Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

WinterHaven Books is excited to be included in the Finding Audrey Blog Tour. For our stop, we have the book details, purchase links, book review and a publisher giveaway, so we hope you enjoy the entire post!

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Expected publication: June 9, 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers | Random House Children's Books

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.

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 gami From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.

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.
Purchase Links
  

My Thoughts
Finding Audrey is a perfect YA debut for the seasoned adult fiction writer Sophie Kinsella. In this novel, Kinsella shares a very serious story but tells it in a lighthearted way. This novel is signature of her style, where Kinsella easily draws in the reader with her natural humor. Finding Audrey is topical and relevant as it covers sensitive subjects such as bullying, anxiety disorders, and online addiction.

Audrey is a fifteen year old girl suffering from social anxiety disorder after an experience of school bullying that has led her to therapy and confined her to her home. As she works to regain her confidence and reengage in society, she meets a sensitive and funny boy named Linus who helps her step into the light and live again.

As she journeys through her recovery, we also get to meet the rest of her quirky family including her brother who is addicted to online gaming and dealing with his mother that is trying to break him of his bad habits. As part of her recovery, Audrey is tasked with documenting everyday life on her video camera and through this lens we see a side of the family that is unabashedly honest and unintentionally hilarious.

The Turner family was such a relatable band of characters in such a fun loving way. It is no doubt that Audrey comes from a family that cares about each other. I loved their day to day dynamics and humorous interactions.

Throughout the entire novel, I sympathized with Audrey and wanted to know every detail that led her to her nightmare, but I appreciated the privacy that Kinsella afforded this character. As a reader, we never fully knew what exactly happened during her experience of being bullied and it seemed it was part of Kinsella’s strategy to convey to her readers that you don’t have to share everything… some things are best kept to yourself. I read this book in two short sittings because from the beginning I wanted to uncover the intricacies of this family and I enjoyed every minute I spent with them.

Overall, I truly enjoyed Sophie Kinsella's first YA novel where she expertly handled very real and current teenage issues in an easy to engage way. I can’t wait to see how Kinsella continues to flex her new muscle in this genre. Well done!
4.5 Snowflakes

About the Author

[From Goodreads] Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The books follows her life from when her credit card debt first become overwhelming ("The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic") to the latest book on being married and having a child ("Shopaholic & Baby"). Throughout the entire series, her obsession with shopping and the complications that imparts on her life are central themes.
Social Media Links
Website  |  Goodreads  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  iPhone App
The publisher has graciously offered to give away a copy of the book Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, along with a book tie-in coffee sleeve. I've read the book and  personally feel they did a great job with the coffee sleeve. Definitely a cute tie-in to the book!!  For a chance to win, simply fill out the rafflecopter and share with us what your favorite beverage or favorite online game/app that you like to play. This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


To follow the rest of the blog tour, check out the amazing blogs below!

16 comments:

  1. My favorite beverage is orange juice!

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  2. caramel brulee. It's so good but I can go with any coffee drink that has raspberry pretty much

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  3. My favorite beverage is chai, and my favorite gaming app is Candy Crush Soda (and I hate myself for it!)

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  4. Sparkling water is my favorite beverage.

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  5. I am soooo excited for this book even though it's not my typical read. Sophie Kinsella has been a fav of mine since I started binge buying at B&N. She writes such cute chick lit. I never thought I'd love it the way I did but she stole my heart! Great review!!
    ❤️Britt

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  7. I love coconut water/juice and grape juice and my fav app is Twitter, game is QuizUp!

    Email: felicidad11tan@gmail.com
    Bloglovin': Sui Generis
    GFC: Sui Generis

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  8. White Chocolate rasberry coffee from starbucks, Gems Journey and Apples to Apples :) thank you so much for sharing :)
    bloglovin: erinf1

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  10. Im really excited about this book!

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  11. My favorite beverage is a carmel frap from Starbucks…Yummy

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  12. I am a coffee addict. It's the first thing I think about when I open my eyes in the morning. : ) Absolutely LOVE Sophie Kinsella and her books. Was fortunate enough to meet her at an event last year and she is exactly as you would imagine. So fun and funny. I'm thrilled she is venturing in the YA world with her books. Go Sophie!

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  13. Favorite is coffee and wine!:) Thanks for the giveaway<3

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  14. My favorite beverage is cappuccino, really hot and unsugared! ;)

    Carolina M on rafflecopter

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  15. My favorite beverage is water... haha and my favorite app is Instagram (:

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