Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Auden hasn’t slept at night since her parents divorce. The daughter of a university professor and a national book award finalist, Auden is your classic overachiever, studious and serious. Suddenly yearning for something different then a summer of preparing for her fall college classes, Auden decides to pack up and go spend the summer with her father and his new family. Things at her father’s aren’t quite what Auden expected between Thisbe’s (her new baby half-sister) constant screaming, Heidi (her stepmother’s) eminent breakdown, and her father’s withdrawal from his family situation. Auden reverts back to her old habits of secluding herself and late night wandering. When she runs into Eli on one of her late nights, she finds another night owl with his own baggage. The two connect and Eli sets them on a quest to give Auden a second chance at the childhood she missed out on.

Sarah Dessen has found her niche, her stories may follow the same formula but they are always outstanding and she keeps getting better. She has created an interesting and likeable cast of characters who have an amazing depth to them. Her settings are immaculately constructed and truly evoke a sense of place and time. One of the biggest flaws with this book is its cover- the clothing (Auden does not wear pink) and the bike are ALL WRONG and this will not escape the notice of any teen reader.