Just Listen

My review for the story and the audio are different. I really liked the story - Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite YA authors and this story was really well done!

I did not like the narrator and found her to be annoying, and her awkward voices for all characters besides the main girl were beyond distracting and irritating to listen to.

I love this book. Top three of Sarah Dessen’s work. She writes the best characters. They stay with you even after the book is finished.

After an ugly falling out with a friend and with the truth behind that falling out uglier than she’s revealed to anyone, Annabel faces the new school year very much isolated until befriending a music obsessed boy with his own issues. You’ll probably figure out what Annabel is hiding fairly early on, it’s not meant to be about the suspense of what happened, it’s more a matter of working up to the point where Annabel may be ready to talk about it. I thought Annabel’s struggle felt realistic, particularly as another person’s situation becomes public. It was just towards the end where I wanted a little more of Annabel and her family dealing with things and especially an in depth conversation with her mom. The romance was kind of underdeveloped, it definitely felt more like friendship territory to me, but I didn’t really mind that since friendship was something Annabel sorely needed. I did like Owen, his snobby taste in music and his entertaining little sister gave the book some necessary lighter bits amid the heavier subjects tackled here. As compelling as I found Annabel’s situation, I was even more interested in her sister Whitney’s eating disorder and the arc she’s on over the course of the book, it had me wishing her story wasn’t just secondary but a novel all its own.

Believable characters. MVP was Mallory. Also, LOVED how Dessen weaved characters from other books into this. *waves at Remy & Dexter*

When Annabel, the youngest of three beautiful sisters, has a bitter falling out with her best friend-the popular and exciting Sophie-she suddenly finds herself isolated and friendless. But then she meets Owen-a loner, passionate about music and his weekly radio show, and always determined to tell the truth. And when they develop a friendship, Annabel is not only introduced to new music but is encouraged to listen to her own inner voice. With Owen's help, can Annabel find the courage to speak out about what exactly happened the night her friendship with Sophie came to a screeching halt?

I have only read two Sarah Dessen books and I loved, loved, loved (!) both of them. Reading a book by Sarah Dessen is a lot like sitting down with a great friend for coffee and discussing your life’s story. It’s comfortable, provocative, enlightening, and at times heartbreaking yet also beautiful.

From the opening pages you can’t help put feel for Annabel. She feels so lost, so confused and alone; she just breaks your heart. No one will talk to her, even her once-upon-a-time best friend; she’s a pariah in the school where she was once one of the popular girls. When the large, hulking Owen, another outcast and music lover, befriends her, he gives her something to look forward too. He gives her a much needed lesson in not judging appearances and helps her music tastes grow from barely there to eclectic and powerful. Annabel doesn’t do confrontations and it almost ends in someone else getting hurt. Yet when it all finally comes to a head, you’re left with a satisfying ending. I highly recommend this, especially to the parents of teens, if only to help remember just what it’s like to be a teenager.

I HAVE AN EXAM TOMORROW WHAT AM I DOING

Anyway. I find Annabel frustrating at times, because she's holding out so much stuff and keeping to herself. Owen is a great guy though.

I just didn't really feel any kind of chemistry in this book. And I just read it through, nothing more. I haven't connected with it or something. But I do appreciate Annabel's family story. It was the best thing in this book—the bond the sisters shared. It wasn't the music or Owen and Annabel or the thing with Will Cash or Sophie or the modelling or the anger management stuff. So much happened within the walls of their glass house.

First book read this 2013!