Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Stand-alone
Genre: YA contemporary fiction
Pages: 286
Format: hardback, owned

Finding Audrey was a fun book, and I enjoyed it so much that I read it in a day. 🙂

the plot

It was a strong, unique take on mental illness that was respectful but still lighthearted and amusing. Everything was very realistic and flowed well. My only complaint is that readers never really find out what the traumatic incident Audrey experienced was, and I wanted to know. What happened that put her where she was in the beginning? It was kind of nice to imagine and guess, but in the end I was disappointed that it wasn’t revealed.

the characters

Audrey was a beautiful character. She was flawed, but that’s what made her real. She couldn’t be around people or go out in public, and her self-esteem was low. I felt so bad for her throughout the story, especially during her setbacks, and I was cheering for her with every step forward. She’s the first character in a while to give me real emotion in a contemporary book, and I love her for it. ❤

Linus was just as great, but doubly frustrating. He was awkward at first, but he ended up being very gentle and encouraging toward Audrey. He was also very amusing throughout the book, and I think that really helped Audrey out. But, like I said, he was also irritating at times. I understand that he can only understand anxiety and depression to an extent since he doesn’t have either, but sometimes I think he expected too much of Audrey.

Then there’s Audrey’s family. They were all nuts; except Felix, who I thought was just cute. 😛 I thought Frank’s passion for video games went a little bit too far sometimes. I did kind of agree with his mom at times; he did seem addicted. And on that note, their mom was insane. I don’t know how else to put that. She was insane. That made me feel bad for their dad — he just wanted to make his family happy, but also stay out of the way. Altogether, they were a very eccentric bunch, and even though it bothered me sometimes, their love was strong. That’s what really matters, isn’t it? 😉

the setting

This book was set in England, but I don’t know what part specifically. Honestly, if it wasn’t for a single line of dialogue and my prior knowledge of English vocabulary, I wouldn’t have known. That aside, the descriptions were great. I could really picture the everyday world through Audrey’s anxious eyes, and that’s something I enjoy in books. Her perspective was especially unique, and it stood out. 🙂

the relationships

Audrey and her family had a very present relationship, which was nice, but it was really tense and explosive. A lot of this was their mom’s doing, but her attitude rubbed off on Frank and made it nearly impossible to have a relaxing moment. I felt like this was a bit too much for most of the book, but I also realize that this is a very accurate description of a modern house, so I don’t mind too much.

For the most part, I really liked Audrey and Linus’ relationship. They were cute together, and really helped each other out; Linus more than Audrey, but it still did go both ways. Towards the end there was a lot of unease, but in the end they made up and I was glad for it. ❤

the twists

There were no twists in this book, but I can’t say it was predictable either. I was always wanting to know more about Audrey and how she was doing, enough so that I didn’t want to stop reading. This is the first contemporary to hook me like that since I read Anna and The French Kiss, and before that I can’t remember what did. It was really good, despite it’s mostly unsurprising timeline. 😉

overall

Finding Audrey was a wonderful book, and far better than I expected. The mental health illnesses were a respected and prominent but still lighthearted element, and Audrey was a beautifully flawed main character. Linus and her family were both frustrating sometimes, but they were still lovable and their bonds with Audrey were strong nonetheless. It was full of emotion, and even though it had a couple of issues, I loved it so much. 😀

my rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Have you read this book? Is it on your TBR? If you have read it, what did you think? I’d love to know! 🙂

I’m not sure what I’ll be reading next, but I’ll figure it out in the morning before school. Good night guys! (or morning, depending on where you are) ❤

Until next time…