Another Ride
First thing first: I love Sarah Dessen. She is a remarkable YA author, and writes with a distinct style and her books have substance. More than I can say for some other YA writer's out there. (I do NOT have a specific vampire novelist in mind...)
Anyway, Sarah Dessen is dependable. Her work is always something I can come back to after a literary dry spell. That being said, this book in particular wasn't my favorite. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be, which is why I was in no rush to read it. I waited for it to come to me...and then it was time.
It's about Auden, a girl having the summer of her life before going off to college in the fall. Auden is a studious girl, her parents always have valued academics over fun, so much that Auden never got the childhood she deserved. While she is staying with her father's new wife and baby for the summer in a quiet beach town, she meets Eli-- a fellow insomniac and a former BMX-er (yes, that's a word) with some issued. Together, they just might be what the other one needs.
The characters, with the exception of Eli, were awesome. It has always amazed me how Sarah can give each character such a specific personality. They are complex, flawed, likable, and fun. And they all have their issues. But then there was Eli....him and me just never hit it off, okay? Auden was a little predictable, but hey, aren't they all? (Props for using a quote from the book)
The writing was good. There were many moments of what I call "quotable material". Although sometimes, Auden's thoughts would jump from the past to the present, and the transistion wasn't always smooth. One moment she will be working, the next spent with Eli, then it will go back to her working. My easily-confused brain took a while to figure that out.
But *sigh* the plot....Sarah, can't we spice it up a little? This is coming from a long-devoted fan. Sure, this book is awesome to a girl who hasn't read the same thing five times before, but that's not me. I'm sure if you read more than one Sarah Dessen book, you know the formula. Girl with personal issues does something out of character, leading to new experiences, new quirky friends, and of course, a sweet sensitive guy with issues of his own. She grows and develops as a person for while until something bad happens that sends her back into her little hole. Then she reaches some epiphany and everything is all happy again.
One thing I loved was all the little Easter eggs hidden through-out. We get returning characters from Keeping the Moon and The Truth about Forever, which are my two favorites. I love cameo appearances. They make my soul happy.
Anyway, did I like it? Yes, I did become absorbed. Was it my favorite? No. Oh and I have a rating clarification. I would give it 3.5 stars if it was possible. It feels like more than a three, but giving it a four seemed too misleading.
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