History Creator / SarahDessen

* AuthorAvatar

* ComingOfAgeStory
* ContinuityCameo: See above.
* ContinuityNod: Her books often mention characters from her previous novels.
* DidNotGetTheGirl: A few of her novels end with the couple not getting back together.
* DumpThemAll: On occasion.

* HairOfGold: Several of her characters.
* ParentsAsPeople: The adults in her novels often have just as much drama as the teens, if not more.

* TitleDrop

* TooMuchInformation: Heidi, frequently.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: "Everyone loves meatballs."

* AdultsAreUseless: Sydney's parents in ''Saint Anything'' are unaware of how uncomfortable Ames makes Sydney feel, even allowing him to stay at the house alone with her and eventually let him move in with them. [[spoiler: Near the end they finally start to pick up on it and kick him out but it's not until they catch him trying to force himself on Sydney that they really figure it out.]]
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Ames has been the Stanford parents' rock ever since Peyton went to prison, especially sympathetic and supportive towards Julie. Sydney, however, sees through him and is repulsed. And then he catches her trying to sneak out...]]
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: ''Saint Anything'': Sydney initially felt this way about her brother Peyton but once he starts acting out this opinion lessens.

* BaitAndSwitch: [[spoiler: ''Saint Anything'' hints that Sydney will visit Peyton in prison or talk to David Ibarra. At the end she merely has plans to visit Peyton and although she does go to see David, we don't see the conversation.]]
* BastardBoyfriend: Spence in ''Saint Anything''.

* CluelessChickMagnet: Mac in ''Saint Anything'' due to [[FormerlyFat having lost a lot of weight]] and [[ShesAllGrownUp and only recently coming to his own]]. Sydney in the same novel is kind of a ''Clueless Dude Magnet''.

* FormerlyFat: Mac in ''Saint Anything''.

* LoonyFriendsImproveYourPersonality: Sydney's new friends (especially the Chatham family) in ''Saint Anything''. (Although Sydney notably stays friends with her older, more serious friends.)
* NeverMyFault: Sydney feels that her family believes that nothing is ever her brother Peyton's fault. [[spoiler: Over the course of the story she learns that this isn't really the case, and Peyton in particular feels a lot of guilt.]]

* SiblingYinYang: Peyton and Sydney in ''Saint Anything''.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Fries for Layla in ''Saint Anything''.
** "Everyone loves meatballs."

* AsianAndNerdy: Subverted with Daisy in ''The Moon and More''. She's super smart but is not very nerdy.

* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: Averted.
** ''The Moon and More'': Emaline's back story involves her mother giving up everything to have her while still in high school, including being ostracized by the town, being let down and heartbroken by Emaline's father, and being treated horribly by Emaline's father's family. Her life eventually got better after she grew up and married, but it was a long, painful journey.

* BetaCouple: Daisy and Morris in ''The Moon and More''.
* BettyAndVeronica: Emaline between Luke (Betty) and Theo (Veronica) in ''The Moon and More''. [[spoiler: She doesn't end up with either.]]
* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]]: Emaline towards Benji in ''The Moon and More''.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler: Theo from ''The Moon and More''.]]

* CoolBigSis: Emaline to Benji in ''The Moon and More''. Her own older sisters are less cool but still loving.
* CoolOldLady: Emaline's grandmother in ''The Moon and More''.

** Ivy eventually becomes this to Emaline in ''The Moon and More''. She was originally this to Theo.
* TheFashionista:
** Daisy in ''The Moon and More''.

* HiddenDepths: Clyde from ''Along for the Ride'' reappears in ''The Moon and More'' and we find out that [[spoiler: he is a former artist who quit the art world and became Colby's local business owner/town eccentric. He is apparently popular enough even years later to have Ivy and Theo come to Colby to film a documentary on him.]]
* InsistentTerminology: Emaline from ''The Moon and More'' has both her biological father and stepfather in her life; she calls her biological father "my father" and the man who raised her "my dad". It gets a bit confusing when the three of them are together.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Most of her characters go to fictional universities (Defriese, East U, etc.) but it has popped up.
** Emaline in ''The Moon and More'' gets accepted to Columbia but can't afford to go. Theo applied but wasn't accepted.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Emaline and Morris in ''The Moon and More''. They are extremely close and devoted to one another, despite the fact that they drive each other nuts.

* OppositesAttract: [[Morris and Daisy, also an example of BetaCouple]] in ''The Moon and More''.

* ParentWithNewParamour: Subverted with Emaline's parents in ''The Moon and More''. They split up before she was born and remarried when she was young, so she is more than used to the situation.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Emaline and Morris in ''The Moon and More''.

* ThreeAmigos
** Also applies to Emaline, Daisy, and Morris from ''The Moon and More''.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Emaline and Daisy in ''The Moon and More''.

* VisitByDivorcedDad: ''The Moon and More'': A big part of the plot comes from Emaline's dad and younger brother coming down to Colby.
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Daisy and Morris in ''The Moon and More''

** ''What Happened to Goodbye?'': When Mclean's mother has twins with Peter, Mclean feels rejected and resentful of them.

* BelligerentSexualTension: A whole lot between Mclean's dad and Opal in ''What Happened to Goodbye''
* BetaCouple:
** Mclean's dad and Opal in ''What Happened to Goodbye?''
** Daisy and Morris in ''The Moon and More''.

* CharacterDevelopment: Happens in all of the novels. Jason Talbot noticeably develops between ''Along for the Ride'' and ''What Happened to Goodbye''.

* DaddysGirl: Mclean in ''What Happened to Goodbye?'', mainly because she is still resentful of her mother's affair, to the point where she'd rather move around constantly with her father then live with her mother. Both Heather and Riley from the same novel are also Daddy's girls.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Heather in ''What Happened to Goodbye'' has a reputation for not looking before merging and gets into wrecks frequently.

* ExtremeDoormat: Mclean, at least towards her Dad.

