Audrey,+Wait!

**Audrey, Wait!**
by [|Robin Benway]. Life is tough enough, especially when the whole school knows about your nasty break-up. But the whole world for that matter? When 16-year-old Audrey Cuttler “cuts loose” her indie musician boyfriend, Evan, he doesn’t go down without a fight. In the same night of the break-up, her life completely gets flipped upside down; the break-up song that Evan writes about her becomes an international hit-sensation & everyone not-living-under-a-rock knows that she is the one who inspired it all. Before she can even reach senior year, Audrey now has to deal with the paparazzi following her around, MTV offering her record deals, gossip magazines spreading nasty rumors and being either stalked or flamed by fans and haters. All of this drama occurs while Audrey attempts to live her normal life, deal with high school, worry about SATs and get a date with her new crush (her coworker James from the Scooper Dooper ice cream stand). Phew, and you thought Truman was bad.
 * **Reading level:** Young Adult
 * **Paperback:** 320 pages
 * **Publisher:** Razorbill; Reprint edition (April 2, 2009)

Overall, this story was a light-hearted read; the authors writing style is very sarcastic, witty & teen readers can relate to the main character's actions and thoughts. The author, Robin Benway, really stepped into a high schooler’s shoes and narrated very accurately and appropriately; there was some explicit language and the typical subject of sex & “hooking-up” were brought to light. Also, readers will enjoy the music playlist format of this rock-and-roll story where each chapter has a theme and is named after a song by bands such as New Found Glory, Radiohead, AFI, Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy and even more.

Personally, I would give “Audrey, Wait!” a 5 out of 10 because this story was not emotionally riveting for me. It did not keep me on the edge of my seat or steer me to turn the pages until the end. The plot has been used before and the ending is happy and predictable. I felt the book was too long with most of the action being filler material and “Audrey, Wait!” couldn’t hold my attention or interest for long. If you want something with a lot of cool music, funny dialogue, high school drama and teen romance then “Audrey, Wait!” is a book that should definitely be picked up. But if you are seeking depth, originality and emotional intensity then look elsewhere.

Amanda Loeung Homeroom: D-02