Dreaming of Amelia by Jaclyn Moriarty

I recently reread this book, and since I’ve never really seen anyone talk about it, or the author, anywhere, I figured I might as well be the first one. I first bought it in 2019 probably, only because I liked the cover, and went into it completely blind. It’s a YA novel set at the prestigious Ashbury High School. The story unfolds through essay-type answers to an English exam, spanning the entire school year. And I’ve got to say, it’s one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read. It’s such a fun read. It’s a ghost story in a way, told through multiple first person POVs, and it follows two mysterious scholarship students who join Ashbury in their final year of high school. No one knows anything about them, and so the entire school becomes fascinated by them. As the year goes on, we slowly learn about their pasts, buried secrets, and ulterior motives. There's scandals and high school drama and friendship and a little bit of coming-of-age. And also a ghost. This is actually the fourth book in a series, and I ended up really enjoying all of them, as well as her other books. All of her stories are so chaotic and whimsical, as well as dramatic and genuinely heartwarming, but in the best possible way. Her writing style is simple but so effective and feels very realistic. And probably my favourite thing about her books is how distinct every character’s POV feels. They all have their own individual style and personality. She also really captures the whole 'teenage dramatics' so well. She writes in a way that feels like how a high school student might genuinely think is extremely profound and dramatic, but in hindsight, some of it is also painfully cringe-inducing. But despite this, the writing is soo clever and poignant, which makes it all the more fun to read. Honestly Jaclyn Moriarty deserves to be talked about a lot more. So if anyone here has read her books, I would love to hear your thoughts.