Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Hey everybody! Cassia here! I've finally got another review! Yes, I know, I've promised you all a Les Mis review, but I've got a little less than 200 pages left. It's a long book, okay? But very very good. :D Anyway, here's a review of Just Listen by Sarah Dessen:

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Annabel’s got it all: a model at the local modeling agency, and two older sisters who have done the same. But there’s a lot more going on in her life that makes the modeling barely matter. Her “best friend” Sophie thinks she had sex with her boyfriend and turned against her, and her real best friend stopped talking to her because she ditched her for Sophie. And now the whole school’s against her, and she’s got nobody to turn to. Then she meets the Angriest Boy in School, Owen Armstrong. He’s music-obsessed and quiet, but soon he and Annabel start opening up to each other, when they can’t to anyone else…

Let me say this right now: this review may be a tiny bit biased, just because I love music, and that’s a big part of the book. So naturally I loved it. ;) Anyway, you all know that I love short and catchy titles, and this is one. The title is a big theme in the book, and also relates to something else in the book that ties it all together. Also, I like the way Sarah Dessen writes. She’s very informal, and that’s what I like about her. She can also put in those sentences that make you think and mean a lot, and when it starts, you don’t even know it’s going there. This book also has a lot of slang, so I recommend having Urban Dictionary beside you.

Annabel is one of my favorites in this book, which is rare for me to say. I usually like the supporting characters more, but not in this case. She’s just an interesting character. The whole book, you know something bad happened to Annabel; it’s just the way she talks. You just don’t know what it is. A sum of her character: tortured, quiet, and--I don’t think there’s just one word for it--she’s got a lot bottled up inside her, and doesn’t want to tell the truth. Then you’ve got Sophie, and she’s just a witch. Replace the ‘w’ with a ‘b’. And I don’t use that word very often, because frankly, I don’t curse. Enough about her; she’s not that important. Now, Owen isn’t as complicated as you might think. Annabel actually does refer to him as the Angriest Boy in School. That phrase brings to mind that tortured bad boy, Mr. Deep, Dark, and Brooding. Actually, Owen’s quite happy. Angry, but happy. (Yes, it’s possible.) He teaches Annabel a lot throughout the book, and for that I really like him. Overall, I really liked the characters. You know, the ones you’re supposed to like. Not the ones you’re not supposed to like, just by the nature of their characters and their places in the story *cough* Will and Sophie *cough*.

Dessen tells another heartwarming story about friendships, what matters, and letting the truth come to light.

Five stars!

Goodbye for now,

Cassia