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Overall Summary

Along for the Ride (2009) is a young adult novel about Auden West, who never gets to sleep at night because of her parents’ fighting. Because of this and other things like not being able to ride a bike, she misses out on some experiences that many kids have. She ends up going away to college in Defriese University but before that happens, she receives a package from her brother Hollis while he’s touring Europe with his band. He asks if she can spend time with their father before he leaves and so Auden decides to go visit him for the summer where they live in Colby Beach. However, when she arrives there it seems unlikely that they’ll get any quality time together since he’s working on another book which takes most of his attention.

One night, Auden goes down to the Tip, a stretch of beach that is known for being a teenage hang out spot. She meets Jake, who she eventually ends up hooking up with. Auden feels guilty about it the next morning and decides to leave Colby for home. Early that morning, Auden helps her stepmother get some rest by watching her daughter while Heidi runs an errand for work.

Once Auden and Heidi arrive at the boutique, Maggie, one of Heidi’s employees walks in. Leah and Esther are also there. They tell Maggie that Auden hooked up with Jake, who is her ex-boyfriend. Auden tries to defend herself by saying she has no feelings for him and they’re not together now.

The next day, the family went to a restaurant called Last Chance. They had to stop at Heidi’s boutique before going there, and Auden’s father was annoyed about being pulled away from his book. He became even more irritated when he couldn’t find Thisbe’s pacifier in the car. When they got to the restaurant, they were waiting for Heidi when Eli came by and gave Thisbe her pacifier back. He also helped soothe her down by taking her outside with him while Auden stayed inside with Heidi. Afterward, she thanked Eli, who left immediately after that. She then told Auden that Eli ran a bike shop nearby her boutique, and that he has a little brother named Jake around Auden ’ s age.

Auden realized instantly what was going on – this must be the kid whose name she accidentally called out during sex!

The two adults at dinner start a fight, which they delay finishing so that the family can finish their meal. Auden is used to this routine and waits outside for two hours before returning home when the argument reaches its peak. Auden hears her father admit he wanted Auden to visit because she’s good with Thisbe. She leaves again conflicted about Heidi, who defended her, but returns home late at night to help Heidi get back on track financially. Heidi offers Auden a job organizing the store’s books, and she accepts after biting remarks from her father.

Auden is treated well at work, but her mother isn’t happy with the store or Heidi. Auden defends Heidi and says that she’s changed. Later on, Auden goes to a party thrown by her coworkers where she runs into Eli again. They learn that they both have nocturnal habits and keep running into each other. The two of them spend time together doing things like bowling which Auden had never done before, and eventually kiss for the first time in a bar one day after Maggie agrees to help teach Auden how to ride a bike.

Jason, Auden’s ex prom date, comes back into her life. She feels uncomfortable with how much she is changing and decides to break off her friendship with Eli. Jason asks Auden out again but she turns him down. Later they run into each other and make up, then go to the Beach Bash together where they have a great time. At the end of the novel Auden gets back together with Eli