Sophie Kinsella

Finding Audrey

Sarah Sammis

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella is a standalone YA novel about anxiety disorder. Audrey was horribly bullied in school and after an explosive (but vague — left to the imagination) event, she's been living at home away from the world. She wears dark glasses and keeps her room dark, to avoid eye contact and other forms of interaction.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm...

Ana Luiza

Esse livro foi uma surpresa muito grande, por ser diferente de tudo que eu já li da Sophie Kinsella. Ao mesmo tempo, fica claro que é uma obra dela desde o começo, a linguagem e o humor são característicos. Além disso, a mãe da Audrey é a típica protagonista da Sophie, cômica e complexa, a diferença é que dessa vez não atua como personagem principal. De qualquer forma, foi a minha personagem preferida do livro, junto com o pai (alias que casal fofo!!!! só caso se for pra ser assim hahahha) e o Linus (que é um amorzinho aaa). E a Audrey é incrível também, Sophie desenvolveu a personagem muito bem, e a retratou a doença de uma maneira muito real. No entanto, acredito que a experiência teria sido melhor se tivesse sido apresentado o que aconteceu com ela claramente desde o começo, para que os leitores superassem isso junto com a Audrey. Por que eu terminei o livro ainda um pouco confusa quando a isso. Mas, sei lá, é só uma opinião. Não sou eu a escritora de sucesso, né? Enfim, a escrita é ótima, tão fluida que nem senti o livro passar. Bom, espero que ela escreva mais livros ya, pq foi incrível.

Kritika Narula

Originally reviewed at So many books, so little time

This story is all you could wish for. Sophie Kinsella needs no testament in my review for her exceptional story-telling and narration. Changing the genre has not affected her style and exceptionally endearing quality of work even an inch.
So, it is the story of Audrey and her family. And Linus. 
Her family has of course, her mother and father. These characters couldn't have been any more relatable. Hilariously relatable is more like it. The mother is always about to burst- with rage/anger/fury/love/care. 
The father is busy (always) in working and couldn't care less for the rebuke and reprimand he gets, along with the kids. There are three: Audrey is the middle child, flanked by Frank, the older one, and Felix a four-year old bundle of cuteness. 
The mother, although always at the tipping point of going to ashes with her anger, is so adorable in all the admonishments she churns out, her bewilderment in dealing with the kids, her eccentricities, her sacrifices.
More than half of the times, it is Frank's obsession with video games
and then there's Felix who greets most life events with disbelieving joy. 

I have not even started talking about the story and narration. I could literally scream (fangirl-scream, mind you) about how beautifully and flawlessly the dialogues and conversations have been made up. I LOVED it. And then there's of course the plot: Audrey is battling depression, Frank wants to compete in the LOC video game tournament, Felix is a happy presence wherever he is. Frank's friend Linus comes over to play LOC, and as you may have guessed is the happy companion for Audrey to get through the most difficult phase of her life. 
Here's a little warning: Linus is your next book boyfriend. I'm pretty sure about this. He is going to be your next BBF, even before you realise it. And when he book is over, you'll realise you are pining for him. 

As it ends, the only pain I feel is that there wasn't enough time for me to say goodbye to these lovely characters.
And, after you have read the book, do take out two minutes, to admire and appreciate how beautifully the author has come up with the title, drool at its aptness and be amazed at the sweetness of all the elements: the plot, characters, the dialogues, the sequence, the narrative, the pace.

nina 

4.5 stars
Normally, I'm not really a contemporary genre reader, I'm definitely more of a fantasy reader but this book was an exception. It's such a unique book with a plot-line that should be discussed about more often. I laughed so much in this book. Pretty much every time her brother opened his mouth to give attitude to his and Audrey's parents. The family dynamic was realistic and spot on. The love story-line wasn't too overpowering in the book and wasn't what the book was all about. Audrey is such a character that you can get attached to. A must read!

debre

DSKSKDALDSLDAÇLÇ.ç.ldldLJADAKDLADKALDKLA 
I CAN'T UNCAPSLOCK MY FEELINGS

Melissa Palmer

Book #66 Read in 2015
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (YA)

I have read and enjoyed several of this author's adult books so I figured I would try this YA book by her. First, let me say that the mother in this book drove me nuts. She was so clueless about her kids and was a wreck when it came to parenting. Aside from that, I really enjoyed this book which looks like a fluff read but deals with some heavy issues such as bullying, mental illness and family dynamics. Amidst the heavy is humor and interesting characters. Audrey is trying to get control over her life after going through a traumatic time at her high school. Her struggle is real and honestly portrayed in the book. Her journey has its ups and downs, all of which makes for an interesting read. I thought this book was well done. I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review. 

