Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 56-60 of 70
 Sadly Disappointed. June 23, 2009
Morgan
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Since the day Sarah Dessen announced the release for ALONG FOR THE RIDE, I waited in severe anticipation to have the book in my hands. I hoped that not only would it be a NEW story with NEW characters, but that it'd be have the same top notch quality of THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER and THIS LULLABY.
Unfortunately, I feel that Sarah Dessen did not *fully* deliver. While the story was eager and darling, I found myself thoroughly bored %90 of the time and skimming pages to try and get to the point. The characters were flat. Auden was unlikable throughout most of the book and the only girl from the boutique group that seemed to have substance was Maggie. I loved Maggie. I cherished Maggie. She may have saved this novel.
While I loved the concept of insomnia bringing Eli and Auden together (and those late night scenes were beautiful), I was irritated with Dessen for her depiction of it. From my understanding, insomnia is a disorder where you can't sleep (it's something I've suffered from for years), and Auden slept relentlessly during the day. Maybe I'm misinformed on insomnia and if so, my bad, but I would have loved to have read about the draining effects of insomnia. I don't think it was done justice. Insomnia was portrayed as a little, no biggie thing when it really is life impacting.
Like I said before, I was disappointed. I felt like there could have been some MAJOR editing and revising done. Despite my disappointment though, I did enjoy ALONG FOR THE RIDE at times. Heidi and Maggie glowed in the novel. Eli made the story intriguing and the bike metaphor pushed it over the top. If you're a true blue Dessen fan, you'll probably enjoy the book. If you've never read Dessen, I highly suggest you start with THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER or THIS LULLABY - that's where Sarah Dessen truly shined.
 Love Sarah Dessen! June 22, 2009
Kelli Nelson (Bay Area, CA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I loved reading all of Sarah Dessen books. I couldn't wait to read this one and while reading it I wished that it didn't have to end. I really hope Sarah continues to write because she is really gifted. As always I fell in love with the characters. I also really enjoyed the plot and the way the lessons that are learned in Dessen's books are incorporated into the overall theme of the book.
Auden goes to spend a summer with her dad and stepmom looking more or less for an adventure but she had no clue that she would be learning from some unexpected characters. Auden missed out on the normal childhood and spends the summer trying to find what she missed out on.
If you liked Dessen's other books you will love this one!
The Brain Lair on Along for the Ride June 22, 2009
Brainlair (Granger, IN)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Along for the Ride Auden is in between High School and "real life". She decides to take this time to go and visit her dad, stepmom, Heidi, and new baby sister, Thisbe, for the summer. Her hope is that she will have somehting to put into the tacky picture frame her brother sent her. The one that has a picture of him in front of the Taj Mahal and the words THE BEST OF TIMES underneath. She packs up the frame and her textbooks (gotta get a jump on those college classes) and heads to what she hopes will be her first "best of times".
So many times I felt this was partially the story of my life, minus the cute boys and cute clothes! I spent a lot of time focused on my school work and then on my family and now my job. Like Auden, the simple act of friendship was very foreign to me.
"I mean, we just figured you thought you were better than us. But maybe you just didn't know how to hang out." (145)
I liked how Dessen had Auden grow, without losing who she was just more of an adding-on, becoming more 3-dimensional, but not someone else. My other favorite person was Maggie. Maggie works in Heidi's shop and is skilled at finding the right outfit for the right person.
"Finding those slim boot cuts for that woman was work. But it was so worth it. Her [...] looked great when she left here." (208)
But like all of us, there's more to Maggie, she's going to the same brainiac genius college that Auden will attend. Dessen makes the point that you can be smart and pretty and whatever else you want. You decide.
The story of Eli fit in nicely with Auden's while his brother Jake could have been left out. The Bike Shop boys, Adam and Wallace, and the two other Clementine girls, Esther and Leah all had something to bring to the party.
The story moved at a steady pace and there were so many wonderful lines I had to stop myself from folding down all the pages. The incessant crying of the baby totally reminded me of The Amazing Dancer girl. She never liked sleep, still doesn't. I could relate. I enjoyed the new terminology: store-goers and snack-bang as well as the constant drinking of coffee! This story brought a smile to my face and led to many thoughtful pauses.
I only had one moment of conflict -
SPOILER ALERT
Auden's mom takes care of Heidi's baby so that Auden can go to the fake prom. Now, I'm amiable with my ex and his new wife and children but I draw the line at babysitting them!! Seems like too much especially when they are only a few months old...but that could just be me!
