Peace Love Books: Blog Tour + Review/Giveaway: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Finding Audrey

By Sophie Kinsella

Release Date: June 9, 2015

Source: Publisher

Summary: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.

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.

Review: I love love love Sophie Kinsella. Her books are so adorable and I can't get enough of them. When I found out that she had a YA book coming out, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. And, come on, how adorable is that cover? Who could resist?

After being betrayed by her friends, Audrey is hindered by an anxiety disorder that forces her to stay inside of her house and avoid eye contact at all costs. In order to protect herself, Audrey wears sunglasses and refuses to leave the safety of her home. She begins to make slow progress with Dr. Sarah, but the moment Linus walks into the door of her home and speaks to her in a way that makes her feel excited instead of scared, Audrey has finally found someone she can connect with. As her relationship with Linus progresses and he challenges her to push herself to new limits, Audrey discovers much more about herself and who she really wants to be.

There's one word that comes to mind after reading this book: Adorable. Starting with Audrey's character, she was so much fun to follow and learn more about. She has an anxiety disorder and cannot look people in the eye. From the first page, I understood her character and could feel her moments of anxiety, her fear of what other people are thinking and how she's a failure at life. I just wanted to give the girl a hug and tell her it was all okay. But I didn't have to worry because Linus came in and did that job! Oh, Linus. What a cutie pie. I loved how he wasn't weirded out by Audrey and was so patient with her in developing their relationship. He tried to encourage her and their "crazy challenges" were light hearted moments to contrast the heavy reality of Audrey's anxiety. I could not have asked for a better guy to help Audrey grow and develop as our main character.

While this book dealt with the serious topic of social anxiety disorders, Sophie Kinsella was able to write in such a whimsical, fun way that made this book a joy to read. The parts written as a script were so fun and I loved how they captured her family perfectly. Her family was definitely a shining star in this book, too. Whether it was her crazy mom, her gaming-obsessed brother, or her silly 4-year-old brother, Audrey's family was there to provide some entertainment and prove that Audrey's condition was not the craziest thing in the world. My only issue with this book was that we never figured out what exactly had happened to Audrey that completely changed her life and ability to socially interact. All we know is that a group of girls at high school did something to her. WHAT WAS IT?!?! I wanted to know so badly, but the book ended and it was never fully explained.

Every single thing about this book was adorable and lovable. While I was disappointed that we were not given a full explanation of Audrey's past, this book was just too perfect not to love. I flew through this story and fell in love with the quirkiness of all of the characters and how Audrey was pushed to face her fears and learn to trust herself again.