Seriously amazing, and amazingly serious, Finding Audrey stands out amongst other books in the YA genre for being realistic, which is my highest praise. I hope Kinsella continues to write for young adults, because we sure do need more books like this on the shelves! Heart Full of Books Blog (US) I found it to a very enjoyable, uplifting read, with the perfect combination of friendship, anguish, romance and humour; in addition to the determined attitude Audrey takes when facing her illness. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a book that will make you laugh (and possibly cry), and leaves you triumphant at its finish. There are two things I think we can all agree on when it comes to books dealing with mental health:

Frank the gamer : I feel you. Go explain to people that no, gaming doesn't make you crazy. Sigh. He completely won me with his witty comments. When I was very little, I was one of the shyest kids out there. I wouldn't talk much to new people. I was the kid sitting quietly on the swings, book in hand, while the other kids my age ran around the playground, screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs. It wasn't until I started Preschool that I was able to break out of my shell. From that day on, I was the one of the loud kids. I was friends with everyone. I preformed in my city's theatre program. I dreamed of one day becoming a singer and auditioning for America's Got Talent. I wanted to do everything, see everything. This is probably the easiest and hardest thing I've ever had to write. Easy, I know exactly what I want to write. Hard, because what I want to write involves sharing a very personal part of my life with hundreds of strangers on the Internet. So. Here goes nothing: Let me do this, Chris,” says Mum warningly, and I can see Dad gulp. My dad is tall and handsome in a car advert way, and he looks like the boss, but inside, he isn’t really an alpha male.Mummy is going to throw the computer!” says Felix, running onto the grass and looking up in disbelieving joy. Felix is our little brother. He’s four. He greets most life events with disbelieving joy. A lorry in the street! Ketchup! An extra-long chip! Mum throwing a computer out of the window is just another one on the list of daily miracles.

The storyline in this was really funny! Audrey’s mother was quite crazy about the possibility of Audrey’s brother Frank being addicted to video games, and went to ridiculous lengths to try and stop him from playing. I loved Audrey’s take on her mother’s addiction to The Daily Mail, and the way this book made me laugh! Ollie sometimes plays Land of Conquerors online with Frank if Frank’s in a kind mood and doesn’t have anyone else to play with. Now Ollie looks even more freaked out than Frank. When I came up with the idea for Finding Audrey I had three characters: Audrey, a teenage girl with social anxiety; Frank, a boy obsessed with computer games; and their mother, just trying to keep everyone together. Once I had conceived those characters Audrey’s voice just came to me and the story unfolded. They talk about “body language,” as if we all speak it the same. But everyone has their own dialect. For me right now, for example, swiveling my body right away and staring rigidly at the corner means, “I like you.” Because I didn’t run away and shut myself in the bathroom. I just hope he realizes that.” Audrey and I have the same young age, but she already has a boyfriend, and that her boyfriend, Linus, was the one who kinda cured her. Even though this sounded utterly ridiculous, I can't help laughing.Watch my video review or read on for the written review :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mD7V... 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 Kirkus If you like Sophie Kinsella's previous work, and if you like YA genre, you will (probably) definitely like this book. The insta-love. Now, I understand that at Audrey's age, you get into a relationship and you're telling each other you love them straight away (I know, because I did that too. Oh how silly I was!) but I thought it was a bit strange that one minute Audrey was having such bad anxiety that she couldn't look him in the eye or even face him and the next minute they're making out? It just didn't make that much sense to me, especially coming from someone who has experienced severe anxiety at that age and throughout my entire life.

It’s easy to keep a poker face when you’re wearing dark glasses and a hoodie and you’re looking off to one side. When I first heard she was about to publish a novel in my favorite genre, I just knew I had to read it immediately. 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."

I've gone up a level. That's the only way I can describe it. (...) Yes, I've had one bad episode, but I didn't sink quite as low. Things weren't quite as dark." You didn’t go wrong!” he calls up. “Nothing’s wrong! Darling, come down and have a drink. Put the computer down ... for now,” he adds hastily at her expression. “You can throw it out of the window later.” A terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain Children's Books Council (US)