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lectora21's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
z_tennille's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this on audio and I went into it not knowing much about the book. The narrator was amazing and hilarious. The story is funny and tender and sweet without being saccharin. Anyone that has anxiety or a mental disorder could easily relate to Audrey's problems and issues with her family and herself.
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Trying to be "normal," anxiety, video games, and an overactive brain--these are common teenage (and might I say human?) attributes. Sophie Kinsella's Finding Audrey follows one teen girl's experience with anxiety and a family overcome by her brother's video game obsession.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Audrey's family is a bit strange--her dad is easy going, her mother is controlling and anti-technology, her older brother Frank is obsessed with Land of Conquerors, and her baby brother Felix is easy to please. And Audrey herself is no exception to the qualifier of strange: she can't really talk to people without severe anxiety, and eye contact? Forget it--that's what dark sunglasses are for. Life continues to go by in the strange pattern that's been established until Linus, Frank's gaming teammate, comes over and talks to Audrey. Suddenly she wants to overcome her anxiety issues to reach a functioning normal. With the help of Dr. Sarah, her therapist, and Linus, Audrey works to broaden her horizons beyond the comfort zone that her "lizard brain" permits. And with Audrey's healing, perhaps her family's issues can also begin to heal.
The prose is clever and humorous despite the rather touchy subject of anxiety, plus the text was filled with up-to-date gaming and cultural references that made it easy to relate to the narrative. Also assisting with ease of relating to the narrative is Audrey's over-thinking and over-analyzing things--I am sooooooo guilty of this one and it really struck a chord with me and made me feel for Audrey's predicament. I rather enjoyed the narrative being broken up and supplemented by the screenplay script sections as it helped to provide a cinematic aspect to the story and made it incredibly easy to envision the various scenarios.
While I read from an ARC and errors are to be expected, there was a rather large number of grammatical issues that needed to be cleaned up. I also thought that the cover cleverly plays off of the title, as well as the literal and figurative meaning of the title "Finding Audrey." I will say that one thing that bugged me after reading through the story was the lack of clarity of what the other girls had done that instigated such anxiety in Audrey--I mean, I can imagine what might have happened, but teenage girls can be so creatively vicious that they could have done any number of things and the clarity would have been nice.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Audrey's family is a bit strange--her dad is easy going, her mother is controlling and anti-technology, her older brother Frank is obsessed with Land of Conquerors, and her baby brother Felix is easy to please. And Audrey herself is no exception to the qualifier of strange: she can't really talk to people without severe anxiety, and eye contact? Forget it--that's what dark sunglasses are for. Life continues to go by in the strange pattern that's been established until Linus, Frank's gaming teammate, comes over and talks to Audrey. Suddenly she wants to overcome her anxiety issues to reach a functioning normal. With the help of Dr. Sarah, her therapist, and Linus, Audrey works to broaden her horizons beyond the comfort zone that her "lizard brain" permits. And with Audrey's healing, perhaps her family's issues can also begin to heal.
The prose is clever and humorous despite the rather touchy subject of anxiety, plus the text was filled with up-to-date gaming and cultural references that made it easy to relate to the narrative. Also assisting with ease of relating to the narrative is Audrey's over-thinking and over-analyzing things--I am sooooooo guilty of this one and it really struck a chord with me and made me feel for Audrey's predicament. I rather enjoyed the narrative being broken up and supplemented by the screenplay script sections as it helped to provide a cinematic aspect to the story and made it incredibly easy to envision the various scenarios.
While I read from an ARC and errors are to be expected, there was a rather large number of grammatical issues that needed to be cleaned up. I also thought that the cover cleverly plays off of the title, as well as the literal and figurative meaning of the title "Finding Audrey." I will say that one thing that bugged me after reading through the story was the lack of clarity of what the other girls had done that instigated such anxiety in Audrey--I mean, I can imagine what might have happened, but teenage girls can be so creatively vicious that they could have done any number of things and the clarity would have been nice.
bluubleuu's review against another edition
3.0
➸ 3 stars
Pros:
♡ Mental health rep (social anxiety, panic attack)
♡ Family aspects (the main reason why i really like this book; the characters are all well-written especially Audrey's mom. I really adore all of them.)
♡ The therapy session with Dr.Sarah
Cons:
✑ Romance part is not necessary.
✑ The plot (the bullying incident is not fully told which is the main reason why Audrey has this mental illness, just wish the writer addressed what is actually happened)
❥ Favourite quote:
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.
Pros:
♡ Mental health rep (social anxiety, panic attack)
♡ Family aspects (the main reason why i really like this book; the characters are all well-written especially Audrey's mom. I really adore all of them.)
♡ The therapy session with Dr.Sarah
Cons:
✑ Romance part is not necessary.
