“I bent down, kissing his forehead, and he looked up at me and smiled. Then I slid in opposite him as the waitress approached, filling the mug beside me. As I picked it up, it was warm in my hands, and I felt his hand move onto my knee. Morning would come before we knew it. It always did. But we still had the night, and for now, we were together, so I just closed my eyes and drank it all in.”

When you read Along For The Ride, by Sarah Dessen you experience a moving story of how life can change because of love, friends, and family. When Auden moves for the summer to live with her dad and stepmother in Colby on the beach, she isn’t expecting much. Auden soon takes a job for her stepmom of doing the payrolls at Clementines. Having no friends is something Auden is used to, but that changes over time when she comes to Colby. She soon meets Eli who, like her, stays up all night. Will Eli change how she looks at life, and be able to convince her that life isn’t perfect so she should enjoy every minuet of it?

When Sarah Dessen writes, she can take her words and make you feel as though you are hearing the character talk to you. The way she writes pulls you in, and makes you feel like your part of the book, standing in the pages watching the whole scene play out. I like the way Dessen uses dialog. Through her dialog I can always hear her voice or the voice of the character, which makes it just as if the whole story was true. I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It was a quick easy read that left you wanting more. This book would be great for mature, young adult readers, who like a story of love, friendship, and family!