Book Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

 
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Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors, so when I learned that she was coming out with a new novel, I knew that it was a must read for the summer and it deserved a place on my summer reading list.
So, finally after months of putting it off I went to the library to get the book. (The library is my place of choice to get books because I don't actually have to pay for them.) And once I started to read it I couldn't stop.
The book was about Sydney. Her brother Peyton has been going through a challenging time with his court dates, and currently in jail for a hit and run. Sydney's life without a doubt has been affected by it. She's responsible for carrying the weight of her brother's responsibilities and how they have effected her parents. Her mother is in denial and believe Peyton is the victim. Her father stays in silence. Sydney lives a life of what she's supposed to be doing rather than what she wants to be doing.
That is until she meets Layla and her brother Mac. Soon, Sydney spends much of her free time with them. For the first time, she's living not in her brother's shadow but in her own light.
Overall, I thought that this book was really well written. It was one of those books that once you started, you simply couldn't put down no matter what. I liked the main character Sydney a lot. I felt that I could relate to her because she's a lot like me. I however didn't like Sydney's mother because I thought that she was ignorant of her daughter. I understand that she's worried about her son, but she also has another child who has problems of her own. She also expected her daughter to be perfect, however she made excuses for her son who was always in trouble.
Overall, this was an amazing book to read and I definitely recommend it.

Book Review: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Okay, so this isn't "Saint Anything," but nonetheless, I still read an awesome book.
"The Moon and More" is about Emaline, who lives in a small town called Colby. Colby is the type of town that some get out of but many are there for life. She works for a relator service in Colby, which is a family-run business. It's also a vacation town, which means it's a tourist hot spot. She has the perfect life and perfect long-time boyfriend..but everything was about to change as she was about to head to college.
Emaline was Columbia-bound...or so she thought. Her father and her began a college plan to get her into Columbia, but at the last minute he withdrew from his promise. This caused Emaline to have to accept her full ride scholarship to East-U where many of her high school classmates were planning on going.
Emaline hasn't heard from her father since. Until he calls and asks to meet her for dinner. His aunt had died, and it was time for him to take care of things. She reluctantly agrees, and during the dinner in pops Theo, a guy from New York whose staying for the summer. He's the assis
During the course of the novel, Emaline and Luke soon break up due to Emaline finding out that Luke cheated on her. This causes Emaline to run into the arms of Theo. She thinks he's a summer romance, however, he believes he's in for the long haul.
The novel has a bunch of twists and turns but in true Sarah Dessen fashion, it has somewhat of a happy ending.
Overall, I thought this book was really good. It took me a while to dive into, but once I did I couldn't stop reading. I thought the character of Emaline was really portrayed and really liked how Dessen developed the character. From beginning to end of the novel, I could see a lot of growth on her end of the novel. I thought that was amazingly well done on her end, and also realistic. After the summer post-high school that precedes college is the one where you do the most soul searching. I liked how it took less time for her to get with Theo after breaking up with Luke.
I'm a little uneasy with the ending, I thought it was a little quick and I wasn't completely satisfied with it. But, I enjoyed reading the novel overall. I recommend this to those who are a fan of young adult, as well as a good summer romance. 

2014 Reading Bucket List

Okay, so I've been really into reading ever since I was little. Recently, I rediscovered my nook, and I have decided to use it rather than just let it sit there. So, I've decided to make a list of books that I wanted to read during the year of 2014, and here's the thing; ACTUALLY READ THEM.

• Staying Strong by Demi Lovato. Okay, let me say that Demi is my homegirl. But her book is awesome. I just downloaded it yesterday, and the book is talking about staying strong everyday of the year. My goal with this book is to (starting on January 1st) read it everyday and embrace some of her positive energy. I think that being positive is the first step to making something really and truly great. 

• The rest of the Pretty Little Liars books. My friend Alessia got me hooked on these books, and I read the first two within days. I can't wait to read the rest, because they are so intense. You literally can't put the books down, so I really want to finish the books. And then watch the show. 

• The Fame Game series by Lauren Conrad. I love Lauren Conrad in general, and her books are awesome. I've read L.A. Candy, Sweet Little Lies, and Sugar and Spice over the summer. Now that I heard that she has more books out, I want to read those as well. 

• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Okay, so John Green is amazing. I really want to read this book, because it looks really interesting. I mean a guy that only dates girls named Katherine? Come on. That's pretty interesting. 

• Looking for Alaska by John Green. I really like John Green's books, and I really want to get around to finishing them all this year. I honestly don't know what this book is about, but I'm looking foreward to reading it. 

• The One and Only by Emily Giffin. Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors. My favorite book of all time is Something Borrowed. This is the only book by her that I haven't read by her, so I am expecting that this book will be really good. 

• Dreamland, Keeping the Moon, The Moon and More and The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. Sarah Dessen is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors too. I'm lucky that the library that I work at has them. I really like her books because they remind me of summer. Like the others, I can't put them down as well. 

• Blog Inc. Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community. I saw this while reading a few of Rachel from Sunshine and Sinatra's old blog entries, and I feel like as a blogger, that might be something that I should read to give my blog a bigger mark in the blogger world. 

Okay, so it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of reading in this new year! What is on your reading bucket list? 

(the images have been provided to you by google images. Thank you google)