The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway

Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 282
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn’t imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.
Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood--powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?
April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds--everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.
Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

Review:
This book caught my eye when it first came out. My sister had many good things to say about Benway’s first novel, Audrey, Wait! so I decided to give both of them a try. I enjoyed Audrey, Wait! a lot and had high hopes for this one as well.
April, May, and June are dealing with several issues: their parents have just divorced, their father moved away, and oh yeah, they just discovered they had magical powers. April has visions of the future. May can turn invisible. And June can read the minds of those around her--a talent that her sisters are less than appreciative of. Their newfound magic is just a quirky addition to their antics--until April sees a disturbing vision of the future. The girls must put aside their differences and work together in order to try to avoid their impending doom.
The three sisters were all very different but not in a hugely cliched way; June, the youngest, wanted to be popular but wasn’t a vapid drone, May was kind of a loner type but didn’t march around with a cigarette and a trench coat discussing how jaded she was, and April had an interest in academics and books, but she didn’t obsessively study to the point of being a social pariah. Robin Benway continued expressing her ability to create realistic, believable characters, despite the fact that these three girls had magical powers.
I found the plot a little lackluster compared to Audrey, Wait! Despite the interesting characters and realistic setting for the sisters’ magic, the plot fell flat. I think that I maybe wanted more humor. Instead of worrying about the danger, I think I would have appreciated the big thing in this book to be made of funny antics or a wacky misunderstanding. I liked the characters, but they were not interesting enough on their own to overcome the lackluster nature of the plot. May came the closest, but I feel like she also got the least amount of story, maybe because of the nature of her power?
So, The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June disappointed me a bit due to my high expectations going in. The book was still pretty decent, so if you’re looking for a contemporary read with just a hint of magic, check it out. I’m looking forward to Benway’s next novel (due out Winter 2013?), which is supposed to be about a teenage spy or detective (combination?).

Rating: 3 - decent.

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.