After an incident at school, 14-year-old Audrey has developed an anxiety disorder. She doesn't leave the house, she can't talk to people outside her family and therapist, and she always wears dark glasses to hide her eyes. But when her brother Frank's gaming buddy, Linus, arrives on the scene, he encourages her to challenge herself on the road to recovery. Meanwhile, Audrey's mother is desperately trying to keep Frank off the computer games but he seems to outsmart her at every turn. While I would have loved to have known more about the inciting incident at school, this is a touching yet hysterically funny story of a girl finding her way out of a dark place. The way that Audrey documents life through her video camera gives us an even better glimpse into her quirky family, resulting in an enjoyable YA read that adults will love as well.
Sophie Kinsella is taking her first dip into the Young Adult market, with her upcoming release Finding Audrey about a teenager's recovery from an anxiety disorder. Kinsella says: "Finding Audrey is my first YA novel, and I loved writing it. Audrey has already become a best friend to me, and I hope you will enjoy meeting her and her crazy family." The summary for the novel, which will be published in June 2015, says: "An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey's daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother's gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she's never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family." A second summary says: "Meet Audrey: an ordinary teenage girl with not so ordinary problems. Aside from her completely crazy and chaotic family, she suffers from an anxiety disorder which makes talking to her brother's hot new best friend a bit of a challenge. But Audrey has a plan to help her face her fears and take on the world again. First stop: Starbucks."