Monday Movie Reviews: Netflix's Along For the Ride (2022)

A Romantic Drama based off the book “Along For The Ride” by Sarah Dessen; The summer before college, studious Auden meets mysterious Eli.  On a nightly adventure he helps her experience the carefree teen life she was missing.

I just finished watching Netflix’s Along for the Ride, a movie based on the Sarah Dessen book of the same name I read when it first came out in 2009. As I was watching it, though, I realized I don’t remember much about the book other than Auden has a somewhat boyfriend at the beginning of the book that was in another Sarah Dessen book as well. That was the only thing I remembered, and I realized they had changed that for the movie. I usually remember the books I read very well. Or at least I used to.  

With that all aside, let me briefly explain the movie with a short synopsis. Auden, this smart, awkward pretty girl who suffers from insomnia goes to a small town, Colby (a fictional beach town created by Sarah Dessen in her books) to stay with her dad, step-mom, and new baby sister the summer before going to college. There she meets a fellow insomniac, an emotionally damaged ex-pro BMX rider, Eli, who works at the local bike shop. He ends up being her guide around town, usually at night, and doing something that Auden never allowed herself to do, have fun and be childish.

Overall, I enjoyed this teen Netflix movie. I found Auden overly awkward, something I do not remember about the character in the book but again, don’t really remember the book, so that makes sense. I squealed, yes, I actually squealed when they finally kissed as I felt that they really earned it and built up to that important moment between them. I did not cry when the characters cried, which for me was unusual as this is coming from someone who cries at the drop of a hat and can bawl her eyes out from a semi-sad commercial or normally when I see someone else crying, not the case in this movie. I would say that I wasn’t fully involved or connected with Eli’s sad backstory, it was talked about, but I feel like it would have been more impactful shown as this was a movie, and we did get to see at least one scene of Eli alone thinking about what he’s lost due to his past actions. Seeing that would have been a little hard in the book as it was exclusively in Auden’s POV, I had hoped that it would be included as a scene instead of just mentioned by a secondary character. I would have liked to understand his story fully with flashbacks or more than one YouTube video watched by Auden. I’m sure if I did, I would have been crying along with Eli as he breaks down and finally starts to overcome the past and move on. 

I liked that this was just a movie about a summer of change and emotional healing which is on par with Sarah Dessen. Auden is dealing with the residual feelings from her parents’ divorce years before and Eli is moving on from the lost of his best friend. Even though, the movie deals with some serious issues, it’s not at all in a heavy or draining way. Don’t expect too much from this other than a quick and enjoyable movie similar to how it feels to read most of Sarah Dessen's books.

 

I’ve had problems with how Teen Netflix movies have been ending as of late. They, usually make such a big deal of having to choose because their boyfriends and their dream college (To All The Boys I Loved and Kissing Booth) and they always seem to give up the guy for school after making a big dilemma about it through the whole movie or movies. This movie doesn’t do that. I appreciate how it ends with her off to college and him off living his dream but still in contact with each other. It’s simple and sweet.

There’s a plot line about her dad that I don’t feel was fully resolved with Auden though it’s clear that he has changed for the better by the end. This is shown as he’s finally spending time with his new wife and helping out with his youngest daughter. I would have liked a scene of him apologizing to Auden and realizing his mistakes as her father. Especially since this character was writing a book on parent-child relationships and he was obviously lacking in that department. I just think he should have acknowledged that with a conversation with Auden. She kind of got that with her mom but definitely not her dad, which I feel was needed. 

    

I would recommend this to Sarah Dessen fans for sure, I would love to see more of her books made into movies. I would also recommend to fans of teen movies based on books which seems to be Netflix’s M.O. lately. 

Want to pick up the book first?