did a great job managing to cover some deep issues without the novel becoming dark and depressing.
The Movie Version is a great novel about so many different things, it’s one of those books where the author cleverly uses the passions of the protagonist as a way of telling a more serious tale with a much deeper message.
Amelia is obsessed with movies and so she has always imagined the movie version of her life. She has always been in a happy and content situation which meant she always knew who played what role in her life. Her older brother Toby is the star of her movie and definitely her idol. Amelia is happy to play the little sister role and loves watching Toby as he fits in with absolutely every group there is and stands out as the star he is. Things change however, and Amelia is forced to confront the real world instead of thinking of everything in terms of a movie.
The Movie Version shows how Amelia handles her brother’s sudden change. It is a novel about mental illness and how young adults cope and handle finding out something hard to digest about someone close to them. The Movie Version is Amelia’s story, looking at how she copes with Toby’s diagnosis. It’s an interesting angle to take as Wunsch could have told us a story from Toby’s perspective, but Amelia’s is fascinating in its own way.
The Movie Version follows that classic coming of age style that many YA novels do, as the extent of change and difficulty Amelia goes through, as well as simply having to grow up, changes her profoundly. Of course it has more of a significant effect on Toby but he isn’t our protagonist and so some of his story is missing.
I loved many elements of this novel, I loved how the change in her circumstances allowed Amelia to step into the limelight she had always hidden from as she was happy to just be Toby’s sister. As the title suggests this novel is full of movie quotes and similar, not all of which I got but they allowed Amelia to become a more rounded character. I just wish I’d got a couple more of them.
I really enjoyed the way Wunsch allowed her characters to be honest. Amelia’s reactions to finding out about Toby’s mental illness include embarrassment and frustration and this is much more believable of a teen character (or any character) than immediate empathy and understanding.
The Movie Version is a hopeful novel with plenty going for it and I think Wunsch did a great job managing to cover some deep issues without the novel becoming dark and depressing.
November 1, 2016
DNF @38%
-Contains spoilers-
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley*
Two of Amelia's favourite things are movies and her older brother Toby.
Amelia likes to think that there's a movie version of life where awkward things don't happen.
Toby isn't acting like his usual cool self and Amelia doesn't know what's happening.
Will Toby return to his former self?
Ugh.
Where to begin.
Amelia. At first I didn't mind her but after a while she annoyed me. I know she was young but she was quite self-centred. She also thought that her pot-smoking brother was cool. Doing drugs is NOT cool. Also, she didn't seem AT ALL worried when Toby was hallucinating.
I didn't like the romance. There didn't seem to be any spark between Amelia and Epstein. She wasn't even sure they were dating when she gave him a blow-job. And she had sex with him at his friend's house! Seriously?
I didn't on get with the writing style which failed to hold my attention.
At first I liked all the film references and the idea of a movie version of life but they were overused and got on my nerves.
I couldn't bring myself to read any more.
Unfortunately, this wasn't for me.
-Contains spoilers-
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley*
Two of Amelia's favourite things are movies and her older brother Toby.
Amelia likes to think that there's a movie version of life where awkward things don't happen.
Toby isn't acting like his usual cool self and Amelia doesn't know what's happening.
Will Toby return to his former self?
Ugh.
Where to begin.
Amelia. At first I didn't mind her but after a while she annoyed me. I know she was young but she was quite self-centred. She also thought that her pot-smoking brother was cool. Doing drugs is NOT cool. Also, she didn't seem AT ALL worried when Toby was hallucinating.
I didn't like the romance. There didn't seem to be any spark between Amelia and Epstein. She wasn't even sure they were dating when she gave him a blow-job. And she had sex with him at his friend's house! Seriously?
I didn't on get with the writing style which failed to hold my attention.
At first I liked all the film references and the idea of a movie version of life but they were overused and got on my nerves.
I couldn't bring myself to read any more.
Unfortunately, this wasn't for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2024
This book was, honestly, nothing like I thought it would be, but it wasn't bad. I thought it was going to be a romance book, but I've (yet again) picked up a book about illness! This time, it's mental in nature, but still, I keep doing this somehow! Anyways, I like how they portray the depression and all the symptoms that go with that when this kind of thing happens. I also appreciate how not everything was all bad all the time, because it just wouldn't be an accurate idea of what mental illness does to a person. I find that this was fairly accurate based on my limited knowledge of this specific diagnosis, but definitely accurate int he way a diagnosis can affect a family. I recommend this to anyone who's weird like me and just keeps on picking up books about illness, or to people who may be struggling with a mental illness or their family members having mental illness. Just be careful, cause I think that some of the parts could definitely be triggering for some.
