Just Listen

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Over the course of just one summer before her junior year of high school, Annabel Greene has managed to lose all her friends. Always the quiet, nice one, a misunderstanding at an end-of-school party results in Annabel losing her gregarious best friend, Sophie, a complicated go-getter with many mood swings and only two sides to friendship. Youre either her friend, or youre her enemy. Being Sophies friend has caused the nice Annabel to lose several of her old friends as well, including her former best friend, Clarke, whom Sophie indirectly deemed nerdy and thus dropped like a hot potato.

Suddenly, Annabel finds herself all alone. She sits on the wall at lunch next to Owen, the loner boy who exudes an aura of intimidation for his gigantic stature and the omnipresence of earphones in his ear. Meanwhile, Annabels situation at home is not too great either. The past year was focused mostly on middle sister Whitneys eating disorder, and Whitney and eldest Kirstens constant clashes and subsequent falling-out in the face of Whitneys anorexia/bulimia.

Now, Whitneys at home and slowly recovering, but shes still taking up most of their parents attention. Thus, Annabel feels unable to tell her mother that she wants to quit modeling, something that all of her sisters have done and grown out of. Annabel is the last one left, and as a result, she feels pressured to stay on it in order to make her mother happy.

In the middle of Sophies attacks, her mothers inattention, and Whitneys glowers, Annabel strikes up an unexpected friendship with Owen. Turns out Owen is obsessed with musicand telling the truth all the time. With him, Annabel feels like a different person, one who can say what she wants to say all the time, instead of holding everything back like she usually does.

That is, until her past catches up to her. By trying to suppress all horrible memories of what happened to her that night at the party, Annabel is gradually but steadily ruining her future, including a possible romance with Owen. She must first admit to herself the truth before she can tell others and start on the path to recovery.

Like all of Sarah Dessens books, JUST LISTEN is chock full of important lessons. There are parallels between Annabel and Whitneys predicaments, as well as symbolism in the form of the Greenes glass house. While I did not find this novel to be as good as her other ones, I nevertheless could not put it down both times I read it. I recommend taking this novel in short breaths, instead of devouring it as you will most likely want to do. Just read&then go back and look for the deeper messages. JUST LISTEN will grow with you.

Reader reviewed by Sara

"Annabel Greene is the girl who has everything. At least that's who she plays in the commercial for Kopf's Department Store: top student, popular cheerleader, dazzling prom queen surrounded by friends. In real life Annabel is the girl who ahs nothing: no best friend since her friendship with mean-but-exciting Sophie ended with malicious rumors flying, no peace at home while her older sister's eating disorder preoccupies the family, and no ability to tell anyone what's on her mind. And then she meets Owen Armstrong - intense, obsessed with music, and determined to tell the truth, no matter what the consequences. Can a girl who hates confrontation find a way to connect with a guy who thrives on it? And can Annabel find the courage to tell what really happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends?"

Sarah Dessen is one of the first young adult authors I ever read and I was instantly hooked. She knows how to appeal to teen readers, finding a way to connect with everyone. Just Listen is her most recently published book and, once again, it is fantastic. Annabel is a character that most everyone can relate to. Many teen girls have been estranged from people they love at one time or another, whether it was friends or family. Annabel gives readers courage to face their fears of confronting people and solve their problems. Owen is a good love interest, giving Annabel the strength she needs and introducing her to a whole new world.

Reader reviewed by Sarah

I happen to be a huge Sarah Dessen fan, so I might be a bit in my reviews of her books. But this really was a great book, just as great as all her other books.

This book was about Annabel, who while pretending to have a glamorous life in the commercials she does, doesn't really have the perfect life. She is plagued with a sick sister, drama with her best friend, wanting to quit modeling, and having no friends. But then she meets Owen, a loner who is dead honest and whom Annabel comes to befriend. But in time, Annabel discovers that she can never really move on with her life until she confronts the past.

