Review: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride

Overview –

Along for the Ride

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: April 2011
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Format: Paperback , 432pp
  • Sales Rank: 843
  • Age Range: Young Adult

Synopsis

Ever since her parents began fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Now, spending a summer at a charming beach town with her father and his new family, she has to find new places to pass the time she spends awake. And so she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nighttime guide. Together, they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she has missed; for Eli, to come to terms with the death of a friend. In her trademark blockbuster-style, Sarah Dessen creates a powerful and irresistible story of two people learning how to connect.

My Thoughts

This the first Sarah Dessen book I had read and I must say that I am thrilled to find an author this good.  I picked up this book this morning and could not put it down.  The story of a young woman, Auden, who has always been a little adult focused on her future and the new and life changing experiences she goes through when she visits her dad, step-mother and new baby stepsister in Colby.  I can totally relate to Auden and her lack of social experience.  I could understand her feelings and the choices she made because it is exactly what I would have done.  I love the town of Colby and the girls that Auden meets there.  They take her in even if she did make a huge mistake of making out with Jake the first night she is in town.  That very same night she see a boy doing tricks on the boardwalk but doesn’t know who he is.  Auden learns that his name is Eli and he is going through a difficult time since the summer before his best friend, Abe, died in a car accident where he was the driver.
This is a wonderful story of a girl chance to take control of her life and really live.  There is a perfect amount of detail in the story and many different story lines moving at the same time.  I enjoyed that the story was not just a romance but really that of finding friendship, family, yourself and love all at the same time.  It is a story of taking chances and growing.

My Rating 

4.5 stars a great simple fun loving read!  Check it out!
*  I purchased this book and all opinions are my own.

In My Mailbox (26)

In My Mailbox is a meme created by The Story Siren.
I am happy to share with you what I got in my mailbox this week.  I hope you had a great mailbox week as well.  Please feel free to leave me a link and I will stop by and see you.
 
For Review:
 
 
Abandon
Thank you to Scholastic!
 
Won
 
A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your ManAn Affair Without EndEternal Kiss: Mark of the Vampire
 
Bought
 
Along for the RideArthur (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 3)
 
How was about you – What’s in Your Mail Box?  I would love to know so please leave me a link or comment!
 
 

Review: Fancy Pants by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Fancy Pants

Overview – 

 

Fancy Pants

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: June 1991
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback , 512pp
  • Sales Rank: 48,410

Synopsis

THEY’RE CAVIAR AND BEER. KEROSENE ON FIRE. AND THEY’RE FALLING HEAD-OVER-HEELS IN LOVE….
She was the most beautiful British bauble in Europe’s jet-set playgrounds. Now she’s broke, furious, and limping down a backwoods road in an ugly pink Southern Belle gown….
He was tall, lean, and all-American gorgeous. He liked his brews cold and women loved to keep him warm. Why in hell is he stopping his car for this woebegone, surly Scarlett?
Meet Francesca Day and Dallie Beaudine, two incredible characters whose tangled love affair is at the heart of this ravishing New York Times bestseller from award-winning author Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Come enjoy the adventure of a lifetime- an irresistible story that’s touching, hilarious, and hellcat-passionate. You’ll never forget Dallie and the sassy lady who needs a good swift kick in her…
 

My Thoughts

 
This book took me much longer to read that I was hoping that it would or than it should have so I have been trying to pin down exactly what it was that made it such a long read.  I think what it boiled down to was the book just did not move along a good rate.  It was very slow in part and seemed as thought there was too much background given for certain parts of the story.  While the story itself was kind of a different take on opposites drawn to each other and the stress and argument that go along with that situation.  The character were fun to get to know and so very very different.  Francesca starting off with everything, losing everything and then making herself whole again.  And Dallie, the pro golfer, who seems to be just a little to carefree and doesn’t seem to care about much.
 
At times, I felt like the story was pulled too thin and more background added to make the story work.  The story was pretty predictable but not in a bad way.  The book was worth the read but not something that I would pick up again and read in the future.  It was a one time read in my opinion.  
 
I enjoyed the different settings in this book.  Everything from the prime time in Europe, to middle of nowhere Texas, to New York City.  I enjoy seeing how each of these character would react in the different settings and what flaw they would bring out.
 
The banter and arguing in the book brought some great life to the characters and helped me to relate to each.  I could understand who they were using the banter to get their own goals accomplished. This made the book stronger.
 
Overall, this is classic romance story but for me it was a bit longwinded.
 

My Rating

 
3 stars.  Decent book but nothing outstandingly special.
*This book was provided to me from the Book Bloggers and Publishers Conference free of charge for my honest opinions.