Release Date: 6/11/09 (Hardcover)
Read & Blogged About: Lock and Key
Read & Blogged About: Lock and Key
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Age Group: Young Adult (14+)
Pages: 383
Word Blurb: Sweet, heartfelt, and genuine! Synopsis- "It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.Quick Thinking: Heartfelt flashes to mind when I think Along for the Ride. I've come to love Sarah Dessen's genuine, fleshed out people creations, her heartwarming stories of girls who work toward self-discovery and their trips into love, and the detailed, yet easy writing style that keeps me actively reading the entire time! I can always expect to have my emotions touched by one of her stories, and Along for the Ride is definitely no exception. Take the trip to Colby with main character, Auden, who realizes the true meaning of family and friendship, love and connection, and learns that first impressions might not always be correct. Sometimes there's more to a person than what's on the surface.
A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect." Goodreads»»
My Thoughts In-Depth: *Note: May not be spoiler-free.* I loved this book, plain and simple. It was everything I needed at the moment...
Yesterday, I was feeling pretty blue and in the mood for some romance-filled, emotional novel. And I picked well. As a child of divorce, I related so well with the main character, Auden. Auden's parents are semi-selfish, ambitious, driven, and who sometimes completely ignore their daughter. Taking her for granted, caring little of what she does on a day-to-day. It was pretty sad. Now, I'm not saying my parents were exactly like that, but I often felt as Auden did: alone and so sure that I had to become an adult to please my parents and keep their attention on me. So, to say that I could truly empathize with this girl is probably the biggest understatement of the year. And seeing how Auden turned out because of all the decisions she felt she had to make, made me shutter... Only because for awhile I saw that person in myself a time or two or a hundred. She was so stiff and stern and polite. As smooth and as blank as an empty canvas. And seeing her evolve, and shift into the person she was meant to be was moving and hilarious at the same time. To say that she was probably one of the most clueless teens I've ever encountered is a huge truth. It was fun reading as she learned the ways of an adolescent: the gossip, the confrontations, the shopping, the hanging out, boys 101. Extremely funny.
