Audrey, Wait! [Hardcover]

Robin Benway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—When 16-year-old Audrey decides to dump her band-singer boyfriend, she has no idea that he will go on to write a chart-topping song about their breakup. Music lovers will appreciate Audrey's passion for her favorite bands and the song lyrics and music references that fill this novel. Other readers—particularly teen girls—will enjoy her reaction to sudden notoriety, as Audrey fends off paparazzi, unexpectedly finds herself in gossip magazines, and attempts to have a normal life despite it all. Her touching romance with an ice-cream-shop coworker hits some snags because of the situation, but Audrey perseveres. There are some good observations here about our society's obsession with famous people, but mostly this is a light read about a high school junior in an unusual situation. While Audrey sometimes comes off as overly passive as she tries to ignore the events around her, and the ending is predictable, the story will keep teens reading. Audrey's parents, her best friend, and her new love interest are all strong characters. An enjoyable first novel that's sure to be a hit.—Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Within a few weeks after their breakup, Audrey’s boyfriend, Evan, writes and performs a rock song about their split that catches the attention of a music executive and catapults Evan and his band to stardom. Because she is the song’s subject, Audrey suddenly becomes a celebrity, too, and over the course of a school year, she finds herself dodging paparazzi, rock stars in search of a muse, and star-crazed classmates. Set in Southern California, Benway’s memorable debut is a highly entertaining fantasy of teen fame, narrated in Audrey’s sardonic voice and perfect timed comedic lines that channel contemporary YA culture: “It makes my parents crazy how I can do all of this at once, talk on the phone and email and IM. I’m just like, how can you not?” Readers will be captivated by the well-drawn supporting characters, particularly Audrey’s loving, bantering parents and vibrant best friend, and fans of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn’s Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2006) will find a similarly raw, honest celebration of music, friendship, romance, and teen resilience. Grades 8-11. --Gillian Engberg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill (April 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159514191X
• ISBN-13: 978-1595141910
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Audrey Rocks!, April 10, 2008

By 

Anidori-Isilee - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Audrey, Wait! (Hardcover)

Audrey's tired of dealing with her boyfriend's egocentric attitude. So she breaks up with him. Should be the end of it, but it's not. Because Evan writes a song about the break-up and records it with his band, and "Audrey, Wait!" skyrockets up the charts. As the song grows more popular, so does Audrey. All Audrey wants is to be normal (and maybe go on a date with super cute James), but when the paparazzi are stalking you and people you've never met are following your every move on the internet (and hating you), being normal isn't easy.

I really loved this book. It's just as much as fun as the cover. Even though the premise is extremely unlikely, Benway handles it in an extremly believable way, with three-dimensional characters. But the best thing about this book is Audrey, who has become one of my favorite narrating characters. She is a completely realistic teen whose sarcastic wit will keep you laughing and turning the pages, wanting to know what'll happen next in her turned-upside-down world. Complete fun and highly entertaining, "Audrey, Wait!" should definitely be a popular read for the spring and summer.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, April 10, 2008

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Audrey, Wait! (Hardcover)

When Audrey made the decision to dump Evan, she never imagined that millions of people would soon know about it. But then Audrey, Wait!, the song Evan wrote about the break-up, is suddenly leaping up the charts, and making Evan's band wildly popular virtually overnight, Audrey has more attention than she can handle. Mobbed by reporters, fans, and fake friends, she can barely attend school, much less move on with her love life and start dating again. All anyone knows is what the paparazzi report. Now it's time for Audrey to take matters into her own hands.

Audrey's story is laugh out loud funny and chocked full of her crazy, fun filled escapades. Audrey herself has a sardonically appealing wit about her that makes her an instant hit, and is honest, confident, and yet still quite human. Her thoughts and vivid wording are what make that connection between the protagonist and reader. Though the book is lengthy, the plot moves at a brisk pace, and each chapter is preceded by sing lyrics from a wide variety of artists throughout the ages. This is a hilarious, wise, and immensely inviting read that anyone would be willing to rock out to.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Audrey Wait! is a fun, well written and really enjoyable novel, April 25, 2009

By 

She Reads and Dreams - See all my reviews

This review is from: Audrey, Wait! (Paperback)

This is the BEST book I have read in what seems like forever. I devoured almost all of it in about 3 hours and actually woke up in the middle of the night and seriously contemplated finishing it off (sadly, I fell back asleep while still considering the idea).

Audrey, Wait! is all about how 16 year old Audrey breaks up with her wannabe rockstar boyfriend and he writes a song about their break up (called Audrey, Wait! nache) which becomes hugely successful and thrusts all-I-wanna-be-is-a-normal-16-year-old Audrey into a life of rock stars and paparazzi.

The author, Robin Benway, does incredible things with dialogue which makes the writer in me beyond jealous. I laughed and giggled so many times while reading this book and really, it was the best time I've had reading in a really long time. Thank you Robin Benway! Audrey, Wait! is actually a young adult book, but don't let that stop you from picking it up if you're an adult because it is a seriously fun and enjoyable read. I heart Audrey!