Review | 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.

Thoughts: I liked it. But not as much as I had hoped. I've read one other Sarah Dessen book, Someone Like You, and I loved that one. This one, not so much. I can't explain why because I really only have good things to say about it.

The story all together was very realistic, very easy to relate to. There were many parts were I could think, "I've been there," and I was able to enjoy the book so much more. There is also a wide range of topics written about and blended well together that I can't help but love Dessen's writing style. There was a lot of tough stuff, a lot of different issues that many teens go through and I liked that.

The characters are likable. I think Annabel was a great character and very similar to girls of that age. Owen is a bit less realistic to me, just a bit, but still great. I actually really liked him :) The rest of the characters, the family and friends, were also really great, each with their own unique personality.

I would definitely recommend this book to YA fans, as well as Dessen fans, if you haven't read it. Although it is not one of my favorites, it is a good read.