Saturday, April 23, 2011

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway


Published: April 8, 2008 by Razorbill
Received: bought from Barnes & Noble (per Jess Hearts Books recommendation)
When funny, charming, absolutely-normal Audrey Cuttler dumps her boyfriend Evan, he writes a song about her that becomes a number-one hit—and rockets Audrey to stardom!

Suddenly, tabloid paparazzi are on her tail and Audrey can barely hang with her friends at concerts or the movies without getting mobbed—let alone score a date with James, her adorable coworker at the Scooper Dooper. Her life will never be the same—at least, not until Audrey confronts Evan live on MTV and lets the world know exactly who she is!
{taken from goodreads.com}


Ever thought how cool it would be to have a song written about you?  Then to hear every teenage girl, middle-aged Dad, & retired Grandma singing along to it?  Well as glamorous as that sounds, Audrey knows firsthand the effects it can have on someone.  Evan, her ex-boyfriend, did just that.  He wrote a song about Audrey just after she broke up with him.  Now imagine everyone & their mom singing a song about that.  Yeah -- not so glamorous after all.

This book totally took me by surprise (well, sort of).  Jess from Jess Hearts Books told me that I needed to read this book.  She loved it & told me that I would too, especially for all the music references through out.  I took her advice & ordered myself a copy -- right then & there.  Yes, I trust my bookish friends rec's that much.  Then like every other book I get excited about, it sat in my book pile for a few weeks.  It somehow got lost among the pile & I didn't think to read it until I took a twitter poll asking which book should I read next?  Immediately everyone screamed Audrey, Wait! when I mentioned it as a possibility.   Again, I was told by those who had read the book that I would enjoy it because of all the music references.  I love how my bookish friends know me so well :-)

To say that I enjoyed the book is putting it lightly.

I loved it. SO MUCH.

{end review there.} Just kidding!!!

Seriously.  Where has Robin Benway been all my life?!  This author is beyond talent when it comes to young adult lit.  She knows the teenage voice, spot on.  From the amazingly lovable Audrey, to the out-spoken best friend Victoria, I could not get enough of this story.  And then the music. THE MUSIC.  Holy crap.  Each chapter is titled with a band & a lyric from one of their songs.  I saw everything from Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" to Star's "Your Ex-Lover is Dead".  Can we just say that right there sold the book for me?!  I guess I should get back to the story for those reading this review that are not music junkies like myself.

Audrey is your typical teenage girl, living your typical teenage life.  She is an only-child of two very normal parents.  She has the most amazing best friend, & the fattest cat alive.  Audrey just happened to break up with her rocker-boyfriend Evan, which in turn wrote a song about it.  The Song is what turned Audrey's life in to everything not-so-typical.  She is recognized everywhere she goes.  From school, to her job at the ice cream shop, & even on the internet -- Audrey is being watched & talked about.  All because of a song that just so happened to be catchy & pretty amazing.  But how much can one teenage girl take before her new life that's being splashed across tabloid magazines explode in front of her?

The relationship between Audrey and her best friend Victoria was probably my favorite aspect of the story.  The two girls energy just fed off one another in such sync that made me want to be 16 again. I wanted to have an amazing best friend that understood everything about me & made me feel so comfortable at my most unbelievable moments in life.  Seriously though, the two of them are hilarious together.  I wish I had a Victoria (or Audrey!) when I was 16.  It would have made so much of my life, that much cooler.

And then the boy.  Evan you might ask?  No, not that douchebag.  I am talking about the dorky boy who works at the ice cream shop with Audrey.  The boy that gets over looked constantly, but somehow knows Audrey's hopes & dreams inside out.  The same boy who is so nervous to even talk to Audrey, yet by the end of the story has me laughing in tears at some of the phrases he throws at her.  Talk about character growth.  The charisma between Audrey & this boy named James kept the story grounded for me.  As Audrey had to dodge paparazzi & obsessed fans, it was the small moments with James where he touched her shoulder, or kissed the top of her head that kept me turning the pages.  I found myself rooting for their newly found relationship that was born among the chaos of Audrey's new starlight life -- a life she never asked for, keep in mind.

The message behind this hilarious story is one we can all identify with.  No, we aren't all famous & we all don't have a song written about us.  But in some ways I think we can all relate to what it feels like for others to think they know us & understand us.  I believe we all know how important it is to find our own voice & not be afraid to speak up.  Being 16 means making mistakes, plenty of them, but learning from them & growing from them.  As someone who is almost 30, I am still doing this.  Life is messy sometimes & we don't always say or do the right thing.  It's always more fun to make messes with people you know & love though.  Audrey, Wait! is full of so much enjoyment that I did not want her voice to stop speaking to me.  A little piece of me is curious to hear this song that started this roller coaster ride, I do have to admit.  I highly recommend this book -- I can't say that enough!