** Opal in ''What Happened to Goodbye''
* FemaleGaze: Mclean's dad gets a fair amount of this.

* HiddenDepths:
** Deb in ''What Happened To Goodbye'' is a neat example where her HiddenDepths aren't a surprise to Mclean so much as to the other characters who have known her longer.
** Clyde from ''Along for the Ride'' reappears in ''The Moon and More'' and we find out that [[spoiler: he is a former artist who quit the art world and became Colby's local business owner/town eccentric. He is apparently popular enough even years later to have Ivy and Theo come to Colby to film a documentary on him.]]

** Jason Talbot attended Harvard.

* LikeBrotherAndSister:
** Riley and Dave have this going on as well.
** Emaline and Morris in ''The Moon and More''. They are extremely close and devoted to one another, despite the fact that they drive each other nuts.
* LoonyFriendsImproveYourPersonality:
** Mclean's new friends at school and at Luna Blu in ''What Happened to Goodbye''.
** Sydney's new friends (especially the Chatham family) in ''Saint Anything''. (Although Sydney notably stays friends with her older, more serious friends.)
* LovableAlphaBitch: Heather in ''What Happened to Goodbye''.

* NoPronunciationGuide: Many readers were and remain clueless as to how to pronounce some names. Most notable is Mclean (It's pronounced Mi-clain but most people read it as Mc-Lean).

* ParentWithNewParamour: In ''What Happened to Goodbye'', Mclean's mother marries the basketball coach of her father's favorite team [[spoiler: after they had an affair.]]
** Subverted with Emaline's parents in ''The Moon and More''. They split up before she was born and remarried when she was young, so she is more than used to the situation.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Dave and Riley in ''What Happened to Goodbye''.
** Emaline and Morris in ''The Moon and More''.

* ShipperOnDeck: Riley for Dave and Mclean.

* StepfordSmiler: Deb in ''What Happened To Goodbye'', she is constantly cheerful, helpful and organized but there are numerous hints that she's actually miserable about being a social outcast.

* TeenGenius: Dave from ''What Happened To Goodbye''.

* VisitByDivorcedDad:
** Inverted and gender-inverted in ''What Happened to Goodbye'', in which Mclean goes to visit her mother per the custody agreement.
** ''The Moon and More'': A big part of the plot comes from Emaline's dad and younger brother coming down to Colby.

* WhoNamesTheirKidDude:
** The protagonist of ''What Happened to Goodbye?'' is named Mclean, after a basketball coach. Her mother even thinks it's a dumb name and gives her the common middle of Elizabeth so she can always go by that or a nickname if she needs to.
* YourCheatingHeart:
** Mclean's mother in ''What Happened to Goodbye''.
** Riley's boyfriend cheats on her in ''What Happened to Goodbye''.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Even though she is only a baby, Thisbe in ''Along for the Ride''.
** Jake in ''Along For the Ride''.
* AntiHero: Auden.

** ''Along for the Ride'': Auden is initially irritated and wary of Thisbe. Also, the stress of caring for a newborn is putting serious pressure on her dad and Heidi's marriage, especially because her father refuses to help with most of Thisbe's care.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Some between Auden and Eli in ''Along for the Ride''.
** A whole lot between Mclean's dad and Opal in ''What Happened to Goodbye''

** Hollis and Lauren in ''Along for the Ride''. Heidi and Auden's dad could also count.

* BrainyBrunette: Auden. This runs in her family, apparently.
* CameraFiend: Adam in ''Along for the Ride''.

* ClingyJealousGirl: Belissa Norwood in ''Along for the Ride''. The strange thing is, she's the one who broke up with Eli.
* CloudcuckooLander: Clyde from ''Along for the Ride''.

* CuteButCacophonic: Thisbe, so very very much. Justified, because she IS a baby.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Eli. [[spoiler: His best friend died in a car crash, and Eli was driving. The accident scarred his arms and caused him to quit bike racing.]]
* DeclarationOfProtection: Auden in ''Along for the Ride''. Same as her mother.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Heather in ''What Happened to Goodbye'' has a reputation for not looking before merging and gets into wrecks frequently.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Auden.
** Also, Esther from the same novel.
* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Auden thinks "Penelope" is one.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt:
** This trope appears in ''Along For the Ride'', but interestingly, people seem wary of the potential relationship because of what Eli has already been through.

* FieryRedhead: Leah from ''Along for the Ride''.

* GenkiGirl:
** Maggie in ''Along for the Ride''.

* HiddenDepths: A part of characterization of the supporting casts (Maggie and Heidi in ''Along For the Ride'' etc.).

* HotTeacher: Auden's mother teaches at a university and has several students drooling over her.

* InsufferableGenius:
** He shows up again in ''Along For The Ride'' and hasn't changed.
** [[spoiler: Looks like there may be hope for him as of ''What Happened to Goodbye''.]]
** Auden in ''Along for the Ride'', at least at first. See DefrostingIceQueen above.
* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Auden.

* ManChild: Auden's father has definite shades; he is very selfish and he sulks and pouts if he doesn't get his own way, and he often pushes off responsibility for Thisbe onto Auden, despite Auden only being a teenager and supposed to be on vacation.

* NotGoodWithPeople: Auden, at least at first.
* NoSocialSkills: Auden, at least at first. She actually goes to answer the question, "What kind of name is that?"

** Auden's father in ''Along for the Ride'', who has recently married and has just had a new child at the beginning of the novel.

* SiblingYinYang:
** Quiet, loner Auden is pretty much the exact opposite of her brother Hollis in ''Along for the Ride.''
*** Also Eli and Jake, one being quiet and thoughtful and the other...not.
** Peyton and Sydney in ''Saint Anything''.
* SpoiledBrat: Eli's younger brother Jake in ''Along for the Ride''. Eli even lampshades it.

* ThoseTwoGuys: Leah and Esther from ''Along for the Ride'', although with Maggie they make...

