To begin with, I am aware that this is a graphic novel or book or story intended for young children. I have no issue with that since various stories and media should be available for people of all ages. I just find this particular book to be wanting and having a lot left to be desired.

The book is not bad, per se. The artwork is kind of adorable and completely in line with the genre and intended audience. The characters are distinct and developed enough for the story. The real, and only, issue is that there is not much of a story in the book. There is a definitive beginning, middle, and end. There is an obvious conflict as well. It’s simply that the actual story presented is not much of anything.

Events do happen: the filming of a reality show, a spoiled banquet night, a pseudo familial fight, etc. It’s just that most of these events simply happen with little to no real input from the titular protagonist. Amelia does make mistakes, mostly from stemming from a mixture of her laziness and self-esteem issues, but they are not particularly terrible and are resolved rather easily and without issue. The one real big “error” she makes in the book actually becomes a boon for those involved, so even her worst mistake is still a good thing somehow. The conflict with her family is just resolved, for the most part, due to no real action on her or her mother’s part. They are just good. Same with her singular friend who was also spying on her. The conflict is just handled in about a page or two of the graphic novel.

Now, I understand that this is a young adult work or text, but it is not intended for toddlers. The audience is more adolescents to teenagers, so the utter lack of an actual story in this book is odd. All the elements for a plotted out narrative are present; they just do not really connect into a cohesive, satisfying story. There is potential here, but it is still only possibility instead of execution. In all honesty, if this book was not the work of a famous and, currently, popular actress with the social media push from her and her team, I do not think many would have picked it up or would be giving it so much praise.