Just Listen

Reader reviewed by Amanda!

Just Listen, another famous book by the one and only Sarah Dessen. My favorite author, or excuse me, one of my favorite authors. A book about one's teen troubles. How the main character is shoved out of the popular line, and pushed aside to the nobody's. How her family doesn't have it all perfect. She's a model, she hides behind a smile. Who doesn't? She meets Owen, the music obesser. (I always pictured owen to be fat with tattoos, don't judge me.) After reading this book I couldn't help but think about it for weeks, it was just glued to my brain. It's a good eye opener, as I've said in my other reviews. It's fictional, but it's also non-fiction. It's real-life experiences. This stuff happens everyday, just nobody has put it down on paper or made a huge deal out of it. You should really read this book, and others by Sarah Dessen. (:

Reader reviewed by Courtney

Just listen tells the story of an outsider who needs to grow up through her difficult life and learn that she just has to speak and everyone else has to just listen. When she meets Owen he helps her discover herself and stand up to everyone else, her parents, her sisters, her X friends, Owen, and even herself. Will she have the courage to stand up to her mom and quit something she really doesnt love?? and will she find it within herself to tell the story about the night she lost it all?? Can she tell the court letalone her parents what really happened? Just read and you will see how a person can truly change your life and how you can change your own by Just speaking up. This book can help you through a hard time or even just entertain you with the story of a teenage girl...facing life!

Reader reviewed by Fiona Flamingo

Annabel Greene used to be the girl who had everything. Just like her two older sisters, Annabel is a gorgeous girl who models for local commercials and print advertisements, and she has the clothes to match. She and her best friend Sophie are invited to all the parties. But then, at a party on the last day of school, Sophie sees (or thinks she sees) Annabel messing around with Sophie's boyfriend. Suddenly, Annabel is the girl who has nothing --- no friends, no reputation. She doesn't even have her sisters to rely on; Kirsten is off in New York City, while Whitney, who suffers from an eating disorder, has grown sullen and shut out her entire family.

After a difficult summer, Annabel starts the new school year alone. During her lonely lunch hours, she becomes acquainted with Owen Armstrong, a loner who listens constantly to his MP3 player. Kicked out of school the previous year for getting into fights, Owen is back from his anger management classes with a new dedication to honesty. Accustomed to holding back her true feelings instead of risking hurting herself or others, Annabel is at first taken aback when Owen points out the ways she uses language to evade or avoid expressing her true feelings. As Owen pushes Annabel outside her comfort zone, she slowly begins to change, to discover her authentic identity, to maybe gain the courage to confront what really happened that awful night at the party.

Reader reviewed by Kate

What a beautiful book. It had me reading for hours- I could not put it down! I cannot praise Sarah's writing enough-- funny, elegant, serious, and poignant-- she has the right balance of everything. I am never bored and I never skip or skim. I take my time to actually read her books and enjoy them-- they are just wonderful.

This one is about a girl named Annabel. She goes through a painful ordeal and has to find her way back through learning how to be honest. She has to, in order to be friends with Owen Armstrong, who is one of the best characters ever. Through her silence and lack of acceptance of herself and others, Annabel realizes that she has secluded herself. She picks up the pieces and finds out that "Silence is just so freaking loud," as Owen says.

Beautiful story with amazing supporting characters (such as her sisters and Mom and Owen's little sister) Had me hanging on until the very last word, as always.

Reader reviewed by sydney

I have just finnished reading this book, and I must say that i really, really enjoyed it. I have already read all of Sarah Dessen's other books, but this one is a little bit different. If you have read more a few of her books you can see that sometimes the books cross-over, mentioning a place that she's used before, etc. But this book really crosses over in bring back places, memories and even some of my personal favourite characters.

I highly recomend this book to anyone who loves a romantic comedy, is a sarah dessen fan or just wants to read a great book.
-sydney

Reader reviewed by abscae

Sarah Dessen has done it again. She successfully weaves a great book from problems that everyone can relate to. The best part of this book was how Dessen again brought everyday teenage emotions and problems to light. This is definitely an interesting read for anyone above 12 years old because it offers a lot to the youth, about all the problems we face everyday and how we should treat others.

Reader reviewed by Kelsey

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"at least thats the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf s Department Store.This year, shes the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling.With Owens help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.


I have read this book about 3 times before. It is fabulous. Dessen is a popular YA author and deserves it extremely. Her writng is meaningful, inspirational, and funny. Some people I have heard think she is sappy, I am here to tell you otherwise. Dessen writes about important sublects for teens.


This book is wonderfully writen and any teen who has read it, I think would agree. This book an issue that happens everyday, rape and anorexia. Those things could happen to anybody and that is what Dessen is trying to say. While reading this book (the first time) I couldn't put it down. When I was finished reading it i actually read it again, which happens when I read an extremely good book (Twilight Saga, HP 7). Dessen is very captivating. Her books will keep close to your heart well after your done. I highly recommend her other books.

Reader reviewed by Alexis

I thought this book was really good. It kept you guessing what was going to happen next. I really liked how the flashbacks tied in to the chapter instead of being really random. I can't wait to read more Sarah Dessen Books. I really liked Annabel, the main character, she tried to be really honest, but it was hard for her, like the rest of the world. I think Owen was another really good character, although at times he was kinda perfect, at the end even he shows he still has some problems with anger management. I reallly liked this book and I would reccommend it to all my friends.

Reader reviewed by Amber


Out of all the books I have read by Sarah Dessen this one is my favorite. The reason why I like it so much you ask well...... Sarah created this character that had this really complicated life (sister with an eating disorder, friend problems so on and so forth) and the book was about how she unraveled all of this and in the end she was happy and had finally found exactly where she is supposed to be.



I also really liked how the title ties into the story directly as in one of the lines that came up frequently was "Don't think don't judge just listen". Which is really what the story is about Annabell trying to get people to just listen to what she has to say. Definitely a must read for fans of Dessen and even those who aren't.

Reader reviewed by Sammi

Wheni purchased this book it was randomly because i was doing a project. i started reading it that night and i couldnt get enough. i finished the book in 4 hours. it was that good.

The characters int he story are not that relatable to some but they can be understood . OWen and his problems are wreally inteesting and i like te fact that he defies almost every rule he made for himself in defending annabel.