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Briar's Reviews

This book made me feel uncomfortable.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella is a book about a teenager named Audrey. This girl has an anxiety disorder that makes her life difficult, especially because of the past incidents that led to the disorder. She has a dysfunctional family as well that takes the spotlight in this book. And then there is Linus - her brother Frank's friend whom Audrey may be beginning to like and using the opportunity of friendship to get out of her shell.

One word describes this book to me: Eeek.

I am the weird person standing out in the crowd since I didn't enjoy this book. To me, this book felt like a mix of romance with toxicity. I could tell this book was trying to bring forth a different view of anxiety and connect with audiences but it just didn't with me. It felt like the book was trying to shove the anxiety down our throats and almost give a "friendship and romance can fix all yay" with an abusive and toxic Mother to boot.

I felt for Audrey and really connected with her. I have had some struggles with anxiety so I can relate and empathize about how difficult it can be to overcome hurdles or feel like you can't overcome them. I understand how high school can be awful and how people are mean. I can relate to having a dysfunctional family and trying to learn to navigate the world through that. Because of some of these ties, I felt like this book didn't hit the mark and felt super insensitive. But that's my personal opinion.

Let's not even get started about how the Mother is a screaming, insane psychopath who is basically abusing her son. You destroyed his computer? Those are expensive. Hide it or leave it at a relatives. Oh, that's how he connects with friends and you now have made it so none of his friends will ever talk to him again? What great parenting. She's abusive. She's toxic. And honest to God it's not okay. It's not funny. It's not cool. It was made to be that she's loving and kind but just cruel. Not. Okay.

Overall, this book was not for me. I can understand why some people think it's a romantic comedy with anxiety but it felt way too insensitive to me.

One out of five stars.

Rachel Kanyid

This is one of my favorites by Sophie Kinsella so far!

Jude Moon

He leído súper rápido este libro, engancha mucho. Me han encantado todos los personajes, sobre todo Frank y Linus, me los comía enteros. Gran libro.

Marcie Allen

2.5⭐️
This book was ok. I found the mum incredibly annoying. I didn’t like how her anxiety suddenly got better when she got a bf. Idk it was kinda boring. Wasn’t for me :/

