Book Review: Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen, hardbound version book cover

Along For The Ride

by Sarah Dessen

Genre: YA

Editions available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle, ebook, audio CD,
international, Library Binding

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Source: own

Rating: ^^^^

Summary (Goodreads):

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.
In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.





My Thoughts;

Another summer read from Sarah Dessen. I liked the story and the flow of events.

But the thing is, the main female character was like the other main female character of Sarah Dessen's books (that I'm aware of)--like Macy from The Truth About Forever and Annabel from Just Listen. They appear to be independent teens, but there's always their mom who control their lives and decisions. There's also a lot of problems that the female character tells in the beginning that made the story/book loonger.


What I wanted for Miss Dessen to do is to make a main character that wasn't familiar from her other books. She should also refrain from telling long stories about the character's problems; though it's appreciated for the benefit of understanding and meeting the character. She should also give more pages for the romance--if that's where she is aiming.


But still, I liked the book, and maybe just hoping for different set of characters for her future books.

Book cover comment/s:

I can't connect the cover to the story, because there isn't a time where Auden and Eli rode on a bike together. Maybe a bicycle alone will do for the cover or Auden and Eli [driving] together on a nighttime.


The title wasn't also ideal, because like the cover, it didn't connect the story. But then again, they do rode together--at nighttime--but on a car. I also thought the title would be the bike shop's name.

Recommendation:

Ideal for summer read. YA readers.

-       Michelle

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