(Everything is changing, and she’s not sure where she fits...)
Everything is changing, and she’s not sure where she fits in. Then her sister’s old boyfriend shows up, sparking memories of the summer when they were all happy and everything was perfect. But along the way, Haven realizes that sometimes change is a good thing.
(Scarlett was always the strong one. Halley was always con...)
Scarlett was always the strong one. Halley was always content to follow in her wake. Then Scarlett’s boyfriend died, and Scarlett learned that she was pregnant. Now Halley has to find the strength to take the lead and help Scarlett get through it. Because true friendship is a promise you keep forever.
(When Colie goes to spend the summer at the beach, she doe...)
When Colie goes to spend the summer at the beach, she doesn’t expect much. But Colie didn’t count on meeting Morgan and Isabel. Through them, she learns what true friendship is all about, and finally starts to realize her potential. And that just might open the door to her first chance at love.
(After her sister left, Caitlin felt lost. Then she met Ro...)
After her sister left, Caitlin felt lost. Then she met Rogerson. When she’s with him, nothing seems real. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?
(She’s got it all figured out. Or does she? When it comes ...)
She’s got it all figured out. Or does she? When it comes to relationships, Remy’s got a whole set of rules. Never get too serious. Never let him break your heart. And never, ever date a musician. But then Remy meets Dexter, and the rules don’t seem to apply anymore. Could it be that she’s starting to understand what all those love songs are about?
(Macy’s got her whole summer carefully planned. But her pl...)
Macy’s got her whole summer carefully planned. But her plans didn’t include a job at Wish Catering. And they certainly didn’t include Wes. But Macy soon discovers that the things you expect least are sometimes the things you need most.
(When she’s modeling, Annabel is the picture of perfection...)
When she’s modeling, Annabel is the picture of perfection. But her real life is far from perfect. Fortunately, she’s got Owen. He’s intense, music-obsessed, and dedicated to always telling the truth. And most of all, he’s determined to make Annabel happy.
(Ruby is used to taking care of herself. But now that she’...)
Ruby is used to taking care of herself. But now that she’s living with her sister, she’s got her own room, she’s going to a good school, and her future looks bright. Plus there’s the adorable boy next door. Can Ruby learn to open her heart and let him in?
(Nights have always been Auden’s time, her chance to escap...)
Nights have always been Auden’s time, her chance to escape everything that’s going on around her. Then she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac, and he becomes her nocturnal tour guide. Now, with an endless supply of summer nights between them, almost anything can happen.
(Ever felt as if your life is just going round in circles?...)
Ever felt as if your life is just going round in circles? Sarah Dessen's thought-provoking short story about moving on will resonate with teens everywhere.
(A new day. A new place. A new life. In the past few years...)
A new day. A new place. A new life. In the past few years, Mclean has pretended to be so many different people that she hardly remembers who she really is anymore. The adorable guy next door might be able to help her figure it out. But is she ready for it?
(In The Moon and More, Sarah Dessen returns to the beach t...)
In The Moon and More, Sarah Dessen returns to the beach town of Colby, setting of some of her best-loved books. Emaline is a Colby native, and so summer at the beach for her means hard work and a new population of beach goers. During this, her last summer before college, Emaline meets Theo while working for her family’s rental business. He’s a city boy who’s come to Colby as the assistant to a high-strung documentary filmmaker who’s in town to profile a reclusive local artist. Emaline knows he’s not her type, but she can’t help feeling drawn to him. And as their relationship develops, Emaline finds herself questioning her own goals, values, and choices in this classic Dessen romance.
Sydney's handsome, charismatic older brother, Peyton, has always dominated the family, demanding and receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention. And when Peyton's involvement in a drunk driving episode sends him to jail, Sydney feels increasingly rootless and invisible, worried that her parents are unconcerned about the real victim: the boy Peyton hit and seriously injured. Meanwhile, Sydney becomes friends with the Chathams, a warm, close-knit, eccentric family, and their friendship helps her understand that she is not responsible for Peyton's mistakes. Once again, the hugely popular Sarah Dessen tells an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.
(Is it really better to have loved and lost? Louna's summ...)
Is it really better to have loved and lost? Louna's summer job is to help brides plan their perfect day, even though she stopped believing in happily-ever-after when her first love ended tragically. But charming girl-magnet Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged now that he's met the one he really wants. Maybe Louna's second chance is standing right in front of her.
(Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who ...)
Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when Emma was twelve. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges. Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good if a little predictable until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family that she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.
Sarah Dessen is an American writer who is famous for writing realistic fiction under the young adult literature genre. She has written over a dozen novels for teens.