Julia Lotz

Inhalt: Audrey ist Mitglied einer ziemlich durchgeknallten Familie: Ihr Bruder ist ein Computernerd, ihre Mutter eine hysterische Gesundheitsfanatikerin und ihr Vater ein charmanter, ein bisschen schluffiger Teddybär. Doch damit nicht genug – Audrey schleppt noch ein weiteres Päckchen mit sich herum: Nämlich ihre Sonnenbrille, hinter der sie sich wegen einer Angststörung versteckt. Bloß niemandem in die Augen schauen! Als sie eines Tages auf Anraten ihrer Therapeutin beginnt, einen Dokumentarfilm über ihre verrückte Familie zu drehen, gerät ihr immer häufiger der gar nicht so unansehnliche Freund ihres großen Bruders vor die Linse – Linus. Und langsam bahnt sich etwas an, was viel mehr ist, als der Beginn einer wunderbaren Freundschaft...(Quelle: Verlag)
Meine Meinung: Meine Mama und ich wir sind ziemlich große Sophie Kinsella Fans. Ok, ich bin vor allen Dingen Shopaholic Fan während Mama so ziemlich ihre ganzen Bücher verschlungen hat. Deshalb war natürlich klar, dass Kinsellas neustes Werk nicht bei mir im Bücherregal fehlen durfte. Anfangs war ich ein bisschen skeptisch, denn Schau mir in die Augen, Audrey ist definitiv ein Jugendbuch und weicht so von den anderen Veröffentlichungen der Autorin ab. Ich habe einfach befürchtet, dass mir das typische Sophie Kinsella in den Büchern fehlt und ich deshalb letztendlich enttäuscht werde. Denn was ich an Sophie Kinsella liebe, das ist ganz einfach: Mit ihrem lockeren Schreibstil schafft sie es mich an ihre Bücher zu fesseln und die vielen lustigen Episoden in ihren Büchern bringen mich dazu, die Seiten immer mit einem Lächeln auf dem Gesicht umzublättern. Spätestens nach dem ersten Kapitel habe ich jedoch gesehen, dass meine Sorgen völlig unbegründet waren und man auch ohne zu wissen, welches Buch man vor sich hat, Sophie Kinsella dahinter erkennen würde. Mir ist ein riesiger Stein vom Herzen gefallen und ich habe das ganze restliche Buch mit großer Freude und auch ziemlich schnell durchgelesen.
Audreys Familie ist ziemlich verrückt und schafft es so, dass beinahe jeden Tag irgendwelche komischen Dinge passieren, von denen wir im Buch lesen und die mich persönlich immer haben Lachen lassen. Egal ob Audreys Mutter ihren Sohn für computersüchtig erklärt und deshalb beschließt den Computer aus dem Fenster zu werfen oder ob Audreys Vater blöderweise eine Geburtstagstorte für seine Frau kauft, die das falsche Alter zeigt, bei Audrey ist immer etwas los und Sophie Kinsella lässt den Leser mit daran teilhaben. Audreys Leben könnte also ganz entspannt und lustig sein, hätte sie nicht Depressionen und Angststörungen, wenn es um das Ansprechen von ihr nicht vertrauten Personen geht. Die Arme kann einem wirklich leidtun und ich habe mir das gesamte Buch über so sehr gewünscht, dass es ihr besser geht. Zu allem Überfluss läuft sie wegen ihrer Angstattacken auch noch immer mit einer Sonnenbrille herum, wofür sie auch den einen oder anderen Kommentar zu hören bekommt. Kurzerhand beschließt Audreys Therapeutin, dass sie eine Doku über ihre verrückte Familie drehen soll und die Geschichte nimmt ihren Lauf. 
Alle Chararaktere der Geschichte sind so überaus lebenswürdig. Egal ob Audrey (die ja sowieso), ihre verrückte Mom, ihren knuffigen Dad, ihren älteren Bruder oder den kleinen Felix, mit allen habe ich von der ersten Seite an mitgefühlt und mich sehr für ihr Ergehen interessiert. Und das ist bei vielen Büchern leider nicht an der Tagesordnung. Umso mehr habe ich mich gefreut, dass Sophie Kinsella es wieder einmal geschafft hat, ihren Charakteren, nicht nur Audreys Familie sondern auch Linus und Co., so viel Leben und Persönlichkeit einzuhauchen. So begleiten wir Audrey gerne durch ihren besonderen Alltag und verfolgen ihre Entwicklung. Denn wie aus der schwachen Audrey ganz langsam dass stärkere Mädchen wird, ist sehr interessant. Eine kleine Besonderheit waren für mich die Drehbuchscripte, die verteilt im Buch zu finden sind und einfach urkomisch geschrieben sind. Sie zeigen Audreys Aufnahmen in Schriftform und geben dem Buch noch einmal den letzten Schliff. 
Bewertung: Sophie Kinsella konnte mich mit ihrem ersten Jugendbuch komplett überzeugen. Man erkennt sie in ihrem Werk wieder und die Geschichte von Audrey ist rührend und lustig zugleich. Der lockere Schreibstil, die tollen Charaktere und die kleinen Drehbucheinschübe runden das Ganze noch ab, weshalb ich sehr, sehr gerne 5 von 5 Füchschen vergeben möchte. 
Vielen Dank an cbj für die Zusendung des tollen *Rezensionsexemplars.

jess

As someone who has severe social anxiety as well, with an Incident that triggered it, this book was very very relatable for me. It didn't get too dark, which is nice, and it gives me hope. 

The romance between Audrey and Linus was really cute. The family dynamics were also very relatable. Audrey's mom is practically mind when it comes to technology. I enjoyed it a lot.

Saima A

I wish there was more development to the social anxiety Audrey deals with, the story and the characters, but it does make for a lighthearted read with a message.

this may be the book that i have read the most times out of any book ever. whilst it doesn't hit as hard now as it did the first couple times i read it (mainly because it's a middle grade, and is therefore not as relatable now). however, i truly do think that this book must still be one of my favourites, just because of how much i did enjoy it when i was younger

Jaclyn

"They talk about "body language," as if we all speak the same. But everyone has their own dialect. For me right now, for example, swiveling my body right away and staring rigidly at the corner means,"I like you." Because I didn't run away and shut myself in the bathroom. I just hope he realizes that."  

