Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 320
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: 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.

Review:
Audrey, Wait! is the title of the song Audrey's ex-boyfriend writes about their breakup. When she first hears it, Audrey is annoyed, but she doesn't think it's a big deal. Soon the song takes the country by storm, throwing both the band--and Audrey--into the spotlight. Audrey finds the special treatment kind of bitchin', with VIP concert access and free stuff, but soon she realizes that the invasion of privacy and vicious rumors circulating the nation about her and her new boyfriend are not worth it. With more problems mounting between her and her loved ones, Audrey has to decide what to do to protect her public and private life.
This book was a cool look at what could happen to the girls songs are written about--and a demonstration that shows that it might not be as cool as it seems. Audrey deals with douchey musicians, wild invasions of privacy, and major disruptions in her and her family's everyday lives. Nobody wants their personal life displayed for all to see, and that is exactly what ends up happening to Audrey.
I loved Audrey's obsession with music and wish that I had a friend like her when I was a teenager to dra me to more concerts. I totally dug her obsession with making perfect playlists and the strict belief that one bad song can mess the entire thing up (I had a friend that insisted on mixing Matisiyahu songs with the Sex Pistols and the Clash--worst trip back from the state of Delaware ever). Music was a huge part but not the only part of Audrey's life--it's not like she was constantly making hipster-quality references about vaguely known bands while people were attempting to have normal conversations around her. She's not so much about the music that she lacks a personality--even better, she's not a mindless groupie. She breaks up with Evan because of his obsession with his band and his self-centeredness and calls Simon out for using her. Audrey's got a backbone and she's not afraid to show it (figuratively speaking).
The friendship between Victoria and Audrey is very well represented. They are very clearly involved in one another's families and know each other better than anyone else. The fight between the two is incredibly believable. Both think they know what is best for Audrey's life, but Victoria's resentment from missing her friend and Audrey's stress from her privacy being constantly violated cause a blowout between the two.
I liked that Evan never became an epic jerk about the song or their breakup. The song wasn't written in vengeance, only out of feelings. Kind of emo, but it's better than sheer jackassery. It seems that I am a big fan of characters no snapping into raging jerks--it makes their characters far more relatable, more realistic. The situations are grey rather than clear cut black and white.
Robin Benway's Audrey, Wait! is a great, lighthearted contemporary read about a girl thrust into the spotlight through no fault of her own. Audrey's fresh voice told a great story about being famous, the music business, and how to tell who you'd want around you if you are ever thrown into the public eye.


Rating: 4 - good.