August 11, 2019
This book was excellent I enjoyed the mental health representation the only thing I didn’t enjoy was the way that they describe the main characters first sexual experience it was super clinical
December 12, 2022
This book wasn’t originally on my TBR but rather a book I found at a charity shop and thought “Hm, doesn’t sound too bad”…
An average read that I don’t have much to say about apart from the depiction of mental illness is well done and realistic. I had no idea it was gonna take that route when I first picked it up - but I don’t regret it!
An average read that I don’t have much to say about apart from the depiction of mental illness is well done and realistic. I had no idea it was gonna take that route when I first picked it up - but I don’t regret it!
Read
April 8, 2017DNF'ed this one.
October 5, 2016
**I was provided with an eArc by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!**
I am just going to say it straight away, this book is about mental illness, schizophrenia to be exact. I feel like that's something you can't really gather from the synopsis, which is a shame, because then you go into The Movie Version with completely wrong expectations. There's nothing wrong with the topic itself, I usually quite appreciate books that take on such an important and quite frankly complex theme, but it simply didn't work for me here.
Right from the beginning something felt off. Most of it is probably due to me not connecting with the main character, Amelia, at all. She lived in this oblivious bubble of her movie-life. More than once I wondered, if she chose to ignore her brother's alarming behaviour, if she really didn't think it was all that odd or if she thought she was actually "protecting" him. I do understand that siblings are supposed to cover for each other, but what she did was in no way helpful. Then, when her brother Toby finally got diagnosed and the help he needed, I could stand her even less. Again, I tried to understand her actions, telling myself that there would probably be a period of denial and then she would get on the case and educate herself about schizophrenia. But nope, that was not the case and it was maddening.
Bildergebnis für shame gif
Everything was about her and how this ruined her life, not once did I read her thinking how this must be a terribly difficult time for her brother as well. All her friends, even the most flaky ones, knew more about schizophrenia than she did, simply because she refused to talk about it. Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed for, yet that is exactly how she acted. She lashed out at anyone who wanted to talk and maybe comfort her, telling them and herself that they wouldn't understand, even though they were far from overbearing and really just concerned. She showed a little growth towards the end, which justifies my 2-star-rating, but ultimately her behaviour just made me sad. Yes, this is difficult for the family members as well as for the person concerned, but she didn't even try to talk to Toby or try to understand what was happening. She just wanted her old brother back.
Amelia's side-story about her love-life wasn't helpful either. At most times it felt random or awkward at best. I did not feel any chemistry and she kept complaining about a certain feature of his, that I could not imagine being such a big deal. One thing is for sure, this book did not show the movie-version of life. However, I don't think it portrayed reality either, at least I really don't hope so.
Fazit: 2/5 stars! Not what I would have wanted to get from a story like this.
I am just going to say it straight away, this book is about mental illness, schizophrenia to be exact. I feel like that's something you can't really gather from the synopsis, which is a shame, because then you go into The Movie Version with completely wrong expectations. There's nothing wrong with the topic itself, I usually quite appreciate books that take on such an important and quite frankly complex theme, but it simply didn't work for me here.
Right from the beginning something felt off. Most of it is probably due to me not connecting with the main character, Amelia, at all. She lived in this oblivious bubble of her movie-life. More than once I wondered, if she chose to ignore her brother's alarming behaviour, if she really didn't think it was all that odd or if she thought she was actually "protecting" him. I do understand that siblings are supposed to cover for each other, but what she did was in no way helpful. Then, when her brother Toby finally got diagnosed and the help he needed, I could stand her even less. Again, I tried to understand her actions, telling myself that there would probably be a period of denial and then she would get on the case and educate herself about schizophrenia. But nope, that was not the case and it was maddening.
Bildergebnis für shame gif
Everything was about her and how this ruined her life, not once did I read her thinking how this must be a terribly difficult time for her brother as well. All her friends, even the most flaky ones, knew more about schizophrenia than she did, simply because she refused to talk about it. Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed for, yet that is exactly how she acted. She lashed out at anyone who wanted to talk and maybe comfort her, telling them and herself that they wouldn't understand, even though they were far from overbearing and really just concerned. She showed a little growth towards the end, which justifies my 2-star-rating, but ultimately her behaviour just made me sad. Yes, this is difficult for the family members as well as for the person concerned, but she didn't even try to talk to Toby or try to understand what was happening. She just wanted her old brother back.
