When something’s difficult to come by, you’ll do that much more to make sure it’s even harder―or impossible―to lose. She is a quiet and smart girl who lived with her mother after her parents' divorce, devoting herself to schoolwork in an attempt to please her perfectionist of a mother.

Similarly, Auden doesn't plan to start working at Heidi's boutique, Clementine's, until she's in Colby and sees how an overwhelmed Heidi is trying to balance the financial side of the business with taking care of her newborn. Before heading off to college, Auden decides to spend her summer before college with her father, his wife and their new baby. While waiting for Heidi at the diner, Auden is prompted by her father to take care of Thisbe outside. But as Auden gets to know the people in the small town around her, especially Eli who is alike Auden in so many ways but still a mystery to her, she grows into a person who is so unlike her mother and unlike her father that she can’t be described as anyone but herself. After receiving a package from her brother Hollis who is touring Europe, she decides to take up her father's offer to spend her summer before college in the beach town Colby.Yet Auden engages in these romantic moments not just because of lust, but also because of a growing awareness of herself as a multi-faceted woman. I think Auden and Eli liked each other so much because they have so much in common but are so different at the same time. When Robert implies that Heidi asked Auden to visit to be a babysitter, Heidi states she invited her so Robert could spend time with his daughters. From Jason’s chat about college preparation, Auden feels behind on school and suddenly views Eli as a distraction. Auden starts her summer with rigid ideas about what it means to be a “smart girl” versus a “girly girl” and sees very little room for those identities to overlap.

He and his best friend since grade school, Abe, rode bikes together in competitions until Abe died in a car accident where Eli was driving.He convinces her to put on her never-worn prom dress and takes her to the beach, where their friends surprise her with a "beach bash"-themed prom under the pier. Auden’s father, a novelist and professor of creative writing, struggles with his own creative process and tends to blame those around him when the words won’t flow. It is this misconception that Auden has to contend with throughout the summer as she learns to broaden her perception of other girls. He sends one of the girls he had been met in Greece and was casually seeing to deliver a graduation present to Auden: a picture frame from a market in Greece that said "The Best of Times" containing a picture of Hollis in it.

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. The baby, spending most of its time crying, was an interesting touch and I certainly felt for Heidi as she struggled to care for it without the support of her husband. She doesn’t understand why girls might be interested in boys, fashion, music, clubbing – none of that stuff has been a part of Auden’s life. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.Auden leaves for another three hours and is unsure whether to feel grateful or not for Heidi defending her. Parents need to know that Along for the Ride offers a realistic portrayal of teen life that includes drinking, romance, and some non-graphic sex.

Sarah Dessen is a Young Adult (YA) romance staple for many, including myself when I was a teenager, so I was delighted when I heard that my favorite book by her was being made into a movie! They remind me of an ensemble cast from a TV show -- one that's perfectly chosen and flawlessly acted.

But now Auden’s realised that there must be more to life, and just like that, she changes everything. Her mother apologizes for expecting Auden to be like her and for any negative effects of the divorce. Eighteen-year-old Auden West, a recent high school graduate, goes to stay with her father Robert in the small beachside town of Colby, wanting to spend a carefree summer reinventing herself before she leaves for college.