Publisher: Doubleday Children’s
Format: ARC**
Published: 4th June 2015
Number of Pages: 288
Book: For Review*
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mental-Health Issues, Comedy, YA
Recommended
Age: 11+
Contains: Swearing, Alcohol References
Author's
Blog: Sophie Kinsella
Audrey can’t leave the
house. She can’t even take off her dark
glasses inside the house – a house that her totally chaotic but well-meaning
family fill to the brim with their (pig) personalities and (loud) voices.
Then her brother’s friend Linus
stumbles into her life. With his friendly
orange-slice smile and his funny notes, he starts to entice Audrey out again –
well, Starbucks is a start. And with
Linus at her side, Audrey suddenly feels she can do things she’d thought were
too scary.
Even when it’s two steps forward
and one step back, suddenly finding her way back to the real world seems achievable.
Be prepared to laugh, dram and
hope with Audrey as she learns that even when you think you have lost yourself,
love can still find you…
Review:
Ever since the... thing happened, Audrey
Turner has worn her dark glasses, stayed inside and only had contact with her
family and her psychiatrist, Dr Sarah. You see, Audrey has Social Anxiety
Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder and Depressive Episodes. So, yeah.
Things most people wouldn't blink an eye at have Audrey running to hide.
And then her older brother, Frank's friend,
Linus, comes into her house. To start with, Audrey freaks - after all,
the house seems small enough with her loud, boisterous family; add in a
stranger and it becomes almost overwhelming.
But Linus... Linus is nice. When he
smiles, it looks like an orange slice and he calls her Rhubarb and talks to her
in a soft, friendly voice. He makes her feel brave, makes her able to do
things that terrify her.
But when the world itself terrifies you so
much you feel allergic it, can you even find your way again?
I'm really not good when it comes to
reading contemp books. But when my mother handed me the first Shopaholic book years ago, I fell in
love. So when I found out that Sophie Kinsella was branching out into YA,
I cheered. I was so excited for Finding
Audrey and did a little happy dance when it landed on my doormat.
From that first, bonkers chapter, I fell in love – with Audrey, with
Sophie all over again, and mostly with Audrey's nutty family! Just a few
sentences in and I was already in stitches! I kept reading snippets out
to my mum, who cracked up with me – she'll probably be borrowing this one from
me when I'm done, something I shall fully recommend. Y'know. After
rereading it a couple of times... But the brilliant thing about Finding Audrey is that it's not just
hilarious; it's so real too, so sad and poignant and deep.
Audrey was such an amazing character – she
was so strong, even though she thought she was weak. She was dealing with
this awful, all-consuming illness and yet she still kept her wit and sense of
humour. She made me laugh, even when my heart ached for her. I also
totally related to her – I've not got any mental health issues, but I've been
stuck at home, I've felt friendless, I've felt bad because I thought I was
making my family miserable. Audrey – I just totally got her and I
absolutely loved her.
And Linus was the sweetest and the
funniest. That scene in Starbucks... God, I died laughing! "Could I be like your shadow?"
OMG, hilarious! But I loved how understanding and sweet he was!
I have a pretty bizarre and bonkers family
who often make me laugh. But even we aren't as brilliantly hilariously
hectic as Audrey's family. I mean, they were just... brilliant. The
Mum was addicted to the Daily Mail and always on the oldest son about his
computer addiction. The Dad was powerless against the Mum's Daily
Mail-inspired schemes and routine changes. The oldest son, Frank, was
always on his computer – snarky, moody and occasionally crude (and always funny). He actually
reminds me of one of my younger brothers – annoying at times and hilarious at
the other times, but always there if you need him. And the littlest of
the family, Felix, was adorable! Seriously though, this is a family I'd
love to know!
The writing was brilliant – it felt totally
authentic as a teenager's voice and described the troubles of living with
depression perfectly. It was also, of course, totally hilarious a lot of
the time – I adore the Turner family – they're so mad and brilliant! And
I totally loved the film
transcripts – how we saw what Audrey saw through these scripts. It was
brilliant and so original!
The plot was awesome – sweet and
touching and funny and, at the end, a little worrying. I was hooked as I
watched Audrey's struggles, hooked as I saw her fall in love with Linus "Orange Slice". The love story
was just too adorable, by the way, as was the natural way the family evolved.
I just loved all of it!
I found Kinsella's balance between hilarity
(via the brilliance of Audrey's family) and severity (because of Audrey's
illness and struggle to cope, because of the bullying and depression – both
serious problems amongst teens today) absolutely perfect and spot on.
Sophie never made light of what Audrey was going through, never, not
once. She handled everything – Audrey's 'episodes' and doctor appointments
and difficulties – with care, so much care, that it was impossible not to empathise
totally with Audrey, not to totally understand how utterly serious her
condition was. And yet there were also the most hilarious moments in the
book too, bits that had me crying with laughter followed by bits about bullying
and depression that were so serious I felt like crying for a whole other
reason. I just think so many teenagers will empathise with what Audrey
was going through, and will appreciate the brilliant moments of comic relief.
Kinsella proves once and for all that you can tackle an issue as serious
as mental health amongst teenagers with the care and respect it deserves, but
without making the book as serious and grim as so many other books of a similar
genre. Because yes, this is a serious book about a serious topic, but
it's also a funny book about a funny family. It's a blend that could have
gone wrong under any other author's care, but a blend that feels so right and
perfect when put together by Sophie Kinsella.
I don't have mental health issues.
But I was teased when I was younger. And I have a condition that
people often don't understand. I know what it's like to be judged because
people can't see what's wrong; I know what it's like to be told to just get
over it. I think everyone will be able to empathise and relate with
Audrey. I mean, who hasn't been picked on? Who doesn't know someone
with mental health issues – or have them themselves? This is a serious
book dealing with real issues that still lets you have fun. And I love
that.
Oh, jeez, I've just talked your ear off
about this! Sorry. I just can't get over the perfection of this
blend and over the awesomeness that is Finding
Audrey. I adore Sophie Kinsella – she's amazing! – and her first YA
book just further cements how awesome she is in my mind. I can't wait for
her next YA book!
Star Rating:
4 Out of 5
4 Out of 5
Read this
book if you liked:
Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
One by Sarah Crossan
Happy Reading
Megan
* This
book was received from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review
**
Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished
book
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