Review: "Along for the Ride" on Netflix

From beach read to summer flick, Netflix’s Along for the Ride offers a heartwarming story to help pass your summer days. The new film, written and directed by Sofia Alvarez, is based on bestselling author Sarah Dessen’s young adult novel of the same name. This review does include minor spoilers.

Along for the Ride

As an avid reader of Dessen’s work, I was excited to see another film adaptation of her books, which typically tell the stories of young women approaching the turning points of life around the end of high school or the cusp of college.

Along for the Ride is no different. After finishing high school, Auden, played by Emma Pasarow, travels to her father’s home in the fictional beach town of Colby, North Carolina, where she attempts to reinvent herself the summer before college. While her first attempts don’t go so well (briefly pitting her against her coworker Maggie, played by Laura Kariuki), Auden meets fellow insomniac Eli (played by Belmont Cameli), who encourages her to embrace the antics and joy of adolescence and childhood: a re-do, rather than a reinvention.

I think Netflix’s description sells the rest of it short: “On their nightly adventures, Eli challenges Auden to a quest to live out all her childhood dreams.” Partly due to the pacing, I think this quest takes a while to get moving in earnest; while Auden and Eli’s gradual romance is sweet to develop, some of the more compelling moments were with Auden’s other relationships.

For instance, I always loved the relationship between Auden and her stepmother, Heidi (played here by Kate Bosworth). In most scenes, Heidi is usually occupied with her newborn. She feels so much love and pride for Auden and is a supportive figure for her as Auden’s father is more aloof during his daughter’s visit.

Emma Pasarow as Auden, Laura Kariuki as Maggie, Samia Finnerty as Esther, & Genevieve Hannelius as Leah, around a car in Netflix's Along for the Ride. — ALONG FOR THE RIDE (2022), L to R: Emma Pasarow as Auden, Laura Kariuki as Maggie, Samia Finnerty as Esther, & Genevieve Hannelius as Leah. Cr. Emily V. Aragones / Netflix

Maggie, Auden’s coworker at the boutique shop, serves as a minor antagonist early in the film, which felt slightly unnecessary. However, the resolution of their tension pays off in nice heart-to-heart conversations they have later, which I enjoyed. Over the course of the film, they bond and become friends; I just wish that the friendships with Auden’s other coworkers and peers, Leah and Esther, were likewise fleshed out more.

While there are differences made for the ease of movie-storytelling, the film keeps at the heart of Auden and Eli’s journey. Overall, I enjoyed the film, despite its pacing, which seemed to mirror the hesitancy and uncertainty that Auden feels during this liminal time. Filmed in North Carolina (the setting for all of Dessen’s novels), it made me long for a beach day. While it may not take you on a wild quest, Along for the Ride is uncomplicated and offers easy-watching, letting you fondly recall those days of new friends and summer breaks, as you step away from real life.

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