Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything

by Sarah Dessen

A New York Times bestseller

A TIME Magazine Top 10 Children's Book of 2015

"Saint Anything is a poignant, honest story about how we might suffer the misfortune of someone else's bad choices, how people who love us can become family when we desperately need it, and how starting over might - miraculously - mean taking a solid leap forward." —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling novelist of Leaving Time and My Sister’s Keeper

Sydney has always felt invisible. She's grown accustomed to her brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family’s attention and, lately, concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a boy, Peyton’s serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her own, questioning her place in the family and the world.

Then she meets the Chatham family. Drawn into their warm, chaotic circle, Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance for the first time. There’s effervescent Layla, who constantly falls for the wrong guy, Rosie, who’s had her own fall from grace, and Mrs. Chatham, who even though ailing is the heart of the family. But it’s with older brother Mac—quiet, watchful, and protective—that Sydney finally feels seen, really seen, at last.

Saint Anything is Sarah Dessen’s deepest and most psychologically probing novel yet, telling an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.

Reviewed by Chelsea on

5 of 5 stars

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Initial Thoughts

I love everything Sarah Dessen has ever written so I was expecting to love it.

My New BFF

Sydney was a great character. She has all these family problems and she kind of just went through life while accepting that her brother would get the most attention. Eventually she figures out that she doesn’t want that to be the case any more and she starts to get a little defiant. I loved seeing her develop as she met all these new people. You can really see her change until the very end. It’s a great book for character development.

My Crush

Mac was a great love interest in this book.You can see he has some issues of his own but he has a stronger family life than Sydney and that’s what keeps him together. Seeing him choose his family over everyone else is refreshing. He still has a life though and can manage everything nicely. He’s just a nice guy in general. It’s great reading about the guy who isn’t perfect sometimes.

Writing Style

Sarah Dessen is great at characters. The plot was good too but it’s the characters that suck you in. She’s great at showing you that nobody is perfect and everyone has some sort of darker secret. It really shows you that things could be worse but will turn out great in the end. I’m a big fan of her happy endings even though it’s sometimes a rough path getting there.

Closing Thoughts

I don’t know if this is my favourite book of hers but it’s definitely at the top. I really love the little symbols she adds throughout the book like saint anything and the carousel from the cover. It makes it more interesting to read. Basically this is a cute book with a lot of family drama. It’s easy to relate to which makes it easy to love.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 May, 2015: Finished reading
  • 31 May, 2015: Reviewed