Sarah Dessen (born June 6, 1970) is an American novelist who lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Dessen waitressed at the restaurant Flying Burrito in Chapel Hill while launching her writing career. She would write during the day and waitress at night. She later went on to quit her job as a waitress after the publication of her first book, That Summer, which was published in 1996.

Dessen's Along for the Ride made the New York Times Best Sellers List. Because of the publication of Along for the Ride, Dessen was now referred to as a "best-seller machine".

Following the publication of Dreamland, Dessen taught at the University of North Carolina and wrote what would later become This Lullaby.

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