Not So Closet Geek Reviews

Just Listen- Sarah Dessen (review)
In Just Listen, Sarah Dessen vividly depicts the surprisingly disjointed life of Annabel, a girl who is always in the shadows of her older sisters and mother and can never stand out enough to be in the spotlight.

Portrayed as "the girl who has everything" in a commercial, Annabel can only watch as her life as crashes down around her. For a summer, she completely disconnects herself from her friends because her nature to avoid confrontation causes one severe misunderstanding with her ex-bff, Sophie. It seems that she is trapped in an inescapable vortex from which she can never be herself, until she meets one person that changes her life forever…

Owen Wilson. An enigma to most students at her high school, Annabel slowly starts to open up Owen, a teenager who has gone through tough times and anger management and found solace in listening to all kinds of music. What surprises her most is how he has professed to be 100 percent honest about his feelings, no matter what the situation. The development of their friendship and Annabel's changing perspective about life are the most intriguing things in the novel.

Annabel is one of those characters that you can never forget. Because of the tough situations that she has experienced because of her sister, Whitney, who suffered from anorexia, she makes decisions that often annoy or confuse the reader. Truly a round character, the choices that Annabel selects continue to expose her three-dimensional personae to the reader.

I would highly recommend Just Listen to anyone, but mainly teenage girls, who can benefit from the many lessons and subjects presented in this novel: rape, anorexia, friendships, and the impact of honesty. Dessen creates an intricate plot with highly believable characters, and this book will leave you craving more of her writing. "Don't think, or judge. Just listen."

xoxo,
Liesel

Just Listen can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Listen-Sarah-Dessen/dp/0670061050

**Sarah Dessen is on the NSCG's List of Favorite Authors