My Sweet Audrina / If There be Thorns / Petals on the Wind / Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews (1982-05-03)

My Sweet Audrina is just as demented as I remember it being. Now in a VC Andrews book, that's not a bad thing. There are varying degrees of Andrews dementedness, and this book is pretty low on the scale, all things considered, especially since there's none of the incest Andrews is so famous for. It's kind of the literary version of a soap opera. Poor Audrina is so screwed up in the head. She doesn't know what day it is, how old she is, or why her parents will never love her as much as they did her older sister, also an Audrina. The first Audrina, who died nine years before the second Audrina was born, is better than the second at everything, and Audrina #1's shadow covers the whole house in darkness.

In terms of a cast of characters living in the Whitefern house, we have: Audrina #2; her dad Damian who forces her to rock in a chair and try to "catch" her dead sister's gifts; her aunt Ellsbeth (Ellie) who an unwed mother and basically the maid in residence; her mom Lucietta (Lucky) who gave up her career as a musician to be with Damian and holds tea parties with Ellsbeth and a dead relative, whom they take turns speaking for; and finally Vera, her spiteful evil cousin who breaks bones constantly, lies, teases, and causes trouble everywhere she goes.

Audrina suffers from "swiss cheese memory" and struggles to discover why she cannot remember her past, while dealing with members of her family, and later, people in the outside world. There is no one she can trust, and nothing seems to make sense. What I like best about My Sweet Audrina is that it is a standalone book. All of Andrews' other books are in a five book series format, and this is the only solo book. It's trashy, it's juicy, it's a mighty fun read!

Audrina has always lived in the shadow of her older, deceased sister. Daddy wants her to meet up to the standards of his firstborn, but how can she ever live up when she can barely even remember one day to the next?

2/5 stars. I've enjoyed other VC Andrews titles I've read, but this one was such a dreadful chore to work through. When I finally skimmed the last fifth or so of it, I found an ending that was predictable and disappointing.

I had just finished this book last night and it really IS sooo strange!..I do believe though that there really can be families like the one in this book that do act this way and do things like this to their own families!..I felt like I was going through every thing that Audrina was going through..I do wish though that there was a short sequel to it...nothing too long just like 200 or so pages..taking up where the book left off..where Audrina gets out of her car after being compelled to stay on at whitefern and resolves things with Arden..it can tell what happens in Audrina and Arden's life after her father dies and what winds up being done with her little mentally handicapped sister Sylvia, whether she continues to live her life with Audrina or if they wind up admitting her to a special institution..

All in all though, this book like all of V.C. Andrews books is incredible and amazingly written in a style that only V.C. Andrews can have..

Even though Petals on the Wind and Dark Angel tie for 1st place on my charts on best V. C. Andrews book, I would have to say that My Sweet Audrina is #2 all the way. I could believe it!!! I remember when I found the hardcover in a used book store and was shocked at the cover, I realized that this was the only V. C. novel that was published as a hardcover first and then a paper back, rather than paperback originals like all the others. I was glad to find this book, I cherished it as a rare treasure, but strange enough, I never really read it for two years. I've read all her other books, and the dollanganger and casteel series over and over because that's her real books, not those silly cutler, landry books. But anyway, I knew this was a 100% genuine Virginia Andrews novel, so I know it would be great. Boy, I was so shocked!!! It was superb! Usually V. C. tells a horror story that has the heroine (except if there be thorns is narrated by boys) telling the story about family secrets and lies. My Sweet Audrina has all that as well, but it has something else that no other V. C. Andrews novel has, it just is different. It has more sex, much more violence, more swearing, it a lot more creepy and hold forever to it's gloomy atmostphere. Vera was one of a kind, she was a great villain, and I loved the character Lamar Rensdale, You never here a V. C. Andrews novel describe sex in so much detail, but this one is so different, that characters a SO weird, Vera, Lamar, Damian, Ellsbeth, Arden, and of course, Audrina. Audrina was different too, she didnt' posess the fire that Heaven and Cathy had, but she had her own sense of strength. END

V.C. Andrews’s book My Sweet Audrina is a book that will definitely keep a reader engaged for hours and hours. There are so many events that take place in My Sweet Audrina that keeps the book flowing and it is very compelling. Her characters have a sense of darkness and corruption in all of them. The most corrupted yet strongest and most beautiful character in this book is, in my opinion, Audrina, who was named after her dead older sister. Throughout the book, she is reminded by her father Damian, her handsome lover Arden Lowe, her mother Lucietta, her Aunt Ellsbeth and cousin Vera that she must live up to the “First and Best Audrina”. Audrina is expected to be sweet, kind, pure, and gentle to everyone around her, however she is struggling to fulfill her duties due to memories from the First Audrina’s past flooding into her mind. This only causes more frustration and confusion to Audrina and the relationship she has with her dead older sister.
Audrina’s deranged cousin Vera is always trying to corrupt her and fill her mind with evil. Vera calls Audrina her little sister because Vera wants Audrina’s life, or perhaps there is a secret that Vera knows and Audrina doesn’t. She has done terrible things, but only because Audrina’s father rejects her. Vera feels neglected from the Adare family. She needs someone in her life to make her feel wanted and she will do anything to get what she wants..
She knows that her father and the rest of her family are hiding something for her and that encourages her to find the truth behind everything. She doesn’t know what time or day it is, when her own birthday is, and always wonders why she is feeling punished for what the first Audrina has done. V.C. Andrews has written so many beautifully dark novels and this one is probably her best one yet. It’s so engrossing because there are so many twists and turns along the way, the ending being the biggest plot twist yet.

This has to be one of the most creative, eerily, hauntingly beautiful stories I have ever read. Every character is multi-layered, with the multi-hued haired Audrina, who is simply part of the crazy world called Whitefern (which sounds like a decaying plantation without the slaves) that enshrouds her. Definitely gothic horror at it's finest.

I wish not to give anything away, this book is such an artistic (if not intellectual) treat, but the only problem I had with the book was Arden, a lonely little boy who grew up to be a selfish, sex-crazed man, who couldn't understand (when he should more than anyone) why Audrina couldn't "bear to be handled" (to use the words of Tippi Hedren as "Marnie"). Because Arden's stupid male ego was bruised, he turned to Vera, Audrina's nemesis, who tries to kill the girl he loves.

So, while Audrina is, let's say, "out of commission" (you can use your imagination), Arden is screwing Vera, who I could have felt sorry for if she hadn't been so wicked, and then when Audrina's eyes are opened, so to speak, he insists it is her he truly loves, and Audrina says if they fail the second time, they can try again a third, a fourth...

But, this was such a fascinating saga, this is forgivable. I think Audrina could have done so much better than Arden, and as for her father, I cannot hate him or condemn what he did, for he was only trying to protect his daughter.

This book inspired me so much, I wrote a little sequel to it just for fun with Lamar Rensdale being alive after all (you'll have to read the book) and he and Audrina getting together. But then, the real story has already been told, like I think Margaret Mitchell's was.

It's unfortunate Ms. Andrews hadn't starting her writing career sooner, but then, perhaps her wisdom (which comes with age and life experiences) is partly what made her great, and I am grateful for the few, powerful novels/legacies she left behind.

