Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Title: Along for the Ride

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Pages: 383

Rating: 5/5

Riding a bike is only one of the many things Auden's missed out on. Even before her parents' divorce, she was cast in the role of little adult, never making waves, focusing on academics to please her demanding mother.

Now she's spending the summer before college in the tiny beach town of Colby with her father and his new wife and baby. A job in a trendy boutique introduces her to the world of girls, their friendships, conversations, romances. And then there's Eli, an intriguing loner. A former star on the bike circuit and a fellow insomniac, Eli introduces Auden to the nocturnal world of Colby. Together they embark on a quest: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli, to put a tragic episode behind him. Combine two lonely people with a charming beach town and an endless supply of long summer nights, and just about anything can happen.

Review:

I've read Sarah Dessen before I started writing reviews of every book I've read - and loved them all. So I can't really compare this one to the others. Just getting that out of the way. But I love any beach setting in a book, it makes me feel summery - of course it's summer but you understand. I loved the theme of the book. About doing things you've never done before, reliving things you couldn't do...that kind of stuff. I loved Isby and Eli the most, although one's just a baby, I really liked the characters. Maggie also caught my eye as a character because on the outside she looks like a girly girl who always wears pink, but as soon as you get to know her, boom, you learn she likes to ride bikes and can jump with them. It goes back to that saying we all know, don't judge a book by it's cover. Speaking of covers, I really like the on this book. The writing was great, as in any book written by Dessen. Overall I loved it and would reccommend to any one looking for a good read.