Now, I suspect that this book won’t be for everyone. The subject of mental illness is still quite divisive and I know there are people who think that it should be dealt with seriously and who possibly won’t appreciate Sophie Kinsella’s lighthearted style of writing.
I, however, really liked it. The author doesn’t make light of mental illness, but she writes with a light touch, if you see what I mean. Anxiety disorder is something that millions of people live with. It deserves to get more exposure to raise awareness and understanding and I personally don’t think that a book has to be desperately dull and gloomy in order to do this.
There are some very quirky characters (I especially liked the Daily Mail-obsessed mother - I have one of those myself!) and I liked the dynamics of Audrey’s family. The romance in this wasn’t overwhelming but it was very sweet. I really liked Linus and the way he tried to help Audrey to overcome her problems, although I though it was very slightly instalove-y, especially given Audrey’s crippling anxiety.
I think my favourite thing about this book was Sophie Kinsella’s writing style. She’s not an author that I’ve read anything from before, but if her other books are like this then I’ll certainly be looking out for them. She’s got a hilarious way of describing things and it really kept me laughing, but then a couple of pages later she’ll be describing something quite serious and tragic.
Finding Audrey is a pretty quick read and I rattled through it in one evening. I’d say it’s a great book to bring to the beach with you this summer.
I received a copy of Finding Audrey in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley.
4.5 stars