Favorite Quotes from Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

I just finished this book tonight…so many feels. I absolutely loved it! I’ll be giving a more detailed review at a later date, but it’s rivaling “The Truth About Forever” as favorite Dessen novel. I loved it that much. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book (no spoilers, I promise!):

“There’s a weird thing that happens when something goes from a one-time thing to a habit. Like the problem is no longer just a temporary houseguest but has actually moved in.” pg 10

“Happy, normal lives going on in happy, normal ways, in a world that was anything but. Once you realized this, experienced something that made it crystal clear, you couldn’t forget it. Like a face. Or a name. However you first learn that truth, once it’s with you, it never really goes away.” pg 75

“With shame, like horseshoes, proximity counts.” pg 76

“When I rolled over to check on Layla, she wasn’t there. Confused, I sat up on my elbow and rubbed my eyes, then spotted her. She’d moved her bed so it rested against the closed–but unlocked–door, and was curled up there. Keeping watch, keeping safe. I slept better than I had in months.” pg 117 (picture me bawling my eyes out about how good a friend Layla is)

“‘There’s no shame in trying to make stuff work, is how I see it. It’s better than just accepting the broken.'” pg 244

“To me, the Chathams were like that merry-go-round in the middle of nowhere in the woods. I hadn’t been aware they’d existed; it was pure luck to have stumbled upon them. Now that I had, I couldn’t forget and go back to the way I’d been before. Just knowing they were out there changed everything.” pg 333

“It wasn’t that I’d broken down, but that I hadn’t been alone when I did so. You only really fall apart in front of the people you know can piece you back together.” pg 387

“In any moment, there were so many chances for paths to cross and people to clash, come together, or do any number of things in between. It was amazing we could live at all, knowing all that could occur purely by chance.” pg 400

“. . . I thought again of that long-ago afternoon in the courthouse. When faced with the scariest of things, all you want is to turn away, hide in your own invisible place. But you can’t. That’s why it’s not only important for us to be seen, but to have someone to look for us, as well.” pg 401

“That was just it. You never knew what lay ahead; the future was one thing that could never be broken, because it had not yet had the chance to be anything. One minute you’re walking through a dark woods, alone, and then the landscape shifts, and you see it. Something wondrous and unexpected, almost magical, that you never would have found had you not kept going. Like a new friend who feels like an old one, or a memory you’ll never forget. Maybe even a carousel.” pg 413 (she seriously could have ended the book on this one)

“Anyway, it was unrealistic to expect to be constantly in the happiest place. In real life, you’re lucky just to be always somewhere nearby.” pg 416

Top Ten Tuesday: Great Beach Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Ten Books I Think Make Great Beach Reads

In my mind the beach isn’t a place for serious reading and it isn’t a place for something scary either. It’s a place to read books that make you feel as warm on the inside as the sun and sand make you feel on the outside. When I think of beach reads I think of something light and fun and, yes, romantic. So that’s pretty much the underlying theme with the ten books I picked.

1) The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen – This is my all-time favorite Sarah Dessen book (but may soon be replaced by Saint Anything? Seriously. Loving that book.)

2) Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen – Yes, she made the list TWICE. Her books are just that great to me. I feel like this one is her beachiest book yet so definitely fits on the list.

3) Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson – Summer, doing new things, meeting new people…

4) How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer – This book is about a girl who does an internship at a park similar to Disneyland. I loved the summery aspect of it while at the same time, it’s not your typical beach book.

5) This is What Happy Feels Like by Jennifer E Smith – I love all of her books and really, any of them could have made the list. I ended up choosing this one because I think it’s set on the coast so it has a tad more of a beachy feel than her other ones.

6) Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson – This book may seem really similar to the one for #5, but they are different and I loved them both.

7) To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – Not a book set during the summer, but still light and fun.

8) Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park – Another book not set during the summer, but fun and romantic and a little bit more serious than some of my other choices.

9) What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick – This book was great and really made me want to find an island somewhere to live on.

10) The Distance Between Us by Kasie West – Again, just another fun and fluffy read.

Did any of you choose any of the same books? Did I miss any books that would fit with my list?