Amelia's side-story about her love-life wasn't helpful either. At most times it felt random or awkward at best. I did not feel any chemistry and she kept complaining about a certain feature of his, that I could not imagine being such a big deal. One thing is for sure, this book did not show the movie-version of life. However, I don't think it portrayed reality either, at least I really don't hope so.
Fazit: 2/5 stars! Not what I would have wanted to get from a story like this.
September 19, 2016
Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication is October 11th. 2016.
I wish I liked this story more than I did. In concept I should have. A story about mental illness written for the YA genre which is a very important and serious topic that deserves to have light shed on it and the stigma of it removed. A good message to deliver to this demographic.
My issue with the story was purely in Amelia's reaction to the situation with her brother. While it is only my opinion, I felt that the way she handled it was not the way someone who was so close to her brother would deal with the situation. Instead of trying to help him, she mourned who he used to be instead of trying to support him. She wallowed in self pity and lashed out at everyone in sight. Ok, I get the lashing out part, that can be normal behavior when under stress. Even though I understood it, it didn't make Amelia appeal to me any more.
The story also felt to me like it should have been a little shorter. There are only so many times I wanted to watch Amelia self destruct. Also, there were random characters in the story that were irrelevant to the plot. Abdi for example. He brought no added value to the story yet there was a considerable amount of time spent on him. Ok, yes, he did give Amelia and extra hobby to destract herself with but aside from that...why so much time on this character?
While I have been critical thus far, I must add that I feel this is a very important subject that she be discussed widely. The fact that this story has been written for the YA audience is important. This is the demographic that can be the cruelest, trust me I remember those days clearly. In today's society where everything is on social media and nothing is private, it is important for people to be educated on such things as mental illness so that all stigma is removed. If this story can in any way assist in the process, then it will have accomplished something very important. For that, I commend Wunsch for bringing this topic to light.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication is October 11th. 2016.
I wish I liked this story more than I did. In concept I should have. A story about mental illness written for the YA genre which is a very important and serious topic that deserves to have light shed on it and the stigma of it removed. A good message to deliver to this demographic.
My issue with the story was purely in Amelia's reaction to the situation with her brother. While it is only my opinion, I felt that the way she handled it was not the way someone who was so close to her brother would deal with the situation. Instead of trying to help him, she mourned who he used to be instead of trying to support him. She wallowed in self pity and lashed out at everyone in sight. Ok, I get the lashing out part, that can be normal behavior when under stress. Even though I understood it, it didn't make Amelia appeal to me any more.
The story also felt to me like it should have been a little shorter. There are only so many times I wanted to watch Amelia self destruct. Also, there were random characters in the story that were irrelevant to the plot. Abdi for example. He brought no added value to the story yet there was a considerable amount of time spent on him. Ok, yes, he did give Amelia and extra hobby to destract herself with but aside from that...why so much time on this character?
While I have been critical thus far, I must add that I feel this is a very important subject that she be discussed widely. The fact that this story has been written for the YA audience is important. This is the demographic that can be the cruelest, trust me I remember those days clearly. In today's society where everything is on social media and nothing is private, it is important for people to be educated on such things as mental illness so that all stigma is removed. If this story can in any way assist in the process, then it will have accomplished something very important. For that, I commend Wunsch for bringing this topic to light.
December 29, 2016
Going into The Movie Version I didn't really know what to expect, from the author as well as the book in general, I just knew the synopsis drew me in and I had to know more. When I began reading I initially liked the relationship between Amelia and Toby, how they were there for each other, knew what the other wanted, and especially loved the movie quotes where they randomly said a quote and waited for the other to correctly name where it was from.
Now before I get to the actual review part, it's going to be vague and hopefully not spoil it for those who have yet to read The Movie Version. First of all I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved seeing family dynamics that felt real, working parents at thier own business working long hours, older siblings (Amelia & Toby) expected to look after thier younger twin brothers when thier Grandmother wasn't available. Everything in thier life is going great, but Amelia goes away during the summer for a job and when she comes back her brother is a completely different person. He sits in his room smoking pot, isn't bothered with school, and just isn't the person she knows. But she doesn't want her parents to find out and covers for him a lot, especially when he disappears for twenty four hours with no contact with anybody. What follows is a story of shock, sadness, but also hope, that there is going to be light at the end of the tunnel.