 LOVE  this book!! 

I dare you to read the prologue of this book without laughing. I bet you can't right?!

We follow Audrey who has severe social anxiety. She wears dark glasses all the time and just can't handle any contact with people outside of her "safety people". It's about her journey to recovery and the hilarity that is her family. And then her therapist gives her a camera and tells her to document her family as a way for her to slowly expose herself. The book switches between script format and her point of view which I really really enjoyed. The script parts of the book reminded me SO much of Modern Family with a little bit of the office. SO SO FUNNY. 

  "So Frank. I noticed you left two wet towels on the floor of your bedroom yesterday." She begins in a weird calm tone. "That makes me fee surprised. How did it make you feel?"
"Huh?" Frank stares at her.
"I think we could find a solution to the towel issue together," Mum continues. "I think that could be a fun challenge."
Frank looks at me, baffled, I shrug.
"What do you think Frank?" Persists Mum. "If you were running this house, what would you advise about towels?"
"Dunno," Frank looks a bit unnerved. "Use kitchen towels and chuck it away." 
I can tell Mum is a bit frustrated with that answer, but she keeps on smiling this weird smile.
"I hear you." Mum says. "Interesting idea."
"It's not," Frank looks at her suspiciously. 
"Yes it is." 
"Mum, it's a stupid idea I invented to piss you off. You can't say "it's interesting""
"I hear you." Mum nods. "I hear you Frank. I can see your point of view. It's valid."
"I don't have a point of view!" Frank snaps. "And stop saying "I hear you""
"Mum read a book," I tell him. "It's called 'How to Talk to Your Teens'"
"Oh for fucks sake." Frank rolls his eyes.  

 I was dying!! The relationship between Frank with his parents was hysterical!! And a highlight of the story for me!

I absolutely ADORED this book. I loved the family aspect to it and how supportive they were towards Audrey. I loved the banter between the siblings and there parents specially the mom. I was laughing one moment then completely awwww'ing the next. I had so much fun going through Audrey's journey that towards the end I felt a little sadness because it was over! I was so sucked into her family and her life that I was upset it came to an end but at the same time really really satisfied and happy for Audrey! 

  She bites her lip, thinking for a moment. "So...if you're not bipolar, what are you?"
The question takes me by surprise. I have to think for a few seconds before I reply. 
"I'm getting better," I say at last. "That's what I am." 

This book does tackle a series issue that is the realities of social anxiety. I think we've all had it at some point and I know my heart reached out to her. It was relatable to me and I felt myself rooting for her to go out there and try! 

Then the love story was super sweet!!! The notes. The dates. The meetings at Starbucks. The ice cream at the park! 

  "So do I. You."  

 AWWWWW  

All in all, this was a lot of fun, really light and a quick easy read!!! Especially if you're in need of something funny. I was so happy reading this story! Ahhh everyone's gotta pick this one up!

  "I think what I've realized is, life is all about climbing up, slipping down, and picking yourself up again. And it doesn't matter if you slip down. As long as you're kind of heading more or less upwards. That's all you can hope for. More or less upward."

Krystal 

2.5. I’m sorry but this book was just not the book for me.

Nicki

Actual rating 2.5


I liked it but I also thought it was just o.k

Fourteen-year-old Audrey is making slow but steady progress dealing with her anxiety disorder when Linus comes into the picture and her recovery gains momentum.

Emi Gilmore 

Ahhh such a fantastic read! Review to come.

Reyna Wren

Wonderful storyline, believable character progression, adorable romance, and awesome side characters. Audrey's voice was rather young and annoying at times, especially as she used phrases such as OMG. It was nice to see Audrey work though her illness, and see Linus help her with it, but not have him "save her" so much as just be kind and spend time with her. Audrey's mental state was well portrayed, and included some nice tips for other kids going through the same thing. I hope this book is one of many to bring mental illness to light in a helpful way for preteen readers.
However, I find different written methods of storytelling (I.E. the script portions) to be jarring and annoying, although I liked the note portions. (view spoiler)[The main conflict was frustrating and a bit of an anticlimax, especially as we didn't even get to see the main character's point of view through the section,  (hide spoiler)]but apart from that, it was a wonderful read. :)

