Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

the lowdown

Sydney has always felt invisible in the shadow of her older brother, Peyton. Peyton was always larger than life, charismatic, while Sydney hung out in the background. But Peyton's adventures turned increasingly reckless, culminating in a drunk driving accident which leaves a young boy permanently paralyzed. With Peyton in jail, and her parents more focused on him than ever, Sydney feels not only invisible, but alone. But then she meets the Chatham family. They teach her about dum-dum selection and proper french fry eating and, most importantly, that she is seen.
I feel like I start every review off saying how excited I was to read whatever particular book I'm reviewing (which shows 1. that I'm just really excited about reading, but also 2. that I only pick stuff I'm pumped to read. Who would have guessed?) But that was really the case this time. I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan. I think she is the bee's knees. I was lucky enough to meet her in person when she was on tour for The Moon and More, and we've tweeted back and forth a couple of times (fun fact: one was about dinosaur balloon animals and the other was about Kristen Bell. I full on spazzed both times.) Anyway, I love her and I love her writing. I've always loved reading, but her writing was what really got me into reading young adult books. I felt this book, you guys, I felt it in my bones. I don't know if it's because it reminds me of something I'm dealing with in my personal life, or just because the writing is that powerful, but I devoured this book. Like a good book does, it spoke to me, to a part of me that needed speaking to. Any book that can help you process a difficult time in your own life is a good book indeed. 

the good 

• The characters are so well developed that you feel like you really know them, and you loved growing with them. I wanted to crawl into this book and just give Mrs. Chatham a hug. No one does characters and character development like Dessen. No one. While this may not be her most notable work in that regard, the characters and development still shine bright. I found Sydney, as a main character, to be a little blander that past entries by Dessen, but still likable. I found myself relating to her reaction to Peyton's situation, and certainly found myself occasionally frustrated by her propensity to shy away from voicing her opinion in certain situations, she was definitely an enjoyable main character. 
• The plot, particularly the plot line between Sydney and Peyton, was intriguing and expertly handled. For me, this is where this book really shined. It's definitely a darker Sarah Dessen than some may be used to (although not as much as Dreamland), but it was, as I said, really well done. 

the bad 

• The one thing that this book is missing is that moment that her books so frequently have. Difficult to articulate, you know it when you read it. It's that moment where she offers up some little advice, as only she can, about life, and then you realize the character has changed. While the plot still felt resolved, it didn't pack quite the punch to which I'm accustomed from Dessen.

the quote
"...it wasn't until later in the day that I realized the most shocking thing at all. It wasn't that I'd broken down, but that I hadn't been alone when I did so. You only really fall apart in front of the people you know can piece you back together."

skip it/borrow it/buy it
Even though I almost always check stuff out from the library before reading it, I bought it before even reading it. I'm such a Dessen fan that I knew I'd want to have it. Embarrassingly, hers are the books I'm saving so my daughter can read them some day, and I knew no matter what I wanted to expand my collection. I don't regret it! If you're a Dessen fan, you won't regret it. Buy it. 

overall score: 9/10

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