Just Listen by Sarah Dessen [Review]

Date Released: April 6th, 2006
Publisher: Viking
Rating: 5 keys
Source: Bought.
ISBN:9780670061051

Summary:

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.

Review:

There is a truth universally acknowledged* that I adore Sarah Dessen. In reality, all of Sarah Dessen's books are amazing, but I have never reviewed Just Listen, and I feel it is time I do so.

Just Listen was the first book by Sarah Dessen that I ever read and because of that it will always hold a special place in my heart, but it is not just because it introduced me to her that I love this book. Just listen is just amazing in general.

I'm afraid that any review of a Dessen book I do won't be the average review because of how amazing I feel they all are, they're almost in a separate category in my mind that goes from, Okay, Good, Great, Sarah Dessen, I really feel that is an example of how my brain works half of the time, but I digress.

Annabell's story is amazing and in Just Listen Dessen really hits on the issues of perfection and the entire girl who has everything idea. Nobody's life is perfect even if it seems that way and in Just Listen we get to experience that through Annabell.

There are so many different things going on in Just Listen, there is a concept of family dynamics, the idea of friendship, perfection, and eventually just getting it right.

Owen is one of my favorite boys in the world, and he still is to this day having read this book 4 years ago. Owen is completely misunderstood and the person he is now in no way reflects the person he might have been in the past which is itself is a powerful message. He is never without his Ipod and the music he loves, which is at times, not even considered music, is one of my favorite aspects of the novel.

Annabell's story is powerful and if you haven't read Just Listen yet, I can't even express how much you are missing out.

Don't think or Judge. Just Listen.

*Thank you Jane Austen for lending me part of that line.