Saint Anything

By: Sarah Dessen

Narrated by: Taylor Meskimen

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.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her 12th novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

©2015 Sarah Dessen (P)2015 Listening Library

Critic reviews

A New York Times best seller

Kids' Indie Next List Pick (Summer 2015)

A Time Top 10 YA Book of the Year

"Saint Anything is a poignant, honest story about how we might suffer the misfortune of someone else's bad choices, how people who love us can become family when we desperately need it, and how starting over might - miraculously - mean taking a solid leap forward. Is there anyone who can write about what matters most to teens as well as Dessen can? I sincerely doubt it." (Jodi Picoult, New York Times best-selling novelist of Leaving Time and My Sister’s Keeper)

"A quiet marvel." (LA Times)

"The novel’s strengths - how it unpacks the perplexities of guilt, friendships, and family dynamics - are what readers will remember." (Boston Globe)

Everyone should hear this book

I absolutely love this story. I read it back in high school and returning to it on Audible was such an experience. The story is beautiful and the characters are so real I find it hard to believe they don’t exist in real life.
I could read/listen to this book a million times and never tire of it.

good listen

I loved that dessen takes her time to build up all the characters before jumping into the story. you really feel like they could be your friends. loved and would listen again

Good listen

It was a good book, I really like Sarah Dessen. It was similar to her other books and predictable but I enjoyed the story line and the characters.

really good!

It was my first audio book. Totally new experience but I really enjoyed. I couldn't stop listening. plus I ride a lot of public transportation. This gave me something to do!

I LIKED This Book, But Can’t Say I LOVED It…

I’ve read many of Ms. Dessen’s books (my favorite so far has been “Lock & Key”). In a lot of ways, I didn’t find this book as satisfying as others I have read.

The narration felt draggy to me. I sped it up to 1.2 and it felt more like a regular speaking rate.

It wasn’t too long into the book when I found myself desperately wanting to shout at the main character, Sydney, “TELL YOUR PARENTS TO STOP JUDGING YOU BY YOUR BROTHER’S PAST ACTIONS AND POOR JUDGEMENT!” It never happened…Sydney remained passive throughout the book.

I found two characters extremely irritating — SPENCER (so whiny, wimpy and a poor excuse for a guy who thinks he’s such a hit with the ladies). Then there was Ames. He left me with a “slimy” feeling. It was hard for me to believe that, as intelligent as Sydney’s parents were supposed to be, they didn’t immediately see through him for what he really was — a complete creep. They were both so easily fooled by him.

At one point Sydney was talking about her teaching her best friend Leila how to drive. That gave me a little pause. I don’t know where this story took place, but all of the states in which I’ve lived, do not allow a teenager to teach another teenager how to drive — only a licensed adult is allowed to do so!

Although I did finish this book and LIKED it, I did find it to be draggy in places and some things were drawn out for far too long.

One thing I do like about Ms. Dessen’s characters (at least in her books that I’ve read to date) is her main characters are usually introspective, deep thinkers; good students who enjoy school. Especially in this character trait, the main character Sydney, reminded me so much of myself at her age. Introspective, over-analyzed and over-thought EVERYTHING; I was the PERFECT, well-behaved, straight “A” student who wanted to please everyone in order to keep the peace rather than rock the boat, but in doing so, wondered if I would eventually become so invisible, I’d disappear altogether. I found myself wanting to tell Sydney to not worry — life gets better as one ages. With time and experience, most of us find our way, and she too will leave her mark on the world, she will find her own voice; and at some point she will stop feeling invisible.

The fact that I didn’t LOVE this book won’t keep me from going off in search of another of Ms. Dessen’s books immediately after submitting this review.😊

A lovely book

I insist on reading this book, there are so many twists and turns and unexpected things that happen.

amazing!!

Sarah dessen has always been one of my authors.. and this book was so good!! i recommend it to anyone!!

Love!

Sarah Dessen is my favorite author of all time! I really enjoyed the journey of all the characters in this book. I hope Sarah Dessen continues to write amazing stories.

A Must-Read

Sarah Dessen proves her genius in this book, it's expertly written and well narrated by Taylor Meskimen. The relatable and realistic characters reel you in and the beautiful motifs + metaphors leave you smiling. Go buy it, now preferably :)

Sarah Dessen is back

for all of you who love Sarah's writing's ( As I am obviously ) this book will satisfy you to no end .. it has great characters .. a nice atmosphere and a good perspective on family relationships .. I liked the story so much and I enjoyed every minute of it :D