On a recent trip to Dale Hollow Lake I read Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. It is YA fiction and I know, I am no longer a young adult. I am an adult....not quite old yet! However, I am addicted to Sarah Dessen novels. You'll notice this because I read two others in the two previous weeks, and I'll share those reviews as well.
This story was about a high schooler named Sydney. She has an older brother that she really looked up to growing up but was also over shadowed by him. She always felt invisible. He was good looking, a charmer. However once he entered (a private) high school, he started finding trouble. He was fearless and wanted to fit in with the older kids. So he drank, did drugs, shoplifted, and broke into people's houses. Then one night he drove home drunk and hit a 15 year old kid out on his bike leaving him paralyzed.
Sydney's parents also contributed to her feelings of invisibility. Her mom pretty much ran the house and her father usually just agreed with her. Once Peyton (her brother) went to jail, Sydney's mother because obsessed with showering him with attention so he would be okay in jail. Sydney however felt guilty because of the poor boy her brother hit. She was constant;y wanting to apologize or talk with him but thought he probably wouldn't want to speak with her.
Right after Peyton is sent to jail, she decides to leave the private high school and go to the local public high school. She makes friends with Layla who is an outgoing girl with a taste for bad boys. She works at a local pizza place owned by her dad, with her brother Mac who is just a year older. Sydney unexpectedly shares her problems with Layla who listens and sympathizes with her. Her older sister was a promising figure skater but because addicted to pain pills when she had a knee injury. She was then busted when she tried to fake a prescription. Layla's mother also has MS and her health has been going downhill for a while. The family is very close though and Sydney loves being around them.
While Peyton is in jail, his friend, Ames, from rehab is constantly at Sydney's house. He is a total creeper from the get go and I knew bad things would come eventually. He stares too long, he touches her arm or shoulder too much, he lingers for too long. Creeper!
As Sydney starts hanging out with Layla's family more she realizes she's starting to like Mac which she knows can be a big problem...liking your good friend's brother! So they start hanging out more because Layla finds a new boyfriend and is preoccupied.
To get to the end, Layla finds out about Sydney & Mac and is upset at first. She didn't like that they were hiding from her. Then she accepts their new relationship. Sydney sneaks out one night to go to the hospital to meet Mac & Layla because their mother had a heart attack but as she is in the garage, Ames (the creeper, who was also temporarily staying at their house) tried to attack her! Sydney's father heard her scream so he saves the day! Sydney flees to the hospital with her mom hot on her heels. Come to find out, her mom got to the hospital shortly after Sydney but when she looked into the hospital room, she saw that everyone wanted Sydney there; she was part of their family.
The end of the book is about Sydney's family dealing with all their problems: guilt, exclusion, jail, responsibility. Oh, and therapy. Because they obviously need it!
Overall, I was hooked and read it in one day! I usually feel that way about Sarah Dessen novels though :)
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