For me Amelia definitely made some bad choices, she chose to ignore the problem, refused to acknowledge what was really going on, and did anything she could to make herself busy, even joining a video club and drivers ed. I think her feelings were misguided in some instances, and a lot of that went towards Epstein, her summer boyfriend and occasional hookup. But she also accomplished a lot of things. She overcame her fear of driving which does a lot for herself and her brother later in the book, and also learned that she can't deal with everything herself, that it's OK to talk about what she is feeling.
Final Verdict
The Movie Version was a book I really enjoyed, and although it didn't blow me away it definitely drew me into the story. I liked the characters and how the whole situation was dealt with in a very tasteful but informative way.
Now before I get to the actual review part, it's going to be vague and hopefully not spoil it for those who have yet to read The Movie Version. First of all I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved seeing family dynamics that felt real, working parents at thier own business working long hours, older siblings (Amelia & Toby) expected to look after thier younger twin brothers when thier Grandmother wasn't available. Everything in thier life is going great, but Amelia goes away during the summer for a job and when she comes back her brother is a completely different person. He sits in his room smoking pot, isn't bothered with school, and just isn't the person she knows. But she doesn't want her parents to find out and covers for him a lot, especially when he disappears for twenty four hours with no contact with anybody. What follows is a story of shock, sadness, but also hope, that there is going to be light at the end of the tunnel.
For me Amelia definitely made some bad choices, she chose to ignore the problem, refused to acknowledge what was really going on, and did anything she could to make herself busy, even joining a video club and drivers ed. I think her feelings were misguided in some instances, and a lot of that went towards Epstein, her summer boyfriend and occasional hookup. But she also accomplished a lot of things. She overcame her fear of driving which does a lot for herself and her brother later in the book, and also learned that she can't deal with everything herself, that it's OK to talk about what she is feeling.
Final Verdict
The Movie Version was a book I really enjoyed, and although it didn't blow me away it definitely drew me into the story. I liked the characters and how the whole situation was dealt with in a very tasteful but informative way.
October 30, 2016
This was a really great debut. I enjoyed the early chapters and backstory showing the fun connection between Amelia and Toby through shenanigans and their shared passion in movies. As the plot unfolds, that obsession with movies became something of an inspiration and increasingly something of a hang-up for Amelia. She keeps holding her brother to a standard she’s always wanted for herself, casting him in a star role she’d never give herself. She’s conditioned herself to always choosing—or wanting to choose—what she calls “the movie version” of life. To be daring, wild, and free. In truth, she’s not particularly daring, wild, or free, but instead sees her brother as all of these amazing things, so when her brother’s mental health reaches a crisis point, her own life comes unglued. A lot of her growth in the book comes from learning to be more accepting and supportive (of others and herself), to allow for struggle as part of who we are, and to gain the budding wisdom to know people are so much more than they seem on the surface.
August 12, 2016
Yikes. Let me keep this simple.
What I liked:
-movie loving main character !!!
-movie references
-movie script style flashbacks
Basically I loved the whole movie element.
What I disliked:
-the author using mental illness as a plot device??
-misleading synopsis
-pacing
-the way everyone in this book reacted when they found out a character had a mental illness...disgusting
I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS. THIS WASN'T THE BOOK I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE READING.
I don't understand why they couldn't have been more explicit in the synopsis. They should've outright mentioned the mental illness aspect of this novel. At least put a trigger warning? Sigh. People who have this illness are probably going to be offended by this book and I really don't blame them. I'm offended myself.
I do NOT recommend this book.
What I liked:
-movie loving main character !!!
-movie references
-movie script style flashbacks
Basically I loved the whole movie element.
What I disliked:
-the author using mental illness as a plot device??
-misleading synopsis
-pacing
-the way everyone in this book reacted when they found out a character had a mental illness...disgusting
I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS. THIS WASN'T THE BOOK I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE READING.
I don't understand why they couldn't have been more explicit in the synopsis. They should've outright mentioned the mental illness aspect of this novel. At least put a trigger warning? Sigh. People who have this illness are probably going to be offended by this book and I really don't blame them. I'm offended myself.
