Along for the Ride. Rachel Meinke. 2021. [August] 352 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: "Excuse me?" a voice asked behind me. I turned to see a young girl, a bright smile on her face. "Could you take our picture?"
Premise/plot: Katelyn Jackson, our heroine, has a pop star for a brother. Everyone is swooning over Connor Jackson. As for Katelyn she's a bit annoyed that her life is almost always being put on hold so the family can focus on Connor. Take this summer. She'll be going on the road with him--the whole family is--and well, her soccer is almost an afterthought. But how much can she really complain when Skyline (her favorite, favorite, favorite band) is an opening act for her brother. Jesse (22), Aaron (20), Ross (18) and Zach (17? 16?) are a brother act. (Last name Matthews) And Katelyn gets all swoon-y thinking of Zach. Going on tour with her brother means she'll get a chance to get to know Zach (and all his brothers). Yet life doesn't always run smoothly...
My thoughts: This one is sporty-sport teen romance. (The sport is soccer). If you are only looking for sports, all the romance stuff might not suit. If you are only looking for romance, the sports talk might not suit. The sports does balance the book; if it was just Katelyn being along for the ride and watching the same acts night after night after night, it might be a little too repetitive.
Expect *some* melodrama. There's a scene that is a little over the top that makes Katelyn super unlikable. But. In a way that is real life. Sometimes people are just in a MOOD. And you need to learn how to look for cues and clues. Zach learns this the hard way when approaching Katelyn when she's in a FOUL, FOUL MOOD. Sometimes it's best to just back away slowly and not engage.
The book does tend toward the fluffier/sillier side. But it was a quick read.
© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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