Reader reviewed by Barbie

Sarah Dessen is my favorite author, and Just Listen, her latest novel is my favorite book. A girl who was raped by her best friend's boyfriend now has no friends because it looked like she was acting slutty with him. Her old best friend calls her a slut and whore and she's all alone. Besides that, her older sister is recovering from an eating disorder. Annabel, the protaganist, doesn't tell anyone what happened to her. She keeps the haunting secret in her heart, until finally Owen makes her realize that sometimes one just has to listen and the answers are inside them.

Reader reviewed by librariane

Annabel's life has taken a turn for the worse, but it's partly her fault, and partly the fault of a former vindictive friend. It all started at the end of school year party, when Annabel was caught with her former best friend Sophie's boyfriend. The trouble is, she wasn't with the guy voluntarily, he actually raped her. But Annabel, the youngest of three sisters, has always been the nice one, so she's not used to speaking out or defending herself. As she suffers through a school year of isolation and Sophie's hateful gossip, she becomes friends with Owen, another school outcast who has taken anger
management courses. He helps her to see why it's good to be honest and let your feelings out in the open.

This is a quick read, and teenage girls will gobble this one up, especially if they've read Speak (Anderson). Annabel is an intriguing
character, and learning about her and her family, as well as Owen and his history. The characters are deep and complex, and each does a fair amount of changing before the book is done. Most of this is believable, though timing is a little hard to keep track of, as Annabel jumps around with her story. There is a fair amount of teen angst as well, though her friendship with Owen is a refreshing change. The ending was rather cheesy, and I wish she would have opened up to her sisters, as opposed to the typical ending where she makes up with Owen. I like Speak much better as a rape victim coming to terms novel,
but Dessen fans will enjoy this as well. Note: there is harsh language, but not much.

Reader reviewed by Natalie

This book like all of Sarah Dessen's other books deals with a girl's struggle with her inner problems.

You have Annabel who from the outside looks happy with no problems but what people dont see is that from the inside she is a wreck. she just lost her best friend over a misunderstanding, her sister has an eating disorder that's causing tension in her family and she wants to quit modeling but can't find a way to break it to her mother.

Then she meets Owen, a guy who has anger management problems and could care less about what people think about him.

Through music, which happens to be Ownen's favorite subject, Owen teaches her how to speak her mind and let all of her problems out instead of keeping them all bottled up inside even if the truth is brutally honest.

All Annabel needs is to talk to someone and someone to JUST LISTEN to her.

Reader reviewed by safia

At first glance you may take Annabel as the perfect girl--pretty, good grades, a loving family, and even a modeling career. When you see the ads and commercials she's been in, it seems like she's a girl who has everything.

But if you get to know Annabel better, you'll find that she's currently an outcast at school, is struggling to deal with her sister's eating disorder, has wrecked friendships with two of her closest friends, and dislikes her modeling career so much that she wants to quit but can't seem to break the news to her fragile mother.

This is an exquisite novel from Sarah Dessen, my favorite author. It is excellently written and will be sure to capture readers.

Reader reviewed by sara

Last year Annabel Greene was "the girl who had everything" Now, Annabel is the girl who has nothing. no best friend, no lunch group, no happy family.all because her sister became anorexic. The only thing she has is the weight of an enormous secret. Dealing with why she has no best friend. Read it and find out what the secret is.

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Last year Annabel Greene was "the girl who had everything" -- or at least her character in a department store back-to-school commercial was. Now, Annabel considers herself the girl who has nothing. She has no best friend, no lunch table group, no happy family since her sister became anorexic, nothing. Nothing except the weight of an enormous secret as to exactly why she has no best friend, about what happened the night she went from the girl who had everything to the girl who had nothing. Then she meets Owen Armstrong, a tall, dark, imposing force who sits on her wall at lunch. Owen is a reformed bad boy who is music-obsessed and who always tells the truth. Annabel needs a friend, and Owen could be the perfect person to make her less afraid of herself, the world, and what really happened that night. This novel from renown author Sarah Dessen is impossible to put down, and has moments of both fluff and heaviness-- the perfect combination.

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.