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.
* Minor Spoilers*
Sarah Dessen has always been one of my favorite authors, ever since I read Along For The Ride two summers ago. The only way that I can explain her is that she writes Nicholas Sparks style novels for teenagers without all of the sadness, but with the teen angst, confusion, and finding one's self. I have read the majority of her novels and quickly at that. Each novel sucks you into its world and Saint Anything is no different.
Sydney is one of Sarah Dessen's most relatable characters, in my opinion. She is a people-pleaser, a good student, and she just wants to be understood and seen. In a way, I see myself in her so much, which may have made me love her even more. I also love how she is struggling with what her brother has done. He permanently paralyzed a young, innocent guy her age. Because of this she is even more withdrawn from her brother, who used to be her best friend. Her mother is even more engrossed in Peyton's life than she was before, Her father is out of town on business even more than usual.
Sydney's response to her brother's incarceration is to switch schools, to start over where she won't be followed by her brother's criminal activity legacy. This is where the amazingness of this story really begins. Enter the Chathams, first comes Layla. She hates school, always picks the worst guys to be in a relationship with, LOVES FRENCH FRIES, and is the most loyal of friends ever. She and Sydney become really close and Layla is really the one to save Syd from Ames (friend of Peyton's who is really fucking creepy) first. Then we meet Mac, who is Layla's older brother, he used to be fat but now he is a major health freak (HE IS PERFECT! *fictional boyfriend? Yes!*). And once he and Sydney begin their relationship my heart literally jumped out of my chest from excitement.
I don't want to give away too much so I am keeping in a lot of the beauty of this novel because my recap will never give this book justice. In my opinion this is the second best Dessen novel, only coming after Along For The Ride.
Pages: 432 Rate: 5/5
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