Review: Finding Audrey

I've been reading Sophie Kinsella books for a long time now. When I heard she was writing a Young Adult novel I was immediately intrigued. I wasn't really sure what to expect from Finding Audrey...literally. I didn't even read the synopsis before requesting a review copy. That's how much faith I have in Kinsella!

Here's what this novel is all about:

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.

This was a super fast read for me. I sat myself down at my patio set in the backyard (I read it back in June) and did not move from the chair until I was done. Part of this was due to the fact that it was an easy read. The other was that I was 100% in and would not rest until I found out how Audrey's story ended up.

I talked with my friend Natalie, of Browsing Bookshelves, a day or so after I finished the book. She too had finished the book quickly and could not put it down either. We also both had the same reaction when we were done. We realized there's a lot of merit in a book that we could not stop reading but...does that mean it actually was a really good read? Because we did have some issues with this book. (You can read Natalie's review here.)

I was a little unsure about the way Audrey's anxiety disorder was approached. I loved that Kinsella wrote a book about a girl who isn't your typical YA heroine. But...I was a tad hesitant about how Audrey was eventually able to deal with her anxiety. I felt like it made it look too easy and gave too much importance to certain relationships. Now, I don't have an anxiety disorder. I don't know anyone who does, at least not like Audrey. I'm no doctor. So I'm not really sure what would help someone with a disorder like this. Does Kinsella, really? I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt and hope that she did a lot of research before writing this book.

I absolutely adored Audrey. I was her biggest fan the entire time I was reading this book. I think what helped this feeling was how the novel was told. I felt like I had just sat down with Audrey and she was telling me all about her life. It was totally conversational and I loved it.

I also loved Audrey's family. She has two brothers, one is a bit older (who is giving her mother absolute hell because he's, in her words, addicted to computer games) and one is much younger (he's just the cutest thing). Her parents were her biggest supporters and you can tell they are trying so hard to fix the world for their daughter.

All in all, I was really happy with Finding Audrey. I think Sophie Kinsella has done well with her first foray into Young Adult and I'd definitely recommend it to others. Have you read this one? I'd love to hear what you thought of it!

*A copy of this novel was provided by Doubleday Canada (Penguin Random House Canada) in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*