Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Viking Juvenile (June 16, 2009)

Age group: Young Adult

Hardcover: 400 pages

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

Review: After the first chapter or two, I was immediately sucked in and I have to say that Along for the Ride is, I think, my favorite Sarah Dessen book right after This Lullaby.

Auden has always been academically smart as both her parents are proffesors and all. She hasn't had much of a social life. She goes to visit her dad and his new wife and her new baby sister for the summer. She begins working at her stepmother's botique shop and becomes friends with the other girls there.

There were so many things I enjoyed about this book . I loved the relationship between Auden and her brother, Hollis. I love great sibling interaction. I loved Audens feminist mindset!! I definitely caught on to her remarks! I could relate to that and a some other things. Like, the insomnia that both Eli and Auden faced. The romance was sweet. I loved parts with them together.

Sarah Dessen does it again! I can always count on her books to always get me in a good reading mood! If you haven't read Sarah Dessen, this is a great one to pick up!

Rating:

Characters: 5/5

Originality: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Writing: 5/5

Voice: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Favorite character: I loved so many characters in this book its hard to choose! I adored Maggie's character. She was one of the girls that worked in the botique.

Cover: C. Although it isn't my favorite cover, I think its okay. I think the picture without the models faces is a bit weird...

Thoughts: Oh such a good book! Sarah Dessen books always makes me think of summer and I can't wait for whatever she has next! 4 Stars

Breathing by Cheryl Renée Herbsman

Breathing by Cheryl Renée Herbsman

Publisher: Viking (April 16, 2009)

Hardcover: 265 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult

Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town working at the library and lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she’s convinced he’s the one—her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama’s strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he’s called away to help his family—and seems uncertain about returning—Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.

Review: Savannah's father walked out on her family long ago and her mother has been the one taking care of her and her brother Dog. Savannah is book smarts and has dreams of going onto bigger things as soon as she gets out of her small town. One summer day she meets a guy named Jackson on the beach and soon they find it hard to stay away from each other.

Herbsman writes a sweet, innocent and fast-paced story about first love and how teenagers can truly love one another. Jackson and Savannah are able to maintain their relationship even with the distance between them. Cheryl includes a lot of different things in her characters. For example, Savannah has severe asthma and throughout the book she ends up in the hospital because of it.

At times I found Savannah to be a bit over the top with her melodramatic behavior when she is apart from Jackson, but only just a bit. Jackson is a very sweet guy. He is talented at painting pictures and has a dream of becoming a painting one day. I felt that Jackson was a little too perfect, but again -only just a little.

As this book is in Savannah's POV, I couldn't get over her southern accent (as well as the others!) I haven't read many books set in the south so this was really different. I have to say the accent is a nice touch to the story and makes the setting more believable.

Rating:

Characters: 8/10

Originality: 8/10

Ending: 7/10

Writing: 8/10

Voice: 9/10

Plot: 7/10

Favorite character(s): Hmm. I'm not really sure if I had a favorite character, but I'll go with Savannah's mom. Her personality was one of a kind. I liked that she was a hard worker.

Cover: B. I think the cover is very pretty!

Overall: Breathing is such a sweet book about young love and will have you thinking about those summer days. 3.5 stars.