I do NOT recommend this book.
September 5, 2016
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The constant film referencing might appeal to some readers, but I found it a bit of an in-joke that I soon found tiring.
Aside from that, this story of Amelia, her brother Toby, their family and friends and how they cope when Toby is diagnosed with schizophrenia was an interesting read. Amelia tries her hardest to support Toby, but sometimes making the decision about how to support someone isn't always obvious.
At times the story felt a little flat, but there were moments when I was really taken with the portrayal of the characters and their experiences.
The constant film referencing might appeal to some readers, but I found it a bit of an in-joke that I soon found tiring.
Aside from that, this story of Amelia, her brother Toby, their family and friends and how they cope when Toby is diagnosed with schizophrenia was an interesting read. Amelia tries her hardest to support Toby, but sometimes making the decision about how to support someone isn't always obvious.
At times the story felt a little flat, but there were moments when I was really taken with the portrayal of the characters and their experiences.
September 13, 2016
i received a copy of this book from netgalley and amulet books, so thanks to them! this book was really sad and really, really real. I like that it's called the movie version, but it showed anything but that perfect lens on reality.
full review up here!
full review up here!
October 16, 2016
I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting book - it had a schizophrenic character, which was interesting to read about, but overall, I wasn't blown away by this book. The characters fell flat for me and the story didn't reach the depth I was hoping for. However, it was an overall enjoyable read.
This was an interesting book - it had a schizophrenic character, which was interesting to read about, but overall, I wasn't blown away by this book. The characters fell flat for me and the story didn't reach the depth I was hoping for. However, it was an overall enjoyable read.
May 9, 2017
Review first written on prettylittlememoirs.com
I'm always for a YA Book in the Springtime (and almost Summer!) so The Movie Version sounded like a breath of fresh air. The book starts with Amelia, our heroine, coming home from a while away over the Summer. It's more than obvious that Amelia is a strikingly honest character from the get-go. She knows in the Movie Version of her life, her brother Toby is the shining star. He's everything that she's not; popular and ever-so-charming. He's not obnoxious, either, because of his popularity with everyone - he's a genuinely nice guy and Amelia can't help but feel shifted from the spotlight.
But suddenly, her bubbly brother turns into a shell of himself, changing into someone she no longer recognises as the Movie Version Toby. He's not hanging out with the same people or acting the same way, and Amelia can't help but try to uncover the reasons why he's not himself, leading her to the chilling conclusion of Toby's real feelings going on inside his mind.
Honestly? This book just blew my expectations out of the water with the raw honesty of the mental illness topics that it covered in a very educated manner. Amelia treads carefully, knowing not much about mental illnesses, so at first she's very confused by it, not knowing the correct way to talk or let alone deal with it. But the more that she listens to Toby, she turns a leaf, learning and understanding what it truly means to suffer from a mental illness. Despite some of the topics surrounding Amelia not knowing what to say and in parts, maybe coming across a little naive to the situation, I think Emma Wunsch is definitely an Author to watch.
Overall, The Movie Version was a hopeful, emotional and downright honest YA book that deals with subjects that so many people are afraid to speak up about. No one should ever be ashamed of Mental Illness, whether it's anxiety, OCD, depression or anything. As someone who has dealt with these topics personally, I think Emma has completely handled them with delicate and beautiful outcomes. The Movie Version is a four-star read - and a must read.
I'm always for a YA Book in the Springtime (and almost Summer!) so The Movie Version sounded like a breath of fresh air. The book starts with Amelia, our heroine, coming home from a while away over the Summer. It's more than obvious that Amelia is a strikingly honest character from the get-go. She knows in the Movie Version of her life, her brother Toby is the shining star. He's everything that she's not; popular and ever-so-charming. He's not obnoxious, either, because of his popularity with everyone - he's a genuinely nice guy and Amelia can't help but feel shifted from the spotlight.
But suddenly, her bubbly brother turns into a shell of himself, changing into someone she no longer recognises as the Movie Version Toby. He's not hanging out with the same people or acting the same way, and Amelia can't help but try to uncover the reasons why he's not himself, leading her to the chilling conclusion of Toby's real feelings going on inside his mind.
