Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Auden West (named after the poet W.H. Auden) is a studious girl poised between the end of high school and the beginning of college. She goes to a coastal town to spend the summer with her not-very-attentive professor father, his young new wife, and their screaming newborn baby. While juggling family responsibilities and disappointments, super-responsible Auden meets some local teens and for the first time starts to have some normal teenage fun--including going bowling, having a food fight, and learning to ride a bike. She finds a kindred spirit in Eli, a fellow night owl, and they go on quests to have the fun Auden never had as a child. Elia and Auden both have issues to work through and they find a solid friendship in each other. Dessen writes with depth and empathy and this is a story that thoughtful girls in both middle and high school will enjoy.