Saint Anything By Sarah Dessen

Last weekend while enjoying our family getaway to Estes Park Colorado, we had the opportunity to live cabin life…meaning no TV!  This meant we all packed our favorite books, games and crafts to entertain ourselves while in the cabin.  To be honest, I love this type of getaway.  It is usually quite and relaxing and gives me plenty of time to sit down and get into a book.  

Over the years I have tried to do Reading Challenges and most of the time I would never meet my goal.  This year I am not going to do an official reading challenge but I am going to attempt to read more in 2017.  To start the New Year I started and completed a book by Sarah Dessen “Saint Anything”.  Yes, I read a book in one weekend…LOVE IT!!  

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen Book Review

I have been a fan of Sarah Dessen since college.  She write young adult fiction that really catches me and takes me into the book quickly.  Exactly what I need on my limited time.  Saint Anything might be my favorite Sarah Dessen book now.  She really outdid herself on this one.  

Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

When I read Sarah Dessen I do have to remind myself that the book is geared towards young adults.  I do enjoy the young adult literature because the books are usually pretty easy to really get into and are fast reads for me.  

But Saint Anything was way more than I expected.  This novel was so well written and the characters were perfectly done. The character development was pretty intense.  My only complaint about the characters is that there were a lot of pretty important characters to keep track of.  

I found myself wanting to scream at Sydney’s parents to look at her!  Pay attention to her!  And as a mother myself it got me really thinking about being a parent.  The situation is unimaginable but I wish the parents would have dealt with it differently.  I loved seeing Sydney grow into a strong confident young woman through all of this family turmoil.  

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to escape from real life for a bit.  Seeing the family dynamics change, friendships evolve, love appear and personal growth emerge really made the book fantastic.  Well done Sarah Dessen!  

Do you have any books for me to add to my must read list for 2017?