Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

I really liked this book!  I loved Auden.  She was occasionally frustrating, especially at the beginning, but I really liked watching her come out of her shell and grow.  The rest of the characters were great too.  I loved Eli and how he opened up to Auden.  I liked how at one point Auden said that if they had gotten to know each other during the day, they wouldn’t know each other as well.  I liked that they stayed up all night and found fun things to do.  Maggie, Esther, and Leah were really fun teen girls and really believable.  I liked that they helped Auden grow and experience normal teen girls.  And I loved Heidi and Thisbe!

I did not like either of Auden’s parents.  They were both so pretentious and selfish.  They got a little better towards the end of the book, but it didn’t surprise me at all that Hollis and Auden were pretty screwed up after being raised by those two.

This book made me laugh and cry and wish it was summer.