I would recommend that you read Heaven and Dark Angel. Even Fallen Hearts, while mostly written by the ghost writer, does helpfully wrap up many issues in the series. Gates of Paradise is unnecessary because Heaven and Logan die off early in the book, leaving us at the mercy of their whiney sheltered teen daughter Annie. Her devastating car accident does not make her a more interesting person to hear from, and neither do her artistic talent or her complicated feelings toward her good-boy half-brother. Heaven's real father, the wealthy Tony Tatterton, insists he is the only one equipped to help Annie recover. She is bundled off to Farthinggale Manor, and is dismayed to see that the mysterious estate of her dreams has fallen into serious decay. She does not know what Tony is really like, but as a V.C. Andrews fan I prefer to remember him the way he was- articulate and cultured and astute. Now he instantly comes off like a confused old pervert who dazedly repeats whole sentences, word for word, from the previous volumes. His servants have aged right along with him, though Rye Whiskey's speech patterns have become offensively 'Gone With The Wind'-ish. (Actually this book does have some camp value.) I had a real inability to get past Annie's fussiness ("I WON'T take a nap until I see Tony!" "I wanted my beautiful sweet-smelling mother, not this ugly stranger!" "The maid's dumpy figure doomed her to always be someone else's domestic servant, I imagined..." The same kind of humiliating, disgusting event happened to Annie as did her mother at Winterhaven; yet, while I felt outraged when it happened to Heaven, I felt this wicked glee when Annie started screaming, 'OH, NO!' Otherwise, the text is nothing but Luke's supposed abandonment and Tony's boring persistence in turning Annie into a Heaven clone. As a reader nears the end of the book, hoping for at least one really sordid scene, Annie manages to hold Tony off before he can do irreparable harm! (Could it be the ghost writer thought it would be too much to inflict incest on a crippled person?) Rather disappointing tale; it gets two stars only because Drake's transformation into a wealth-obsessed Tatterton protege was kind of sad and interesting. Troy (esconced beyond the maze after all) is responsible for Annie's rescue from Farthinggale Manor, and he clears up the issue of Annie's true parentage so she won't feel guilt-ridden about loving the guy she thought was her half-brother all her life. And Aunt Fanny finally reforms. Sorry about the spoilers, but this book is best skipped. The prequel, Web Of Dreams, is more interesting because of Leigh's point of view about what really went on in that mansion and the shack in the Willies.

My Sweet Audrina is not for the faint of heart. It is an odd and strange portrayal of what can go wrong will go wrong within the family structure. It is about greed, possession, lust, jealousy, sibling rivalry of the worst sort, secrets, lies and betrayals. Like all V.C. Andrews books it is dark and sinister and only gets more twisted as the story unfolds. However, I must admit it is a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. Although more than once throughout the book I found myself disgusted by the father, Damian and wanted to smack Audrina’s half sister, Vera.

I would recommend this book to any fan of gothic horror/romance or of V.C. Andrews. The story itself was a little predictable for me since I've read many Andrews novels and pretty much knew where she was headed, but the mood of the book is really what drew me in. Andrews had a way of painting a very strange and timeless, dreamworld-like setting for each of her novels. She created the perfect amount of creepiness and mystery mixed in with some sensuality and romance. I've never read anything like her books. Wish she was still around, writing more amazing stories.

A confused girl in a strange world, Audrina Adare knows there's a huge secret in her past, and if only she could figure out what it is then she could begin to understand herself. She doesn't attend school, though her cousin-sister does. There are lapses in her memory, her sense of time is impaired. None of the clocks in her house chime the correct hour, nor are there calendars or birthday celebrations. Never, ever is she allowed to venture into the woods, where her older sister is said to have met her end.

Always Audrina has been made to feel as if she doesn't measure up to her dead sister, the first, best Audrina. Her father forces her to sit in a special rocking chair, in hopes she'll catch the first Audrina's "gift". All she catches are traumatic, scary visions of a sexual assault. This is far from a normal life, in more ways than the ones I've mentioned, and that's what really made this such a memorable book. The bizarre world it describes does take on more outward conformity as the story proceeds, but that first impression haunts the whole of the tale, much as it still haunts Audrina as she grows into a young woman.

If you've read other V.C. Andrews books and enjoyed them, it's pretty safe to say that this one won't be a disappointment. In fact, I'd call it one of the best. Over-the-top, yes; plausible, no-- and that's just what makes it my cup of tea. Speaking of tea, weren't those tea parties with Aunt Mercy Marie a hoot?

This is an ok read for me. It doesnt really suck me in as her other works do. It was a bore in some places and made me put it down and not read for a while. This one V.C. Andrews book that I cannot read over and over.

Okay, okay, it's the last Virginia Andrews I'm going to read, okay?!
This particular VA story seemed a little far-fetched throughout, yet when you reach the end, all the loose ends tie up into a neat little package that leaves you going "Ohhhh." One part of the mystery was obvious towards the end but there is a lot more behind what you think you know about the Whitefern/Adare family.
As tends to happen in VA's books, simply too many outlandish things happen, which really diminishes the shock value. The story could have been told a lot more effectively in fewer, fewer pages. It all just makes you wonder how many people can die and how many tragic and cruel things can happen to the one sweet, once innocent young girl in one whirlwind of a lifetime.
No one is 'bad' or 'good' in this book - the one realistic thing about it is that it really delves into how the best of us can have our hateable sides and vice versa. You can evil feel sorry for the evil, evil Vera at times.
It is a good thing that there are no sequels to this book - VA could've gone on on forever with this one, but to leave it where it ended was really a wise move. Very readable, but a little depressing if you're not in the mood for it. I wasn't. Yet you can't help but turn those crusty old pages. Oh well.

Favorite book in the V. C. Andrews canon, and a perfect description of a Southern Gothic tale. Though Audrina Adare is very weak and exists on a favored plane with her father, Damian, she is very empathetic: you feel her confusion, her immaturity and her diffidence. Audrina is controlled and tormented by the reminder that nine years earlier, her older sister, also named Audrina, superior to her every way, ventured into the woods, and was raped and murdered. Her father is intent that Audrina retain her older sister's gifts - rocking in a chair, though she is afraid, and with constant visits to the first Audrina's grave. Audrina lives in a large house called Whitefern, in the Tidewater section of Virginia with her father and mother, Lucietta, and also with Aunt Ellsbeth and daughter Vera. Lucietta and Ellsbeth are step-siblings and foils of each other - Lucietta being beautiful and talented, and Ellsbeth, a schoolteacher, terminated for hitting a child, is tall and plain. Vera is a vindictive beast, whose sadism against Audrina is very specific. SPOILER - If I could change one thing about this book - I would have had Audrina break her ties with Whitefern and move away. I hate that she stayed - not just at the house but also with Arden, who failed her repeatedly, and worst of all, cheated with Vera. (The cheating does not bother me as much as that it was with Vera.) Vera is a hurt girl, shunted by her father. I'm sure she was jealous, but that doesn't justify the intensity of the savagery against Audrina. The book is perfect - just remove the last few lines, and let Audrina live her own life.

I first read this book at 15 borrowed from a friend and was captivated my V.C. Andrews writing. Audrina has been twisted by her disfunctional family. They have more skeletons in their closet than a haunted house on Halloween. I was intrigued by this poor young girl who is certainly no Cinderella with a handsome prince on his white horse waiting at the end instead a new level of horror. After reading this book I sought out her other novels which at the time was the Heaven and Flowers in the Attic series. I wasn't disappointed!

Never having read any of V.C. Andrew's work I was both skeptical and curious when her name kept appearing during searches for "gothic horror" type literature. What I found in My Sweet Audrina was something terrifying, engrossing, and very psychologically complex; to the point of having teh story stay with me long after I finished the last page.

Audrina Whitefern is a young girl who doesn't go to school, has no friends, and is constantly under the watchful eye of her overprotective father. Secondly, Audrina is not the first young girl in the Whitefern family by such a pretty name--but the second, after her older sister, the much reverred "First Audrina" was killed in the woods near their home.

Everyone in the family knows the secret surrounding the First Audrina' death. In addition to the second Audrina and her father, they are also joined by her mother, aunt, and cousin Vera. Each of them also knows the secret, something so horrifying and unbelievable you won't want to be spoiled until you discover it for yourself.

And as the second Audrina begins to question her past, her life, and the strange happenings around their gloomy victorian mansion, the secret is unveiled, and nothing will ever be the same. This tale of stifling parental love, rape and abuse, and lies and deceit all comes together in the end, leaving the reader with a haunting conclusion that ensures the legacy of Whitefern will continue.

