When she realized that the cons far outweighed the pros on her Reasons I Should Stay With Evan list, Audrey Cuttler knew it was time to put an end to their longterm relationship. So she broke up with him.
And then his band made it big. With a song called, "Audrey, Wait!".
Now she can't escape it: it's on the radio every ten minutes and she can't make it through a day at school without someone singing the chorus at her. Annoying, yes -- but that kind of thing she could handle. But suddenly it seems like the entire country is hungry for information about her. The paparazzi start tracking every step she takes (every move she makes...*), anonymous jerks trash her all over the internet, and she can't even work a shift at the Scooper Dooper without getting asked for an autograph.
Fame is not all it's cracked up to be.
Audrey, Wait! is adorable. Audrey herself has a great voice -- she made me laugh out loud over and over again, so much so that I read a lot of it out loud to Josh. In the car, no less, while we were driving. As I've mentioned before, that's a big one for me -- if a book gets me to the point where I'll risk car sickness, it's gotta be something I find seriously compelling. And this one falls into that category. Not because I had any doubts about where it was going or whether or not Audrey would make it through, friends and social life intact, but because it was just so much fun.
Robin Benway made me want to be friends with Audrey and Victoria. This is a prime example of why**:
Half an hour later, packed like sardines inside the Jukebox, we were still talking about it. "Did Evan actually say 'kill his vibe'?" Victoria asked. By now, she was on her third Diet Coke and I could see the caffeine starting to shoot out of her eyes.
I crossed my arms in front of me and stood by the side of the stage, hoping the Do-Gooders would hurry up and play so we could go home and skip the traffic. "Those words exactly," I told her. "Plus some other choice phrases."
"What? Like, 'Fuck you'?"
"No, more like, 'How could you do this to me?' 'I thought we were gonna be together forever.' That kind of stuff." I stirred my melted ice with my straw.
Victoria rolled her eyes in solidarity. "Please. He must be a closet romance novel reader. I'm surprised he didn't break out a lute and try to woo you."
It's pure fun. The storyline is predictable*** but I really felt that the predictability only added to its charm. It's a book that made me happy. Audrey's passion about music is contagious -- she made me want to hit Bull Moose on payday. There was no hand-the-the-forehead-gnashing-of-teeth angst (it was more the faceplant-on-the-bed variety), no horrific issues, nothing majorly serious -- even though it's a light, boppy book, though, it provides an intelligent, thoughtful commentary on the effects of sudden, unwanted fame. Lighter lit and waving.
_____________________________________________________________
*Man, that song could totally be about the paparazzi. And now I'm going to be stuck with Sting all day. Dammit.
**You can read the rest of the first chapter here.
***It reads like a teen movie complete with SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Audrey setting everyone straight on MTV Live and then squeezing in a "Hi, Grandma" at the end END SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER but heck, with the right cast, director AND the right person doing the soundtrack (v. important, that), I'd go see it in a heartbeat.
It took me forever to read this because I was trying to read it during the holiday season. Predictable but very good and yes, it would be good movie material.
Posted by: sassymonkey | 06 January 2009 at 08:50 AM
Scotty doens't know, oh.
Scotty doesn't know-oh.
So don't tell Scotty!
Scotty doesn't know,
Scotty doesn't know.
SO DON'T TELL SCOTTY!
Yeah, I'd see it too.
Posted by: Jeremy | 06 January 2009 at 08:55 AM
This is one of my favorite books of 2008 because, like you, it's a book that made me happy. I just can't say that about many books, no matter how great they are. I smile ever single time I think of it.
Posted by: Laura | 06 January 2009 at 12:59 PM
Aw, I liked it too! I couldn't stop thinking about the girl from the song "Hey There Delilah" as I read.
Posted by: Lena | 06 January 2009 at 06:36 PM
I giggled my way through Audrey, Wait! and freakin' loved it. Robin Benway does things with dialogue that make me pea green with envy. Thanks for the recommendation!
Posted by: Maree | 11 March 2009 at 09:52 PM
If there was to be a movie, who would you want to cast in it?
Posted by: Noelle | 10 December 2009 at 09:55 AM