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Library | Material Type | Shelf Number | Status |
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Searching... Westover Hills | Book | FICTION KINSELL | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A New York Times Bestseller & A ZOELLA Book Club Pick!
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.
An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey's daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother's gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she's never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
Audrey wears dark glasses all of the time, even in the house. But its not out of excessive devotion to her movie-star namesake; its because shes afraid. Of everyone. We learn, incompletely, that some stuff happened to her at school, that three classmates were expelled as a result, and that Audrey herself will be attending a new school come fall. While Kinsella never details the bullying Audrey experienced (which makes its power all the more terrifying), she persuasively charts Audreys gradual healing with the help of an understanding therapist and a boy who, over the course of the story, becomes more than a friend. For those who know Kinsella only from her popular Shopaholic series for adults, this book will seem surprisingly layered and serious. That said, there is plenty of leavening social comedy, mainly delivered via Audreys mother, a loving and scattered parent obsessed with how much time Audreys older brother spends playing video games, who perhaps takes her Daily Mail tabloid reading more to heart than is really good for her: Its all the fault of these evil screens. Some children your age cant even get up off the couch! roger sutton (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Audrey, 14, is on a long, slow upswing from disabling anxiety disorders that resulted from the vicious abuse of bullies at school. Under the guidance of thoughtful Dr. Sarah, Audrey begins to deal with her inability to make eye contactor even to leave the houseby crafting videos of her quirky, near-farcical family, a nifty narrative device that especially shows off her "twitchy" mom. Audrey's brother Frank is determined to win an online gaming championship with his team, in spite of their mom's frenetic attempts to remake the family based on newspaper advicewhich, sadly for Frank, includes giving up computers. Complicating this is the fact that Frank's team includes sensitive Linus, who delicately, tenderly navigates Audrey's vividly portrayed roadblocks. As their relationship blossoms, Audrey gains both strength and courage. The counterpoint of absurd humor against Audrey's uncertain progress toward healing, graphically depicted in her appealing and slightly ironic first-person voice, is compelling. Since the nature of the bullying is never fully revealed, it can readily represent the experiences of other victims. It's only as the narrative approaches its conclusion that the true source of the dysfunction in Audrey's family is revealed: all of them have become victims in myriad ways. An outstanding tragicomedy that gently explores mental illness, the lasting effects of bullying, and the power of friends and loving family to help in the healing. (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