This is really an awesome book and honestly this is at the tip top of my book list.VC Andrews has out done herself yet again and I look forward to reading another of her books.Audrina is a girl lost in time,believing ever thing her cousin and whatever her father,mother and aunt say.She is tormented by the memory of her dead sister,The First and Best Audrina.Bluntly her cousin Vera is a "frenemy" to Audrina and eventually dies (Vera) towards the end of the book.This book is really a deceitful stories with so many secrets and lies and that in turn makes it awesome.
I if I could I would give 10 stars!

Warning!Spoilers!

This book really was "a breath of fresh air" as another reviewer put it. It was very enchanting I think, one of the few books I've read in a while where I actually got lost in the book. It was very haunting the beginning of the book, and very very very well written. Sometimes ( as a writer myself ) its very hard to develope a good character when writing in first person tense, but V.C. Andrews does it very well in this book. I got lost, I actually did not know what time it was, how old Audrina was, etc. The beginning was VERY well written.
As the book developed though...well I dunno...Whereas I was very glad and happy to see that Audrina was not some passive sad haunted girl, and was happy to see that Audrina would rebel against her father, I was very dissapointed with Vera. V.C. Andrew's antagonists are always soooooo similar. Vera reminded me of every single antagonist in the Orphan series, Helga, Meg, etc. Andrews tries to make us pity Vera, but at the same time the actions of Vera just get annoying and repititive, its to the point where we all go "ENOUGH!" because the actions are so predictible.
I really did not like Audrina's boyfriend/husband in this book at all. Though he was well developed, very well described, and had great character, he was just as much a villian as Vera or the guys who raped Audrina. Andrews does a good job of making us see that no one is perfect, in fact she made it CLEAR in this book. Though I did enjoy the fact that this book wasn't so sexually oriented as the other V.C. Andrews books seem to be, I really did not see how the music teacher thing fit in, what the hell does it matter? And I think the younger sister was just as unnecesary. This book had A LOT of potential at the beginning, but through it all it sort of dragged...Audrina's mother is a big mystery too. How could the cruel mother who scrubbed Audrina's skin to a pulp be the same loving mother who later on died? The characters do NOT mix at all, and there is no explanation of how Audrina's mother switched over.
When I got to the end of this book I thought: Oh god, THAT IS THE MOST STUPID THING IN THE WORLD, HOW STUPID IS SHE?????? Audrina's decision at the end could be seen as stupid as stupid can get or it can be seen as the true cross over into adulthood. Audrina's decision to keep trying at her marriage no matter what the heck comes in the way can be seen as something unimaginably possible. So many people these days do resort to divorces, they walk away from anything that doesn't work, they don't have the patience or forgiveness to keep working at it until it does work. What Audrina did took a lot of faith, a lot of hope, a lot of STRENTH, something a lot of adults lack today. In a way Audrina's decision was very fitting, and after a while I did understand it. I really wish that there was more of an explanation or something at the end. I really related to this book, because it expanded SO much on how much the love of a parent can hurt. I know how it feels to feel like you have to work up to certain expectations, and THAT is the power this book has. A l ot of teenagers these days feel like they have to meet certain expectations from their PARENTS, their friends, their enviroments and society itself - and this is Audrina's struggle to meet this expectations, only to find out that the only expectations she really needed to meet were her own. Audrina was GREAT realistic ( key word there REALISTIC ) character who had a lot of strength, and i admire that a lot. *nods* READ THIS BOOK! it's definately worth it!

This book is probably the darkest book of all the VC books, even more so than the Dollanganger series. Audrina's character is developed in a very confusing way, so it's a little frustrating when you try to make sense of the book, yet it kept me hooked until the very end. I like how the book takes place in a gothic setting where time seemingly has stopped. It has a great plot and keeps you wondering up until the end of the book. I took off one star because I didn't really like Arden towards the end of the book. He developed into a weak, incompetent guy who was nowhere near good enough for Audrina. And I absolutely HATED the ending of this book!! It was a major disappointment for me. It left me feeling INCREDIBLY sorry for Audrina. Poor girl...after suffering so much...and this is all she ends up with...

I loved this book so much I could not put it down!! Audrina was a very confused,down-to-earth girl. I completely hate her father for trying to make Audrina live up to the First and Best, Most Perfect Audrina when she already was!!I also despise her mother for trying to scrub Audrina of those HORRIBLE boy's filth & then making her feel like her father wouldn't love her anymore because she was gang-raped.Arden really made me mad!!How could someone do that?!But anyway Audrina was really strong & she had a backbone of steel through most of the book.I really loved the book & you have to read it!It's a must read book!!YOU'LL LOVE IT!!!

When I was in high school, all the girls used to read Andrews' books, but this was my very first 25 years later. I have to say this is one of the weirdest, darkest books I have ever read, but I mean that as a sincere and mindblown compliment. If you think your dysfunctional family is weird and abusive, give the clan of Whitefern a try. You may find this is your chicken soup for the freaky family escapees' soul. I loved every dark and twisted moment of it, and now can't wait to get my hands on more of this delightfully dark author's creepy works. If you like eery stories about families who make sleeping upside down in the closet at night look like normal frivolity, pick up My Sweet Audrina and, in the words of Elvira, sweet drea-eams...

This book was great! It kept me engaged and enthralled, furiously reading pages until I had reached the end. I had guessed the plot twist early on, so I wasn't too surprised when the biggest secret finally released itself. I enjoyed this novel, as twisted and macabre as it is, as Andrews is known to be in her novels, and can't wait to seek out more of her books.

For the whole of Audrina's young life, she lived in the shadow of her perfect sister. But the thing is, her perfect sister was already dead. She lived with her loving parents , a bitter aunt and a cousin who hated her to the very core. Her cousin, Vera, dispersed her out of jealousy as she knew that she would never be as pure and innocent as Audrina. Audrina lived a life of struggles to better her dead sister and escaped the angish of Vera.
You will have to read to the very end to find out what the whole story is all about as secrets are only revealed at the end. A good story with a hint of eerieness...

Its hard to review this book because I don't want to give away any of its twisted plot that never ceases to amaze me each time I read this. My mother bought this when I was about ten years old and I snuck it to my room to read late at night. Now its not suitable reading for a kid but I found this to be amazingly frightening in a way that a family could be this strange Its a Gothic novel. Twisted characters... and its quite bizarre. Its also a heart-felt romance as well.
When you start reading this, you must understand that nothing is what it seems. This is what made the VC Andrews books before she died so incredibly amazing and this is one of her very best. I read this once about every five years and I still enjoy it every bit as much as that first time as a kid. Simply put, amazing!

Afer having read "Flowers in the Attic" 16 years ago, I became curious about "My Sweet Audrina". V.C. Andrews novels were quite popular in my class at that time, so I tried hard to avail a copy of this book. I don't remember much of the novel since I read it 14 years ago but I do remember the numerous clocks in their house with varying time settings & Audrina living a quite abnormal life. Of course, these occurences were all linked to her past & her ultimate secret.
Upto this day, everytime I see our household clocks carrying different time, I always remember My Sweet Audrina.

I'm a big fan of VC Andrews, but I found myself disappointed with this book. There were continuity problems, typos, and some of the dialogue between Tony and Annie could have been cut and pasted from the previous books. It seemed like the publishers were in a hurry to churn out the next book, without having proofread this one first. One of the things that irritated me most was a small thing, granted, but still annoying. I have the paperback, and on page 132, Annie whines about not wearing the charm bracelet from Luke. What charm bracelet? I flipped back through the previous chapters, and this was the first time it was ever mentioned. The author also talks about a bracelet from Drake that just mysteriously appeared, also. Apparently, the author can't seem to get the story straight. And, yes, Annie is a bit of a whiner. This is how I would rate the Casteel series (from favorite to least favorite):

1) Heaven

2) Dark Angel

3) Web of Dreams

4) Fallen Hearts (the ghost writer's debut)

5) Gates of Paradise

Makes one wonder what the real VC Andrews would have written if she were still alive.