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Auden and Maggie in ''Along for the Ride''.
** Emaline and Daisy in ''The Moon and More''.
* TooCleverByHalf: Auden.

* TroubledButCute: Eli in ''Along for the Ride''.
* UptightLovesWild: ''Along for the Ride'', when Auden's free-spirited, irresponsible brother falls for serious, studious Lauren.

** Inverted in ''Along for the Ride''; Auden goes to visit her dad for the summer.

** In ''Along for the Ride'', the protagonist's father pretentiously names his kids after obscure references. If people understand the references, he considers them worthy enough to associate with. As a result his kids are named Hollis, Auden, and Thisbe.

* AbusiveParents: Ruby's mother [[spoiler: and Nate's father, Blake,]] from ''Lock and Key''.

* AffablyEvil:
** [[spoiler: Nate's dad plays the perfect neighbor in public, but behind closed doors he verbally and physically abuses Nate. Ruby also catches him trying to hurt Cora's dog, Roscoe.]]
** [[spoiler: Ames has been the Stanford parents' rock ever since Peyton went to prison, especially sympathetic and supportive towards Julie. Sydney, however, sees through him and is repulsed. And then he catches her trying to sneak out...]]
* TheAlcoholic: Ruby's mother.

* AntiHero: Auden and Ruby are the most obvious examples, particularly the latter.

** ''Lock and Key'': Ruby suspects that her parents were trying to invoke this trope with her, but it obviously did not work out; they divorced when she was five and things went downhill from there.

* BaitAndSwitch: [[spoiler: Ruby's mother is reportedly found near the end of the novel, and for a little bit it seems like Ruby is thinking of finding her to confront her, but this never happens.]]
** [[spoiler: ''Saint Anything'' hints that Sydney will visit Peyton in prison or talk to David Ibarra. At the end she merely has plans to visit Peyton and although she does go to see David, we don't see the conversation.]]

* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]]:
** Cora went out of her way to protect Ruby when they were younger and spent years afterwords trying to get back in contact with her. Then she agrees to take care of her once it becomes clear their mother has abandoned her.
** Emaline towards Benji in ''The Moon and More''.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler: Peyton from ''Lock And Key''.]]
** [[spoiler: Theo from ''The Moon and More''.]]
* BlackBestFriend: Olivia from ''Lock and Key''.

* BrattyHalfPint: Gervais in ''Lock and Key'', but he grows out of it.

** Heather from ''Lock and Key'' is an aversion. She broke up with Nate, but still expresses friendly concern for him afterwards to Ruby.

* CinderellaCircumstances: Ruby in ''Lock and Key'' comes from these; she has a poor home life that only gets worse after her mother runs off and abandons her. In something of an inversion of [[Literature/{{Cinderella}} the actual fairy tale]], Ruby is rescued from these circumstances in the first chapter and gets what most girls in her situation would give anything for - a better home, money, a new private school, and a cute neighbor who seems to take to her - but is initially resistant and uninterested to all of it.

* ContrivedCoincidence: [[spoiler: Ruby from ''Lock and Key'' has an abusive mother, and then it turns out her love interest has an abusive father.]]
* ControlFreak: Harriet from ''Lock and Key'', big time. It takes her forever to hire someone because she rejects all her applicants on trivial details, spends hours re-doing things she asks Ruby to do to make it "just right" and all she ever thinks about is her business.
* CoolBigSis: Cora in ''Lock And Key''
** Emaline to Benji in ''The Moon and More''. Her own older sisters are less cool but still loving.

* CryCute: Happens to Ruby in ''Lock and Key''.

* DarkAndTroubledPast:
** Ruby in ''Lock and Key''. [[spoiler: Her neglectful and sometimes abusive mother treated her horribly throughout her childhood, routinely uprooted her and moved them around constantly, forcibly kept her and her kind older sister Cora apart, and then abandoned her. Ruby lived on her own for months, supporting herself in near poverty. She finally gets a break when she's discovered and is put into Cora's custody.]] Cora shares some of this past, [[spoiler: mainly the abuse, which she usually took on behalf of the young and defenseless Ruby.]]
** Eli. [[spoiler: His best friend died in a car crash, and Eli was driving. The accident scarred his arms and caused him to quit bike racing.]]
* DeclarationOfProtection:
** Cora to Ruby, who would step between her sister and their mother and take the brunt of her abuse. She even does this [[spoiler: when Jamie is yelling at Ruby for ditching school and getting drunk, Ruby looks up to see Cora standing in between them.]]
** Auden in ''Along for the Ride''. Same as her mother.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Heather in ''What Happened to Goodbye'' has a reputation for not looking before merging and gets into wrecks frequently.
* DrowningMySorrows: Ruby in ''Lock and Key'' when [[spoiler: Cora points out that Ruby was not only abandoned by her mother, but she did everything she could to turn Ruby against her big sister, then left Ruby before Ruby could leave her.]]

** ''Lock and Key'' has two, main couple Ruby and Nate, and BetaCouple Harriet and Reggie.

* FairWeatherFriend: [[spoiler: Peyton for Ruby.]]

** Ruby is something of an inversion, being sarcastic and withdrawn.

* FriendsWithBenefits: Ruby and Marshall in ''Lock and Key'', although Ruby never quite has a label for their relationship [[spoiler: and it ends about halfway through the book to clear things up for her to fall in love with Nate.]]

* GirlNextDoor: Ruby is a subversion- she lives next door to Nate, but she does ''not'' have the typical personality.

* IllGirl: Whitney, sort of. [[spoiler: She suffers from anorexia/bulimia and it's a major driving point behind the story.]]

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Gervais with Olivia, Ruby, and Nate in ''Lock and Key''. Dave from ''What Happened to Goodbye" was also friends with him.

* KickTheDog: Almost literally in ''Lock and Key'', [[spoiler: Ruby sees Nate's father threaten Cora's dog. This is one of the first hints we get of something being wrong with him.]]
* LadyDrunk: Ruby's mother in ''Lock and Key''.

