Audrey, Wait!

It always seems rare that rockstars who write songs about a girl instantly shoot the girl into fame and popularity. However...when that actually does happen, what's it like for the girl in question? Especially if she's just a normal 16-year-old girl who like rocking out to indie bands and chilling with her fat cat and best friend? Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, tells the story of Audrey Cutler, a high schooler who was dating the singer for a band called the Do-Gooders, Evan.

But when she breaks up with him for being too lazy, this inspires Evan to write the anthem that would soon be topping the pop charts - "Audrey, Wait!" The song catches on like wildfire and not only are the Do-Gooders getting recognition for their masterpiece, but Audrey herself is getting a pretty crazy taste of fame. Paparazzi constantly attack her when she goes to school, and it seems like every move she makes ends up in tabloids or on the Internet. It doesn't help that all she really wants to do is maintain a relationship with her co-worker James at the ice cream shop she works at and be a normal teenage girl with a normal best friend and live a normal life. Evan's song doesn't let that happen.

With the help of her best friends Victoria and Jonah, and James, her new main sqeeze, she's just trying to stay out of the spotlight. But with "Audrey, Wait!" constantly playing on the radio, she loses hope that that'll ever happen.

Overall

This book had its "Wow, that's completely unrealistic" moments, but for the most part it was a refreshing teen novel. The basic idea behind it is so simple, and it's the kind of plot people look at, scratch their heads, and say, "Why didn't I think of that?" I found that I could definitely relate to Audrey as a character, mainly because of her harsh sarcasm. There were a ton of one-liners that were just flat-out hilarious.

Another thing that makes this book unique is its timelessness. Little details make it modern, but this story could've taken place in the 90s and it could still happen today, which I found really appealing. One thing I always love seeing in YA fiction is a smart plot that can transcend time periods and still relate to people years after its release.

However, a couple of the characters were kind of flat. Audrey seemed to be the one with the most personality, followed by James. Victoria seemed like just the average best friend you always see in bad teen movies, and it didn't really seem like Evan had any depth either. With a plot so simple normally I'd expect to see awesome characters that make you truly feel for them, but with this book, that didn't happen as much as I'd have liked it to.

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