Saint Anything, by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything, by Sarah Dessen

Hey all! 

I just finished (my signed copy of) Saint Anything, by Sarah Dessen, and I have to day, that I was VERY nicely surprised! :D 

(Make sure to search “Saint Anything” in google images.. I’ve never seen google be so consistent! It’s great! XD ) 

Saint anything is about Sydney, a teenager that feels like she is completely being overshadowed by her famous older brother, Payton. He’s the most daring person she knows, so much so, that he ends up in jail...
Sydney’s life changes after this - she starts going to a different school, her friends grow away from her, but the world still revolves around her brother. She feels invisible until she makes a group of friends. Layla, who has the best way of eating fries, and who always falls for the wrong guy; Mac, Layla’s brother, who is quiet and super sweet; and their friends. It’s about how friendship can really help a person through hard times. 


This book made me happy. Despite it revolving around a pretty serious subject (jail sentence), Sydney’s story was incredibly fresh and light, with bursts of humor and light weaved through the more serious matters. The serious parts were still super serious, it wasn’t all nice and rosy, if that’s what you were understanding. (This is confusing, but it makes sense if you read it ^-^)

Sydney is a great character!! She is sweet and just wants things to go her way for once. She starts to get just that when Layla and Mac’s family basically takes her in as a friend. She is probably one of the most loyal characters ever, and one of the things she tries to do is help her friends, because they’ve always helped her, even when she didn’t need it. Oh and  she can tell what kind of people orders pizzas based on their order, likes root beer ‘yum yums’ and drives a fancy car =p 

Layla is awesome. She’s super quirky and funny, but always knows when Sydney is in need for any reason. It’s like she’s crazy and she totally assumes it! 

Mac is so sweet! Unlike a lot of romantic interests in novels these days, he isn’t portrayed as the most perfect person in the world. In fact, he’s in the background for the first half of the novel! He cares so much about everything, and is completely humble. 

Ames is the creepiest guy ever. That’s it. He’s basically Payton’s ‘best friend’, but he’s terrifying. 

All of the other characters are perfectly placed and perfectly characterized. Sarah Dessen is amazing at characterization, making each person realistic and believable. It was super easy to connect with the characters, feel what they were feeling, and understand their situation completely. 

The plot is simple but effective. I found it hard to put the book down :) The pace was perfect, and it was just a... cozy read. Yeah that’s a good word =p 

Guys, read this. If you are looking for a contemporary where no one dies, that’s not overdramatic, and that actually feels incredibly realistic, read this. 

Oh and btw now I really want John Green and Sarah Dessen to collaborate and write a novel together! :D 

I’m giving this a perfect 5/5 feathers! 

Have you read Saint Anything? Let me know! :D