* {{Meganekko}}: Laney from ''Lock and Key.''

* NotGoodWithPeople: Both Ruby and Auden, at least at first.

* ParentalAbandonment: Ruby's mother in ''Lock and Key'' which leads to...
** PromotionToParent: Ruby's sister Cora comes in and cares for her.
*** Ruby's father counts, as she only has a few vague memories of him before he suddenly left the picture.

* ParentalSubstitute: Cora takes on a maternal role for Ruby in ''Lock and Key'', but Ruby isn't willing to accept it at first.

* RulesOfOrphanEconomics: In ''Lock and Key'', Ruby lives in a single parent household until her mother disappears. She attempts to work and go to school until she turns 18. Unfortunately a social worker comes and forces her to move in with her older sister.

* ShipperOnDeck:
** Somewhat hypocritically, Ruby gradually becomes one for Harriet and Reggie, despite the fact Ruby herself is annoyed that everyone thinks she's involved with Nate.
** Riley for Dave and Mclean.

* StepfordSnarker: Ruby.

** Ruby and Peyton also have some shades of this in ''Lock and Key''.

* TroubledButCute: Eli in ''Along for the Ride''. Ruby in ''Lock and Key''.
* UnderwaterKiss: In ''Lock and Key''.

* WhatTheHellHero: In ''Lock and Key'', Jamie chews Ruby out when the latter has a HeroicBSOD over [[spoiler: Her mother abandoning her]], skips school and eventually returns home drunk, even going so far as to all but outright call her an UngratefulBastard. Cora, meanwhile, is more sympathetic.

** Peyton in ''Lock and Key''.

** Ruby's sort of boyfriend Marshall cheats on her with [[spoiler: her friend Peyton]] in ''Lock and Key''.

* AdultsAreUseless: Annabel's parents have no idea [[spoiler: Whitney has an eating disorder until she freaks out at a family dinner despite the numerous hints were dropped by Kirsten. They also don't know Annabel was assaulted by Will Cash until near the end.]]
** Sydney's parents in ''Saint Anything'' are unaware of how uncomfortable Ames makes Sydney feel, even allowing him to stay at the house alone with her and eventually let him move in with them. [[spoiler: Near the end they finally start to pick up on it and kick him out but it's not until they catch him trying to force himself on Sydney that they really figure it out.]]
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Will Cash.]]

* AlphaBitch: Sophie from ''Just Listen''.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Mallory, Owen's little sister in ''Just Listen''. Owen thinks she's annoying, Annabel thinks she's cute. Also, even though she is only a baby, Thisbe in ''Along for the Ride''.

* AsianAndNerdy: Clarke in ''Just Listen''.
** Subverted with Daisy in ''The Moon and More''. She's super smart but is not very nerdy.

* BastardBoyfriend:
** Will Cash from ''Just Listen''.
** Spence in ''Saint Anything''.
* BeastAndBeauty: Annabel and Owen in ''Just Listen'' are mocked for this when they first begin spending time together.

* BetaCouple: Clarke and Rolly in ''Just Listen''.

** Kirsten to Annabel and Whitney; She defends Annabel when Sophie is mean to her the first day they meet, and she's the one who tell their parents about [[spoiler: Whitney's eating disorder]], even though she hates her for it for a while.

* BullyingADragon: Yeah, Ronnie Waterman was not the brightest picking a fight with Owen, who knocked him out [[CurbStompBattle in one hit.]]

** "Just Listen'': Owen's Anger Management phrases, like "Placeholder".

** Kirsten in ''Just Listen''. Whitney takes awhile but eventually becomes this.

** Owen seems to have shades of this towards Annabel, [[spoiler: especially as he ''punches Will Cash out'' after Annabel confesses to him about being sexually assaulted.]]

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Heather in ''What Happened to Goodbye'' has a reputation for not looking before merging and gets into wrecks frequently.

* FormerFriendOfAlphaBitch: Annabel and Sophie in ''Just Listen''.

* FragileFlower: Annabel's mother in ''Just Listen''.

** Owen's little sister Mallory in ''Just Listen''.

* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Kirsten and Whitney in ''Just Listen'', with Annabel as a neutral party.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Owen and Annabel in ''Just Listen'', although Annabel is 5' 7", not short by any means; she just looks so when sitting next to 6' 4" Owen.

* TheIngenue: Emily in ''Just Listen'', but she's not quite as naive as Annabel thinks.

* LonersAreFreaks: The opinion of Owen Armstrong held by most of Jackson High School.

* LoveAtFirstPunch: ''Just Listen'' has a subplot, in which Owen's friend Rolly falls for [[spoiler: Clarke]] when she punches him while he's working as an attacker at the mall.

* MeaningfulEcho: ''Ssh, Annabel. It's just me.''
* {{Meganekko}}: Clarke from ''Just Listen'', Laney from ''Lock and Key.''
* MiddleChildSyndrome: Inverted in ''Just Listen''. Whitney, the middle daughter, is causing most of the family drama and thus Annabel, the youngest daughter, is overlooked. However, part of the reason Whitney had so much drama was because she felt overlooked as the middle sister.
* NeverMyFault: Not a direct example, but Sophie never blames Will Cash for cheating on her, she always blames the girl he cheats on her with. [[spoiler: Including Annabel, whom Will assaulted.]]
** Sydney feels that her family believes that nothing is ever her brother Peyton's fault. [[spoiler: Over the course of the story she learns that this isn't really the case, and Peyton in particular feels a lot of guilt.]]

* PrecisionFStrike: Sophie delivers plenty of cruel slurs to Annabel, usually either "bitch" or "slut" and almost always in a crowded place.
* RapeAsBackstory: [[spoiler: Annabel Greene in ''Just Listen'']]
* RedOniBlueOni: Annabel's sisters fit this perfectly, with Kirsten being the red to Whitney's blue.

