From now on, a new gem will forever be associated with my recent fun experience every time someone asks me the most hilarious book I've ever encountered. It took me less than two days to finish Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella and all in all it was entertaining as much as it was hilarious. Even though constant laughter was something I did not expect to profit from this book, it sure felt nice to get addicted to a good long laugh like this. I now have a craving for books this sweet.
Due to a traumatic thing in her past, the 14-year-old Audrey Turner from Finding Audrey is now struggling with mental illness and social anxiety. As a result, Audrey can't leave the house, wears dark glasses everywhere, and refuses to meet anyone outside her family, though everything changes when her brother's friend, Linus, stumbles into her life. With Linus on her side, Audrey tries to push herself farther to the outside world.
However, it seems like this book highlights the bond that binds the Turner family more. Besides having a 15-year-old video game-freak brother named Frank, Audrey has a 4-year-old Felix also. Her mother, who is obviously the alpha in this household, is addicted to Daily Mail and so she's obsessed with following every tip given. Her father, who doesn't want to upset his wife, picks her side no matter what, so it's never a quiet moment in the Turner household.
While I was a big fan of everything her mother's doing, I figured that instead of finding Audrey's mother funny, some would see her as annoying and that's understandable. Regardless of how you saw her though, the Turner family, in addition to being relatable, was still very fun. It's always heartening to stumble upon something imperfect but at the same time lovely: this family was far from perfect, fought all the time, but they still supported each other in their own way.
I, especially, adored the way Frank's character was portrayed in this book: he's pretty sweet even though was not at all a protective brother as he seemed to be too occupied in his own gaming world. But I found it more believable for a boy his age to act that way than to be overprotective all the time. Meanwhile, the way her Mom was obsessed over his addiction to LOC deserved another acclamation for the entertainment itself rather than because it's the right thing to do. Her method was a little over the top but I guess she was unique that way which made this family awesome in a certain context.
Audrey's anxiety disorder, on the other hand, was quite well progressed even though I think the stages Audrey had to go through in order to be better could have been more developed. Her recovery was not rushed—the progression was indeed clear—but it was still a little too quick in my opinion. Even so, I still found Dr. Sarah's explanation about the recovery graphic useful and great. I very much agreed with her when she said it's important to take a step back after making some good signs of progress.
Audrey's relationship with Linus might not have been a slow-burn one, but it still developed gradually which was actually pretty cute. However at first, I was honestly a little annoyed at him for pushing Audrey's limit a little too hard. But since it seemed like something Audrey needed, I was okay with him and he started to grow on me later on.
Even though I was slightly disappointed with the fact that we didn't get to uncover the reason behind Audrey's anxiety, I could understand the point this book was probably trying to prove: that it's more than okay to be private and keep things we're not ready to share. On the last page, I even found the conclusion sweet and perfect and therefore nothing better could've been asked in exchange for something as thoughtful as this.
Overall, Finding Audrey has become a personal favorite of mine. While the larger part of this book impressed me with its heartwarming and entertaining narration, it still managed to explore mental health as another important topic with great progression and a satisfying conclusion. I have a huge love for this book that I'm now thinking about buying the physical copy in the nearest bookshop.
Actual rating: 4.8★
