REVIEW: ‘Along for the Ride’ (2009) by Sarah Dessen

Genre: Young Adult

POV: 1st Person (story told by heroine)

Sensuality: Subtle

Violence: N/A

My Grade: B+

Sarah Dessen is my favourite YA author. I have yet to be disappointed by one of her books, and Along for the Ride is no exception. In similarity to Judy Blume, each of Dessen’s books focuses on a theme relating to families, adolescence, and real life. Her books have dealt with heavy issues such as grief, domestic violence, and rape, yet each of her stories retains her trademark good humour and superior storytelling skills.

The protagonist of Along for the Ride is Auden West. Auden’s parents are both academics and have always treated their daughter like a mini adult. Auden’s mother in particular is pushy and exacting. She expects Auden to excel at school and is disparaging of children who engage in such mundane, non-intellectual activities such as playing, and – later – partying.

While Auden excelled at school, she found it difficult to relate to her peers. She defined herself through her academic prowess, retreating behind her books rather than engaging in the normal teenage social activities. When Auden’s parents’ marriage broke up, Auden found relief in her studies.

At the beginning of the story, Auden has just graduated from high school and faces a long summer before starting university in the autumn. After an argument with her mother, Auden decides on impulse to spend the rest of the summer with her father, his much-younger second wife, and their newborn baby.

When Auden arrives at the small beach town in which her father lives, she finds her father locked in his study, immersed in writing his long-awaited second novel. Her stepmother, Heidi,  is far from the perky, fashionable airhead Auden remembers. She’s bedraggled, sleep-deprived, and struggling to cope with a squalling newborn.

Desperate to escape the screaming baby and the all-too-familiar marital tensions, Auden goes for a walk and ends up at a beach party. When she meets moody loner, Eli Stock, for the first time, little does she know the impact he will have on the rest of her summer. With Eli’s help, Auden slowly begins to experience life beyond textbooks.

Sarah Dessen excels at creating a sense of place and flawed, sympathetic characters who feel real. Auden is smart but socially awkward. She has little experience of friendship and none at all of boyfriends. Her efforts with her baby sister are equally inept, but no more so than her nervous stepmother’s. Through caring for the baby, Auden forms an unexpected bond with Heidi and realises her father’s failings as a husband and a parent have carried on into his second marriage.

Her part-time job at Heidi’s boutique brings Auden into contact with Maggie, Leah and Esther, who slowly but surely drag her into their circle of friends. I thought the girls in the shop were the weak point in this book. They were almost too good to be true, especially Maggie. I understood the author’s desire to compare and contrast Auden’s one-dimensional interest in her studies with a more well-rounded character such as Maggie, but the latter’s perfection grated on my nerves.

I liked Eli. He’s a good guy with a chip on his shoulder. He cares about Auden and joins her on her insomniac wanderings throughout the town and its environs. He helps her to be more adventurous and she helps him to come to terms with his past.

What really made this book for me was Auden’s relationship with her mother and her stepmother. The difference between them is vast, but they both genuinely care about Auden.

For fans of YA fiction with heart, I can recommend Along for the Ride.

Other Reviews of Along for the Ride:

Rowena at The Book binge – 4.5 out of 5

Teen Book Review – 4.5 out of 6 windows

Persnickety Snark – No grade given. Some criticisms but a mostly positive review.

Tagged as: B Plus Reviews, Sarah Dessen, Young Adult