* SeriousBusiness: Owen in ''Just Listen'' treats music as this.

* ShoutOut: In ''Just Listen'', a joke is made at Annabel's name by saying, "[[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Annabel, Annabel, Annabel Greene]]."
* ShrinkingViolet: Annabel ''thinks'' she is one for a long time in ''Just Listen'', but ultimately edges more into SilkHidingSteel territory.

** Again, Whitney and Kirsten.

* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Whitney, Annabel and Emily in ''Just Listen''. Whitney because it leads to her eating disorder, Annabel and Emily because they unwillingly attract Will Cash.

* StabTheScorpion: In ''Just Listen'', Annabel gets into a car with Owen, who has a reputation for anger management issues. He takes out a hammer and she starts imagining headlines of her murder when he carefully buckles her in--the seat belt on the passenger seat is broken.
* StepfordSmiler: Annabel.
** There's also Deb in ''What Happened To Goodbye'', she is constantly cheerful, helpful and organized but there are numerous hints that she's actually miserable about being a social outcast.

* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Annabel.

** Owen towards Annabel after she freaks out at the club and runs away.

* WithFriendsLikeThese: Sophie in ''Just Listen''.

** Will Cash regularly cheats on Sophie in ''Just Listen''. She sticks by him and always blames the girls he cheats with and not him, [[spoiler: even when it becomes clear that he has been sexually assaulting them.]]

* AcademicAlphaBitch: The girls at the library info desk, Bethany and Amanda.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-Universe in ''The Truth About Forever''. Everyone views Monica as an unfeeling slacker. Her sister Kristy, however, believes that she purposefully closes herself off from people due to survivor's guilt for not being in the car crash that scarred Kristy and killed their mother. We are never given definitive answers for this, but it's implied that Kristy is right.
** One could interpret Monica's actions as liking Wes and her [[spoiler: helping him and Macy get together as a IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy]].
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: ''The Truth About Forever'': Macy believes this about Amanda and Bethany, two other girls who work at the library, until Kristy points out otherwise.
** ''Saint Anything'': Sydney initially felt this way about her brother Peyton but once he starts acting out this opinion lessens.

* ArmourPiercingQuestion: In ''The Truth About Forever'', Macy and Wes bond over asking one another these types of questions. [[spoiler: Since she reveals her biggest secret to him so early on, Macy feels much more comfortable with him than anyone. Near the end of the book she asks him a real armor piercing question (What he would do if he could do anything?) and he doesn't answer her. Later, she has him ask her the same question and her answer is to kiss him.]]

** ''The Truth About Forever'': Delia's pregnancy causes problems for her catering business, and she sometimes neglects her toddler, Lucy. Also, her going into labor in the middle of the novel is one of the catalysts for [[spoiler: Macy and her mother's fight and her quitting Wish.]]

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Subverted with Kristy. Kristy's beauty was completed tarnished by a car accident but the more Macy and others get to know her, they find her inner beauty shining through and don't even notice the scars anymore.

* BettyAndVeronica: Macy between Jason (Betty) and Wes (Veronica) in ''The Truth About Forever''. Wes himself is between Macy (Betty) and his girlfriend Becky (Veronica).
** Emaline between Luke (Betty) and Theo (Veronica) in ''The Moon and More''. [[spoiler: She doesn't end up with either.]]
* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]]: They may bicker from time to time, but Kristy does ''not'' like people slagging off her sister Monica and defends her at every opportunity, probably because she knows Monica won't.

** Wes is very protective of Bert and claims Bert is what he worries about the most.

* CantHoldHisLiquor: Macy in ''The Truth about Forever''.

** ''The Truth About Forever'': Monica only has about three phrases "Mmm-hmm", "Donneven" and "Bettaquit". Kristy has "You know". Delia has "Please, God, I'm begging you". Macy later adopts it.

* CloudcuckooLander: Delia.
** Clyde from ''Along for the Ride''.
* CluelessChickMagnet: Subverted with Wes. He is aware of all the girls who check them out, he's just not all interested.
** Mac in ''Saint Anything'' due to [[FormerlyFat having lost a lot of weight]] and [[ShesAllGrownUp and only recently coming to his own]]. Sydney in the same novel is kind of a ''Clueless Dude Magnet''.

** Macy in ''The Truth About Forever'' jokes that she's like Cinderella in reverse. She spends her days as the quiet, perfect good girl then at night goes to a Wish catering job that is nonstop mess and chaos only to return home and become the good girl again by midnight.

* CompletelyMissingThePoint: In ''The Truth About Forever'', Jason does not seem to understand when Macy explains you can't know everything that's going to happen in life. He responds to her explanation with, "But of course we'll know. We have a list."

** Macy from ''The Truth About Forever'' [[spoiler: loses her father and can't find anyone who can understand her grief. She then takes a job at a catering company with five other people and all five of them have lost a loved one and understand her grief. Four of them even lost a parent.]]
** ''The Truth About Forever'' also has [[spoiler: Macy's gift from her dad, which coincidentally turns out to be one of Wes's sculptures.]]

* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Bert blasts Music/PinkFloyd (which she hates) in the van after Kristy ends up making everyone twenty-minutes late. He turns it off pretty quickly, though.

** Caroline in ''The Truth About Forever''

* DaddysGirl: Macy in ''The Truth About Forever''.
** Mclean in ''What Happened to Goodbye?'', mainly because she is still resentful of her mother's affair, to the point where she'd rather move around constantly with her father then live with her mother. Both Heather and Riley from the same novel are also Daddy's girls.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler: Kristy and Monica, surprisingly. Kristy ironically handles it much better then Monica, even though she was the one who was actually in the accident, as opposed to Monica's guilt complex.]]

** Macy's mother in ''The Truth About Forever''

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Kristy is apparently a terrible driver, but we never actually get to see this because everyone in Wish refuses to let her.
** Heather in ''What Happened to Goodbye'' has a reputation for not looking before merging and gets into wrecks frequently.

