Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: 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.

Review: I was SUPER excited to see that it was my turn to check out this book at the library. (Seriously, I waited three months for this book...) I love, love the characters in this book--especially that Jason (The Truth About Forever) and Nate (Lock and Key) played a part or were mentioned in this book. However, I didn't like this book as much as her others. It was interesting but just to a point where you just can't help but turn pages (turn, not flip...there a big difference). The main reason I kept reading was because of the characters. Truthfully, Sarah Dessen is such a master in creating such believable characters that flow so naturally.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: It was a nice introduction to everyone. Like other Sarah Dessen novels, we get a bit of the background of the main character. Few surprises were included as well such as Auden being with Eli's brother on an impulse (it's really funny...). I didn't really like Auden's parents. At all.

The Middle: Again, more background but this time of Eli. I also liked every moment Auden spent with Eli during their nights during their "quest."

Sigh. Then, we hit the part where Auden messesd up big time and all I could do was this:

-_-

The End: However, what is a Sarah Dessen book without a happy ending? :) The ending was really cute for me and I couldn't imagine it otherwise. *applauds*

4/5