Audrey, Wait! is a book that rocks
Sixteen year old Audrey Cuttler is thrust into the spotlight when her ex-boyfriend writes a hit song about their breakup. Audrey loves good music, but she didn't sign up for fame. In fact, she was completely supportive of her ex, Evan, and his band when they were unknown musicians just practicing and sending out demos. Now that they -- and she -- are plastered in all the the Los Angeles and national gossip magazines, and their song "Audrey, Wait!" is in top-40 rotation on the radio stations, Audrey isn't as pleased with their overnight success.Maybe Audrey brought some of this on herself though. From joking around with a reporter to making out with another musician backstage at a concert, Audrey makes some memorable slip-ups before she realizes that even though she didn't do anything but break up with her boyfriend, she is losing her freedom, her privacy, and her voice as the media clamor for more "news" about her, bribing her schoolmates for information and inventing details to increase their sales. Now Audrey will tell her side of the story, the one that you've only heard in the magazines and gossip websites until now.
One of my favorite endings to a story is when the powerless person trumps the big, bad authority figures who have been making their life miserable. Movies like "Stick It" and "Ferris Buellers Day Off" leave me with a happy feeling when the teens show up the grown ups at the end. I won't tell you who Audrey trumps at the end or why, but this is a guaranteed feel-good read!
This book came out back in 2008 but it was forward-thinking for including online bullying issues along with the paparrizi. When people post anonymous insults and threats about a celebrity, or even just about a regular person, they don't face any consequences but the person they target still feels attacked. I don't think a perfect solution has emerged in the 5 years since this book was first published, but there have been more instances of people being held accountable, punished or fired for comments they write online, and also more resources to stop cyberbullying.I discovered Audrey, Wait! after reading author Robin Benway's brand new book Also Known As. The two books both have teenage girl main characters in larger-than-life unusual circumstances and were both very fun and entertaining reads.
Check out Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
