Audrey, Wait!

Reader reviewed by Lisa

in a sentence or so: Audrey breaks up with her boyfriend Evan. Evan writes a song about it that just happens to be the fastest rising song on the billboard charts ever. Audrey's famous, her ex-boyfriend is a rock star...what going on here?!

after working with her best friend Victoria on a pros-and-cons list, Audrey decides it's time to dump Evan, who just happens to be the lead singer of his little band, the do-gooders. as she's walking down the stairs after the breakup, Evan calls after her "Audrey, wait!" and then a new hit song is born. he shoots into stardom, which seems natural. but so does she, which is not quite what she anticipated...

first - I LOVED Audrey's voice. love love loved it. she's a music-obsessed girl whose best friend is equally awesome and music loving and loud and fun. the exchanges between Audrey and Victoria reminded me a bit of me and my bestie in high school, which goes to show that the relationship feels real and relatable. she had a hilarious sense of humor (deadpan all over the place), a quirky yet healthy relationship with her parents, and just happens to work at a place called the 'scooper dooper'. seriously, how cool is that?

essentially this walks us through Audrey's life after the song hits it big and how her life changes - but so much happens along the way. take for example her developing feelings co-worker, James, and how Victoria knew months before Audrey did that she might even maybe possibly have a crush on him - how do best friends do that? i got the feeling from time to time that this was a very personal voice for the author (which i later confirmed after checking out her website), and that allowed the personalities of Audrey and of Victoria to really shine and become like real characters as i was reading. the language and dialogue is free flowing and fun (never feeling awkward or forced) and current.

if you're looking for a fun, witty, deadpan-humor-riden, teenage saga with a touch of drama, this is for you!

fave quote: "Oh Jesus, they had heard the song. They had heard the song and listened to the lyrics and then got totally paranoid and hacked into my email account and figured out that Evan and I had slept together, and now I was going to have to sit through some intervention where my parents talked about sperm and condoms and responsibility and teenage pregnancy statistics. And then they'd probably ship me off to one of those wilderness camps where they give you a name like Little Running Bear and make you scavenge for food to build up your self esteem until you swear to be abstinent for the rest of your natural life.
I'll tell you this right now: me and nature? Not so much." (41)

fix er up: i did feel like it got a little long in the middle, but the good news was that i never grew tired of hearing Audrey's voice and her interactions with James and Victoria, so i just plugged along waiting for the plot to speed back up.

Reader reviewed by KitKat

Audrey only really went out with Evan because she liked his music. Eventually, fed up with his ego and his pathetic boyfriend skills, she dumps him.

Then he writes The Song.

You know, the one that's been number one on all the charts for weeks? "Audrey, Wait!"

A brilliant breakup song... brilliant enough to catapault Evan, his band, and Audrey herself to instant stardom.

How do you deal when suddenly your life is out of control, paparazzi and fangirls stalk you, /People/ writes whole articles on your armwarmers, and all you want is to ask your cute coworker out?...

Reader reviewed by stephanie

Audrey Cuttler, California high school student, finally dumps Evan, lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders, when she gets tired of dealing with his egocentric attitudes. However, right after she dumps him, he gets inspired and writes the break-up song, Audrey, wait!, that becomes so good that it rockets up the billboard charts. And suddenly, Audrey is famous! With rabid fans invading her school, what is a girl to do? And suddenly, People and various other magazines are running articles about her arm-warmers. Not only all this, but the lead singer of the Lolitas, a band that she absolutely adored, wants her as his muse so he can perhaps get inspired as well. Every waking second, the Internet and the media are following her every move. She can not even hang out with her best friend or go out with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and the paparazzi. Now, all Audrey wants to do is become a normal teenager again and hang out with her best friend and go out with her new crush, James. However, with people stalking her, normal is not exactly easy. Audrey now has to find a way to get her own story across the world and maybe stop this harassment once and for all.

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Audrey Cuttler is just a normal girl; at least, thats all she wants to be. She wants to hang out with her best friend Victoria (like the queen!), go crazy over music and get excited about attending concerts, and scoop ice cream at the mall (although this last one, not so much). But when she breaks up with her self-centered musician boyfriend Evan, normal is no longer possible. Evan writes a breakup song titled Audrey, Wait! and it catches on with the international public and spreads like wildfire, skyrocketing up the Billboard charts and launching Evans band, The Do Gooders, and a reluctant Audrey into the spotlight. Now, Audreys life is spiraling out of control, especially because she cant go anywhere without getting mobbed by the paparazzi and/or her fans. But she soon learns that the publication of her life comes with the territory of fame. But amidst all the lies and rumors, she finally gets to tell her side of the story in this witty and authentic tale.

Audrey, Wait! is such a cute and memorable novel, and for several reasons. The main explanation for my large enjoyment of this story was because of Audreys character. She is such a realistic and funny heroine, and her seemingly uphill battle against the ramifications of fame in her life made her even more likable. I enjoyed learning about even the smallest details in her life, from her fat kitty Bendomolena to her relationship with her parents. Its definitely the details that made Audrey such a three-dimensional character. I think perhaps my favorite part about Audrey were her thoughts because some of them, however, subtle, were quite revolutionary epiphanies in her life, and I could totally relate to her lines of thought. The incorporation of music in this already well-written story only made it more priceless. I especially liked how the song quotes at the beginning of each chapter were from some bands that rock my world.

Audrey, Wait! has something for every teenage girl out there, from hot boy bands and insta-fame to messy breakups and tentative crushes. I recommend this novel particularly to fans of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert and Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky, and I look forward to great things from Benway.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by c-alexis

I think that we all have pictured once in our lives when we could have our fifteen minutes of fame. Of course, whenever we picture that, we always imagine that we did something amazing and spectacular to receive this fame. But this novel shows that sometimes fame comes unwanted and not without its price.

