Robin Benway weaves a fascinating tale of Audrey, a girl who, if she had just waited, like her ex-boyfriend Evan yelled for her to, could have led a very different sixteen-year-old life. After all, if she had waited when Evan yelled, “Audrey, wait!” they may have ended up getting back together. Then, “Audrey, Wait!” may never have been written, or it would have been another sappy love song that people for some reason aren’t as keen on, and it wouldn’t have made it big like “Audrey, Wait!” ended up doing. Maybe if she had waited, her life would have remained semi-normal. Maybe if she waited, she wouldn’t have learned that she liked James, and that he also liked her. There are so many “maybe” and “what if” scenarios, but the fact is that Audrey didn’t wait, and so starts the tale of Audrey skyrocketing to stardom, almost literally overnight, when Evan and the Do-Gooders release the song and watch it take the charts by storm.
I almost felt as though I was really watching all of Audrey’s misfortune (or fortune, as her best friend Victoria would claim) come her way. The story is written so vividly and in such a relatable way that anyone can see how this type of fame (or infamy) could happen to them. Audrey’s just a girl who broke up with her boyfriend, but he is making a fortune off of their break-up while she deals with teenage girl stalkers from other schools, real-life paparazzi, and a best friend who doesn’t seem to get that Audrey doesn’t want all the attention she’s getting. She just wants to live a normal (whatever that is) existence. She also has to contend with a girl named Sharon who used to be set on getting Audrey’s boyfriend Evan, and is now seemingly set on taking Audrey’s new boyfriend, James, if she has her way about it.
Publicists, reporters, paparazzi, best friends, boyfriends, arch-enemies, worried parents, and rock stars round out the cast of characters in this delightful dramedy that mixes love, lust, aggravation, and the public eye into one realistic and intriguing read. Highly recommended!
You can find ‘Audrey, Wait!’ by Robin Benway here: http://www.amazon.com/Audrey-Wait-Robin-Benway/dp/1595141928