END SPOILER ALERT
Overall, this book was Sarah Dessen's best so far. I recommend it for middle and high school libraries. I give it 4 copies and know they will always be checked out.
Sarah Dessen on YouTube
talking about Along for The Ride
A book trailer .
Answering Questions
Reading an excerpt
The perfect summer read June 21, 2009
L. Gibaldi
45 out of 46 found this review helpful
I must admit, I did everything I could before writing this review. I checked my e-mail at least 10 times, I watched an old episode of Friends, I snacked on sunflower seeds. It's not that I didn't want to write the review because I didn't like the book, it's quite the opposite. I knew that once I wrote the review, I would be done, moving onto another book. The truth of the matter was, I didn't want to be done with Dessen's book.
Along for the Ride is about 18 year old Auden, a remarkably smart girl who's parents divorced when she was younger after years of bickering. She became an insomniac, avoiding her problems by staying awake, studying at a nearby cafe. Meanwhile, being raised by two academic parents, Auden organized her life around school - she could answer any educational question, yet barely had any friends and missed out on every important childhood landmark (prom, bowling, learning to ride a bike..) After a strangely inspirational message from her older brother Hollis, Auden decides to spend the summer before her freshman year of college in Colby with her father, his new extremely cheerful wife, and their even newer baby, Thisbe. There, Auden discovers something about herself through interactions with Heidi, her stepmother; babysitting Thisbe; working at a clothing store with girls her age; and, above all, meeting the mysterious Eli who helps her rebuild her past.
The story talks about love, redemption, and second chances. It's about how it's never too late to rediscover yourself and grab hold of your present.
I really loved Along for the Ride. The characters were interesting, deep, and always surprising. Yes, as many young adult books, the plot was a bit predictable, but that didn't matter. Along for the Ride took you away from your life and put you into Auden's. It's the perfect young adult book - one that presents a problem and finds ways to solve it.
The main characters were incredibly real - everyone had one of them in high school. There was the beautiful Maggie who was actually smarter than she looked. The party girl Leah, and the big mistake Jake. There was Eli, the secretive love interest with a heart of gold. And Adam, the extremely affectionate best friend. And then there was Auden, a girl with a secret of her own, who was still trying to figure herself out.
I loved so much about the book. I loved that I could actually see Colby - I knew the map of it like my own neighborhood. I loved that everyone went to the Gas/Gro before going out because in the past I had a similar place. And I loved the importance of the summer - the last for everyone before college. How important it was to make it "the best of times," because at that age, everyone wants to.
The writing was spot on, incredibly detailed and relatable. It's a book you could pick up and easily slide back into Dessen's world. I liked the hope it brought, as well as the message. I liked how Eli and Auden hung out at night because neither could sleep. How the world is so much different once people are asleep. And now, I too now look at the houses around me and wonder why someone else might be awake at 1am. What's their story?
There was one quote that I especially enjoyed. Towards the beginning, the girls stock up on food at the Gas/Gro. After Auden asks why they do it, night after night, Esther replies "I don't know. It's like, we're headed out somewhere. You never know what's going to happen. So you stop for supplies." Indeed.
Along for the Ride is the perfect summer read - set at the beach, you could practically hear the waves pouring out of the pages. It's the first book I've read of Sarah Dessen's and definitely won't be my last. In fact, I might have already set up a book store trip with my own group of friends to get another.
Along for the Ride June 21, 2009
Lynnie Grame (Earth)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Along for the ride is pretty quick read, and a good book. It has the same feel as the rest of her books and is one her best. Honestly I would give this book a 4.5, but that's not an option. The main charechter, Auden, is a girl who really has no friends, or social skills, and she spends the summer with her father,stepmother and new baby sister in the town of colby. Auden doesn't sleep at night, she hasn't since her parents split up, and instead spends her nights driving around, or walking on the boardwalk, wasting time. It's one of these times that she is walking on the boardwalk that she meets Eli, who ( what a coincidence) doesn't sleep at night either. Eli gives Auden her second chance, calling it a quest, to do everything she missed out on. These nights, and her quest bring them closer and ultimately makes Auden realize that a failures happen, and to give things a second chance. If your a fan of Sarah Dessen, you'll definatly like this book,(and finding all the different characters,places, and things that are in the rest of her books,)and even if you're not a fan it's a good book that deserves a chance.:)
Showing reviews 56-60 of 70
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