14-year-old Audrey has an anxiety disorder due to a traumatic experience at school. Now, she stays at home, inside the house mostly, and only talks to her family. She wears dark glasses all the time and cannot make eye contact with anyone. She is working through her difficulties with a therapist, but the progress is slow, and setbacks happen often. Audrey’s brother is a gamer, and when his teammate Linus comes over to play, Audrey makes a connection. She can talk to him; he is patient and seems to understand that she’s having a hard time, and can’t always control her fears.
This is a sweet love story, quite different from her adult novels (the Shopaholic series). Kinsella is writing about a serious subject without getting silly. It has it’s funny moments, but it doesn’t rely on humor. Mental health books can be depressing, this one is positive; it includes all the right things, a supportive family, a good therapist, medication and a realistic resolution. Too much swearing for elementary which is unfortunate, and gives this great book an optional rating for middle school readers. Know your patrons.
MS - OPTIONAL Lisa Librarian
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