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Just Listen

by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 92,714 ratings · 4,463 reviews

Annabel Green is "the girl who has everything" — at least that's what she portrays in her modeling shoots. But Annabel's life is far from perfect. Her friendship with Sophie ended bitterly,and her older sister's eating disorder is weighing down the entire family. Isolated and ostracized at school and at home, Annabel retreats into silent acceptance. Then she meets Owen --...more

Paperback, 371 pages

Published February 28th 2008 by Speak (first published April 6th 2006)

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Aug 13, 2009 Tasha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

Am I the only person who is tired of Sarah Dessen?
I loved the first book of hers I read, Someone Like You, but unfortunately it seems like the more books of hers I read, the more formulaic her writing becomes.
It seems like every novel she writes follows this structure:
1) Girl (with very uncommon name) is unhappy about something in her life
2) Girl with very uncommon name meets Boy with very uncommon name
3) Girl and Boy decide to date
4) Big major conflict in story happens that causes girl and boy...more

176 likes · like · see review

Feb 09, 2012 Ariana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The best way out is always through."

This book kept me thinking...

How many times did you answer to the question "how are you" with just "fine", or "I’m ok"?
How many times did you feel like your heart was breaking but you couldn't make it right?
How many of your dark, inside secrets have made your heart break a little bit more every day?
How many times did you need help but you didn't know how to ask for it?
How many people tried to be part of your life, but you kept them in dark?
How many times whe...more

216 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2010 Cara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Cara by: Ash

Shelves: favorites, realistic-fiction, 2010, books-i-own, sibilings

This is going to sound stupid but I'm hyperventilating writing this review. I hardly ever buy books but I bought this one as a present for my sister (she introduced me to Dessen) and of course I just happened to read it too. I've read this book four times (the most I've re-read any book) and I know it inside and out, but I don't ~~think~~ know I won't be able to do it justice. Here goes nothing...

First of all I could probably write a whole dissertation on Owen. He's is just so... AWESOME really...more

98 likes · like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

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.

Of course everyone thinks that Annabel has the perfect life. She's a model who has been in television commercials, in print ads, and in fashion sh...more Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

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.

Of course everyone thinks that Annabel has the perfect life. She's a model who has been in television commercials, in print ads, and in fashion shows at the local mall. She's popular at school, even if it is mostly because she's best friends with Sophie, the high school girl who demands attention. Her father is an architect who designed their house of glass; her mother lives for Annabel's modeling; she has two older sisters, Kirsten and Whitney, who are both former models themselves.

Under all of that perfection, of course, lies the real Annabel. The one who suffered from something so horrible at the end of the last school year that she's lost not only her best friend, but her self-respect. Her family is so consumed with Whitney's eating disorder, with Kirsten's college life far away in New York, with keeping everything under control that Annabel doesn't tell them what's happened--the things that are still happening every day she goes to school just dreading the day. She doesn't want to add more problems to the mix; in fact, she lies by omission, simply avoiding the truth rather than shattering her family's illusions.

But then Annabel meets Owen Armstrong, a boy she once watched punch out another student, then calmly walk away. Owen keeps to himself, never seems to be without his iPod, and doesn't appear to need any friends. But after he reaches out a hand to her, literally, after she's sick outside of school one day, a budding relationship of friendship begins to build between the guy who never lies, no matter what--and the girl who lies to protect other's feelings, namely her own.

I loved JUST LISTEN. Owen is a character that will immediately grab your interest, especially with lines like "...for me, not saying how I feel when I feel it is a bad move. So I don't do it. Look at it this way: I might be saying you're fat, but at least I'm not punching you in the face." As for Annabel, the things she's holding inside are tearing her apart, and, in the end, it's the strength of her sisters that gets her to ask for help.

The characters of Kirsten and Whitney are complicated and complex, and I have to admit that there's a part near the end of the book in which the sisters come together that had me crying like a baby. As for Annabel, it's not all about telling the truth, but about listening, not just to others, but mostly to that voice inside of her:

"...this is what happens when you try to run from the past. It doesn't just catch up: it overtakes, blotting out the future, the landscape, the very sky, until there is no path left except that which leads through it, the only one that can ever get you home." (less)

45 likes · like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Monisha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Don't think or judge, just listen.

These words are screaming in my head right now and lord, are they inspiring.

Annabel, just your average girl used to be popular, had one really popular friend and had everything right.
She keeps to herself about what happened during summer, where everything turned upside down.

The story starts off with her and gets even better once she meets Owen.

He is most definitely music obsessed, always telling the truth and has anger management issues.