Background
Sarah Dessen was born on June 6, 1970, in Evanston, Illinois, United States, but was raised in North Carolina. She is the daughter of Alan and Cynthia Dessen, both educators. As a teenager, Dessen was very shy and quiet. When Sarah was around 8 or 9 years old, she received a typewriter as a gift and began to write her own stories.
Education
Sarah Dessen attended Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She worked at a children's shoe store when she was in high school but she was fired during the annual summer sidewalk sale. Dessen dropped out of Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and later took some classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1993 with the highest honors in Creative Writing.
Dessen worked as a waitress at the restaurant Flying Burrito in Chapel Hill while launching her writing career. Dessen was inspired by her parents’ profession even before she began writing. She would write during the day and waitress at night. Later after her publication of the first novel That Summer (1996), she quit the job for a teaching position at the University of North Carolina in the English department. That Summer was a novel about a youth dealing with rapid changes in family and friends relationship dynamics.
Dessen’s next novel was also a young adult drama, Someone Like You, published in 1998. The book was split into three portions each one showing progress and decline in relationships. The two novels That Summer and Someone Like You were adapted into a single film How to Deal in 2003.
The Truth About Forever (2004) was about a teen, Macy who suffered from the loss of her father’s untimely death. The novel earned great praise for its true-to-life depiction of the subject matter. Most of Sarah Dessen’s novels deal with the change in youth’s personality as they go through some sort of tragedy or loss. Her novels comprise isolation, the emotional distance among family members and a progressive change in people’s personalities.
Some of Dessen’s other works include Lock and Key (2008), Keeping the Moon (1999), Along for the Ride (2009), The Prettiest girl (2014). One of her latest novels is The Rest of the Story (2019).
On May 30, 2019, it was announced that Netflix had purchased the rights to adapt three of Dessen's books into films: This Lullaby, Along for the Ride, and Once and For All. Along for the Ride will be the first adaptation, and Alyssa Rodrigues is the executive producer for the films.
(A new day. A new place. A new life. In the past few years...)
2011
Views
In some of her books, Sarah uses the style known as "effortless perfection". Dessen describes this term as the young girls in her books being able to have friends, look good, be a good student and have your life together and make it look easy.
In one of her interviews, Dessen explained her inspiration for her novel Just Listen. She elucidated that once she saw a picture of a group of young and rich friends having fun, in a yearbook and instantly assumed that they must be living a perfect life. Just as she thought about it she felt the absurdity of her assumption which became the base of her novel.
Quotations:
"I've been writing, in one way or another, for as long as I can remember. I was always a big reader, mostly because my parents were. I used to get frustrated with my mom because she bought me books for Christmas when what I really wanted were the gifts my friends got, things like sweaters and jewelry. But I did love to read. When I was eight or nine my parents gave me an old manual typewriter and a little desk in the corner of our den, and I'd sit there and type up my stories."
"You have to just sit down and do it. Because you can do it, and you just have to prove that to yourself. It’s like Groundhog Day. You have to prove it to yourself every time."
"Sometimes it seems safer to hold it all in, where the only person who can judge is yourself."
"Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that's what makes you strong."
"You can't always get the perfect moment. Sometimes, you just have to do the best you can under the circumstances."
"There has to be a middle. Without it, nothing can ever truly be whole. Because it is not just the space between, but also what holds everything together."
"I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever, regardless of what the songs say."
Personality
Sarah Dessen likes to work in her garden. She has this strange need to buy huge quantities of black pants. She loves Starbucks mochas but they make her way hyper. She's subscribed to too many magazines. She makes a mean bean salad.
Sarah became involved with a 21-year-old when she was 15 but cut all contact with him shortly after. She has admitted that for many years afterward, she took total blame for everything that happened between her and this man. She admits she was a bad kid. She did drugs and lied to her mom.
Quotes from others about the person
"The author's a master at creating charming, sweet and generally perfect love interests that are bound to win over even the most cynical narrator - and, all too frequently, it also works on readers."
"You'd be hard-pressed to find an author who can capture the ecstasy and agony of falling in love as a teenager better than Dessen. Dessen knows exactly what it's like and can write about it to cringeworthy, all-too-real perfection."
Interests
sport, reading, meditation
Connections
Sarah Dessen is married to Jay Earl Marks. They have a daughter.
Sarah Dessen received the Margaret Edwards Award in 2017 for her novels Dreamland, Keeping the Moon, Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, Along for the Ride, What Happened to Goodbye?, and This Lullaby.
Sarah Dessen received the Margaret Edwards Award in 2017 for her novels Dreamland, Keeping the Moon, Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, Along for the Ride, What Happened to Goodbye?, and This Lullaby.