Book Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

As some of you may know, I’m a huge lover of Sarah Dessen. Earlier this year, I realized that were two new Dessen books that I haven’t read yet: Once and For All and Saint Anything.

Out of these two, Saint Anything was the more enjoyable read for me.

“That’s the thing, though. You always think you want to be noticed. Until you are.”

One of the biggest of reasons I like Saint Anything more was because of the relationships, not only between Sydney and Mac, but Sydney’s friendship with Mac’s sister, Sydney’s parents, etc. Sure, some of the characters were creepy (Ames) or downright exaggerated delusional (Sydney’s mother), but all the personalities and the relationships formed (and unformed), added a level of reality that I really liked. I also liked that the possible romance between Sydney and Mac wasn’t necessarily the main focus when it came to the relationships. The novel explored the dynamic of Sydney’s whole family as well as Mac’s family.

“You only really fall apart in front of the people you know can piece you back together.”

The only thing missing from all of that is the dynamic of present Sydney and present Peyton. We mostly get tidbits from the months before and few current conversations, but it’s not as in-depth as I think it could have gone.

“Relationships evolve, just like people do. Just because you know someone doesn’t mean you know everything about them.”

Like any of Sarah Dessen’s other novels, I loved the themes in this one. Sydney has always lived in the shadow of her ‘golden’ older brother. Even when Peyton starts to make bad decisions and his behavior goes downhill; even when Peyton causes a terrible accident, all efforts continue towards helping Peyton. Sydney has felt invisible the majority of her life, particularly with her parents. Until she meets Layla, her brother Mac, and their family. Suddenly, Sydney doesn’t feel so invisible or alone.

“When faced with the scariest of things, all you want to do is turn away, hide in your own invisible place. But you can’t. That’s why it’s not only important for us to be seen, but to have someone to look for us, as well.”

This book is all about a young woman finally finding her place, her voice, and her ‘tribe’. It shows that these things are always possible for every person, you just have to take that first step sometimes.

While not perfect or as emotion inducing as some of my other favorite reads by Sarah Dessen, this was still a highly enjoyable read.

What was your reaction after reading Saint Anything?

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Sorry, I’m Booked 2017 Reading Challenge: Auto-Buy Author

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