* DumbBlonde: Rachel in ''The Truth About Forever''. She didn't understand the concept of odd numbers, according to Kristy, when Burt was tutoring her.

** Delia to Macy and the Wish Crew in ''The Truth About Forever''.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Between Macy and Wes in ''The Truth About Forever'', ignoring how much the former denies it.
** This trope appears again in ''Along For the Ride'', but interestingly, people seem wary of the potential relationship because of what Eli has already been through.

* TheFashionista: Kristy, ''The Truth About Forever''.

* FemaleGaze: Wes invokes this in-universe. Kristy dubs it the "Sa-woon."
** Mclean's dad gets a fair amount of this.

* FiveManBand: The Wish Catering Crew in ''The Truth About Forever''.
** TheHero: Macy
** TheLancer: Wes
** TheSmartGuy: Bert
** TheBigGuy: Monica
** TheChick: Kristy
** TeamMom: Delia

* FormerTeenRebel: Caroline in ''The Truth About Forever''.

* GenkiGirl: Kristy in ''The Truth About Forever''.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Kristy's scars are apparently very noticeable and detract from her beauty. However, they are described as being only two, somewhat faded scars and they aren't described in any way that shows them to be all that grotesque. She apparently has other, much worse scars on other parts of her body but those are usually covered up.

* HiddenDepths: A part of characterization of the supporting casts (the Wish Catering Crew in ''Truth About Forever''-- especially Monica and Kristy --Maggie and Heidi in ''Along For the Ride'' etc.).

* InsufferableGenius: Jason Talbot in ''The Truth About Forever''.

** Bethany and Amanda, the girls who work at the Library Info Desk with Jason.

* LikeBrotherAndSister: Kristy's explanation for why neither she or Monica have ever gone after Wes, and similarly Kristy acts like an older sister to Bert as well.

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Kristy is this for Monica, who has a lot of trouble expressing emotion and tends to shut down when she can't handle things, and Kristy jumps to defend her at every opportunity and usually explains what Monica is feeling to others who can't tell the difference.

* LoonyFriendsImproveYourPersonality: The Wish Catering crew for Macy. Even her sister Caroline notices the change, and she only visit sporadically.

* LoveEpiphany: [[spoiler: Macy for Wes in ''The Truth About Forever'']]
* {{Malaproper}}: Kristy in ''The Truth About Forever''; she's very fond of making up words like "tragical" and insisting they are proper words.

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: The Wish Catering Crew from ''The Truth About Forever'' is this for Macy.

* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler: Macy quits running because she was five minutes too late to save her father, who had a heart attack right before she reached him.]]

* OppositesAttract:
** Macy's parents in ''The Truth About Forever''.
** [[Morris and Daisy, also an example of BetaCouple]] in ''The Moon and More''.

** Delia in ''The Truth About Forever'' looks after her nephews Wes and Bert after the death of her sister. She also is supportive of Macy while her mother is being emotionally distant and is, in general, is a TeamMom to the Wish Crew.

* TheQuietOne: Monica from ''The Truth About Forever'' is nicknamed Monotone because she usually only says two or three words at a time.
* RaceForYourLove: Subverted in ''The Truth About Forever''. Macy probably didn't ''need'' to run after Wes but the moment is more about her finally willing herself to run again rather than a time limit.

** Also, Kirsty and Monica.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Macy quitting her incredibly boring job at the library, particularly as two annoying, condescending girls were always undermining her and bossing her around.
* SeriousBusiness:
** In ''The Truth About Forever'', Bert takes his Armageddon programs very seriously, and Kristy will not tolerate anybody talking smack about her clothes.
** Owen in ''Just Listen'' treats music as this.

** Kristy ships Macy/Wes from early on in the book, and eventually so do Monica and Caroline.

* SiblingYinYang: ''The Truth About Forever'' has several. Wes and Bert, Kristy and Monica, Macy and Caroline, Delia and Wish, etc.

* SilentSnarker: Monica.

* StepfordSmiler: Annabel and Macy, for different reasons.
** Macy's mother Deborah is an even bigger one; At least Macy admits she's grieving, but it takes almost to the end of the novel for Deborah to do that.

* TallDarkAndHandsome: Wes in ''The Truth About Forever''.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Remy Starr.

** Dexter plays the Betty to a couple of Veronica's throughout ''This Lullaby''.

** ''This Lullaby'': Truth Squad's "Hate Spinnerbait!"

** In ''This Lullaby'', Remy's mother has been married an absurdly high amount of times. She starts to bond with her love interest, Dexter, because his mother has been married even more times.

* CryCute: Invoked in-universe when Remy breaks down in front of Dexter.
** Happens to Ruby in ''Lock and Key''.

* DefrostingIceQueen: Remy in ''This Lullaby''

** Remy does this throughout ''This Lullaby'' but doesn't acknowledge it.

** Chloe in ''This Lullaby''.

** Remy, to an extent.

* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Remy and Chloe from ''This Lullaby''.

** Remy in ''This Lullaby'' goes to Stanford.

* LadyKillerInLove: ''This Lullaby'' is a GenderFlip.

* LoveAtFirstSight: In ''This Lullaby'', Dexter immediately falls for Remy and promptly tells her so. She, however, needs a lot more convincing.

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Dexter is a Guy version for Remy in ''This Lullaby''.
** The Wish Catering Crew from ''The Truth About Forever'' is this for Macy.
* MaybeEverAfter: [[spoiler: The ending of "This Lullaby."]]
** However, they [[CharacterOverlap reappear]] in ''Just Listen'' to give you a definitive answer.

* NeatFreak: Remy in ''This Lullaby''.

* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Dexter.

* OppositesAttract: The whole premise of ''This Lullaby''.

