Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen--Review

ALONG FOR THE RIDE by  SARAH DESSEN

Movie Rating: PG-13 for language & sensuality
Book Rating: @@
Swearing: lots of uses of b***, h***, d*** (i think that was it)
Inappropriate Scenes: a guy feels a girl's body but it doesn't do into detail
# of Pages: 383 (hardcover)
Genre: YA contemporary romance
Publisher: VIKING
LLFTB: what you do for yourself can sometimes hurt lots of other people

Back Blurb:

  Riding a bike is only one of the many things Auden's missed out on. Even before her parent's divorce, she was cast in the role of little adult, never making waves, focusing on academics to please her demanding mother.
  Now she's spending the summer before college in the tiny beach town of Colby with her father and his new wife and baby. A job in a trendy boutique introduces her to the world of girls, their friendships, conversations, romances. And then there's Eli, an intriguing loner. A former star on the bike circuit and a fellow insomniac, Eli introduces Auden to the nocturnal world of Colby. Together they embark on a quest: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli, to put a tragic episode behind him. Combine two lonely people with a charming beach town and an endless supply of long summer nights, and just about anything can happen.

"You know, if you don't know how to ride a bike, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Eli said.

" I can ride a bike," I said. " I just.....I haven't had the opportunity in a while."

My Review:

  I read this book because it's one of the few covers in the Teen Romance genre that really pulled me in. I looked up my friend's reviews on GoodReads and they said they loved it, so I picked this book up. Mistake. I probably would've enjoyed the book more if (1) there wasn't so much swearing, (2) there wasn't so many scenes with kids getting drunk, (3) if the dad was nicer and not such a jerk, and (4) if there wasn't so much talk about going to clubs and parties. For some reason, my 'carefree teenage life' does NOT consist of going into a club (underage), getting drunk, and roaming around town in the middle of the night. That doesn't sound carefree to me. Do you know how many things can happen if you get a 17 year old out by herself at night? Do you know how many creeps and perverts are out? What happens if, while you're living your 'carefree teenage life', you get pregnant? That baby's never going to go away. Abortion? Did you know that most of the mom's that have abortions wreck their bodies and can't have any more children until after extensive surgery is done? Did you know that most mom's never get over killing a their little child and go into such a deep depression they can't get out of it and commit suicide? What happens if you're living your 'carefree teenage life' one night. You get drunk, decide to drive home and hit someone's car and kill them? All of a sudden your 'carefree teenage life' is gone and now you have to live with killing someone at the age of 17. (Eli should have known the consequences of getting drunk and driving) And Auden's dad really really really really really really irritated me! I wish someone would have told him off and I would probably have been happy if he's died or something....

P.S.--I <3 the name Auden. I know she was named after a poet or writer or something but I just love the name, Auden. :)