Along for the Ride

Changing your life is as easy as riding a bike

Auden is your typical overachiever. She gets the best grades, she is going to a great college, she is super responsible and has always acted like an adult. There is nothing wrong with this, except that while she has been busy working her butt off she hasn't made time to do the typical adolescent things, like play kick ball, go to prom, or even learn how to ride a bike. As her parents were going through a divorce, Auden attempted to be perfect as a way of keeping them together. In the end her attempts did not make a difference and only caused Auden to become an insomniac.

All this changes when Auden decides to spend her last summer before college in the small beach side town where her father, stepmother and new baby sister live. Here Auden is forced to experience new things, like what it is like to have real girlfriends. With the help of another insomniac named Eli(who is also working through some problems of his own), Auden will go on a quest to accomplish all the things she missed out on growing up. Soon she will discover that people can change including herself.

I have always been a huge Sarah Dessen fan, but it has been several years since I have read one of her books, that is going to change. Many of her stories share similar themes, but it is her characters and style of writing that really make her books special. With Along for the Ride, she has crafted a wonderful story about realizing you can change. She doesn't try to underplay or overdo the teenage experience. The characters aren't out of control, but they also aren't straight-laced. This is what makes them feel so real to the reader. Teens will be able to relate to the little details Dessen includes, like a girl dance parties but also to the bigger themes such as loneliness.

This was such a simple story, but it will really stick with you. If you can wait read it in the summer, preferably on the beach.

The verdict is: One darn good book!