Honestly? This book just blew my expectations out of the water with the raw honesty of the mental illness topics that it covered in a very educated manner. Amelia treads carefully, knowing not much about mental illnesses, so at first she's very confused by it, not knowing the correct way to talk or let alone deal with it. But the more that she listens to Toby, she turns a leaf, learning and understanding what it truly means to suffer from a mental illness. Despite some of the topics surrounding Amelia not knowing what to say and in parts, maybe coming across a little naive to the situation, I think Emma Wunsch is definitely an Author to watch.
Overall, The Movie Version was a hopeful, emotional and downright honest YA book that deals with subjects that so many people are afraid to speak up about. No one should ever be ashamed of Mental Illness, whether it's anxiety, OCD, depression or anything. As someone who has dealt with these topics personally, I think Emma has completely handled them with delicate and beautiful outcomes. The Movie Version is a four-star read - and a must read.
September 4, 2017
This book was real. Extremely real.
It felt raw and Amelia felt like and actual person, that I'd actually meet, in my actual life. She wasn't a stereotype and not over complex. She was reflection of the entire novel. Simple. Amelia is just an awkward, nice,lonely, and weird girl who likes movies. She has two friends- Ray and Muppet. She adores her smart and suave older brother Toby.
When Toby is diagnosed, Amelia takes it extremely hard, she isn't so calm and cool anymore. A lot of things trigger her, and anger her. And she's extremely sensitive, and doesn't take difficult news very well. Her character was very well developed, and relatable and like able. Same for Ray who was sarcastic and witty and brash. Their friendship was sweet.
Epstein and Amelia's romance was nice. It felt real, and very awkward. Extremely reminiscent of a girl in high schools first relationship. The way she described sex and their relationship was exactly the way a 16 year old would. It was blunt, not flowery and overly sexualized. She was just a kid telling you what was happening. Epstein was odd and endearing. He was kind and smart. He was a very nice match for Amelia, in my opinion. Both very kind, calm oddballs who were simplistic in their on ways. I wish more time was focused into their relationship in the second half. His development was also very well done. He showed in the second half he's very calm when trying to console others. But can be very persistent and somewhat anxious when he's afraid.
Schizophrenia was dealt with appropriately in the novel. It showed mental illness in families is not easy to deal with, and others around them deal with it very differently. It showed Amelia really breaking down and slowly building herself back up.
This book made me very sad and tear up. The writing style is so blunt and simple, the emotional stuffs hits you extremely hard. In a good way though. Emma Wunsch has a knack for making very likable characters, and making the situations feel so real, almost as if the reader was experiencing it. The ending felt abrupt and loose, but in life there isn't a clear cut ending all the time, so I don't bother me a great deal.
It felt raw and Amelia felt like and actual person, that I'd actually meet, in my actual life. She wasn't a stereotype and not over complex. She was reflection of the entire novel. Simple. Amelia is just an awkward, nice,lonely, and weird girl who likes movies. She has two friends- Ray and Muppet. She adores her smart and suave older brother Toby.
When Toby is diagnosed, Amelia takes it extremely hard, she isn't so calm and cool anymore. A lot of things trigger her, and anger her. And she's extremely sensitive, and doesn't take difficult news very well. Her character was very well developed, and relatable and like able. Same for Ray who was sarcastic and witty and brash. Their friendship was sweet.
Epstein and Amelia's romance was nice. It felt real, and very awkward. Extremely reminiscent of a girl in high schools first relationship. The way she described sex and their relationship was exactly the way a 16 year old would. It was blunt, not flowery and overly sexualized. She was just a kid telling you what was happening. Epstein was odd and endearing. He was kind and smart. He was a very nice match for Amelia, in my opinion. Both very kind, calm oddballs who were simplistic in their on ways. I wish more time was focused into their relationship in the second half. His development was also very well done. He showed in the second half he's very calm when trying to console others. But can be very persistent and somewhat anxious when he's afraid.
Schizophrenia was dealt with appropriately in the novel. It showed mental illness in families is not easy to deal with, and others around them deal with it very differently. It showed Amelia really breaking down and slowly building herself back up.
This book made me very sad and tear up. The writing style is so blunt and simple, the emotional stuffs hits you extremely hard. In a good way though. Emma Wunsch has a knack for making very likable characters, and making the situations feel so real, almost as if the reader was experiencing it. The ending felt abrupt and loose, but in life there isn't a clear cut ending all the time, so I don't bother me a great deal.
