Review: WHAT A RIDE!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2012
I just returned from a ride cross-country on a motorcycle!!  No - not really, but I FEEL like I did after reading "The Last Ride".  I thoroughly enjoyed this book!The main character is Camelia, a 14-year-old girl who looks like she's 11 and has already experienced a string of tragedies.  Her parents were killed in an accident, her flakey hippie-wannabe aunt has abandoned her, and she's facing possible foster homes.  She convinces her neighbor, Bear, a fifty-something guy, to take her along on his motorcycle ride to Sturgis, SD.  Her estranged grandparents live 30 miles from there, and she's hoping to convince them to take her in.  Bear and Camelia are joined by Bear's sister and her partner and they take off on the long ride.  I'm familiar with many of the places they pass through, so I was mentally enjoying the ride; the descriptions of the places were vivid and the characters were believable.  Some of their experiences along the way were perhaps a bit far-fetched, but I'm a firm believer in 'willing suspension of disbelief' when I read. I definitely recommend this book.