One of the things I liked most about this book was how none
of the characters were perfect. Usually,
I’ve found, the protagonist’s love interest and/or best friend and/or sibling is
held on a sort of pedestal as being flawless.
As always having the answers, having everything figured out, and they
help the protagonist in their journey to find themselves. Sure, the reader gets the same satisfaction
of seeing the main character change as the story progresses, but it just isn’t
the same as seeing two flawed people work things out together. And frankly, the first option just isn’t
realistic. No human is perfect, and so
no character should be perfect either. I
can admit that in Along for the Ride, Eli, the main character’s friend/love interest
(no spoilers, this is obvious from the back cover) is flawed, but it shows less
than Auden’s flaws. Which is perfectly
reasonable seeing as the story is told from Auden’s perspective and Eli is
characterized as a quiet loner from the beginning. So while we see more of Auden’s flaws because
we’re in her head, my previous point stands because we see and get to know Eli
with his flaws and problems and insecurities.
He’s real, she’s real, and that helps make this story more real.
While most of the characterization in the story was
wonderfully done (none of the character’s blended together and I cared about
the little side stories), I found the parents to be a little flat. Auden’s mother, father, and step mother all
felt like their story lines were there to remind the reader of Auden’s internal
conflict. She could be cold and kind of
a bitch like her mother, she could settle down and start popping out kids like
her step mother, or she could wrap herself up in her studies like her
father. I acknowledge that Auden’s
parental relationships are directly tied to the flaws that make her so
realistic, I just wanted to see a little less of them and more of Auden’s
thoughts about them and what they’ve done with their lives. Along for the Ride is set in that seemingly
magical summer between high school and college and I think Auden comparing the
different paths the adults in her life have taken could have been an
interesting way to show more of her character.
Basically, the parents could have been used to further the character
development of the protagonist but I feel like they’re more props that Dessen
put into the story to give it some more action and emotion and it fell flat for
me.
Role of the parents aside, I absolutely loved this
book. It was in the running as my
favorite Sarah Dessen book, but This Lullaby still holds that title (which I highly recommend, by the way). This is a smooth read with a satisfying ending. There were parts where I held my breath, waiting for the resolution that I expected and then had to wait a little longer for Dessen to turn my expectations into something even better. A fast read, an emotional read, a tender read, a must read.
A must read, perfect for summer
383 pages
Rating: 4/5