I love this book! It's just so creepy, so engrossing, so much fun. It also has an odd and compelling beauty and powerfully evokes the passing of time, the dynamics of a deeply dysfunctional family, and the fractured character of a young woman who must come to terms with the bizarre reality of her life-if she can find out what that is. Audrina is a strong, sympathetic, interesting character, and all the characters in the book are well drawn and very intriguing. Audrina is one of the most admirable characters Andrews ever created-she is compassionate, courageous, and a true survivor. I think she's also the nicest of the Andrews' characters. I really like her.

I first read this book at 13,and I didn't guess the ending, and was utterly shocked, but I've reread it since and I think adults would. Actually I know adults would-I lent it to some, and they figured it out, but still enjoyed the story. I won't give it away here though.

This book tells the story of Audrina, who is a beautiful child born to a ruined Southern aristocratic family (they never explain how it was ruined), living in a run down mansion with her older cousin Vera, her father Damian, her mother Lucietta and her aunt Ellsbeth. These are the characters in the beginning, although more come into the story over the course of 400 pages. As usual, most of the characters are in possession of movie-star looks, except aunt Ellsbeth, who is somewhat frumpy, but mostly by choice.

My favorite character is Vera, which may surprise readers. Hey, I'm not excusing her actions, and I would not want to know her in real life, but I love her! She is the most perverse, bizarre, cruel, violent, unrealistic character in all of Andrews' books. For that matter, in a lot of books. There cannot possibly be anyone like this in real life. Come on. It was a little silly.

But the fact that she's not credible doesn't take away our interest in her. How can there be anyone like this? You enjoy watching her obsession with sex, (she definitely gives us some of the weirdest sex-scenes to grace an Andrews book), her inexcusable torturing of Audrina, her gory miscarriage scene, her vicious acts against just about everyone she meets, but also, somehow, Andrews' also makes us feel bad for her. That's a real accomplishment. And, Vera's kind of funny. In a disgusting way.

She had been completely neglected and abused from her earliest days and made to feel inferior to Audrina in every imaginable way, so as Audrina says, her father "made her what she is." We don't blame her for resenting Audrina, although as I said, most of what she does as a result is just too dramatic for me to buy. But, I still feel sorry for both her and Audrina. No one is paying proper attention to these girls and they are living in a mad house!!!

After Vera, I most enjoy the character of the bitter yet sensible and ultimately kind-hearted aunt, Ellsbeth. She, like Vera, also has a weird gallows humor, but we admire the way she stands up for Audrina. At first she appears to be only self-interested and scheming, but then can't help but admire the persevering Audrina's attempts to disengage from her father's pathological and smothering control. I don't think we've ever seen anyone like her in Andrews', and it's hard not to sympathize with her getting the short end of the stick in life while her sister, the greatest beauty on the East Coast, gets all the attention. (this symbolically duplicates the Audrina/Vera relationship-although Vera is described as very pretty and sexy, Audrina has the "unearthly" beauty that all Andrews' heroines do, plus, she's acknowledged by the family, while Vera is constantly told she's unwanted.)

Lucietta, another likeable character, fights with Ellsbeth a great deal, though she too has been cheated out of what she wanted most-in her case, a music career. Her "Tuesday Tea Times" are some of the funniest episodes Andrews' ever created. During these times, Audrina's mother and Aunt get dressed up, channel their dead sister, and "invite" her photo to tea while they insult each other and get drunk. Pretty fun, eh?

Then there's Arden, Audrina's long suffering suitor. A lot of people don't like Arden, but I do. He makes a lot of mistakes, but they are all human and understandable under the circumstances. He truly loves Audrina, but isn't sure how to help her. Although, we all have to wonder why everyone doesn't just tell her what's up and get her some real therapy. However, since no one will do that, Arden does what he can.

Arden's handicapped mother, Billie, is also an extremely lovable character and one of the warmest in the story. She's a nurturer and we're glad someone is treating Audrina to some real attention.

Sylvia, Audrina's developmentally disabled younger sister, is another likable character. Although her problems seem so drastic that they doubt she will be able to ever take care of her own most rudimentary needs, she turns out to be a fiercely loyal and willful character.

Damian, Audrina's father, is also a very well-drawn, very well-developed character. He's also the only character I really despise. A controlling narcissist, he is a womanizer who neglects his responsibilities, feels the need to completely control the women in his life, stifles their hopes and aspirations, beats Lucietta, and may be responsible for Sylvia's disabilities. Physically, he is a handsome, tall, commanding man; he is also charming and seductive. Ironically, he is the most "crippled" of the family, although his problems don't manifest themselves overtly like Billie's, (she lost her legs), Sylvia's, Vera's (one leg is shorter than the other due to repeated fractures), etc.

I enjoyed Damian's character, though, even though I was pretty disgusted with him. A lot of women like jerks,(I'm not one of them), so his control over the women around him seemed plausible. But after awhile, everyone's obsession with getting Damian's approval gets tiring-Ellsbeth wants him to praise her cooking, Arden wants him to admire his business skills, Vera wants him to praise her, Billie wants the same, blah blah blah.

That's why Audrina is the true heroine of the book, because ultimately she doesn't care about pleasing her father, just about healing herself. Whether or not she physically separates from him is irrelevant-emotionally, she has fought for real knowlege of herself, and won it, and she has learned to stand on her own two feet. It's the most complex character study Andrews' has ever done.

Spoilers...

Yet again, major characters are conveniently killed off by car crash (and why, pray tell, is it NOT Logan's fault that there was a crash, even though HE was driving drunk?) so that the next generation of beautiful tragic heroine can be victimized by the lecherous incestuous billionaire and haunted by her own "forbidden" passion.

I think Annie's "whining" was understandable, given that before she can even blink twice she's been transported to a strange mansion without any say in the matter, and tended to by a spiteful, nasty nurse. The antagonism between Drake and Luke is never adequately explored -- it seems there could have been a lot of incestuous, sexual rivalry between them and that would explain Drake's inexplicable lies about Luke's supposed frat-boy feats. There is also no explanation about just why all Tony's servants love him so much, even though he's an elitist jerk and they know damn well what a disturbing lech he is.

And just how is it that Fanny and Luke get to Annie's bedroom to save her, when it's unlikely they would have gained admittance without Tony's permission?

And why do Our Jane and Keith never make an appearance?

I feel like much of this might have been addressed by the original author.

Couldn't like or empathise with any of the characters. The father was the worst of the lot. A sociopathic devil. This book is awful. Give it a miss. And btw the ending is unrealistic. ECT for a 9 year old? No way.

V.C. Andrews was an extraordinary author. Although many of her writings are slightly alike in subject, this novel was truly fantastic. It captures the mind and the heart as you become Audrina and are dying to find out what your twisted, terrible memories are. Throughout this book, I cried, rejoiced, felt fear and shock. V.C. Andrews is not just an author but a superb artist. It takes great imagination and creativity to come up with such wonderful stories. By far, My Sweet Audrina has got to be one of the best books I have ever read! Aliza Luf

This is the real thing. V.C. Andrews herself wrote it and you don't want to miss this one! I find myself reading it again and again over the years. The story is haunting, mysterious, and full of interesting characters. In recent years, Andrew's books have been written by someone else...but this book was penned while Andrews was still alive and has her skillful writing in it & you get hooked into the story. Sensual, cruel and dowdy women can't keep Audrina from the truth about herself. Reminds me of a Stephen King book, except not so long and from a female point of view.

At the time of its release, MY SWEET AUDRINA probably seemed like something that could never actually occur. Now in 2009, after reading the book some half a dozen times over the years, I am convinced that V. C. Andrews was prophetic in what some would do to protect those they love---or keep what they wanted for themselves.

Audrina is the poster child of how some are completely at the power of those charged with protecting them, and what can happen when that power is abused.

A novel that will haunt you long after you finish it, one has to wonder how the innocent little girl we meet would fair in our world today.

