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Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can’t hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.

Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.

Average Customer Rating:

Don't Wait - Read It Now!

Customer Rating:

Usually, when you're in high school, the whole world doesn't keep tabs on your social life - unless you're the ex-girlfriend of the lead singer of a hot new band, and your breakup with the frontman inspired their hit single. In that case, everyone knows your name, your face, and your personal business. Yikes. Meet Audrey Cuttler. After spending a long time considering whether or not to break up with her boyfriend, Evan, she makes a list of reasons why she should stay with him. It had so many more cons than pros that she decides to finally break it off, and she tells him so. They have a good cry and agree to be friends. As she leaves the room, he calls after her, "Audrey, wait!" She pretends that she doesn't hear him and keeps going. That night, Evan has a gig with his band, The Do-Gooders. Audrey attends the show with her best friend Victoria and Victoria's boyfriend, Jonah. No one is more surprised than Audrey when Evan closes the night with a brand-new song called "Audrey, Wait!" The title character is overwhelmed, feeling embarrassed, mortified, and shocked all at once. Things only get more uncomfortable for her when The Do-Gooders get 'discovered' and land a record deal. The higher the song climbs on the music charts, the more eyes are on Audrey. Once it becomes an international hit and Evan talks about what (and who) inspired the song, Audrey can't go anywhere without being recognized by someone or answer her phone for fear that it will be another reporter trying to get the inside scoop. She just wants to scoop ice cream at the Scooper Dooper, her afteschool job, without being hounded by paparazzi and strangers who take pictures of her on their cell phones. Soon, Audrey can't even attend her normal classes at school any more because the administration thinks she's a 'distraction,' so they make her do her schoolwork by herself in a small room on campus. The quarantine turns out to be a good thing, as Audrey's grades improve, but she still wishes she could go back to living her normal, unremarkable life. Victoria starts to act as her spokesperson, intercepting calls from the press and protecting her best friend's privacy (well, sort of), and Audrey becomes friendly with James, her Scooper Dooper co-worker, who also becomes protective of her. Audrey's never been more grateful for her goofy, laid-back parents and her huge cat, Bendolomena. Audrey's household seemed comfy and happy. I recognized the comfort she sought in her pet, and I really liked the depiction of her parents. They were understandably concerned for their daughter's safety and privacy, but they weren't overprotective, nor were they too relaxed. They were naturally funny characters, rather than trying too hard to be hip, and they had a really good relationship with their daughter. This allows Audrey to speak to them openly and honestly, like this: "Yeah, I know, Dad, I wasn't expecting this, either! And at least you got a guidebook, y'know? Parents have, like, a million books telling them how to raise kids, but there's nothing telling me how to be a teenager! I'm doing the best I can too!" - Page 151 What about Evan? He pops up now and then, as needed, especially towards the end of the book. Thankfully, he doesn't become egotistical. It's clear that he's just riding the wave and trying to stay afloat. I really liked the fact that both Audrey and Evan meant well. Audrey didn't want to hurt Evan; she just realized that they weren't totally compatible. Evan was never cruel, not while they were dating, not after they broke up, and he never seeks revenge on her. The song isn't mean-spirited, and neither is he. All throught the story, Audrey is confident, even when she doesn't think she is. There's an admirable ease about her. Once, while talking to James, she comments on being self-aware, and he responds that she's the most self-aware person he's ever meet. Later, in an atypical moment when Audrey holds something back, her father says in surprise, "Since when have you been a spectator?" Like me, Audrey knows what she likes and what she doesn't like, and she likes being in control of her life. The dialogue sounds like you're really listening to conversations, especially those between Audrey and Victoria. (I laughed out loud when Victoria said twitterpated!) The book has a lot of musical references, ranging from classic rock to modern pop. Each chapter begins with a song lyric, citing the song title and band. Benway really captures how it feels before and after attending a really good concert, as well as during it. Listen to this description of Audrey and Victoria on their way to a show: "[W]e were both sailing on sugar and french fries and adrenaline. We wouldn't be coming down for a while." - Page 88 And later: "Their choruses made you wish you could fly, and we drove so fast on those nights, the orange streetlights lighting our way, taking us home." - Page 95 If you couldn't tell already, I really liked Audrey, Wait! I recommend it to teens and adults, especially those who enjoyed Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. This is a fun, fast-paced story that is as good as it sounds. Though some things - like people posting video footage and pictures of Audrey online - are very modern, overall, it's never SO right-now uber-trendy that it's annoying or would feel dated in a year or two. It's simply what it would be, were this to happen to someone now. This is because of the person at the heart of the story - Audrey, a girl who doesn't want to be famous, she just wants to be herself.