I loved Owen!
He takes...more

15 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2007 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of "Speak"

Annabel Green lives in a glass house - literally. But even inside of the glass house that her father built, she realizes that it is easy to hide secrets. It is easy to hide the fact that her mother has become a different person since her grandmother’s death. That her oldest sister has moved away, leaving a gaping hole in the family.

It is easy to hide the fact that her other sister is suffering from an eating disorder that her parents choose to dismiss until it’s almost too late.

Like her family,...more

54 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2011 Glass rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction, favorites, girl-power

Half way trough this book, I realized that I was scared. Scared because it took me back to the place in my mind which I don't have any dessire to go back - ever again! I used to have a "friend" like Sophie, I had a eating disorder when I was senior, there was "owen" who helped me to wake up (but, he was just a friend). It took me two years to recover completely and it was awful. I used to stop eating when things in my life were out of my control and it gave me false sense of some kind od meaning...more

30 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2008 Annie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: junior high schoolers, their teachers.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is YA fiction, pretty enjoyable, though I'm not dashing off to finish it by any means.

It's about a girl who is kind of caught up in how she wants to be seen-- a model, actually. Like, literally, that is her job. And she apparently made some pretty terrible decisions that cost her at least a couple of friendships and led her to the kind of ostracism you can face in junior high and high school. And then she befriends another "outcast" and begins her first real friendship (my assessment, not n...more This is YA fiction, pretty enjoyable, though I'm not dashing off to finish it by any means.

It's about a girl who is kind of caught up in how she wants to be seen-- a model, actually. Like, literally, that is her job. And she apparently made some pretty terrible decisions that cost her at least a couple of friendships and led her to the kind of ostracism you can face in junior high and high school. And then she befriends another "outcast" and begins her first real friendship (my assessment, not necessarily hers or the authors.)

There's kind of a lot in it. Mean girls. Eating disorders. Family secrets. Depression. And if I am reading the foreshadowing correctly, I think we've got a history of sexual abuse about to be disclosed. Pretty heavy stuff, but not all that heavy-handed.

My one complaint here is that the main "mean girl," Sophie, is not a character at all. Like, the author doesn't have an actual person in mind, only a conglomeration of character traits and tics. I don't actually believe in this girl, not because I haven't met girls who appeared to be like this girl, but more because I think those girls only appeared to be this way. I mean, from my vantage point at the time, the girl who "dumped" me in junior high was just mean and petty and a snob. But that girl had her own interior life, and I know now that a) she was a lot more complicated, b) she was doing what she had seen modeled for her, and c) she had no idea how to change our relationship and she didn't like it the way it was. The author seems to give a passing nod to "she is more complicated" with the main character acknowledging that Sophie's parents had a bad break-up and now Sophie and her mom are impoverished, but to me, it mostly reads like the author didn't bother creating an inner life for this antagonist.

This is totally making me think about my own writing, which, A+ for that. I really want to allow my characters their own rich lives off-page, if that makes sense. I don't have to tell their stories, but I have to at least know that they have them, you know?

eta: finished the book. The middle-to-end sort of dragged there; there was a totally perfect awesome moment for resolution that the protagonist didn't take, for weak reasons. It was, I think, the only moment of the plot that felt like a false note to me. Slightly disappointing.

This was more than made up for by the actual resolution of the storylines. I really liked these characters, in the end, and I was pleasantly surprised by the denouement of the sexual abuse storyline.

So, in summary, solidly good book, somewhat predictable but entertaining. And I am actually going to miss these characters now that I am done!(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, contemporary, not-bad-at-all, romance, young-adult

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
It's hard to rate a contemporary novel than say a paranormal or dystopian genre. You can't take in the world building or if it was original enough. Because it is all based on our current world and the laws and personalities of everyone. So in short, this took some time in reviewing and rating.

Don't think or judge, just listen These words are screaming in my head right now and lord are they inspiring. Annabel, just your average girl used to be popular, had...more See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
It's hard to rate a contemporary novel than say a paranormal or dystopian genre. You can't take in the world building or if it was original enough. Because it is all based on our current world and the laws and personalities of everyone. So in short, this took some time in reviewing and rating.

Don't think or judge, just listen These words are screaming in my head right now and lord are they inspiring. Annabel, just your average girl used to be popular, had one really popular friend and had everything right. But after summer holidays, everything turned upside down, or so she thought.

I really think Just Listen puts your mind into perspective of Annabel's life, there's drama of all sorts; eating problems, romance, friendship, family, modelling. This contemporary novel is one of a kind and I have once again learned the same lesson. Speak By Laurie Anderson was an amazing book. And it taught me to speak up. Just Listen has pretty much the same story line but had more components.

