Inspired by her wander-lusting older brother, recent high school graduate Auden West decides to spend the summer with her father, as well as his wife Heidi and their new baby Thisbe, in a small beach town named Colby. After meeting some girls her age who work at Heidi’s store, Auden realizes that she missed out on some typical high school social experiences (e.g., prom, sleepovers, parties, sports, etc.) because of the intense focus on academics that her parents encouraged. Also, due to her parents fighting and eventual divorce, Auden can’t fall asleep at night. So, when Auden meets fellow insomniac Eli, a competitive biker who is struggling with the sudden loss of his best friend Abe, Eli encourages Auden to go on a “quest” to complete some of the “typical” childhood experiences that Auden missed out on (like learning to ride a bike, having a paper route, playing kickball, getting into a club, bowling, etc.). But when more conflict arises in Auden’s family, just as Auden is learning how to open-up and make real connections, Auden must fight against the urge to shut everyone out again. I decided to pick-up a copy of this book after seeing the trailer for the upcoming Netflix movie adaptation that releases on May 6th. Along for the Ride is a coming-of-age teen/ YA novel dealing with themes such as insomnia, divorce, death and loss, loneliness, family and family conflict, academia and stress, identity, selfishness, and friendship/ relationships. The quests in Along for the Ride were reminiscent of the wanders in All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, the dares in Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson, the dares in the Dash & Lily books by Cohn and Levithan, and the bucket list items in The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott.
For me personally, I felt like Along for the Ride fell short of the hype and my expectations. Furthermore, it seemed like too much of the beginning of the book was dedicated to setting the scene (e.g., Auden moving in with her dad, meeting her new baby sister and stepmother, exploring her new surroundings, etc.) and I felt like it was a long time before anything interesting started to happen between Auden and Eli. I was also a bit disappointed with Auden’s “quests”; in comparison to Emily’s dares in Since You’ve Been Gone for example (e.g., kissing a stranger, stealing, skinny dipping, etc.), I just felt like Auden’s quests weren’t as exciting to read about. I also wish that there was a little less of Auden’s parents’ drama/ conflicts and a little more of Eli’s story. Additionally, I found it shocking and unrealistic that none of Auden’s parental figures noticed that she was staying out all night and not sleeping (which would have been especially challenging during the school year due to daytime classes). Lastly, I thought that the playlist included at the end of Along for the Ride was (understandably) a bit dated – but I’m looking forward to seeing what songs are going to be on the movie adaptation’s soundtrack!
Overall, this book was a good read, but, in my opinion, it didn’t live up to the hype and it was geared towards more of a younger audience (high schoolers and recent high school graduates). But I’m definitely interested in comparing the book to the movie adaptation when it comes out in a few weeks.
Will you be picking up a copy of Along for the Ride and/ or watching the movie adaptation when it comes out on May 6th? Links: Click HERE to add Along for the Ride to your "Goodreads" TBR! Click HERE to watch the trailer for the Along for the Ride movie adaptation!
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