*** In ''This Lullaby'', Remy's friend Jess is one for her little brothers.

** Remy's mother in ''This Lullaby'', who is a serial bride.

* ReallyGetsAround: Remy from ''This Lullaby''. She inherited it from her mother, who has been married 5 times.

* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: ''This Lullaby'' is a GenderFlip.

** ''This Lullaby'' Ted is ''incredibly'' fussy over musical lyrics, and pretty much anything related to the band in general.

** Lissa for Remy and Dexter in ''This Lullaby'', but Remy contests this doesn't count because Lissa "likes everyone".

* UptightLovesWild:
** Remy and Dexter in ''This Lullaby'', a gender flip of SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl.
** The opposite applies in ''Along for the Ride'', when Auden's free-spirited, irresponsible brother falls for serious, studious Lauren.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Chloe and Jess, ''This Lullaby'', although at first they start out as HeadbuttingHeroes.

* YourCheatingHeart: When Remy in ''This Lullaby'' goes to break up with boyfriend Jonathan, she accidentally finds out that he's been sleeping with someone else for a couple of weeks.

** The adults in Caitlin's life are oblivious to Caitlin's life spiraling out of control throughout ''Dreamland''. In fact, when her mother ''does'' notice that something's different, it's something completely ineffective (that Caitlin has stopped wearing bright colors).

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Caitlin and Rogerson in ''Dreamland''. [[spoiler: At least, at first.]]

** ''Dreamland'': Caitlin feels this towards her sister Cass.

* BastardBoyfriend: Rogerson in ''Dreamland''.
** Will Cash from ''Just Listen'', but in a different way.

** Caitlin has minor one between Mark Evans (Betty) and Rogerson (Veronica) in ''Dreamland''. Her best friend Rina is also in the middle of one.

* HelloNurse: Caitlin's best friend Rina in ''Dreamland''. Her mother also has this going on too.

** Cass in ''Dreamland'' was going to attend Yale but runs away before she can.

** Boo and Stewart in ''Dreamland'' are basically a second set of parents to Caitlin and Cass, despite their parents still being there.

** Caitlin and Rina in ''Dreamland''.

* ''Keeping the Moon'' (called Last Chance in the UK) (1999)

** Caroline Dawes in ''Keeping the Moon''. Bea Williamson is an adult version.

** Mark, Morgan's fiance in ''Keeping the Moon''.

* EccentricMentor: Aunt Mira for Colie and Norman in ''Keeping the Moon''.

* FormerlyFat: Colie and her mother in ''Keeping the Moon''.
** Mac in ''Saint Anything''.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Isabel and Morgan in ''Keeping the Moon''.

** ''Keeping the Moon'', with Aunt Mira and the employees at the Last Chance diner.

* LovableAlphaBitch: Isabel in ''Keeping the Moon''.
** Heather in ''What Happened to Goodbye''.

** Morgan in ''Keeping the Moon''.

** Morgan and Isabel are a [[HeterosexualLifePartners platonic version]] in ''Keeping the Moon''.

** Morgan's fiance in ''Keeping the Moon''.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Halley for Macon in ''Someone Like You''.
** Caitlin and Rogerson in ''Dreamland''. [[spoiler: At least, at first.]]

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Halley's dad in ''Someone Like You'' gets a job hosting the local radio, where he tells humiliating stories about Halley that her ''school'' hears. Not to mention her mother publishes books about her and Halley's relationship. It's a large factor in why their relationship is so precarious.

* ArmourPiercingQuestion: [[spoiler: Near the end of ''Someone Like You'', Halley ends up in the hospital because of Macon's bad driving. When he shows up at Halley's house, she promptly breaks up with him, not only for that but also constantly pressuring her to have sex with him. When she goes back inside, her mother immediately starts yelling at her, telling Halley she won't let her ruin her life because of Macon and threatens to transfer her to another school. Halley interrupts her with, "Why don't you ask me what I said to him?"]]
** In ''The Truth About Forever'', Macy and Wes bond over asking one another these types of questions. [[spoiler: Since she reveals her biggest secret to him so early on, Macy feels much more comfortable with him than anyone. Near the end of the book she asks him a real armor piercing question (What he would do if he could do anything?) and he doesn't answer her. Later, she has him ask her the same question and her answer is to kiss him.]]

** ''Someone Like You'': Scarlett faces being ostracized in school when she decides to keep Michael's baby, and her mother is initially unsupportive, trying to pressure her into having an abortion.

** Noah (Betty) and Macon (Veronica) for Halley in ''Someone Like You''. Subverted that Halley isn't at all interested in Noah and [[spoiler: ends up breaking up with Macon. Halley later becomes the Betty when Macon begins dating Elizabeth Gunderson.]]

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: In ''Someone Like You'', Scarlett and Michael have sex once. Not only does Scarlett get pregnant from the encounter but Michael ''dies the next day''.

** Somewhat zigzagged with Halley in ''Someone Like You'' - she initially was very close to her mother but as she grew into a teenager and started drifting apart, her mother becomes more controlling, so Halley finds her father easier to deal with.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: [[spoiler: In ''Someone Like You'', Scarlett]] is pressured to have an abortion, but she changes her mind at the last minute and keeps the baby.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Halley and Scarlett in''Someone Like You''.
** Isabel and Morgan in ''Keeping the Moon''.

* MyBelovedSmother: Halley's mother from ''Someone Like You''.

* ShutUpHannibal: Halley to her mother in ''Someone Like You'', when she gives Halley a speech about how she does not approve of her relationship with Macon or her new friends.

* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: [[spoiler: Scarlett has sex with Michael and finds out she's pregnant with his baby after he dies.]]

* TeenPregnancy: The premise of ''Someone Like You''.

* TheirFirstTime: A large part of the plot is Halley in ''Someone Like You'' dithering over whether or not to sleep with Macon. However, [[spoiler: Scarlett's pregnancy makes her reluctant to take the risk and when she finally decides to do it, she gets cold feet at the last minute, (not to mention Macon is implied to ReallyGetsAround) leaving Macon very frustrated, and the ensuing argument in the car about it ends up leaving Halley hospitalised.]]

