A review by kba76
Along for the Ride, by Sarah Dessen
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Along for the Ride is a coming-of-age story with a twist. Auden has had difficulty sleeping ever since she was aware of her parents arguing at night. Since they split up it's a habit she's maintained.
As a student about to head to college, Auden came across as quite immature even though she's clearly treated differently by her mum. She has little sense of how to interact with people her own age, and isn't really sure what she's interested in. When she decides to go and spend the summer with her father and his new wife she isn't quite sure what she's letting herself in for.
The resort of Colby is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. Auden finds it a strange place, but on one of her nocturnal jaunts she comes across Eli, someone who she finds herself increasingly keen to spend time with.
Obviously Eli has a bit of a past, and everyone is surprised that Auden manages to bring him out of his shelf and start to live again after the death of his best friend.
This was all quite predictable, but I liked the sea that people are not always as you think and taking the time to find out about them often leads to unexpected things. I hated her parents, particularly the dad, but at least there was a suggestion that even that might move forward. If I'd read something like this as a teenager I would have lapped it up!
As a student about to head to college, Auden came across as quite immature even though she's clearly treated differently by her mum. She has little sense of how to interact with people her own age, and isn't really sure what she's interested in. When she decides to go and spend the summer with her father and his new wife she isn't quite sure what she's letting herself in for.
The resort of Colby is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. Auden finds it a strange place, but on one of her nocturnal jaunts she comes across Eli, someone who she finds herself increasingly keen to spend time with.
Obviously Eli has a bit of a past, and everyone is surprised that Auden manages to bring him out of his shelf and start to live again after the death of his best friend.
This was all quite predictable, but I liked the sea that people are not always as you think and taking the time to find out about them often leads to unexpected things. I hated her parents, particularly the dad, but at least there was a suggestion that even that might move forward. If I'd read something like this as a teenager I would have lapped it up!