Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's 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 Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

Wow. Really WOW. This book was seriously sweet and very "Sarah Dessen-y". One of My top picks for "Romantically Sweet and Heartbreaking".


I, for once, actually like this main character. I didn't really like Remy from This Lullaby, yet I loved Haven from That Summer. So I was really unsure about this one, but YAY! I liked her. I feel sorry for Annabel though. One of her sister's anorexic, she used to be popular until her "friend" Sophie ditched her, No one (except for Owen) talks to her, her Mom is so focused on her modeling career she doesn't see what Annabel really want and should I go on? Clearly, this girl is dealing with too much, and it is really shocking what happened that summer that changed everything.


Owen on the other hand...


Maybe I didn't like him as much as Sumner or Dexter, mainly because of the description of him. I'm sure he looks great, but his description says really big, and I keep on thinking of a Lumberjack when I picture him. Well, a music-loving lumberjack. Who can't fit into Annabel's car. Yeah. That's how I kept on picturing him. But I like the fact he likes Music. That's what I really liked about Dexter too. They're both into music, in different ways, and the good part is that they are friends as well, as we meet the characters from This Lullaby when Annabel and Owen go to a club to listen to their music.


I loved Owen's sister though. She's so bubbly and funny, even though she's obsessed with modeling. I found the photoshoot bit quite funny, as she seems so bossy towards her friends and end up in weird bizarre poses for the fashion shoot. I really liked her from the moment Owen picks her up from school, and with every time Annabel runs into her, it just gets funnier and funnier.


Owen's friend is another character that I loved. He's so funny, and the funniest and weirdest bit is that he's in love with Annabel's old friend. He kinda reminds me of John Miller from This Lullaby (Hate Spinnerbait!) as they are both supportive yet hilarious friends of the guy in the books. 


I found Annabel's sister to be the most realistic I'll have to say. As some girls are today, she was obsessed with how thin she should become. She stopped eating and then became Anorexic to the point where she needed a help. She then went on to a group where they teach her how to look at the things in life, like caring for things etc. I really found her a character with emotions and seemed so real.


Just Listen was an amazing book. A book, I'm sure, I'm gonna buy and re-read over and over again. It's just the simple truths and the honesty in this story that make it seem that you need to Just Listen.