Rocked my world

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Audrey Cuttler is just a normal girl; at least, that's all she wants to be. She wants to hang out with her best friend Victoria (like the queen!), go crazy over music and get excited about attending concerts, and scoop ice cream at the mall (although this last one, not so much). But when she breaks up with her self-centered musician boyfriend Evan, normal is no longer possible. Evan writes a breakup song titled Audrey, Wait! and it catches on with the international public and spreads like wildfire, skyrocketing up the Billboard charts and launching Evan's band, The Do Gooders, and a reluctant Audrey into the spotlight. Now, Audrey's life is spiraling out of control, especially because she can't go anywhere without getting mobbed by the paparazzi and/or her fans. But she soon learns that the publication of her life comes with the territory of fame. But amidst all the lies and rumors, she finally gets to tell her side of the story in this witty and authentic tale. Audrey, Wait! is such a cute and memorable novel, and for several reasons. The main explanation for my large enjoyment of this story was because of Audrey's character. She is such a realistic and funny heroine, and her seemingly uphill battle against the ramifications of fame in her life made her even more likable. I enjoyed learning about even the smallest details in her life, from her fat kitty Bendomolena to her relationship with her parents. It's definitely the details that made Audrey such a three-dimensional character. I think perhaps my favorite part about Audrey were her thoughts because some of them, however, subtle, were quite revolutionary epiphanies in her life, and I could totally relate to her lines of thought. The incorporation of music in this already well-written story only made it more priceless. I especially liked how the song quotes at the beginning of each chapter were from some bands that rock my world. Audrey, Wait! has something for every teenage girl out there, from hot boy bands and insta-fame to messy breakups and tentative crushes. I recommend this novel particularly to fans of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert and Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky, and I look forward to great things from Benway.

Audrey, Amazing!	Customer Rating:
I LOVED this book. From cover to actual reading material, this book is an all around win. I found myself laughing out loud, feeling like I was actually part of the joke at some parts in the story. A must read, and an awesome gift to give for any girl under the age of 22!

Robin, Wait! And get a better editor!

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This book could have been an easy 5 Star. The reason I gave it a 4 Star, is because it was poorly edited. I found some huge mistakes that immediately took me out of the story. Names were exchanged, sentences were repeated, etc. It's unfortunate because the book was actually well written. The main character was sarcastically witty and the book really was funny. I do believe there was too much cussing. Not that I'm a prude. But this book was, after all, written for the young adult. I didn't feel it was necessary to use the F*** word so many times. Having said that, I did enjoy the book and was able to see the good parts through the rubble of problems. Ms. Benway is a good writer, witty and entertaining. She just needs to get a better, a much better editor. If you can get past the frequent cussing and obvious mistakes, you will enjoy this book.

Strong debut novel

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Teenager Audrey Cuttlin dumps her rock-singer/boyfriend Evan, only to have Evan write a song about the experience. After hearing the song performed at a party, Audrey assumes she's heard the end of it, until the song gets picked up and becomes a smash hit. Now Audrey is the focus of a media firestorm as the song rockets up the charts. Can Audrey go back to being a normal teenager when her every move is scrutinized by the media, debated by the on-line community and documented for all to see? "Audrey Waits" is a fun, fast paced novel that starts with a great hooks and never lets up until the final pages. It has a heart to it and you'll ride along as self-professed music fan Audrey at first loves the ride and then slowly comes to hate that fact that she can't have a normal life without every aspect of her personal life being up for debate. At one point, Audrey becomes so "famous" that she's not even allowed to attend classes in high school becuase of the disruption her presence causes. I heard about this story from the popular "Unshelved" comic strip's Sunday recommendation strip. I had no idea it was a "young adult" novel and while it may come from that section of the bookstore or library, it has enough fun for adults and young adults to enjoy it. One warning to parents: the story does include some four letter words, so you may want to consider that when you decide if you want kids under 15 or so read this story. That's really my only gripe in what is, otherwise, a fun novel and a hugely entertaining one. Robin Benway gives Audrey a life and a voice on the printed page that makes the pages fly by and you'll soon be cheering for Audrey as she tries to find a new boyfriend, tries to get along with her parents and just tries to have a normal life yet again.