The World of Sarah Dessen

May 10, 2011 Uncategorized 28


***A quick note I forgot: The fabulous Marynellie had the right idea by suggesting we use the hashtag #SarahDessenWeek on Twitter! Check it out and use it to talk about posts and all things Sarah Dessen!***

Some of my favorite things about Sarah Dessen’s novels are the connections she makes between her books. The places and people reappear in small scenes. It’s so fun for me when I recognize something! I think this makes the stories, characters and places seem more real to me… which is saying something since they already seem like people I know and places I’ve been! When I began thinking about this topic I knew there were things I’d missed. Clearly I needed to know these things! So, with the help of the handy dandy internet and some friends I’ve come up with as many connections as I could. Some may be a little spoilery but I don’t really think they are. I hope you enjoy!
***There wasn’t really a great way to get the info here. I didn’t want this post to be too wordy. I created these documents in Comic Life and then took screenshots. I wasn’t really sure how else to include them :)***

Click on an image to make it larger and easier to read!

These first few books don’t have other books mentioned in them but they are mentioned in later books:




These next books have other books mentioned in them:









So there you have it! All the connections I could find. I’m sure there are more. Some of these may be wrong. It was the best I could do 😉 Let me know of more or if you think these aren’t right!


Also, head over to Sarah Dessen’s blog to see her book ten playlist! 


Don’t forget to link up if you’re participating in Sarah Dessen Week:



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28 Responses to “The World of Sarah Dessen”

  1. Erin

    Wow, I’m impressed! Awesome job with these lists and images! Thank you for sharing!

    I just finished re-reading “Just Listen” and I missed some of the connections on your list. Thanks for pointing them out!

    Now I want to re-read other books so I can find these connections. And of course I’ll be looking for connections when I pick up “What Happened to Goodbye.” If there are connections, you should make an image for that one, too! I’m sure other readers would help by sharing connections we find. =)

    Erin @ Quitting My Day Job

    Reply

  3. JoyTTWorld

    I love this post topic! I love how she connects her books the way she does & it’s wonderful to see exactly how she did it. Thanks for the awesome Dessen post!!

    Happy Sarah Dessen Week & What Happened to Goodbye Book Birthday!!

    Reply

  4. Lauren M

    Omigosh! This is brilliant! When I read What Happened to Goodbye this week I was trying to figure out which cameos were from what book. One of these guides would’ve been handy! Thanks for all your hard work! 🙂

    Reply

  7. mfay2

    This post is amazing! I’m going to bookmark it! Thanks for putting it all so nicely in pics. You are amazing!

    Reply

  8. yacrush

    This is pure awesomeness! I love it. If you don’t mind, I’m going to link it to a post we put up today where I just happened to say “I wish someone would create a flow chart” (referring to all these overlapping incidents). I’m so impressed!:)

    Reply

  9. Katelyn

    This is seriously a fantastic post. I always get so excited everytime I seea past character, place in town, or even here of a quick zip in every book. It is awesome!

    Reply

  12. sharon

    In That Summer they talk about Robert Parker and Reveal Haven’s sister Ashley was the same girl he dated before Scarlett in Someone Like You

    Reply

  13. Hailey

    These are great connections. You should make an update with the newer books; I just started reading St. anything and have already found similarities: Jackson high and Perkins Day are used. Also there is a connection to What Happens to Goodbye where they eat at Luna Blu and mention the fried pickles (in St. anything). also back when I read What Happens to Goodbye I noticed that McLean walks past 2 people who could be Annabella and Owen as they were sitting on the wall sharing an iPod.
    I just love that Sarah Dessen makes these small noticeable to readers connections!

    Reply

  14. Cera

    Is Adam, Cass’s boyfriend in Dreamland the same Adam from Colby in Along For The Ride? Thoughts?

    Reply

    • Heidi

      I just asked Sarah on twitter and she said, “No! In my mind the Adam with Cass in Dreamland would be much older than Adam in Colby. :)” Great catch though!

      Reply

  15. Anna

    Mclean in what happened to goodbye also attended Jackson high and Jason from the truth about is in it also because he went to “brain camp”

    Reply

  16. Natalie

    Oh my gosh, I love this so much! One of my favorite all-time authors is Sarah Dessen and I absolutely love all the cameos of old characters she does in books. I’m not sure if you mentioned it or not, but I think you said that This Lullaby doesn’t have any cameos from previous books. I could not find any either, except one, which is Scarlett from Someone Like You. As you put This Lullaby with the books that don’t have any cameos, I wasn’t sure if you’d mentioned it or not. Again, I honestly think this post is AMAZING!

    Reply

  17. Sara

    I’ve noticed some of these connections as I’ve been reading all of Sarah Dessen’s books, and I agree; as soon as you read them, you notice and they don’t go unforgotten. There are a lot more than I realized! You should update this list, as in her most recent book Saint Anything, there are more connections to be made! 🙂

    Reply

  18. Madi

    Thanks, this is great! Would you be able to make one for Saint Anything?

    Reply

  19. Shelby

    When did Auden go to World of Waffles? Did I just miss that in Along for the Ride?

    Reply
  1. Saint Anything - YA BibliophileYA Bibliophile

    […] novels. Back in 2011 I co-hosted a Sarah Dessen week (which was so much fun!) At that time I did a post about the connections in her books.  It’s still the most popular post on this blog!! In preparation for the release of Saint […]

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