Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. Penguin Group, 2006 Genre: Realistic Fiction
This book is set in a small neighborhood. Annabel Greene is the main character, she is a model and a victim of rape, though nobody knows it. She lost her best friends, and she gets picked on by Sophie, one of her former best friends. It was Sophie's boyfriend who she thought Annabel was "cheating" with. Annabel's sister Whitney was also battling an eating disorder, which was hard on the family. Annabel's life was going downhill, that was, until she met Owen Armstrong. He is big and strong, and completely obsessed with music. Annabel's life changes after she becomes friends, and then even more than friends with Owen.
"Up until now, The Truth About Forever has always been my favorite Sarah Dessen book. Now that I've read Just Listen, however, I think there's a tie! The characters of this latest release are so honestly real, their dialogue perfectly placed, that you can't help but be pulled into the life and times of Annabel Greene." -Jennifer Wardrip.
This book is about Annabel Greene, and everything that a girl her age is going through. She was raped by her ex-best friend Sophie's boyfriend, but everyone else thinks she was cheating with him. Everyone resents her, except Owen Armstrong. He is strong and big, and he is utterly obsessed with music, and set on telling the truth. Annabel rarely tells the truth, but she tells nothing but the truth and her opinions of music with Owen, which leads him to thinking she is always honest. But Annabel and Owen's relationship grows anyway.
"There comes a time in every life when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn to know the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying" (349).
This is the second book I've read by Sarah Dessen, and certainly not the last. I recommend her books to all teenage girls, because they will touch you, and make you keep reading. I didn't enjoy reading as much before reading her books. Now I am constantly reading, and I love it. Sarah Dessen has become one of my favorite authors, and I plan to read more of her books in the future. Her style of writing intrigues me and I feel moved by her books, because these things really could happen, and nobody can be prepared enough for the future.