This is probably my favorite of Andrews's books. It's creepy, suspensful, and as usual, they characters are extremely messed up. Damian is a hateful, selfish jerk, Vera is the ultimate villain. And the love story between Arden and Audrina makes me cry. BOTH of them have their issues. I don't hate Arden like many do. Yes, he's a cheat, but I honestly can't blame him. Audrina had her problems too, and both of them needed couples' therapy.

All in all, a great read. If only Andrews had lived-then maybe we'd see more like this, instead of the poor, pathetic immitations from the "ghostwriter."

This book tells the tale of a very unusual young girl who begs for her fathers' love.He father,however,gave more love to her dead sister that her.

This book reveals so much that it is difficult to put in words.All I can say is that it is a tale of love,fantasy,lust,desire,romance,drama,suspense and the techniques that the writer uses is brilliant it would definitely blow you away.It clearly shows how she grows up and what she faces while doing so...enjoy...Nigel

ok people who have read the book, let's not give away the whole freakin' story!!!!!! I'll make this short and sweet. Unlike the shitty "ghost writer", the plot isn't redundant and unoriginal, it's definitely more twisted, mysterious and V.C Andrews herself, explaining all the rest. I thought the book had great moments as well as some boring ones. Vera was a good character but an annoying bitch. Audrina, was a believable character and I liked her a lot. The men were alll pathetic. All in all, well written , didn't need to be over 400pages long.

I agree with past reviewers that there is no comparison between the books that Virginia Andrews actually wrote (of which this is one) and the ones written after her death. Her writings develop her characters fully whereas the newer books steal something from her plot style (think daytime TV) and that's about the only similarity. All of her books deal with some pretty serious issues and this one is no exception, but it stands in a category by itself. I for one did not figure out the twist in the first paragraph :o)... it took me a lot longer although it did become clear to me before it was actually revealed. It didn't matter! It still managed to send chills up my spine. This book is a lot more intelligent than you would expect in a supermarket paperback with the typically tacky graphic on the front cover. Overall, not bad at all.

This was up there with the best books that I read, and i have read some good books! I loved all of the twists and surprises. This book made me want to read the rest of the Casteel series! This was the first V.C Andrews book that I every read, and I totally understood it, even though it is the second to last book in the series! i totally recommend it to anyone over 12!! I am now reading Heaven, and it is good, but not as great as this one. I recommend reading it though.

I completely forgot reading this book until another the store reader wrote me with a question which jogged my memory. I read this book after finishing the complete dollanger collection. When I had previously read Garden of Shadows, I remember feeling as if the book had in no way been written by VC Andrews because of the wording and technique. Then when I started reading this book, the same feeling came over me again. I guessed the ending not too far into the book which is not usually the case when reading these books. I have to be honest. I found it boring and couldn't wait to finish it! Even my two teens who had both swiped the Flowers in the Attic series from me with delight, turned their backs on this book after a couple of chapters. I hope the rumor about a 'ghost writer' is not true. Read it yourself and see what you think!

Annie had a cruel blow when her mom Heaven and her "dad" Logan died. It was worse when she discovered she couldn't walk. It hadn't helped matters that the nurse assigned to her was apathetic. To top it all off, Tony isolated her from Luke Jr. and everybody else in her life. I was glad when Annie met her birth dad Troy. It was quite a shock for Annie that Tony by mistake thought that she was Leigh. In a way Leigh was practically with Annie in spirit.

This book is truly captivating until the very last word of the very last page. This is my favorite story of any in my collection of books (and not just V.C. Andrews books) because of the dark chaos that you feel as reading it, the danger and mystery that makes you get jittery and want to read more. It's not one of those books where you say, "Did the ghost writer write this or something?" It's one of those books that you know V.C. Andrew has definatly written.
Vera, the so called cousin, is a very disturbing and strange person. She's like a pest that is slowly becoming a major problem. Or is that happening quickly? It makes you feel sad at times because Vera was mistreated a lot and should have been given the same rights as the First and Best and Most Perfect Audrina did. Yet the fact is that it happened, and because of that Vera was an awful, spiteful, and venomous child that eventually was so far from reality that she really did get what she deserved (if you read or have read this book, you'll cheer along, right?).
Damian Adare, or Papa, was the sole problem I believe. If he had given a care to Vera, I think all of this would never have happened. But if he did that, we would never have an interesting story. None the less, he is the character that you will love a bit in the beginning, and dearly hate towards the end as you see his "suffocating and powerful" love for his daughter(s). He says he loves Audrina, but if he did he wouldn't force her into the chair like the first Audrina did willingly. I really do hate him as much as Vera for those reasons.
Aunt Ellsbeth and the mother were two very interesting characters in this story, because of the conflicts of love and blood with those harsh words they often shared. And lets not forget Aunt Mercy Marie, the picture frame, who was a substitute for a person they believed was eaten by cannibals because she never came back from her trip to Africa. Aunt Ellsbeth was a very tough yet gentle character, due to the facts that she was cold towards every body but warned Audrina several times to get away and to stay away from true love and Vera. Momma was a gentle and caring person, though she has had her moments that make me wonder if she really was a good person.
Sylvia is one of my favorite characters because of her curiousness and her vague love for Audrina. She does care and does know how to talk, but is so shy that everybody thinks she is still stupid. Audrina is put up with the burden but you can see the bond the sisters hold. Audrina has a better friendship with a handicapped person then she does with Vera, which makes me wonder, once again, how did V.C. Andrews come up with this story? So many strange and twisted tales and characters!
Now for Arden's family. Billy, I believe, is a very generous and good woman. The only moments I hated Audrina was when she 1) Let her father put her in that rocking chair 2) Let Arden cheat on her with Vera 3) called Billy a whore for sleeping with Damian, even though Damian lured her in his bed and put on a phoney mask that made Billy naive to Audrina's warnings. I felt sorry for Billy towards the end, since Vera was being a total slob and...
Arden was a cheat, a lyer, and somebody that makes me mad. Audrina trusted Arden dearly, and when things got tough he left Audrina for Vera. It makes me so angry! I loved him the first time I read this book until the middle, when he started getting side tracked by buisness and other things.
The piano teacher, I forget his name, was a good character. He was very interesting and Audrina was a good pianoist because of him. Too bad Vera came along and ruined things as she always does.
And last but not least, Audrina. I feel very sorry and sympathetic towards her because of the things she had to endure: the deceit, lies, forbidden passions, and the burden of a handicapped woman who still acted as a child. But most of all the truth that was stuck underneath the tower of lies and hate was the thing that made me amazed at V.C. Andrew's true talent.
I really liked this book because of its fight inbetween evil and good, truth vs. deceit, and how love fought desire.
Truly, a very good book.

I have read this book many times, the only book I've ever read more than once. My first copy just fell apart and I had to buy a new one. On first read, the story is twisted, sometimes confusing, a little scary, but the reveals and conclusion are just spectacular writing. I recommend this book very highly!

Granted, I read My Sweet Audrina before I read any of the rest of her books, although I have subsequently read all of her works, up until the conclusion of her "Heaven" series (at which point, the "ghostwriter" had botched things up and smeared her legacy so much, I no longer cared). This book rules! I was totally lost in the way Andrews weaves the fantasy world in which her heroine unwittingly lives. The characters are somewhat archetypal, but that adds to the power of the book. Vera is a class A witch. One wants to make Audrina take her and shake her, but Audrina, archetypal herself, is almost depressingly willing to be run over again and again by Vera, by her true love Arden, by her parents' lies. Although I wished Audrina would develop more of a backbone, I still rooted for her throughout. This book definitely stays with you. Having read it already, I still had to buy myself a copy, which sits on my book shelf to this day...in case I need to lose myself once again in a wonderfully woven, horrific, yet fascinating tale.

I read this book when I was 12 years old and still think it is the best and most unforgettable book I have ever read. The storyline is fantastic and the characters are great. This was my first VC book and now I love her books! I've read through the Dollanger series and the Gemini series. I'm not too crazy about the ghost writer who took Andrews place when she died, his storylines are usually very boring and they lead to nowhere. The only books I like from the GW are Celeste and Black Cat, although even those books seem like the storyline isn't going anywhere. This book is great though, so I truly recommend it to you!

