Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride- by Sarah Dessen

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.

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

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This book was very well written. From the blooming romance (that stayed completely PG), to the really funny moments and all the fights and sleepless nights in between. All the characters were really consistent and the story line and plot were flawless.  
Now after saying all of that I have to admit Sarah Dessen isn't my absolute favorite author. The story seemed slow moving and I found myself skipping to the next paragraph to see if anything interesting was going to happen. But I blame most of that on my impatience,so. If you like stories about self discovery and getting through family drama with a little spritz of romance then I would say this book is a must read for you;).
Favorite moments:
"Okay, let's just slow down." She held up her hands, palms facing me. "First things first. What do you mean, you don't have a date?" 
"Just that," I said, sitting down at the desk. "Jason bailed on me."
"Again?"
I nodded.
"When?"
"About twenty minutes ago."
"Oh, my God." She put her hand over her mouth: her expression was so horrified, like someone had died. "That's the worst thing ever."
"No," I said, swallowing. "It's actually not."
"No?"
I shook my head. "The worst thing is that right afterward, I marched right into the bike shop and asked Eli to go with me, and he said no."
She threw up her other hand, clapping it over the one already covering her mouth. "Holy crap," she said, her voice muffled. "Where does the bike come in?"
"I don't know," I said, waving my hand. "That part's kind of a blur.” 

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“She's a baby," Maggie told me. "Babies wear pastels."
"Says who?" I asked. ... "Society. The same society, I might add, that dictates that little girls should always be sugar and spice and everything nice, which encourages them to not be assertive. And that, in turn, then leads to low self-esteem, which can lead to eating disorders and increased tolerance and acceptance of domestic, sexual, and substance abuse.”