August 7, 2018
This was certainly an interesting book. Overall, it's a fairly typical YA book with the main difference having to do with mental health (which is all I will say so as not to spoil anything). Not knowing anything about the topic, I think they handled it fairly well in its depiction. That being said, the majority of the characters were not very likable. The parents seemed very caught up in their own world and made the tough choice (but puzzling one) to keep the younger brothers completely in the dark for most of the book. Amelia is incredibly selfish in her response to the whole thing, worrying more about her boyfriend's perception- a boyfriend who deserves much better than a girl that takes out everything on him. Frankly, he deserves better than her. She's standoffish with almost every single person she interacts with, and the majority of the book I was annoyed with her for not dealing with anything. I will say that Ray was an excellent character. She is one of the best friends I've ever read about and was there for Amelia beyond what anyone could have expected. I will also say that Toast was shockingly caring and a great character compared to how he is first introduced.
I have to also take a shot at few choices by the author. The romance is awkward and the terminology is clinical. Awkwardness among teen romance is common and honest, but not in the way it was done here. It's cringey, but not in the way that young love is cringey, in a way that a poorly written scene is. The other choice is that the brothers are supposedly twins, but they are ridiculously different. If I had not been told that they were the same age, I would have guessed they were at least 4 years apart. Finally, the constant harping on Amelia not having and being scared of getting her license seemed overblown and strange considering there was no reason for her being scared other than... she is. It would have made sense if there was some trauma that had happened, but she just doesn't want to drive and then she does.
I will say the use of movies was interesting, and not being a huge movie buff, I still caught a lot of the references. It's not something I've seen used before and thought it was a clever plot device. Overall the book had a good pacing and I think I may pick up another book by Ms. Wunsch. Certainly not the worst book I've read this year, but unfortunately also not nearly the best.
I have to also take a shot at few choices by the author. The romance is awkward and the terminology is clinical. Awkwardness among teen romance is common and honest, but not in the way it was done here. It's cringey, but not in the way that young love is cringey, in a way that a poorly written scene is. The other choice is that the brothers are supposedly twins, but they are ridiculously different. If I had not been told that they were the same age, I would have guessed they were at least 4 years apart. Finally, the constant harping on Amelia not having and being scared of getting her license seemed overblown and strange considering there was no reason for her being scared other than... she is. It would have made sense if there was some trauma that had happened, but she just doesn't want to drive and then she does.
I will say the use of movies was interesting, and not being a huge movie buff, I still caught a lot of the references. It's not something I've seen used before and thought it was a clever plot device. Overall the book had a good pacing and I think I may pick up another book by Ms. Wunsch. Certainly not the worst book I've read this year, but unfortunately also not nearly the best.
July 29, 2020
It's not that fun. I admit.
The character we were seeing through the eyes of just plain sucked, she seemed so ashamed of her brother, she was incredibly self-centered.. she constantly moans and groans about how Toby wasn't going to be like how he was and doesn't even attempt to try to understand what he's going through. When someone tries to help she is absolutely horrible. etc. I didn't LIKE seeing things through her eyes and I felt UGH.
The dialogue is, fine but I do admit that they use too many movie quotes and movie references that I lose the motivation to watch movies afterwards.
Ray and Epstein are honestly the best characters in this book, I felt like they had a personality that stood out and stuck to me and I was happy with that, I think we could've gotten something better if Amelia had an arc where at first she was a bit iffy about Toby but grew to accept it or sometjing. Charavter development should've been in place.
The ending didn't feel like an ending. It felt unfinished, unedited, uneverything.
One star.
The character we were seeing through the eyes of just plain sucked, she seemed so ashamed of her brother, she was incredibly self-centered.. she constantly moans and groans about how Toby wasn't going to be like how he was and doesn't even attempt to try to understand what he's going through. When someone tries to help she is absolutely horrible. etc. I didn't LIKE seeing things through her eyes and I felt UGH.
The dialogue is, fine but I do admit that they use too many movie quotes and movie references that I lose the motivation to watch movies afterwards.
Ray and Epstein are honestly the best characters in this book, I felt like they had a personality that stood out and stuck to me and I was happy with that, I think we could've gotten something better if Amelia had an arc where at first she was a bit iffy about Toby but grew to accept it or sometjing. Charavter development should've been in place.
The ending didn't feel like an ending. It felt unfinished, unedited, uneverything.
One star.
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