Sarah Dessen; Along for the Ride

Before I review this book, I would like to formally apologize. I understand that some of you have been wondering when (or if) I would ever post anything again. The truth is, I got sidetracked with a whole ton of other stuff (I could list it all, but that's not the point). But I'm back now, so you can be expecting more from me!

Okay, to begin the review, the book I read is called Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. I have always liked Sarah Dessen's books, and this, by far, was her best.
There are a few main characters in this book. Auden, who the book is telling the story of, Eli, the one who she falls in love with, Heidi, Auden's stepmom who Auden is sure to hate, and the girls working at Clementines, a little boutique that Heidi owns. There, again, are many, many other characters in this book that have important roles. These ones, in my mind, are the most important. If you want, I'll make a character list* in the footnotes. So see footnotes. Moving on, Auden is basically the epitome** of a studyholic***. All she ever does is study and get good grades, to the point of where her friends have stopped inviting her places. She decides to spend the summer with her dad, stepmom, and their baby for the summer, in an attempt to be more interesting. There, she meets three girls who are completely girly, and the opposite of anyone Auden would want to be friends with. These girls, along with some of the local boys, along with Heidi, her brother, and many other people, help Auden break free of her boring, study-freak self.
The genre of this book is definitely teen romance. It's 383 pages long. The thing with this book is, you either love it, or you don't. I, personally (as I said earlier), love it. If you like books about "real" things, you'll love it, too. I'd rate it 9 of 10, because it had a bit in there that could have easily been omitted due to it's irrelevance. So go on and read, Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. And remember, you read it here, at Great Books For Teen Girls****!

The next book that I plan to review is called Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern. I'm reading it now, so you can hope (I hope, actually) that I review it soon. Or at all. But don't worry, because I will!

*I changed my mind, there are too many characters for this. But if you read it, you can figure them out for yourself!

**Dictionary Definition: noun

1 ( the epitome of) a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type : she looked the epitome of elegance and good taste.***Not a real word, but it seemed to fit well here.****It was a lame thing to say, but it seemed to work...at the time...