So let's be clear on this. This is most definitely not the first time I've read Along for the Ride. It is, in fact, one of my favorite books by Sarah Dessen. It's got that mysterious male love interest, lots of quotable passages, and a girl riding a bike in a prom dress. There's a beach setting, a baby, and a trouble father/daughter relationship. Not to mention that it's set in Colby, a beach town in DessenWorld, and has several references to Dessen's other books.
The basic gist of the story is that Auden, the protagonist, is spending her last summer before college with her dad, 26-year-old stepmother, and half-sister. Auden's mother is a very respected professor at the university and a very judgmental feminist. She is the foil to Heidi, Auden's stepmother. There is a memorable scene about halfway through the book where Auden's mother shows up in Heidi's store where Auden is working and is disdainful of the abundance of pink, bikinis, perfume, makeup, etc. It is the moment in the story where Auden (finally!) realizes the differences between herself and her mother. Another key figure is Eli, Auden's love interest. Both insomniacs, Eli and Auden begin spending their nights together on a quest to give Auden childhood experiences she missed out on. Eli is mysterious; he pops up a couple times before Auden even knows who he is and there is none of that nonsense of the reader knowing more about him than Auden does. In typical Dessen fashion, there is a fallout between them and then a happy reunion.
Like all of Dessen's books, I loved the references to her other books. Two of Auden's close friends are characters from Keeping the Moon; the restaurant Auden goes to with her dad is where the main character from Keeping the Moon works. The necklaces from Lock and Key pop up; Heidi and Thisbie, her daughter, first showed up in What Happened to Goodbye. I love finding these references. I love how Dessen has created this whole world where all the characters are sort of connected through a Six Degrees of Separation-type thing. It's fun. I liked Dessen's characters. Even though she and I have no particular similarities, I found myself relating to Auden. I understood some of her problems, could even see myself in some of the same situations. Auden's friends, Isabel and Maggie and Leah and Adam, were very realistic. I have friends who are Adams, friends who are Maggie; I know people who are Isabels and people who are Leahs. Auden's brother, Hollis, was one of my favorite characters. Although he's not present for a lot of the book, I liked his interactions with Auden; he clearly loves her and they are good friends - similar to my relationship with my older brother.
I didn't have any major problems with this book. A lot of people often grow tired of Dessen's formula for her books, but I didn't find that a problem in this book. I liked it as a nice summer read. One thing I disliked was the choppy transitions from present-time to a flashback. At some points, I had to flip back and reread a page to figure out what train of thought led Auden to a flashback.
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