Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Title: Audrey, Wait!

Author: Robin Benway

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication date: April 10, 2008

Pages: 320

Buy: Amazon

Rating: 5/5 stars

California high school student Audrey Cuttler dumps self-involved Evan, the lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders. Evan writes, “Audrey, Wait!” a break-up song that’s so good it rockets up the billboard charts. And Audrey is suddenly famous!

Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can't hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.

Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.

If there's one person who needs to read this book, it's Taylor Swift. Just kidding. 

From what you've read above, Audrey, Wait! is a story about the misfortunes that can happen when someone completely ordinary duels with fame. Audrey breaks up with her boyfriend Evan, who happens to be a lead singer of a band, who also happens to write a kickass song about her breaking up with him. Now people happen to like it. They also happen to like Audrey. 

And what happens when the whole world suddenly looks at you? Bad things. Really bad things.

I found Audrey, Wait! to be funny, lighthearted, and dramatic. Audrey, the narrator, has the wit that I'm envious of. She also acts and speaks exactly like how a Tumblr-using teenager would. Her exaggerated emotions and overwhelming reactions are hilarious to watch. The characters are comical yet well-crafted, not quite stepping over the line of being poignant, but just at the level where they're good enough to be remembered.  For me, Audrey was the one who brought the whole story together with her amusing narrations.  

There was not a moment where I felt like the scene was unnecessary or over-the-top. Everything seemed to fit into place, adding up to the whole "fame is a dangerous thing" theme which was executed well even though it was not blatantly stated.  And although the novel shows that Hollywood is an overly-glittered place with snobs and fakes, it does so in a light way, making it stick to the lightheartedness that I fell in love in the first place. 

Are there things that I would want to change? Well, the part where Audrey finally sees (I mean, really see) James, her co-worker, kind of put me off. I just hate when that happens. But other than that, I have no problem with it. 

If you like stories about Hollywood and how it's like to be mixed with that crowd, Audrey, Wait! is for you. It's heartwarming with the right amount of funny added to it. Trust me when I say that you won't be bored with this book. The lines are cleverly-written and Audrey's just the kind of girl you want to sit next to at a boring lecture. 

By the time you'll finish reading it, you'll find yourself singing, "Audrey, wait! Audrey, wait!" as well.