Along For The Ride Review: Dessen Adaptation Is As Good As To All The Boys

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Netflix's latest teen-focused romance movie is Along for the Ride, based on the 2009 Sarah Dessen novel of the same name. It's the first of Netflix's adaptations of Dessen's popular young adult novels, with the streaming service having optioned the rights for two others, This Lullaby and Once and For All. For its part, Along for the Ride also serves as the directorial debut of Sofia Alvarez, who penned the script as well. The filmmaker wrote Netflix's wildly popular teen rom-com To All the Boys I've Loved Before and its sequel, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You — both of which were also based on young adult novels, though by Jenny Han. Along for the Ride follows in its stead. Along for the Ride captures the magic of young adulthood and first love, delivering a relatable coming of age story with a sweet romance.

The movie follows 18-year-old Auden West (Emma Pasarow), who goes to stay with her father Robert (Dermot Mulroney) in the small beachside town of Colby during the summer after graduating high school. But with her father focused on his new novel and her stepmother Heidi (Kate Bosworth) preoccupied with their new baby, Auden spends most of her time working in Heidi's clothing boutique and staying up late. One night, Auden meets the mysterious Eli (Belmont Cameli), who shows her the best spots to go late at night in Colby. With Eli's help, Auden embarks on a quest to have more normal teen experiences after spending much of her high school years focused on work and impressing her mother Victoria (Andie MacDowell). Along the way, Auden learns more about Eli, befriends the girls who work at her stepmother's store — Maggie (Laura Kariuki), Leah (Genevieve Hannelius) and Esther (Samia Finnerty) — and discovers the