The first time I read My Sweet Audrina, I was in high school and a very confused girl. Audrina's story brought me a safe-haven from the reality of my world, as I got sucked into the emotional whirlpool of hers. I have since read the story over and over - now being 8 years later! My Sweet Audrina is the story of a young girl who comes from the most disturbed family situation that I have ever read about. It goes to show that although people may appear to be 'normal' and 'happy', that something quite awful and horrible may be shadowing their lives. Sure, there are questionable parts of the story, parts which have only become questionable to me since I have 'matured' over the years, but this is truly an excellent story. Despite being a fictional piece of writing, the story challenges many insecurities and issues that we have to deal with, and often choose to ignore. I highly HIGHLY suggest reading this story - but when you start reading it, be prepared to have a good many free hours to finish it! Once you open the book, I know that you will find it impossible to put it down.

As a high school student I am taking a contemporary novel class. The book "My Sweet Audrina" was one of the books this year that I decided to read. It was a little slow toward the beginning and confusing, but as you keep reading you will began to understand in full detail. Audrina was a beautiful young intelligent little girl whose past is confusing and to jumbled up to comprehend. Her father treats her as if she is made of glass, and her mother and aunt and cousin seems to be hiding something very important from her.

Her father convinces her that the first Audrina( her older sister) had a gift, but since she died she doesn't need the gift anymore and that she (the second Audrina) should try to catch it and only then "will her pitcher be filled".

She struggles to be accepted by her strange family as she was not the first Audrina, but the second; she strives to please her father and to find out clues to who she really is and her age and why she can't go to school like her "cousin" Vera. She can't understand why Vera doesn't like her and treats her inferior to her. As she gets older her fear becomes another obstacle that she and her husband try to conquer.

Other strange and loving twist happens that would strain the soul as mysteries began to unravel. Overall I give this book a ten from beginning to middle to end. I would gladly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book that would maybe lighten the load of today's world by showing that love conquers all.

Annie Stonewall and Luke Casteel Jr. have always been in love. But, their love is forbidden because they are both half-sibilings and cousins. Then Annie's parents(Logan's father and aunt) die in a car accident and Annie has to go live at Farthy with her great-step-grandfather, Tony Tatterton. Further more, the car accident left Annie crippled and in a wheelchair. Something is wrong at Farthy. Will Annie be strong enough to live at Farthy?

In my opinion " My Sweet Audrina" was an excellent book about life and what some children may go through. I truly felt sorry for Audrina in the sense that she deserved to know what happened in her past in order to get on with her life. In the story Audrina lives a life full of lies. She doesn't know that what happened to the first Audrina really happened to her. She is constantly hearing her cousin Vera and her aunt talking about all the secrets they have to keep from Audrina. Every night Damian, Audrina's father, makes her sit in a rocking chair in the first Audrina's playroom and try to catch her thoughts and dreams. He basically wanted her to be more like his so called first daughter. I enjoyed this book because of the way it kept me coming back in order to find out what happened next to Audrina. I would recommend this book to any friend or stranger looking for an interesting book to curl up on the couch and read. I promise you will not want to lay it down!

My Sweet Audrina is my fav book out of all V.C Andrew books. Although I could pretty much guess what the ending was the whole time I loved it. I especially liked how Audrina could become a mother to Slyvia instantly when she could have resented her. I am glad that there was no sequel to the story though because My Sweet Audrina is a one book series. It would have ruined the whole thing I think if they would have continued on with it. All the questions were answered by the end of the book that had the reader questioning from the beginning. The only thing I was confused about was Audrina's true age.

I do reccommend this to anyone who is a V.C. Andrews fan.

When I started reading My Sweet Audrina I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew there was a hidden secret. That was obvious. What the secret had to do with was pretty obvious, too. But what the secret actually was was not what I expected. All the mystery made this one of the most unbelievably intricate tales of woe. Audrina, the Second,competing for the place in her father's heart Audrina, the First and Most Perfect, held before her untimely death. Vera the cousin lying and cheating for the very same spot. And Arden, the new love, trying to stay out of the middle where he is uncontrollably caught. The perfect story of how one's home is the hardest to leave behind. Her sister, whom she alone has loved unconditionally, as well as the secret to her life,will make it impossible to leave Whitefern. The place that holds more bad memories than good. Her childhood home. And the place where she is destined to live out her life.

I just love the mystery of this book. As with all V. C. Andrews' books you always know something is not right. No one has the "perfect" life, these books always start out as. This one is more intriguing than all the rest of her books because it is the only solitary work. There is no "the rest of the story." The families in the Andrews' works are always so disfunctional that you feel better about your own when you put it down. This book really makes someone want to start snooping into family secrets. It makes you question reality. You wonder could something this low really be pulled of. It also makes child hood a little less precious because you realize everything a child knows someone has told them. Their whole entire view of reality could be one enormous lie.
It is one to make you wonder, for sure!

Well I had never read her work before and i didn't know what to expect when i finished with it, but as it turns out i really enjoyed reading this book. She really kept me at the edge of my seat, i couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to Annie and what was in store for her. This is a great book, but i would recommend you read the previous books before this one. Also it was a shame that Heaven dead and so early in the book, it's like having a close relative die all of a sudden.

SPOILER ALERT !

I didn't like that Heaven and Logan died, but I guess they needed some reason to make their daughter's story tragic. Not one of my favorite parts of the Casteel legacy but I read on.

This book is one of her best books by far!This book is about a girl with a mysterious past,a cousin/half sister drenched with jealousy over the girl,a sister who is dead,and a father who has a suffocating love.The whole book is filled with one shocker after another,but the real fireworks don't happen until the end.The bottom line:it is not a waste of money.SO BUY THE BOOK!!!!

Have you ever read a story so terrifying and unpredictible that it gave you goosebumps, more than once? Well, that is exactly how VC Andrews portrays her book "My Sweet Audrina." Whether it be the plot that takes place or the house with twisted stairs and dark shadows, almost every aspect of the book is creepy. Audrina is brainwashed into thinking that she has a sister born years before her that died (her sister had the same name as her). As soon as I read the ending and the secret of Audrina's childhood is unraveled I got goosebumps. I've never had a book make me feel like I was watching a scary movie, but this book definitely did. I won't give away the ending because it is such a good book and I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read twisted tales. This book got four stars from me because of the fact that I can't usually find good, Gothic, horror stories. But, this is definitly a good read. I recommend that you read "My Sweet Audrina." See if you agree with me.

TO ALL YOU V.C ANDREWS FANS OUT THERE I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT YOU READ THIS BOOK. IT IS ONE OF HER BEST. I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT VIRGINIA ANDREWS HAS PASSED AWAY, SO YOU CAN'T REALLY EXPECT MORE BOOKS TO COME OUT.(OTHER THAN HER UNPUBLISHED WORK) THIS BOOK WAS REALLY GOOD BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY MORE IN THE SERIES, SO THEREFORE YOU DON'T HAVE TO COLLECT ANYMORE.

I COULDN'T PUT A V.C.ANDREWS BOOK DOWN. I FELT THE LOSS AS IF SHE WHERE OF MY OWN FAMILY WHEN I HEARD OF HER DEATH. MY SWEET AUDRINA HAS TO BE THE BEST OFALL HER NOVELS, ALTHOUGH THE FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC SERIES WAS JUST AS ATTENTIVE. I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR A HARD COPY OF MY SWEET AUDRINA FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH NO LUCK. I COLLECT V.C. ANDREWS BOOKS.

I may be only a 15 year old reader, but i have read many other v.c.andrews books and none have moved me this much. Audrina herself is a believable character. someone people can relate to. i have hooked many of my friends on Andrews' books and i recomend this book to all who are interested in v.c.andrews works. altogether, a well written story.