Audrey is a regular teenage girl until she breaks up with her boyfriend (and there's nothing wrong with that... relationships don't always last). Of course she never realized that she'll become the muse for a hit song written by said ex-boyfriend. She becomes famous through this song that even exploits her name in its title and lyrics.

Despite all this chaos, Audrey stays true to her sassy and spunky self. Although she has trouble accepting her newfound fame and it causes trouble for her personal life, she pulls through. It's a great book for all girls to stay true to yourself and to deal with reality as it comes. This book has got a definite recommendation from me.

Reader reviewed by Meg

In Audrey Wait!. You can see how much a teenagers life can change in a matter of days. Yes most breakups don't end in the ex-boyfriend becoming a famous rockstar because he wrote a song about his ex-girlfriend. Most breakups are kept private. But you see how this could actually happen in real life and how much the parents don't understand whats going on to. Audrey didn't want to become famous like some other girls in this world. You also saw how her best friend started using her for the things she got, while Audrey was sitting in the corner the entire time trying not to get her picture taken. In the end i think Audrey did the right thing and did what she needed to do in order to get her life back together.

Reader reviewed by Hillary

Audrey Cuttler is just a normal teenage girl. She has two parents, a best friend, an overweight cat, and a boyfriend, who's in a band, named Evan. Oh, wait. Make that an ex-boyfriend. When Audrey breaks up with him on the day of his concert, Evan writes a song about the breakup, Audrey, Wait!, to show her how he feels. But who would've expected it to become so well known? And when Audrey, Evan, and The Do Gooders, his band, all get famous, things get really crazy.

Now, as Evan's traveling the world and endorsing his new song, Audrey's stuck at home being stalked by paparazzi, as well as everyone who owns a camera phone. All she wants to do is live a normal life but she learns that that's becoming harder and harder to do. She can't go to work, school, or anywhere with out being gawked at or having pictures taken of her. Will she find a way to deal with it? Because the way things are going, the attention doesn't seem to be dying down anytime soon.

I thought that the book was absolutely wonderful. It had an engaging plot and a lot of action. The book was never boring and it was nearly impossible to put down. I think that teens ages fifteen through eighteen will find this book very entertaining, especially if they're into music. There was a pretty liberal use of swearing throughout the book, but a mature reader would be able to handle it. I loved that at the beginning of each chapter, there was a quote from a song that tied in with the chapter. I thought that it really added to the musical aspect of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves music. It was a fantastic book written by a great new author. Robin Benway is a fabulous writer and I will be sure to check out any of her upcoming books.

Reader reviewed by Bookluver-Carol

Audrey Cutler's life hasn't been the same since that song, "Audrey,Wait!" hit the airwaves. All she wants to do is go to concerts, hang out with friends, and maybe score a date with the cute boy who works with her at the Scooper Dooper.

But now, her ex-boyfriend's song about their breakup is at the top of the charts and the she's suddenly famous! The paparazzi won't leave her alone, the tabloids are trying to make her into some kind of rock goddess, and the Internet is documenting her every move!

Will Audrey ever be able to have a normal like again? Get ready to find out because it's time for Audrey to tell her side of the story.

Wow, I just finished reading Audrey,Wait! and it's awesome. The characters are funny, sarcastic,witty and real. I really loved this book. It was very hilarious. If you haven't read it I suggest that you go buy one now or get it from your local library. It's great to read about how an average girl is thrust into the limelight and she tries hard to stay a normal girl.This book is a must read!

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

When Audrey breaks up with her wannabe-rockstar boyfriend, Evan, on the day that his band is to perform for an A&R guy, she has NO idea that he would make that breakup into a nationally famous Number One Hit song. Suddenly her life is turned upside-down: her outfits, outings, and love escapades become hugely discussed issues in the tabloids. All Audrey want is to be normal again, because thats who she IS: a normal girl who loves loud music and works at the Scooper Dooper ice cream shop for money for her music obsession.

Of course, this unwanted newfound fame changes the relationships in Audreys life anyway, whether its with her parents, her funky best friend Victoria, or her Scooper Dooper co-worker, a quiet, tall, skinny Irish classmate by the name of James, who turns out to be much more than just an awkward co-worker. However, rumors about her, James, and Evan begin to fly as soon as the paparazzi catch wind of Audreys new boyfriend. Really, now, hows a girl to deal with it all?

I loved Audrey in this refreshingly exciting novel! Audrey is the kind of cool and witty character who doesnt get enough attention in the young adult genre. Despite the slightest excessive use of profanity, which might bother more sensitive readers, this book will make you laugh and cheer out loud in places where you shouldnt be snort-laughing at Audreys hilarious narration. This is without a doubt one of the best novels I have read thus far this year.

Reader reviewed by Megan

Audrey, Wait!
Robin Benway

You always hear the story of the rising star to fame, but you never hear the story of the person whose life is turned upside down because of a song written about them. Thats Audreys story, and it is coming to you faster than the Do Gooders song Audrey, Wait! hit the top of the charts.
Audrey always wanted her boyfriend Evan to write a song about her, but she never expected it to be like this. Upset when Audrey breaks up with him, Evan writes a scathing break up song featuring Audrey. Now, everywhere Audrey goes, everyone knows her. And not only that, she is hounded daily by newspapers, IMs, text messages, and phone calls. All she wants is to hang out with her friends and maybe get a date with her cute co-worker James. But this song comes between them all.
Audrey, Wait! is such an interesting read! Robin Benway definitely has my admiration writing about a girl that not only has great taste in music, but she isnt afraid to do what needs to be done. I loved that she had a line from a song to go along with each chapter. I immediately wanted to go home and download each and every one. In the end, though, Audrey, Wait! is a wonderful novel.