Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
This is the first e-book I’ve ever read but I don’t have any specific device for reading e-books so I just read this one on my computer. Obviously, that’s not an ideal way to read a book but the ease of getting the book from the library and not having to remember to return it was pretty nice. I’ve definitely been an anti-e-book kind of girl and I’m still not planning on buying a dedicated device but I’m starting to see the appeal.
Anyway, Auden, whose divorced parents are both a little self-involved, decides to spend the summer before heading off to university, with her father and his new wife and infant child. When she arrives, she’s surprised to find her normally put-together step-mother, on the couch looking like she hasn’t slept or showered in a few days and not so surprised to find her father completely oblivious to the stress his wife is feeling. As Auden tries to come to terms with what’s going on a home, she begins to form friendships with some of the locals who have issues all their own.
I loved this book. There is something so comforting about Sarah Dessen’s novels. She’s so good at telling basically the same story over and over but still making it a completely new and different story (if you know what I mean). Her main characters are always individuals, they never feel like the same character from book to book (which a lot of authors that are a prolific as her tend to do). And the story is always unique. And her writing is just so easy to read. It just flows. I can read through her books so quickly and not even realize how much I’ve just read because it’s just so effortless. Someday I’m going to run out of Sarah Dessen books to read and that’s going to be a very sad day for me!
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Seventeen-year-old Ruby has been living alone ever since her negligent mother disappeared. She’s been doing just fine, thank you very much (or so she thinks). Eventually, the authorities discover her and she’s forced to move in with her older sister who she hasn’t seen or heard from in ten years. Ruby’s sister Cora is married and rich. Suddenly Ruby is attending an exclusive private school and living in a giant house. But her mother has always taught her to be independent and not let anyone too close. The novel is about how she comes to realize that it’s okay to let people in and let them care for you.
This was my favourite Dessen book so far. I loved the characters and the story. This story really had the potential to be lame and super cheesy but it wasn’t at all. I really liked how she told this story. I’m not sure if I can explain it without giving too much away, but basically everything didn’t magically get better just because she had money all of a sudden. And everyone has problems, not just poor people.
I also really like this cover. The pink part is the dust jacket and the blue part is on the cover of the actual book. It’s pretty cool, right?
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen is one of those authors I probably wouldn’t ever have discovered if it weren’t for book blogs. As soon as I got into the world of book blogs though, her name kept popping up. And yet, it’s taken me since April of last year to finally pick one up! Now that I have, I will definitely be reading more though.
It’s the first day of school and Annabel is nervous. Something happened last spring(which the reader doesn’t find out about until much later in the novel) that caused a rift between Annabel and her friends. At lunch, she finds herself, alone, sitting near a mysterious, intimidating boy. This becomes their routine, never speaking but always eating lunch “together”. Eventually, of course, Annabel and the boy begin talking and find themselves becoming friends. Also, as the semester goes on she faces what happened last spring and learns some things about herself along the way.
I loved this book. It was exactly what I was expecting. It was kind of like chick lit but YA, so maybe YA chick lit? It was nothing super profound or anything but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the point. It was just a fun, entertaining story. And it was well written. (To me, there is nothing more unforgivable than poor writing, in ANY genre.) I’m not sure what else to say about this book because it was perfect. I can’t think of anything I disliked (except maybe the cover. When I googled the cover I found that there was a much better one out there. Too bad my copy didn’t have that one!)
