Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Published by: Viking on May 5th, 2015
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 417
Format: eBook
Source: Borrowed from the library

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Summary (from Goodreads): Peyton, Sydney’s charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion’s share of their parents’ attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton’s increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Review: This was my first Sarah Dessen book. After hearing people rave about her novels I decided to give this one a go. I was not disappointed! This was such a realistic contemporary read and nothing felt convenient or unreasonable. The books took its time and I got to see the characters develop.

Not only is it this sort of coming of age tale, the main character is dealing with being invisible to her family as her “criminal” brother is always at the forefront. Being invisible is a relatable feeling and seeing Sydney make herself seen by her family and others made this read greater.

Ames was a dick of a character that I feel a lot of girls deal with and I was glad when the situation finally was brought to light with her parents. Every time he came into the picture I found myself cringing and wishing someone would do something.

I can’t say I relate to the parents in this one as mine have never been that strict or controlling over aspects of my life. My heart was breaking when over one thing they took everything away from her. I wanted to scream at the mother.

As for the romance, I thought it was cute and happened naturally. There was no insta-love which is always a bonus.

I’m not usually a contemporary fan as I like to be sucked into the past with historical fiction or into some made up world but if her others read like this one I will gladly pick up another.

Rating:

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