I am a lover of the cringe. Give me OTT love stories with cliched statements (totally including the one in the picture above in this), and my guilty pleasure is revealed. Sarah Dessen was one of, if not the, favourite author of my teens. Her books resonated with me, comforted me and were something that I could come to in any mood and they'd make me feel a little better (and a little teary).
Up until recently, I hadn't read a Sarah Dessen book in YEARS. I'm talking six or seven of them. I was a little scared that Saint Anything would break my heart, realising that it was something that only teenage me could enjoy. Thankfully I was wrong. I plunged straight back into this and remembered why I loved Dessen's books all over again.
Saint Anything tells the story of Sydney, a girl who's always been overshadowed by her older brother Peyton. He's the golden child of the family who can do no wrong. That is, until he ends up in prison for a drunken hit and run. With her family struggling to pay lawyer fees, Sydney offers to transfer from her private school to a state one. Leaving her friends behind, Sydney has a chance to re-invent herself.
She hates the new school, and misses her old life, until she befriends Layla Chatham. Soon Sydney becomes an extra part of the Chatham family, who have few material possessions, but a lot of love: the exact opposite of her own. Layla's older brother Mac is another person drawing her to the family. A loving brother to Layla, Mac soon draws a little closer to Sydney ....
But things don't go so smoothly. Layla would never forgive Sydney if she got involved with Mac, and Sydney's parents disapprove of any of her friendships at her new school. When things start getting more complicated with Peyton's arrest, Sydney feels things slipping out of her control.
I loved this book SO much. Sarah Dessen has come back up as one of my favourite YA writers because her writing is just so powerful. Her characters are believable, you can follow their development throughout the book, and they're all complex. I always find myself falling a little for the guy in the love story, and the friendship between Layla and Sydney is beautiful. I would definitely recommend this if you're a fan of YA books!
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