Along For the Ride - Almost Finished

As I continue to read this book, I see the characters develop more. I am continuously learning something new about them, or finding something that reinforces their personality further. For example, I already knew that Auden didn't have much of a childhood - her parents, mainly her mother, molded her into an adult from the time she was very young. It seemed that Auden didn't mind this, probably because she didn't expect to be treated any differently. She appears to have been a very thoughtful and considerate child, explaining to Eli that she never woke her parents up to get her water because "[They] needed their sleep" (271). In the long run, her parents had a negative effect on her considering the fact that they got divorced. Auden is not as put together as she once was, and she seems embarrassed to display her emotions in front of people. It is probably a new feeling for her; one that is uncomfortable. She opens up in front of Eli, though, showing her comfort around him and he handles the situation very well. He does what his mom always did when his sisters cried: bake rice krispie treats. Eli is a very caring person, but people don't always get to see that under his sad exterior. People aren't always what they seem...they can change and grow. Sarah Dessen does a great job of fulling developing characters, and I enjoy seeing how things unfold.