Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Title: Along for the Ride
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 383
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: June 16, 2009

"You know, if you don't know how to ride a bike, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Eli said.
"I can ride a bike," I said. "I just...I haven't had the opportunity in a while."

Riding a bike is only one of the many things Auden’s missed out on. Even before her parent’s 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 little beach town of Colby with her father and his new wife and baby. A job in a trendy boutique introduces her into the world of girls, their friendships, conversations, romances. And then there’s Eli, an intriguing loner. A former star on the bike circuit and 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.

All I have to say for this book, was that it was truly amazing! Auden had a unique personality, that was only amplified by her surroundings. Eli, on the other hand, was a cute, down-to-earth guy. All he wanted was to be treated normally; and Auden DID treat him normal. I think that's what made her more noticeable to him. Their adventure together was about everything; love, happiness, grief, sadness...everything and anything!

The book was written beautifully. It was smooth and kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen. Colby and the locals there, only made the book, all the more beautiful.

Another thing I noticed, was the relationship and the personalities of the secondary characters. They were all different (in a good way!) and had a history together. They were all connected and Dessen definitely created the back-story efficiently. I didn't even notice that I knew all of the characters until the end of the book!

Along for the Ride is a great read! You will feel many different emotions and it will bring all kinds of reactions from you! That's what it did to me. I hope you like it as much as I did!


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