Stefanie Sugia

"It won't be for ever. You'll be in the dark for as long as it takes and then you'll come out."
Sophie Kinsella is definitely one of my favorite writers because she never fails to entertain me with her quirky characters and absurd situations 😂. Reading this book was so much fun and I had a few good laughs. I picked this book up when I needed something light to read since I've been reading a lot of non-fiction books lately. I kind of have a general idea of what this book is going to be about, but I had no expectations whatsoever because the reviews are just so-so. Despite my lack of expectations, I'm glad I ended up enjoying this book 😊.
  "But, Audrey, that's what life is. We're all on a jagged graph. I know I am. Up a bit, down a bit. That's life."
"I think what I’ve realized is, life is all about climbing up, slipping down, and picking yourself up again. And it doesn’t matter if you slip down. As long as you’re kind of heading more or less upwards. That’s all you can hope for. More or less upwards."At first I thought it's just going to be about Audrey, who suffered from Social Anxiety Disorder; but apparently this book also talked a lot about familial relationships as well—which is a popular theme for young adult books. One of the issue brought up in this book is the fact that Frank (Audrey's brother) is addicted to gaming. No matter how much their mother scolds her, Frank seems unable to stop his obsession with LOC (Land of Conquerers). This issue created tension in their family, because their mother is kind of wacky and extreme 😂. But that's actually what makes this book so much fun to read. Their mother's antics are just so unexpected and over the top sometimes. I guess this book is trying to convey the fact that parents are doing those things out of concern for their children. There's this one dialogue between their parents which made me laughed out loud:"You remember that Christmas when they got ill?" Mum says presently. "The year they were about two and three? Remember? And got poo all over their Christmas stockings, and it was everywhere, and we said, 'It has to get easier than this'?"
"I remember."
"We were cleaning it all up and we kept saying to each other, 'When they get older, it'll get easier.' Remember?"
"I do." Dad looks fondly at her.
"Well bring back the poo." Mum begins to laugh, a bit hysterically. "I would do anything for a bit of poo right now."
"I dream of poo," says Dad firmly, and Mum laughs even more, till she's wiping tears from her eyes. 😂😂The other topic of this book is of course Audrey's anxiety, which is also very interesting to read for me because we get to see what's going through Audrey's head and what she's feeling (since the book is written from first-person POV). I kind of feel like something is missing because Audrey never really revealed to the readers what exactly happened to her that caused her anxiety. But I guess it's part of her character because Audrey learned to keep things private after that incident. So I think that was understandable, but I was just too curious 😂. It's fascinating to see Audrey's visit to her therapist, Dr. Sarah, and her journey to recovery. Audrey called her anxious thoughts 'lizard brain', which is a real psychological term which represents the part of our brain that warns us of danger. Her struggle to tame and embrace her lizard brain is so real. I believe there are so many people out there who can relate with what she's going through.

One of the biggest factor of Audrey's recovery is Linus, Frank's gaming buddy. I have to say that Audrey and Linus's relationship is quite cheesy, but in an adorable and cute way 😂. The earlier stage of their relationship consists of note giving because Audrey cannot stand being too close to Linus. I find that Linus is so adorable for trying to match Audrey's pace and take it one step at a time. Their Starbucks moments makes me giggle because it's just too cute! 😆 Even though we don't know much about Linus, I can conclude that he's a really nice guy by his way of dealing with Audrey. Such a sweetheart 💖."We don't have to reveal everything to each other. It's OK to be private. It's OK to say no. It's OK to say, 'I'm not going to share that.'"Overall, this book is such a refreshing read after all the non-fiction that I've been reading lately. It's lighthearted, fun, and also heartwarming at the same time. I am looking forward to Sophie Kinsella's future works because I always enjoyed her writing style. Love her humor and the fact that she always have a message to convey through the story she writes 😊."The trouble is, depression doesn't come with handy symptoms like spots and a temperature, so you don't realize it at first. You keep saying 'I'm fine' to people when you're not fine. You think you should be fine. You keep saying to yourself: 'Why aren't I fine?'" 
Read the full review here:
http://www.thebookielooker.com/2018/1...

Flavia Louise

4.25 stars
Wasn't too convinced in the beginning but really liked it a lot more going onwards and especially towards the end.

Alexa Jade

This read was definitely not what I expected at all. The characters were all flat to me, some of the characters were stereotypical (like the mom) & I didn’t care for the romance at all.

Sarah Vaughan

A heart-felt YA story that is one of the most well-represented fictional accounts of living with generalized anxiety disorder.