Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

 Title: Finding Audrey

 Author: Sophie Kinsella

 Publisher: Delacorte Press

 Date Published: June 9, 2015

 Genre: Contemporary

 Pages: 304 (Hardcover)

 Age Range: 12+








                                                                          Summary:

     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.


                                                                            Review:

     Finding Audrey was one of those books that you just couldn't escape earlier this year. Everyone and their grandmother has read this book, and a majority of people LOVE it so so so much. I admit, I got swept up in the hype, and read it, thoroughly expecting to love it because everyone else did, and it sounded like a book I would simply adore. I read it, and it fell short by a long mile. I think this is yet another instance of the Hype Machine making a huge deal about nothing special.
     The characters in this book were nothing special, and they were very cliched. I understand, and fully believe that cliches exist for a reason, but this book was supposed to break these kinds of molds. Audrey was very anxious, but she was also childish and immature. She never did a single thing that made me feel like she should get an award. Simply living with a mental issue, does not mean that she did anything out of the norm. Linus was just...blah. He was plain, and I've read a million other boy-next-door kind of types like him that I actually liked more. Audrey's brother had me constantly laughing, and I really liked him, but he was still super cliched.
     Besides the characters, the whole plot of this book was...meh. I truly appreciate that Sophie Kinsella accurately portrayed anxiety, but she really shrugged it off in the end.. Audrey was shoved WAY out of her comfort zone with very few repercussions, and certainly nothing of the caliber that we should expect. Besides, anxiety is very arresting, and I appreciate that Audrey had true symptoms, but they quickly dissolved into nothing.
     Basically, I disliked this book, but everyone LOVED IT. Honestly, I just found it too cliched, and I had issues with all of the characters. But really, it was funny, and I see why people like it so much.