Book Review: Being Audrey Hepburn by Mitchell Kriegman

Summary:

In Being Audrey Hepburn, Clarissa Explains It All-creator, Mitchell Kriegman, tells the story of a 19-year-old girl from Jersey who finds herself thrust into the world of socialites after being seen in Audrey Hepburn’s dress from the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.Lisbeth comes from a broken home in the land of tube tops, heavy eyeliner, frosted lip-gloss, juiceheads, hoop earrings and “the shore.” She has a circle of friends who have dedicated their teenage lives to relieve the world of all its alcohol one drink at a time.

Obsessed with everything Audrey Hepburn, Lisbeth is transformed when she secretly tries on Audrey’s iconic Givenchy. She becomes who she wants to be by pretending to be somebody she’s not and living among the young and privileged Manhattan elite. Soon she’s faced with choices that she would never imagine making – between who she’s become and who she once was.

In the tradition of The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, this is a coming of age story that all begins with that little black dress…

 

Release Date: September 16, 2014

Age Group: YA

Source: Review copy from publisher

Reviewed By: Kelli

 

Review:

Being Audrey Hepburn was such a fun, girly read!  I loved everything about this whimsical, imaginative book.  I kept finding myself wishing that I was Lisbeth: her rise to fame was inspiring and the clothes...oh the clothes...I wanted to wear them too (And look as good as Lisbeth did in them!).

 

Lisbeth is obsessed with Audrey Hepburn.  She watches all of Hepburn's movies over and over, with Breakfast at Tiffany's being her favorite.  Lisbeth's friend, Jess, works at the Met.  Jess secretly lets Lisbeth try on the black Givenchy dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Jess fixes Lisbeth's hair and makeup to give her the whole "Audrey look."  Well, to avoid discovery, Lisbeth has to rush downstairs, in the middle of a gala for New York's rich and famous young adults, and is mistaken for someone rich and famous.  She meets a pop star in the bathroom, who wants to be friends, and soon finds herself enmeshed in a totally different world. 

 

I thought that I knew where Being Audrey Hepburn was going.  I was so surprised at the depth and intensity of this book.  Kriegman kept the plot layered and very interesting.  If you're not into fashion, this would still be a fun book to read.  I loved that Lisbeth becomes a blogger (it's so fun, as a blogger, to read books about bloggers) and that she was mysterious and unpredictable.  The conflict resolution came as a total surprise, and I found myself quite pleased with how the story wrapped up. 

 

What made Being Audrey Hepburn so fun to read was that it was a glimpse into the world of Manhattan's elite.  Lisbeth's rise to fame was like a Cinderella story: the whole time she was enjoying herself, I kept waiting for her to be discovered for who she truly was.  There was so much creativity with the fashion, and diversity in the characters.  I liked that the minor characters were so well-developed, and that Being Audrey Hepburn wasn't just about Lisbeth.

 

If you like contemporary YA, fashion, or blogging, I would highly recommend Being Audrey Hepburn!