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Scarlett and Halley, in ''Someone Like You''.

!!Sarah Dessen's books provide examples of:

** In-Universe in ''That Summer'' as the [=McPhail=] women attempt to decipher the actions of their father's new wife, Lorna. Haven thinks she's mostly mean with a hint of stupid, Ashley doesn't think she's mean at all, just really stupid.

** ''That Summer'': Haven feels her older sister Ashley is this.

** Ashley in ''That Summer''. Haven is less inclined.

* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Haven and Ashley in ''That Summer''.
** Kirsten and Whitney in ''Just Listen'', with Annabel as a neutral party.

** In ''That Summer'', Haven believes Sumner was this for Ashley and their family and hopes he can be it again for her. [[spoiler: She's wrong]]

* TheNotLoveInterest: Sumner for Haven in ''That Summer''. He's actually her sister's ex.

** Haven's father in ''That Summer'' cheated on her mother and then left her for 'The Weather Pet' Lorna Queen.

** Haven and Ashley in ''That Summer''.

** Haven and Ashley as well as Haven and Casey in ''That Summer''.

** Haven's dad in ''That Summer''.

** In-Universe in ''That Summer'' as the McPhail women attempt to decipher the actions of their father's new wife, Lorna. Haven thinks she's mostly mean with a hint of stupid, Ashley doesn't think she's mean at all, just really stupid.

* BigGuyTinyGirl: Owen and Annabel in ''Just Listen''.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Owen and Annabel, although Annabel is 5' 7", not short by any means; she just looks so when sitting next to 6' 4" Owen.

** HiThere! for Skype.

* UptightLovesWild: ''This Lullaby''.

* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Mclean, Auden, Thisbe, just to name a few.

* SeriousBusiness: In ''The Truth About Forever'', Bert takes his Armageddon programs very seriously, and Kristy will not tolerate anybody talking smack about her clothes.

* ShipperOnDeck: Kristy ships Macy/Wes from early on in the book, and eventually so do Monica and Caroline.

* ShoutOut: In ''Just Listen'', a joke is made at Annabel's name by saying, "[[EdgarAllanPoe Annabel, Annabel, Annabel Greene]]."

The author of 11 YA books about various teenage protagonists as they deal with growing up.

* AdultsAreUseless: Annabel's parents have no idea [[spoiler: Whitney has an eating disorder until she freaks out at a family dinner despite the numerous hints were dropped by Kirsten. They also don't know Annabel was molested by Will Cash until near the end.]]

** Owen seems to have shades of this towards Annabel, [[spoiler: especially as he ''punches Will Cash out'' after Annabel confesses to him about being molested.]]

* RedheadedHero: Ruby in ''Lock and Key''.

** Scarlett from ''Someone Like You'' appears in ''This Lullaby''.
** Remy, Dexter, and the The Truth Squad from ''This Lullaby'' cameo in ''Just Listen''.

** Any story taking place in Colby (Keeping the Moon, Along for the Ride, The Moon and More) is going to have a lot of overlap (like the Last Chance diner, Clementine's boutique, Abe's Bikes, etc.)
* ClingyJealousGirl: Belissa in ''Along for the Ride''. The strange thing is, she's the one who broke up with Eli.

* HiddenDepths: A part of characterization of the supporting casts (All the people in the Wish Catering Crew in ''Truth About Forever'', especially Monica and Kristy, Maggie and Heidi in ''Along For the Ride'' etc.). Debbie in ''What Happened To Goodbye'' is a neat example where her HiddenDepths aren't a surprise to Mclean so much as to the other characters who have known her longer.
* HotTeacher: Auden's mother teaches at university and has several students drooling over her.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Owen and Annabel, although Annabel isn't short by any means; she just looks so when sitting next to a guy over six feet tall.

** Emaline in ''The Moon and More'' gets accepted to Columbia but ends up not being able to afford it. Theo applied but wasn't accepted.
* KickTheDog: Almost literally in ''Lock and Key'', [[spoiler: Ruby sees Nate's father threaten Cora's dog. This is one of the first hints we get of something being wrong with him]]

* LoonyFriendsImproveYourPersonality: The Wish group for Macy. Even Caroline notices the change and she only visit sporadically.

** Sydney's new friends (especially the Chatham family) in ''Saint Anything''. (Although in this book she notably stays friends with her older, more serious friends).

* NeverMyFault: Not a direct example, but Sophie never blames Will Cash for cheating on her, she always blames the girl he cheats on her with. [[spoiler: Including Annabel.]]
** Sydney feels that her family believes that nothing is ever her brother Peyton's fault. [[spoiler: Over the course of the story she learns that this isn't really the case and Peyton in particular feels a lot of guilt.]]

** [[BetaCouple Morris and Daisy]] in ''The Moon and More''.

** ''The Moon and More'' does make some noticeable changes to the formula, specifically [[spoiler: Emaline not ending up with either of her romantic interests]], and apparently Sarah Dessen got some flack for changing up the formula too much.

** World of Waffles which is totally not Waffle House. Dessen even slips and calls it Waffle house in ''The Truth About Forever''.
** Hi There! for Skype.

** ''This Lullaby'': The Truth Squad's "Hate Spinnerbait!"

* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Bert blasts PinkFloyd (which she hates) in the van after Kristy ends up making everyone twenty-minutes late. He turns it off pretty quickly, though.

* Papa Wolf: in "Saint Anything", Sydney's dad is "pissed" when he [[catches Ames trying to force himself on Sydney, even beating the bastard up.]]

** Sydney feels that her family feels that nothing is ever her brother Peyton's fault. [[spoiler: Over the course of the story she learns that this isn't really the case and Peyton in particular feels a lot of guilt.]]

* {{Meganekko}}: Clarke from ''Just Listen'', Olivia from ''Lock and Key.''