...
Man, am I glad I read it. And at the same time I regret it. The book creeped me out. Next to Flowers in the Attic, this one deserves to be nominated for the Sick & Twisted Plots Awards.
Although parts of it were predictable, I still found myself gawking at the treatment of poor Audrina throughout her life by her nasty sister Vera and the twists and turns as the story unfolded before me. By the time I finished it, I was angrily asking myself how idiotic can a man be as to brainwash his daughter ... it felt that real.
I give this book 3 stars because of how much it freaked me out too much. And normally I go for those kinds of books. But I highly recommend it. :-)

I honestly liked this book, yet there were a lot of parts that irritated me. This was when Annie complained all the time. (Such as when she said, 'I miss this, and I miss that.. etc) There was a lot of repeating. I think we already knew that Annie missed her parents! However, more interesting parts consists of when she discovered Troy still alive after all that time she though he was dead, Tony being the lost and lonely person he was and how Annie managed to conquer it all and not let anyone stop her from being healthy again. I couldn't put this book down, so if you are weighing on whether or not you should read this book, I recommend it very much so. :)

I read this many years ago, and have never forgot its impact on me. It was interesting, spooky, and sexy. I enjoyed this book alot, and would read it over again if I had a copy on hand! I highly recommend this book!

Hello I would like to say first of all, V.C. is a girl named Virginia. Second, this book was pretty good. I agree with some of my fellow readers that Annie was whining a lot. Did it seem to any one else like more of a child of 13 or 14 then a child of 18? I had to double check and make sure that's what it said in the beginning. It did seem to go no forever. I think the series could have gone on without this book, but if your a hard core V.C. Andrews fan, I would definatly read this book.

I am changing my view of this book. At first I didn't like it but now come to find out the truth behind this novel I enjoyed it 100%. It was sad to see so many people die throughout this novel but in the end Audrina realized that she was needed at this house more than she knew it. I always thought that Vera was Audrina the 1st. Hopefully we'll see more novels like this. The plot kept me in suspense throughtout the whole novel.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it 14yrs. ago when I was preg. with my daughter. It moved me so much that I named my daughter Audrina. Just last week she read it for the first time and now she's hooked on VC Andrew books too.

This was one of my favourite books by V.C. Andrews. She gets inside the characters minds and pulls you into the story. Writing a review on the book is a little hard because I don't want to give away any of the plot. All I want to say is, about half way through the book you'll "know" whats gou=ing to happen, but you won't really. This book leads you down the wrong path and drops you off at a dramatic conclusion.
After reading this book, you'll never look at life the same.

This story is SO intriguing & shows the lengths that parents will go to protect a child. The story is so disturbing that you will have trouble putting it down! This is my favorite VC Andrews book!

I loved this book even at my age of 11. I understood it and I thought it was so breathtaking the way Annie goes out from the Tatterton back to her home with Luke and her outrageous aunt Fanny. I found it trulky tragic that heaven died because I had read Heaven before that. I really enjoyed this too and hope you will.

I didn't think this book was too bad, but not at all like the other Casteel books. I was sad when Heaven died, only because Annie is a whiny little brat. Not at all like her mother. I was feeling sorry for Tony at the beginning, but that quickly changed towards the middle of the book. As it turned out, my favorite character was Troy because the only emotional parts of the book were when Troy was on the scene. I recommend the book, but the other books were much better!!

I thought Annie was a spoiled little brat throughout the novel. I actually wished Tony was killed in the first few chapters instead of Heaven and Logan. I think the book could've been better without the repeating of history (Annie getting convinced to dye her hair like Leigh and Tony trying to rape her the same way he tried to do with Heaven)...it would've been nice to have a story from Fanny's viewpoint.

I am 23 years old and have read almost all of Ms. Andrews's books. This is my absolute favorite of any of her stories. The story is so complex, yet you can follow it easily. The way that Audrina's family treats her is amazing, I don't want to spoil anything in the plot, you will see for yourself. I first read this book when I was about 13 and it made a definite impression on me. You HAVE to read this book. It is a worderful book and an easy read.

I hated this book. Annie was in Farthy like two seconds before she started complaining about every tiny little thig. She just kept whining that she wanted Luke and about the stupid nurse. So she had a mean nurse, so what. I think I am being extremely generous in giving this book in even one star. Unless you're a fan who has to read every single book of VCA's, don't bother.

All Annie Stonewall can do is complain and then go into long and drawn out incestuous fantasies about Luke Jr.
The aging Tony Tatterton even is overly drawn out because YOU KNOW what is going to ultimately end up happening. Yes, you will need to read if it if you're into the Casteel series but you won't enjoy it as much as the others.
Annie will make you hate her because all she can do is complain about EVERYTHING!

I am appalled at the price of the kindle version. $21.00, seriously? This review is NOT on the book because I haven't read it because I refuse to spend that to download it on my kindle. I will go to half priced books and get a cheaper version. Is this V.C. Andrews or the store charging such outrageous prices? Either way, I will not do it. Sorry.

This book is one the best books that V.C. Andrews wrote. This book is so twisting it basiclly keeps your head spinning through out the whole book. The way Audrina is taunted by her dead sister and her counsin. The lies she has to put up and the rocking chair she has to endure. This book is the bomb and I hope that you all read it. Please read it or you'll regret it. Its great!

I just don't get why the majority of people rated this book 5 stars.

I had high expectations when I started this book because of the reviews I read. I was sorely disappointed.

I had a difficult time getting into this book as it seemed there was no action for the majority of it. Just a mediocre read except for a couple chapters towards the end where everything exciting is dumped. But then even the last couple chapters are boring so it ended and left me irritated I had read the entire thing.

There are some "secrets" and little surprises thrown in other parts of the book but they were predictable and pathetically led up to. Like when you have to sneeze but it goes away - you know it would have felt so good to get that sneeze out and you are mad that you didn't get that satisfaction. That's how I felt after reading this book.

I have read all the books by Virgina Andrews(the ones she wrote NOT the ghost writer) and I find this one the best. Its about a little girl who is jelous of her dead older sister who's name she inherited. But her life is confusing. she cant remember her child hood and she keeps seeing her older sister in the woods. for her months pass as weeks but when she starts putting all of this together she finds out something you would never expect.

This is my favorite V.C. Andrews book. It has everything. Murder, horror, love, hope, incest, jealousy, and mystery. The whole time you are reading this book you are on the edge of your seat. I definatley recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story. It is sad at some parts, scary at others, and mysterious all the time. You feel what Audrina feels. When she cries you want to cry. Over all this is a great book!

yes, if you love mysteries and disfunctional families to make your life seem perfect, read this book. I loved it when I read it as a teenager 15 years ago, and I loved it when I read it again as an adult! If you like this Gothic type of novel, you have to read Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the wind, also written by V.C. Andrews!

This book is one the best books that V.C. Andrews wrote. This book is so twisting it basiclly keeps your head spinning through out the whole book. The way Audrina is taunted by her dead sister and her counsin. The lies she has to put up and the rocking chair she has to endure. This book is the bomb and I hope that you all read it. Please read it or you'll regret it. Its great!

I just don't get why the majority of people rated this book 5 stars.

I had high expectations when I started this book because of the reviews I read. I was sorely disappointed.

I had a difficult time getting into this book as it seemed there was no action for the majority of it. Just a mediocre read except for a couple chapters towards the end where everything exciting is dumped. But then even the last couple chapters are boring so it ended and left me irritated I had read the entire thing.

There are some "secrets" and little surprises thrown in other parts of the book but they were predictable and pathetically led up to. Like when you have to sneeze but it goes away - you know it would have felt so good to get that sneeze out and you are mad that you didn't get that satisfaction. That's how I felt after reading this book.

I have read all the books by Virgina Andrews(the ones she wrote NOT the ghost writer) and I find this one the best. Its about a little girl who is jelous of her dead older sister who's name she inherited. But her life is confusing. she cant remember her child hood and she keeps seeing her older sister in the woods. for her months pass as weeks but when she starts putting all of this together she finds out something you would never expect.