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25 comments:

  1. OMG! This book sounds amazing! :D Thanks for posting and recommending this! I will definitely put this on my TBR list! :D


    *~` http://rockielove.blogspot.com/ `~*

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  2. GOSH it has been so damn long since I read this book, and I remember completely loving it. Not sure if I would now but I have always thought of it fondly. Good to know that you loved it too :)

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  3. It sounds great!Glad that you liked it.Thanks for this amazing review.
    Mia
    http://bookaholic5.blogspot.com/

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  4. Amazing review! So glad to hear you liked it :) It's a really refreshing and funny read. I agree, the music refrences are what did it for me too :)

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  5. Fantastic review! I love when I love a book so so much like that. :) I will have to add this to my TBR list. Bookish friends are the best!

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  6. Oh shoot. This book has been on my shelf for a while. Now I'm going to have to read it. Thanks!

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  7. I REALLLLYYYY want to read this one! You're glowing review isn't helping the fact that I still don't have a copy! Grr! So jealous!
    (Sounds like you have some great bookie pals! They give great advice!) Awesome review!

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  8. Glad you loved it! The whole scene in the beginning of the book when Victoria runs into the Scooper Dooper and the song played on the radio is HILARIOUS.

    And the fact that the LA Times reporter didn't understand Audrey's sarcasm and printed it as truth.

    And Audrey's parents. And her best friend.

    And the fact that she said "me + carthweels = death."

    I kinda liked this book, too. ;)

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  9. I'm going to go get myself a copy now after hearing how fun it sounds! And the characters sound great, especially James.

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  10. I loved this book. I loved Audrey and Victoria and I can't remember laughing so much at the banter in this book. I just kind of wish someone really made the "Audrey Wait!" song and they made it available for readers so we can sing along. =D So glad you liked it too! :)

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  11. Like you I kept wanting to hear the song that started it all. I fell for James he was just so fun I feel like this book could have had a soundtrack along side it to hear every song that was mentioned since some of them were unknown to me lol. anyways lovely blog review

    as always ♥, Carol

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  12. This sounds like something I would LOOOVE. I believe I saw Carla raving about it so now that you've enjoyed it...I'm there. Officially added to my TBR list!

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  13. I'm so glad you loved this one! It's for sure one of my faves and such a fun read - but still with substance and genuine characters. LOVE IT.

    Also, your closing statements = SPOT on.

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  14. Ginger, I loved this book and I'm so glad you did too! Soo funny, I love the cat, what a cute addition!! Happy reading and happy easter!

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  15. I love your review! I think I'm going to have to trust you too and get my hands on a copy soon. I think I'll be really lost on the music though :P

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  16. Have I read this book before? No. Do I already love this book? Heck yes! It seriously sounds like the most spectacular book ever! The music refrences, the awesome best friend, everything sounds amazing! I need to read it ASAP! Superb, wonderful, fabulous review :)
    -Katelyn

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  17. Oh, I loved Audrey Wait as well!

    It was definitely full of laugh out loud moments.

    AND omg, Victoria, she was such a treat. And, I just love when books nail friendship.

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  18. Hi, do you know whether this book is available on the Nook? And by the way, please follow my blog. Thanks.!

    www.ambieandherblog.blogspot.com

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  19. Great review! This book has been sitting on my shelf for some time now, and I REALLY do need to read it! It sounds AMAZING!
    I just started a blog, so maybe you could be my first friend/follow? :) http://909reviews.blogspot.com It would mean a lot! Thank you! :)

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  20. I keep hearing about this one, and I definitely need to read it! Fantastic review Ginger! You've definitely sold me on this one!

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  21. I absolutely adored this book as well! One of my favorites! And I LOVE Audrey's music references, as punk-rock fan myself.
    If you ever have the time, try to check out my blog! princessoflit.blogspot.com

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  22. It's because of your review that I read and absolutely adored this book!

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  23. Nice review!! I loved this book too... I won't lie it made me want to wear tube socks on my arms (but then I came to my senses!)

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  24. Fantabulous review, Ginger! I was just notified that I won this book in a giveaway, so I ran on over to read your review and now I'm beyond excited! I love music and contemporary, so this book sounds like the perfect read :)

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