Review: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

First thanks to Delacorte Press and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an egalley of this title. But then when an actual ARC showed up at the bookstore where I work, I grabbed it. And I'm glad I did, because I loved this book.  Sophie Kinsella's first foray into YA is a huge success in my opinion.  Only issues I had were the same ones I have with her adult books, and they're not bad things, just some products or foods that are British, and as an American I had to Google them to make sure they were what I thought they were.  But Kinsella has definitely brought her wonderful sense of humor with the characters and the way they interact.  Witty dialogue, hilarious parents and the way their teen son deals with them, so realistic, yet hilarious.  I was laughing out loud so many times as reading this, in restaurants and the break room at work as well.

The main character is Audrey, as the title suggests.  Something happened to Audrey at school this past year. Something that caused her to develop such a severe case of social anxiety that she can't even look people in the eyes.  We know it has something to do with some kind of bullying.  But that is one thing that Audrey has learned from her psychologist, you can keep some things private.  So, Audrey hasn't really left the house, other than maybe their own yard.  She hasn't gone back to school, and she wears sunglasses all the time.  When people come to the house, even the mailman, she has to run to her own room or the den where she can shut the door and not see them. 

All this kind of starts changing when two things happen.  First, Audrey's psychologist wants her to start trying to break out of things like wearing the sunglasses.  Talking to people outside her family, make a film of her day to day life, go to Starbucks, etc.  Second, Linus, a friend of her brother's, shows up at the house one day, and he tries to talk to her.  Soon she is using him as her guinea pig for what her psychologist is asking her to do.  And soon, a little romance develops.  But along with Audrey's working on her demons, we get to see how her brother Frank has his own issues.  Their mother has decided from an article she's read that he is addicted to online computer games, and she decides to ban him from them.  The way that he argues and deceives his mother with the games is hilarious.  Audrey soon learns how what she's been dealing with has also affected her mother and her family.  The childish antics of her four-year-old brother Felix are so funny in just how true to life they are.  Audrey's father obsession with the band he used to be in, and expecting his kids to love the music, again, so realistic. 

I don't know if I can explain just how much I loved this book.  But I know that I'm once again remembering how much I love Sophie Kinsella's writing, and that I have got to hurry up and get Shopaholic to the Stars to read!

Waiting on Wednesday: Shopaholic to the Stars (Shopaholic #7) by Sophie Kinsella

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  My choice this week is a sequel to a series that hasn't had a new one in a while, and I was reminded of it on someone's Top 10 list yesterday!  Here is the blurb from Goodreads.com:

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) has stars in her eyes. She and her daughter, Minnie, have joined husband Luke in LA—city of herbal smoothies, multimillion-dollar yoga retreats, and the lure of celebrity. Luke is there to help manage the career of famous actress Sage Seymour—and Becky is convinced she is destined to be Sage’s personal stylist, and go from there to every A-list celebrity in Hollywood! But things become complicated when Becky joins the team of Sage’s archrival. How will charming and supportive Luke deal with this conflict? Is it possible that what Becky wants most will end up hurting those she loves most? Shopaholic fans old and new will devour Sophie Kinsella’s newest adventure!

So, how about you, what are you eagerly awaiting this week?  And hey, while you're here, why don't you enter one of my two giveaways, by clicking on the buttons below!

Mini-Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella/Nook Review

This blog will serve as two reviews. Since I read Mini-Shopaholic while I was borrowing a Nook from the bookstore, I will review both at once.

Our main character Becky is back. This time she has a two year old daughter named Minnie, who seems to be a terror. She's gotten them kicked out of seeing Santa a couple times, and doesn't really help Becky with her shopaholic tendencies. In this book Becky decides she is going to throw her husband Luke a surprise birthday part for a reasonable price, and since her family and friends seem to assume she can't do it, she tries to do it on her own. She gets into the world of bartering, and of course that doesn't work out. And Luke thinks Minnie needs a super nanny to fix her. Which Becky of course doesn't think is necessary. They're living with Becky's parents due to some financial issues, as well as the houses they plan on buying keep falling through.

This book has the same funny issues with shopping that the others have, and some more stress as people getting older tend to deal with. I laughed out loud as normal with the shopaholic series, and so I will continue to wait and hope for more to be written as part of this series.

Nook review: Well, it was definitely fun to use. And I can see times it would be nice and convenient to have. But as I feel that having almost 300 books sitting in my house still NOT read, it is just not financially responsible to get one. I even considered asking for one for Christmas, but still, I would have to buy new books to put on it, so again, not financially responsible of me, unless I win Powerball! :-) But I definitely think it is a good piece of technology, and would recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a ton of books sitting around waiting to be read.

Waiting on Wednesday - Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for.

I was having trouble coming up with books for the Waiting on Wednesday post, so I decided to so some Strict on Sale book research at the bookstore last week and I was sooooo excited to see there is a new book in the Shopaholic series!

In this book Becky has now been a mother for a little while, and still enjoys shopping, for the baby now. They're still living with Becky's parents while they try to buy a house. The financial world is in a bad spot, which means Luke is not happy. Becky decides to throw a party, on a budget of course, and this is where the big drama is supposed to go in. Obviously, can she stay on a budget? And can she arrange a party, that isn't quite as crazy and extravagant as she is? And it seems her shopaholic ways have been passed on to the baby Minnnie, leading to another set of problems. I am so excited for this, it is supposed to be published September 21st.