This is my favorite V.C. Andrews book. It has everything. Murder, horror, love, hope, incest, jealousy, and mystery. The whole time you are reading this book you are on the edge of your seat. I definatley recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story. It is sad at some parts, scary at others, and mysterious all the time. You feel what Audrina feels. When she cries you want to cry. Over all this is a great book!

This was my first V.C Andrews book and I fell in love with her writings after I read this book. It was amazing! Its so intriguing and it will keep you hooked for life on her books. This book doesn't belong to a series but it's like its own series in one and its FANTASTIC really you'll love it. V.C Andrews life story is a very sad one but her writing is amazing she was a strong woman and a very generous one to give her books to the world to enjoy.

yes, if you love mysteries and disfunctional families to make your life seem perfect, read this book. I loved it when I read it as a teenager 15 years ago, and I loved it when I read it again as an adult! If you like this Gothic type of novel, you have to read Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the wind, also written by V.C. Andrews!

This is, by far, the best book by V.C. Andrews! It isn't part of a series, so you don't get tired of the characters, confused, or miss parts of the set. Andrews uses dark imagery and brings up old family secrets to make the book interesting. Never a dull moment in this book! Read it!

Every few years I come back to this book. It's one of my favorites since I was a teenager. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys drama. V. C. Andrews "Is" a great writer.
No cons for me, like I said one of my favorites.

my sweet audrina is a classic v.c andrews work. with mystery, deception, love and sorrow. audrina adaire is a character that one is able to fall in love with and feel for her in her times of need. i highly recommend this book, as well as all of VC andrews' books. they are truely classics in their own catagory. they are deep and full of passion and voice.

But at least it's entertaining. This is the story of a typically dull V.C. Andrews-type heroine who lives with her gorgeous mother, handsome, overprotective father, bitter aunt and evil cousin in a victorian mansion somewhere in the south. The aunt and mother drink tea all day, the father spends most of his time at his job, and Audrina plays with paper dolls while cousin Vera torments her and masturbates while reading romance novels. A long time ago, Audrina's perfect, beautiful sister was raped and killed. Since then, her parents have devoted thier lives to protecting Audrina from the outside world. One day, Audrina wanders outside and meets a boy named Arden and his mother, Billie, who live in a cabin behind her. They become friends, and Audrina starts sneaking outside to see him. Daminan, the father, soon catches her, and is angry at first, but after meeting the boy, lets the friendship continue. Audrina's life changes from there. Tragedy and romance ensue. As the title suggests, this is one of the worst books I've ever read. The story does not contain one shred of plausibility. It also suffers from dull, unlikeable charectors, just like Flowers in The Attic did. You know things are bad when your rooting for the evil cousin. Audrina is so beautiful, perfect and inncocent and most off all flat that you can't stand her. Arden came off as being just as annoyingly perfect. Things start off very slowly, with mainly descriptions of the charectors, "creepy" mansion and the tragedy of the death of the "first" Audrina and Damians obsession over it biding our time before something finally happens. Things start rolling once the mother dies, and I admit that I couldn't put it down after this heartbreaking development, even though I was able to predict nearly every twist it had to offer. The book jacket plays up on the whole idea of Damian wanting to turn Audrina into her dead sister, and generally makes it seem likes its going to be alot more creepy than it really is. This wanting-to-turn-Audrina-into-her-dead-sister horror story-type thing only takes up a short amount of the book in the beginning. The rest of the story is a rather average, though addictive family & romance drama. I reccomend it if you want a entertaining, trashy drama/romance novel tinged with mystery and horror and charectors you love to hate.

My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews, is a riveting novel about a young girl that lives in the shadow of her deceased sister. She is constantly being compared to her by her parents and is looked down at as a girl who will never live up to her sister. My Sweet Audrina is definitly a page turner, leaving the audience in suspense with every passing chapter.

The book is so fantasic. Each person in the story is thought out. My favorite part was the chapter called The secret of the wind chimes. I would tell anyone to read this book. With anger and hate V.C. Andrews has certainly done some of her best work with this book.

I think this was a great book. I LOVE V.C. Andrews. She's is one of my favorite authors! I like her style too, she puts you right in the middle of the book and treats you as if you are one of the characters. She's very interesting to read and I'd reccomend this book to almost anyone.

I finished reading this book yesterday, and I have to say that it was very good. Andrews really makes you able to hate Vera and yet feel sorry for her. I think that Audrina's dad was really messed up, as was her whole family. Still, I couldn't put it down and i definatly reccomend it!!

I have always loved V.C. Andrews work. My review is not of the writing, storyline or, at times, impossible plots but is of the editing.
While reading this e-version I found over 54 editing typos and mistakes.
It seems to me that if we're going to SELL a book, of any kind, we should edit!!
I am dissapointed by the publishing company releasing something that shows how little they truly care about their customers.

This book was great! I hope everyone will read this book. It was the first and only book I've read by the actual V.C. Andrews. She was very talented and skilled. I have all of her books and I love the way their all in a girls point of view.

It was a very puzzling story. I have read it twice. Audrina believed she had a namesake named Audrina. But then she remembered the most horrible moment of her life. She actually had her ninth birthday and some mean boys assaulted her. It was the ugliest thing Vera did to set Audrina to be attacked. I believe the worst part about it was nobody should have to be afraid to go to school. Everybody has a right to learn what he or she wants and needs to know.

My Sweet Audrina makes the readers tingle from their head to the tips of their toes. It is a story of passion, fury, innocence lost, true love, hatred, and a secret that could destroy one very special little girl, all wrapped up in one

I think that this is the best V. C. Andrews book. Once I stared reading it i couldn't put it down. The whole time i was reading it i kept thinking maybe Audrina was the First and Best Audrina, but then i thought it was too comlicated. Boy was i surprised at the end!!

It's not that it's written terribly, it's just that it was incredibly predictable. And the ending was absolutely horrid! I mean, come on, it is SO sending the wrong message to people who may be trapped in an abusive relationship.

I'm ten years old and have read books my mother has never even touched.I'm really looking forward to this book because it sounds so exhilarating.I've never read V.C Andrews before and I'm killing to read Flowers In The Attic and since my dad wasn't willing to spend 11 dollars on it I ordered this instead,another novel I wanted to read.I think this going to be a fabulous book.

Signed
Lexi The One and Only

by Lilly

When I read Twlight, I was almost sure that Stephanie Meyers couldn't have created such an amazingly disappointing and boring book all by herself. And, as it turns out, I proved myself right. Ms. Meyers borrowed a page from V.C. Andrew's My Sweet Audrina, a melodramatic family saga starring the beautiful-and-jaded Audrina Adare.

Audrina is sweet, loving, and terrified of the First and Best Audrina, the deceased older sibling for whom the second Audrina is named. However, everyone around Audrina knows the truth about the First and Best Audrina, for which they've done everything possible to keep the Second Audrina from knowing. Through both romantic and emotional tribulations, Audrina is faced with her apprehension of the First and Best Audrina, and her fear of what she herself is capable of.

Although the concept of the story is very nice, the story itself is rather drab. There isn't really anything special about it that makes you want to hop right in and read it. It's the same four or five scenarios repeated again and again, interspersed with tragic deaths and forbidden marriages. You begin to get the feeling around page three that Audrina isn't really as scared of her sister as she says she is. In fact, to me it just seems like she suffers from OCD.

Communication between the characters is practically non-existent, as evidenced by the fact that Audrina makes it through nearly the entire book before realizing what everyone else has known all along. It takes until the last page to finally see Audrina get some closure, and after she gets it she decides that she'll give up and stay at home for her whole life! Which is fitting--what better way to end a story like My Sweet Audrina than to see your only chance of a good ending fly out the window?

In the end, I didn't really like this book. I respect Ms. Andrews for putting in the time and energy to write this book, for there most surely is someone out there who enjoyed it. However, that person wasn't me.

This book is hilariously bad! Overwrought and ridiculous, all the suspense is pretty laughable. You just want to push the main character down a flight of stairs after awhile. If you like unintentionally funny books, this one will have you rolling.