I think I went into reading this with the wrong impression. I'd seen references under Stephanie Perkins' ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS that Sarah Dessen was queen of contemporary romantic YA, and since I LOVED Anna I knew I had to give Sarah's writing a whirl. 
 I have to say, while I enjoyed the story, I found the romantic angle to be lacking. But, like I said, maybe I was just under the wrong impression. Or perhaps this book is not one of the more romantic ones. 
 I liked Auden all right. For as smart as she was academically, she was pretty clueless about relationships--which she readily admits. The thing that got me was, for most of the story, it was okay with her to not be close to anyone. And the author really didn't give us w clear picture of Auden's emotions (imo). Even when she started hanging around Eli, I never felt that *tension* between them. I don't know, I guess I'm pretty picky when it comes to character chemistry. It also seemed to take a long time for Auden to change--practically to the very last page. She actually really annoyed me especially in the end when she wouldn't just go apologize to Eli. I really hate that ploy. But I did enjoy the scenes that she and Eli had together. Their banter was very sweet. 
 I really liked Heidi. She turned out to be quite intuitive considering how Auden initially described her. Auden's parents were horrendous though. They were both so selfish and childish. It was no wonder Auden couldn't be bothered to form bonds with people, not even her own parents seemed capable of showing her any attention. Her mother had slightly redeemed herself in the end, but her father never did in my eyes. 
 The girls she met, Leah, Maggie, and...I forget the other's name(!) were great. They really helped Auden to come out of her shell. I particularly liked Maggie. I was so happy that she could be a role model for Auden in how it was okay to be BOTH smart and girly. She really helped to get rid of the stereotype her mother had thrust on her all her life. 
 And then Eli. Sigh. I really liked Eli. He seemed very real and very sweet. I like a guy who acts like a guy, and one who has reasons for being withdrawn. He wasn't a bad boy, he wasn't a jerk, he was just broken and hurting. He needed a friend who could see him for all the things he was instead of someone who knew what he'd been through and looked at him with pity. Auden was able to be that for him. 
 Unfortunately, I felt like this story moved pretty slow, but maybe that's because I'm used to reading more fantasy and paranormal fiction. It just felt like the first...150 pages or so could have been condensed to maybe 40 or 50. There was a lot of *telling* and monotony. I understand why the author did it, I just don't think we needed so much. But maybe that's just me. 
 All in all this was a cute read. I'll probably try another of her books sometime.