Saint Anything.

Okay guys. So I just finished a 415 page book called Saint Anything in 2 days.
Why? Because it was literal perfection.

This book has so many elements of real life situations and struggles and it changed the way I look at things.

The story follows a high school girl named Sydney who has always felt like she was invisible to the world and the everyone. She has a brother named Peyton who is the star pupal of the family. Except he is anything from perfect. He does something that makes him face court and then he is put in jail. Sydney's family is left with so many questions and they feel utterly vulnerable. 

Sydney decides to make a change and leaves her private school for the local public school. She wants to finally be in a spot where no one knows her story and they won't stare at her every second. She meets the Chatham family and starts to become friends with all of them. Layla is her best friend who has a special bond with Sydney where they tell each other everything and they are there for each other. Rosie, Layla's sister, is an aspiring Figure Skater and puts a lot of pressure on herself. Mrs. Chatham is someone who is warm and very welcoming to Sydney. And Mac. Mac is the boy who makes Sydney feel finally seen and he changes her life in more ways than one. The whole family does. 

With this story line, it has elements of tragedy, some comical moments and love. But, the book has some hidden lessons while reading it that can make your spine tingle when you figure it out. 

When I read it, I was at first just thinking I would be reading a love story like I always am drawn to and that would be it. But it was so much more. It showed what true friendship is and how you can meet someone and they change your life. They are always there for you even in the hardest of times. Sydney and Layla were always helping each other in the moments that they needed it most and it made me really think about what kind of friend I am. I want to be the person who is there for my friends even when they say the don't need me. I want to be their shoulder to cry on if they feel like its necessary. I want to be the person that my friends can tell everything to. 

The book also had an element of not judging a book by its cover.... well people by their covers. The Chatham family was so new to Sydney's life and it made her mother not trust them. These were people that made Sydney so happy, but her mother did not like it. Throughout the book you want to just scream at Sydney's mother and make her see that Sydney is better where she is. That she is not her brother. This is something that a lot of us go through. The harsh pressure from our parents. It comes from a good place but everyone has their breaking point. 

With the tragedy that happens in the book, it makes you also realize that you don't know what is happening behind closed doors. It was an interesting angle because the story and the outcome of the event was shown from the enablers side/family instead of the victims point of view. We are quick to get upset with the person who started it, but we don't see that they are struggling to. Sydney struggled with it a lot and she didn't even do anything. We dismiss how others are feeling and we sympathize with the person that is the victim. While that is perfectly fine with being on the victims side, sometimes (in this case of the story) we have to see how the other side is doing. 

And a big part of the book is the idea of trust and also having a saint that helps us in our darkest moments. There was a reoccurring theme of having different saints that focus on one thing. Mac has a pendant that is from his mother and he gives Sydney one that is unknown so they call it the Saint of anything. She seems comfort in it and feels like it is there when she needs it most. This is something we can find in people. We meet people and they leave a mark on us before we even know it. Mrs. Chatham was like Sydneys saint in a way. She confided in her and Mrs. Chatham gave the best advice that anyone could ever say. I even was blown away by it. Its important for us to find that person that is our saving grace. Our person that will always listen and always help. The theme of trust was all throughout the book. Sydney's parents wanted her to trust them and she wanted that from them as well. Its easy to take advantage of someones trust but just because it leaves does not mean we can't get it back.

Sorry for ranting but I think this is a book that many people need to read. Sydney is finding herself throughout it and you end up doing the same for yourself when you finish it. 

Thanks for listening....

Until Next Time,

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

Aka..... M'lyn