Title: Along for the Ride
Author: Sarah Dessen
# of Pages: 384
Published: June 16, 2009
Genre: Teen
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
It has been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parentsa divorceaor 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 sheas been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
When I hear Sarah Dessen had a new book coming out, I was excited. I'd read the majority of her other novels,and I always enjoyed her work. This novel was no different; the story was heartwarming and I felt for Auden, Eli and Heidi (Auden's step-mother). Auden and Eli's late night quests reminded me of my nocturnal habits and I couldn't help but agree with Auden's realization that "the night changed things, widening out the scope. What we said to each other, the things we did, they all took on a bigger meaning in the dark. Like time was sped up and slowed down, all at once,".
Review:
Although this novel appealed to my fantasies of late-night adventures and spending a summer in a small town or village, I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed with Dessen. Her novels are all similar and I had hoped that she would depart a little more from her norm and explore her talents further. Even so, I would recommend this novel to any Dessen fan or anyone who enjoys a good teen novel.
(* cross posted from the collective blog Collision)
