Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (383 pages)
Auden is spending her last summer before college in a lazy beach town with her father, his wife, and their new baby. She hasn’t spent much time with her father since the divorce, and staying with her super-intelligent mother is driving her crazy. She expects it to be a summer away where she can be alone and prepare for college, but things don’t always go according to the plan! Auden makes some friends while doing accounting at her stepmother’s clothing shop, she meets a mysterious loner boy who is an insomniac like she is, and she actually grows attached to her new stepsister. She also doesn’t expect to relive the feelings she had when her parents were constantly fighting and on the verge of separation. She learns some serious life lessons about enjoying the little things in life and not taking your family for granted.
Miss Simer’s Rating: ***