✑ The plot (the bullying incident is not fully told which is the main reason why Audrey has this mental illness, just wish the writer addressed what is actually happened)
❥ Favourite quote:
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.
aimmarforu's review against another edition
3.0
(Eng below)
มันก็สนุกดี อ่านแล้วนึกถึงเอเลอนอร์สบายดี วิธีการดำเนินเรื่อง ตัวละคร คือบรรยากาศคล้ายๆกัน
เรื่องนี้ให้ความรู้สึกฟีลกู๊ดมากๆ ทุกคนในเรื่องน่ารัก ส่วนตัวชอบแฟรงค์ดูเป็นพี่ชายที่ดีมาก
This book is OK. It's reminded me of Eleanor is completely fine. the way of storytelling, characters I think it have a same vibe
This book make me feel so good,warm,happiness. Everyone are really cute and personally I literally love frank HE'S THE BEST BROTHER!
มันก็สนุกดี อ่านแล้วนึกถึงเอเลอนอร์สบายดี วิธีการดำเนินเรื่อง ตัวละคร คือบรรยากาศคล้ายๆกัน
เรื่องนี้ให้ความรู้สึกฟีลกู๊ดมากๆ ทุกคนในเรื่องน่ารัก ส่วนตัวชอบแฟรงค์ดูเป็นพี่ชายที่ดีมาก
This book is OK. It's reminded me of Eleanor is completely fine. the way of storytelling, characters I think it have a same vibe
This book make me feel so good,warm,happiness. Everyone are really cute and personally I literally love frank HE'S THE BEST BROTHER!
pepe_pepe's review against another edition
5.0
I really really liked this novel! Finding Audrey had a great mix of humor, romance and realness to it. Though I had thought differently previously, this book wasn't just about Audrey overcoming her anxiety disorder and falling in love, it was also about family, and their very important and central role in Audrey's life and recovery. I absolutely loved all the main characters in this book. Linus was really supportive and pushed Audrey out of her comfort zone so she could start to live again. I especially enjoyed reading about the challenges he made her do as part of her coming out of her shell and interacting with strangers. Felix, Audrey's four year old brother, was just adorable. I really liked Frank and Audrey's relationship; they're only a year apart in age, they aren't very close but they have this mutual understanding of being a teenager, especially under their household. He's a good friend, and they have a good relationship with very little fights, and that was refreshing to read about.
Audrey's mother is quite overbearing and protective, but you can really see she is just trying to be a good mother and do the right thing for her children. And Audrey's dad; sometimes I wonder if anyone could be more clueless than him! Dr Sarah, Audrey's therapist, was a very encouraging and down-to-earth person, which was also refreshing to see. There are many funny scenes, and Audrey herself is a really appealing, likeable character. Throughout the novel, Audrey and her family evolve and grow in a satisfying way. One of the scenes I liked particularly was the coconut-flavoured ice cream one, which was really sweet of Linus and the first time they declared their feelings for each other verbally.
Another thing I liked about this book was the integration of a film transcript. Audrey has a to film a documentary using a camera about her family and other people as part of therapy. The main aim of this is to try and make eye contact with people at first through a camera as she has trouble with that. I found the film transcript to be a really good idea in the book, and enhanced my reading experience.
Overall, this is a book that has all the aspects of a very good read. It tackles the specific mental health issue differently and refreshingly. It is definitely one of my favourite YA contemporary reads of the year so far.
Audrey's mother is quite overbearing and protective, but you can really see she is just trying to be a good mother and do the right thing for her children. And Audrey's dad; sometimes I wonder if anyone could be more clueless than him! Dr Sarah, Audrey's therapist, was a very encouraging and down-to-earth person, which was also refreshing to see. There are many funny scenes, and Audrey herself is a really appealing, likeable character. Throughout the novel, Audrey and her family evolve and grow in a satisfying way. One of the scenes I liked particularly was the coconut-flavoured ice cream one, which was really sweet of Linus and the first time they declared their feelings for each other verbally.
Another thing I liked about this book was the integration of a film transcript. Audrey has a to film a documentary using a camera about her family and other people as part of therapy. The main aim of this is to try and make eye contact with people at first through a camera as she has trouble with that. I found the film transcript to be a really good idea in the book, and enhanced my reading experience.
Overall, this is a book that has all the aspects of a very good read. It tackles the specific mental health issue differently and refreshingly. It is definitely one of my favourite YA contemporary reads of the year so far.
editamaus's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
undeadpoets_society's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very decent book. If I'm honest with myself, I originally picked up this book because the title is very similar to Looking for Alaska. However, as I began reading, it holds it own. This would be a great book for a teen who is struggling with friends and fitting in.
This book tackles a concept that many people find uncomfortable: mental illness. This book makes mental illness real, and doesn't shine it in a bad light. I would love to use this book in my classroom, as an example that mental illness is just that, an illness. It is nothing you should be ashamed of. To many teens deal with problems like the ones talked about in this book, and hide it away. This book shows that is okay.
Warnings
Drugs: No
Sex: It is mentioned
R&R: No
Language: Mild
Violence: No
This book tackles a concept that many people find uncomfortable: mental illness. This book makes mental illness real, and doesn't shine it in a bad light. I would love to use this book in my classroom, as an example that mental illness is just that, an illness. It is nothing you should be ashamed of. To many teens deal with problems like the ones talked about in this book, and hide it away. This book shows that is okay.
Warnings
Drugs: No
Sex: It is mentioned
R&R: No
Language: Mild
Violence: No
booklov3r__'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders