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kmparsons's review against another edition
4.0
This book was phenomenal. I love the story and the characters. However, I felt that the end was too sudden and not all of it made sense. I would love a sequel to discuss their lives after Peyton is released from prison. I think that would really tie it all together.
lulu15river's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the_illustrating_reader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I wanted to give Sydney a hug the entire time I read this book.
carlisajc's review against another edition
5.0
Ah. I just spent the last day and a half reading this book practically doing nothing else. My priorities are pretty straight, if I do say so myself. This is Sarah Dessen’s long-awaited new book and it has all the classic Dessen elements: friendship, family, cute and sweet boys, aaaaand drama.
I mentioned the drama present in her books earlier…but I think I should go further and say that it’s a subtle drama. I think that’s one of the things I like the most about Sarah Dessen books. They’re real life. Each of them has situations that could happen to any of us. There aren’t really huge dramatic events in the books. It’s more just everyday life. In fact, in Saint Anything, the real drama happens before the first page. It focuses instead on how people react to hard situations and how people grow from them. To some, that may not be exciting, but I love to see her characters grow.
Moving on, I LOVE her characters. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’d know how important well-rounded characters are to me. And Sarah Dessen builds these verrrry relatable characters and I just want to be their best friends. All of them. The main character in this novel, Sydney, is very relatable because she’s more of the stand-back-and-observe type of person that I think a lot of us are, including myself. We take everything in, we have opinions, we just don’t always proclaim those to the world. But when we find a group of people and become close to them, that barrier falls. Here’s a quote I noted from the book: “You only really fall apart in front of the people you know can piece you back together.” It’s so true. In this story, Sydney finds that group of people and I just want to hug her and help her pick up those pieces, too.
Another thing I loved about this book is the subtle romance. I read a review on Goodreads where a person was just completely taken off guard when the romance finally took off…but I think they didn’t see it coming because Dessen gave very subtle but realistic hints toward what was going to happen. Like instead of the main character having a massive inner dialogue about her feelings toward this boy, or instead of her having a heart-to-heart and spilling her guts to her best friend or something, there’s a blush here and a lingering look there eventually lead beautifully into the famous romances that Dessen is known for. I loved those subtle moments and maybe that’s because I think the romantic tension between people when they both start to like each other but haven’t talked about IS THE BEST (This is why season 3 of Parks & Rec will always be my favorite). But, hey, that’s just me and I can see why some people would think that this is slow and just not like it.
THE RECOMMENDATION
Overall, if you’ve liked Sarah Dessen’s other books, you’ll love this one. The Truth About Forever was my favorite of her’s but I think Saint Anything is now a major contender for that title. If you’re not a Sarah Dessen fan, this may not be for you because it’s very much the same style as her other books. AND if you’ve never read any Sarah Dessen (*gaaasp*), try it. See if you like it. And then let me know!
I mentioned the drama present in her books earlier…but I think I should go further and say that it’s a subtle drama. I think that’s one of the things I like the most about Sarah Dessen books. They’re real life. Each of them has situations that could happen to any of us. There aren’t really huge dramatic events in the books. It’s more just everyday life. In fact, in Saint Anything, the real drama happens before the first page. It focuses instead on how people react to hard situations and how people grow from them. To some, that may not be exciting, but I love to see her characters grow.
Moving on, I LOVE her characters. If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’d know how important well-rounded characters are to me. And Sarah Dessen builds these verrrry relatable characters and I just want to be their best friends. All of them. The main character in this novel, Sydney, is very relatable because she’s more of the stand-back-and-observe type of person that I think a lot of us are, including myself. We take everything in, we have opinions, we just don’t always proclaim those to the world. But when we find a group of people and become close to them, that barrier falls. Here’s a quote I noted from the book: “You only really fall apart in front of the people you know can piece you back together.” It’s so true. In this story, Sydney finds that group of people and I just want to hug her and help her pick up those pieces, too.
Another thing I loved about this book is the subtle romance. I read a review on Goodreads where a person was just completely taken off guard when the romance finally took off…but I think they didn’t see it coming because Dessen gave very subtle but realistic hints toward what was going to happen. Like instead of the main character having a massive inner dialogue about her feelings toward this boy, or instead of her having a heart-to-heart and spilling her guts to her best friend or something, there’s a blush here and a lingering look there eventually lead beautifully into the famous romances that Dessen is known for. I loved those subtle moments and maybe that’s because I think the romantic tension between people when they both start to like each other but haven’t talked about IS THE BEST (This is why season 3 of Parks & Rec will always be my favorite). But, hey, that’s just me and I can see why some people would think that this is slow and just not like it.
THE RECOMMENDATION
Overall, if you’ve liked Sarah Dessen’s other books, you’ll love this one. The Truth About Forever was my favorite of her’s but I think Saint Anything is now a major contender for that title. If you’re not a Sarah Dessen fan, this may not be for you because it’s very much the same style as her other books. AND if you’ve never read any Sarah Dessen (*gaaasp*), try it. See if you like it. And then let me know!
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
3.0
Sarah Dessen è una garanzia. I suoi libri sono molto ben riusciti, se vi piace il genere "ragazza ricca con problemi famigliari e genitori assenti/distratti si ritrova a contatto con un ambiente sociale molto diverso dal suo, impara a vivere con più spontaneità, fa nuove amicizie, si trova un ragazzo".
Nella versione originale, sono sicura che "Saint Anything" funziona molto bene. Nella traduzione/adattamento italiano, edito da Newton Compton, la copertina è fotocopia di mille altre; il titolo è banalizzato al massimo; alcune scelte di traduzione stonano.
(Come vorrei che avessero mantenuto la foto della giostra con i cavalli in copertina. Che c'entrano le farfalle? Che c'entra il barattolo?)
Grazie a Nereia di Librangolo Acuto per aver inserito questo romanzo nella sua rassegna settimanale di copertine discutibili, altrimenti non avrei mai saputo che era uscito in italiano.
Nella versione originale, sono sicura che "Saint Anything" funziona molto bene. Nella traduzione/adattamento italiano, edito da Newton Compton, la copertina è fotocopia di mille altre; il titolo è banalizzato al massimo; alcune scelte di traduzione stonano.
(Come vorrei che avessero mantenuto la foto della giostra con i cavalli in copertina. Che c'entrano le farfalle? Che c'entra il barattolo?)
Grazie a Nereia di Librangolo Acuto per aver inserito questo romanzo nella sua rassegna settimanale di copertine discutibili, altrimenti non avrei mai saputo che era uscito in italiano.
louiselibrary's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a huge fan of Sarah Dessen so I was really excited when I saw that she wrote a new book. This book was pretty good, not as much as a page turner as I expected. I think it was the characters that made me disappointed. I couldn't connect with the main character because she has no backbone and that kills me to read. I could relate to her friends who have a sick mother because mine has had cancer twice so I could feel what they were feeling. The plot was pretty good and overall it was another good book from Dessen.
helenleone's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
selfdeprikate's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5