16 Books Written By Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen is one of those authors whose books have become almost synonymous with contemporary young adult fiction. Her novels capture that particularly complicated stretch of life when friendships are shifting, families are changing, first loves feel enormous, and you are beginning to figure out who you are apart from everyone else's expectations.
If you grew up reading Dessen books, revisiting her bibliography can feel wonderfully nostalgic. But her books also continue to find new generations of readers, particularly anyone who loves character-driven stories that combine romance, family relationships, friendship, and coming-of-age experiences.
Whether you've read Sarah Dessen for years or are just discovering her work, I've put together this guide to the books written by Sarah Dessen to help you explore her bibliography, understand the genre she writes in, and decide which book might be the best place to start.
16 Books Written By Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen has built her career around young adult stories that take teenage emotions seriously. Her characters are often navigating high school, changing friendships, complicated parents, grief, identity, and romance at the same time—which, when you think about it, is a pretty accurate representation of being a teenager.
Romance is certainly an important part of many Dessen books, but I wouldn't categorize them as romance novels alone. The relationship is usually one piece of a much bigger transition taking place in the main character's life.
Her books also tend to have a strong sense of place. North Carolina appears frequently, and longtime readers will recognize recurring locations and occasional connections between novels. That gives her bibliography a familiar, lived-in quality even though most of her novels can stand completely on their own.
If you are specifically interested in how books like Dessen's fit within the romance category, my guide to what is a contemporary romance is a helpful place to start.
Who Is Sarah Dessen?
Sarah Dessen is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the most recognizable names in modern young adult fiction. She was born in Evanston, Illinois, and has deep ties to North Carolina, particularly Chapel Hill.
Dessen attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied creative writing and graduated with highest honors in 1993. Before becoming a full-time novelist, she waitressed at the Flying Burrito restaurant in Chapel Hill while working on her writing. She later taught at the University of North Carolina.
Her first novel, That Summer, was published in 1996, beginning a career that would span decades. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide, and in 2017 she received the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contribution to young adult literature.
That longevity is especially notable in YA, a category that has changed enormously since the 1990s. Dessen helped establish the kind of realistic, emotionally grounded contemporary YA novel that has since become a major part of the category.
What Genre Does Sarah Dessen Write?
Sarah Dessen primarily writes young adult contemporary fiction, although you'll also frequently see her work described as contemporary romance, realistic fiction, and coming-of-age fiction.
Those categories overlap quite a bit.
Her protagonists are generally teenagers or young adults dealing with recognizable real-world situations rather than fantasy, historical, or speculative settings. Many of the stories include romance, but they also explore friendships, family relationships, grief, self-confidence, identity, and the transition from high school into adulthood.
That makes Dessen a particularly good author for readers who like romance but want plenty happening beyond the romantic relationship.
If that's the part of her work you enjoy most, take a look at my list of the best contemporary romance authors. And if you're more interested in realistic, character-driven storytelling in general, I've also rounded up some of the best contemporary authors.
How Many Books Has Sarah Dessen Written?
As of 2026, Sarah Dessen has published 16 full-length novels, beginning with That Summer in 1996 and most recently Change of Plans in May 2026.
You may see slightly different numbers depending on the source because Dessen has also written the novella Infinity, contributed to anthologies, and had some of her novels republished together in omnibus editions. For the purposes of this list, I'm counting her 16 individual full-length novels rather than collections, anthologies, or repackaged editions.
Here are the 16 Sarah Dessen novels in publication order:
That Summer — 1996
Someone Like You — 1998
Keeping the Moon — 1999
Dreamland — 2000
This Lullaby — 2002
The Truth About Forever — 2004
Just Listen — 2006
Lock and Key — 2008
Along for the Ride — 2009
What Happened to Goodbye — 2011
The Moon and More — 2013
Saint Anything — 2015
Once and for All — 2017
The Rest of the Story — 2019
Change of Plans — 2026
Wait—that's only 15! The confusion comes from the way some bibliographies count Infinity (2010), Dessen's novella. If you're counting all standalone fiction titles, the total is 16, including Infinity. If you're counting only her full-length novels, the total is 15.
For clarity, I've included her 15 full-length novels below as the core Sarah Dessen bibliography, with Infinity noted separately.
Best Sarah Dessen Books
With more than two decades of books to choose from, where should you start?
The answer depends a little on what you want from a Sarah Dessen book. Some are heavier and more emotionally complicated, while others lean further into summer, friendship, family, and romance. Here is a look at her full-length novels and what you can expect from each one.
That Summer
Dessen's 1996 debut introduces readers to Haven, a teenager dealing with a summer of enormous change. Her father is getting remarried, her sister is preparing for her own wedding, and Haven finds herself thinking about an earlier time when her family seemed happier.
It's an interesting place to start if you want to see where Dessen's career began because so many of the themes that would define her later books—family, change, memory, relationships, and growing up—are already here.
Someone Like You
Someone Like You centers on the friendship between Halley and Scarlett after Scarlett discovers she is pregnant following the death of her boyfriend.
The emotional heart of this novel is friendship rather than romance, making it a good choice for readers who particularly appreciate the way Dessen writes relationships between young women.
Keeping the Moon
Originally also published under the title Last Chance, Keeping the Moon follows Colie as she spends the summer with her eccentric aunt in the small North Carolina town of Colby.
