Review:
Title: Finding Audrey
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publishing: June 9th 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover
Source: Independent Bookstore
Genre: YA; Contemporary
An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.
Thoughts:
I picked this book up on a whim in an Indie bookstore on my various travels this summer. That being said, I had no prior information other than the lovely blurb on the dust jacket inside cover.
Finding Audrey tells the story of a 14 year old British girl named Audrey, who also suffers from several forms of anxiety disorder. The main plot of the book focuses on Audrey’s family dynamic and her struggled to overcome a triggering traumatic incident.
Although I don’t have Audrey’s disorder, I was still able to connect with her on a teenaged level. Admits Audrey’s desperate clamoring for some sort of balance in her life, she still is just a 14 year old girl, and lungs for some sort of normalcy. And once Audrey sets her mind to something, she is a particular fan of ‘instant gratification’, even though in many cases this is just not possible.
I was a particular fan of how Audrey’s family dynamic effected this book. An ongoing struggled between Audrey’s mother and brother Frank regarding video games is a humorous and realistic modern family squabble. This ongoing side plot travels parallel to the main plot of Audrey’s growth and fight to manage her disorders. In doing this, Audrey is requested by her therapist to make a video documentary. Kinsella takes this opportunity to switch up the 3rd person narration with movie scripts.
Other than Audrey’s family, the most important secondary character is Linus, a friend of Frank’s that becomes wrapped up in the video game debacle. Linus, being the outrageously sweet boy he his, also makes an effort to become friends with Audrey. Although I may not have always agreed with how Linus was used in this book, it was always clear that it was not for personal gain but solely the growth of Audrey.
Final Thoughts:
Finding Audrey is overall, a sweet book. Adorable family dynamics partner with a mental health struggle to pull at your heart strings. Audrey comes across as a 14 year old girl, and for some people that may be annoying, but I can credit Kinsella only with her realistic portrayal of teenaged life. This is a quick, not entirely emotionally investing read. I would recommend this for MG readers who are ready to make the step of to YA and are looking for something clean, and also for people who wish to learn about mental illness in a literary setting. This wasn’t a personal favorite of mine, but I can tell that in the right hands this book would be more emotionally meaningful.
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