Colie has struggled with confidence and belonging, and her summer becomes an opportunity to see herself differently. This is a particularly good Dessen book if you love stories about self-discovery and unexpected friendships.
Dreamland
Dreamland is one of Dessen's darker novels.
Caitlin is struggling to establish an identity separate from her older sister when she begins dating Rogerson. What initially feels exciting becomes increasingly controlling and abusive.
Readers looking for a light contemporary romance should know going in that this book tackles serious subject matter, including an unhealthy relationship and abuse.
This Lullaby
Remy doesn't believe in lasting love, and considering her mother's romantic history, she thinks she has plenty of evidence supporting her position.
Then she meets Dexter.
This Lullaby combines Dessen's familiar coming-of-age themes with a stronger romantic storyline, making it one of the books I'd point readers toward if the relationship element is what initially drew them to her work.
The Truth About Forever
For many readers, The Truth About Forever is quintessential Sarah Dessen.
Macy has carefully organized her life following her father's death, but an unexpected summer job with a chaotic catering company introduces her to new friends—and Wes.
The romance is memorable, but I think the appeal of this book comes just as much from watching Macy slowly give herself permission to stop being perfect.
If you've never read Dessen before and want one book that captures what she does especially well, this is an excellent starting point.
Just Listen
Annabel appears to have the perfect life, but reality looks very different. After losing her friends and becoming increasingly isolated, she develops a friendship with Owen, whose honesty forces her to reconsider the things she hasn't been willing to say aloud.
Just Listen explores communication, friendship, trauma, and the difference between appearances and reality.
Lock and Key
In Lock and Key, Ruby has spent years learning to take care of herself. When circumstances force her to move in with the older sister she barely knows, she suddenly finds herself surrounded by stability she doesn't entirely trust.
Lock and Key is particularly strong on questions of family and independence. There's romance here, but Ruby's changing understanding of what it means to accept help is really at the center of the story.
Along for the Ride
Auden has spent most of her life focused on academics. The summer before college, she goes to stay with her father and his new family in the beach town of Colby.
There she meets Eli, another night owl, and the two begin spending their nights experiencing some of the teenage milestones Auden skipped while concentrating on school.
If you want a summery Sarah Dessen book with romance, late-night adventures, and a strong coming-of-age storyline, I'd put Along for the Ride near the top of your list.
What Happened to Goodbye
After her parents' divorce, Mclean has moved repeatedly with her father, reinventing herself every time they arrive somewhere new.
But in her latest town, her carefully constructed identity doesn't quite go according to plan.
This one is especially interesting if you like Dessen's exploration of identity: Who are you when you aren't trying to become the person everyone around you expects?
The Moon and More
Emaline has lived in the North Carolina beach town of Colby her entire life, but the summer before college has her questioning whether she should stay connected to the life she knows or reach for something different.
It's a familiar coming-of-age question, but one Dessen handles particularly well: growing up doesn't always require rejecting where you came from.
Saint Anything
Sydney has spent much of her life in the shadow of her charismatic older brother, Peyton. After Peyton causes a devastating drunk-driving accident, Sydney begins questioning both her family's response and her own place within it.
Her friendship with the Chatham family gives her something she desperately needs: people who actually see her.
This is one of Dessen's more emotionally layered family stories and a strong choice if you prefer the deeper coming-of-age side of her work.
Once and for All
Louna works in her mother's wedding-planning business but has become deeply skeptical about love following a devastating loss.
Then she meets Ambrose.
The wedding setting makes this one particularly fun, but Dessen balances the lighter romantic elements with grief and the question of whether opening yourself to love is worth the possibility of losing it.
The Rest of the Story
Emma Saylor unexpectedly spends the summer with relatives connected to her late mother's side of the family and discovers an entire piece of her history she barely knew existed.
Family is at the center of The Rest of the Story, along with questions about memory, identity, grief, and the different versions of a person that can exist within one family.
For longtime Dessen readers, it also delivers the atmospheric summer setting that has become such an enjoyable hallmark of her work.
Change of Plans
After several years without a new Sarah Dessen novel, Change of Plans arrived in May 2026.
The story follows 18-year-old Emma, who has been looking forward to leaving high school behind and beginning college. When a family emergency changes those plans, however, the future she thought she had mapped out suddenly looks very different.
That premise feels especially fitting for Dessen. So many of her best books begin at exactly this kind of threshold, when a young woman thinks she knows what comes next only to discover that life has other ideas.
For longtime readers who have been waiting since The Rest of the Story, Change of Plans also makes this the perfect time to revisit the Sarah Dessen books you've read—or finally catch up on the ones you've missed.
Do You Have To Read Sarah Dessen Books In Order?
No. You do not have to read Sarah Dessen's books in order.
Her novels are generally standalone stories with different main characters, so you can choose whichever premise interests you most without worrying that you've missed an earlier part of the story.
Longtime readers may notice familiar North Carolina locations, particularly Colby, and occasional Easter eggs or connections between books. Those details can make reading several Dessen books more fun, but they don't create a traditional series that needs to be read sequentially.
If you're completely new to Sarah Dessen, I'd probably start with The Truth About Forever for the classic Dessen experience, Along for the Ride if you want a summery romance, or Saint Anything if you're looking for something a little more emotionally layered.
And if you've read several Sarah Dessen books, I'd love to hear your advice: Which Sarah Dessen book do you think new readers should start with? Do you recommend reading them in publication order, or is there one book you always tell people to pick up first? Leave your recommendation in the comments.