Annabel is a strong and quiet girl. She keeps to herself about what happened during summer, where everything turned upside down. Then she meets Owen, he is most definitely music obsessed and he is always telling the truth. They way Annabel and Owen developed was really interesting, it wasn't insta love and it wasn't like they were destined to be with each other. But how these two were like forced together, two loners at high school, was so intense to read.

I must say there was a lot of reflecting back to the past in this book, but I think Sarah Dessen did a awesome job at it. It's not like info dumping, where it just gets ridiculous and boring. All of it was necessary and showed so much depth.

Okay I confess, I suck at reviewing contemporary novels, as they have so much to them. If I say something, it's like I'm going to ruin the whole plot! So just get out there and read this book! Speak lovers and contemporary enthusiasts should totally give it a go as Sarah Dessen is a really reflective and emotional wrenching writer.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Waffle...♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Grades 8-12

Recommended to Waffle...♥ by: Me? o-o;

Shelves: inspirational, romance, young-adult, favorites, eighth-grade

This book is A LOT like The Truth About Forever but the story line is very different... personally I liked The Truth About Forever better because it's much more touching and sweet... but this book teaches a great deal of a lesson about truth. Truth haunts and lingers over you no matter what and you can never let it go. If you chose to ignore it... its going to overtake your future and the only way out is to follow it through.

Shhh, Annabel. It's just me. That part was fantastic! I really thought...more

7 likes · like · see review

Sep 10, 2012 Anne Osterlund rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Annabel avoids conflict. A difficult task when your mother suffers from depression and your sister is anorexic. And your best friend, your ex best friend, and everyone else in the school hates you.

With the possible exception of Owen Armstrong—who lives in his I-pod . . . and punches out classmates that annoy him.

Life is safer if you don’t talk. Don’t have an opinion.

But when Mom begs Annabel to hitch a ride home with a “friend,” Owen is the closest person to a possibility. And it turns out he do...more

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 07, 2012 Dianna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, reviewed, contemporary

Just Listen is the second book I read from Sarah Dessen,and frankly, it’s one of the best books I have read so far.My favorite thing about her books is how she takes one person’s crisis and and shows how everyone around that person is experiencing something similar. This is exactly the case in Just Listen. Before I go into the book,I have to say how much I love the author’s writing style. It is so fresh and she keeps you interested from beginning to end. There wasn’t a moment I put this book to...more Just Listen is the second book I read from Sarah Dessen,and frankly, it’s one of the best books I have read so far.My favorite thing about her books is how she takes one person’s crisis and and shows how everyone around that person is experiencing something similar. This is exactly the case in Just Listen. Before I go into the book,I have to say how much I love the author’s writing style. It is so fresh and she keeps you interested from beginning to end. There wasn’t a moment I put this book to the side. As much as I wanted to read it I didn’t want to finish it,because once you start reading it,you start living it. This book kept me thinking of so many questions I made myself,but never actually thought of their importance.

Annabel ─ the main character ─ was a girl you could find yourself in.You will really feel something for her. She isn’t nothing like the girl people think she is. She isn’t “the girl who has everything.” Her story was full. Annabel goes through a lot of ugly experiences in the book,experiences,which most of us,in a way or another,have been through. She hides all her secrets in her heart,trying to even hide them from herself. One thing I loved about this character was that she wasn’t perfect. She has lots of problems. She doesn’t know who she is. Watching her family fall apart in front of her eyes,losing her bestfriend,watching as her whole life changes Annabel is the girl who now has nothing.

Until Owen ─ the guy she would usually spent her lunch time next to,a total music
obssessed ─ gets to know her. Now Annabel has a friend she can talk to. He helps her put into words her feelings, making her realize that sometimes it’s okay to freak out,it’s okay to get angry,it’s okay to be who you really are,and the only way for her to make things better is speak out and be honest to the people around her. He sees through her,finding the real Annabel. Not the Annabel people know.

Through the story we see her change page by page. From the insecure girl she now start to believe that things can get better. Telling everyone what happened,step by step she’s getting closer to the new beginning. Because nothing happens in a heartbeat,it takes effort day by day.

How many times in our life have we heard but not listened ? How many times have we answered to the question “How are you ?” with just an “I’m fine.” and how rarely that has been true ? How many times have we waited for the perfect moment but that moment just never came ? How many times have we lied thinking we’re protecting someone,not knowing that we’re just hurting them ? How many times have we judged by cover ?

So the next time your heart’s speaking,you Just Listen.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2013 Aimen *Vampire Bookworm* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, swoon-worthy-guys, favourites

I enjoyed this book a lot! This was actually my first Sarah Dessen book that I read and now, i'm always looking forward to her books.

Annabele Greene is going through a lot. She used to be your classic popular, high school girl. But one night changed everything. Ever since, she has kept a secret she refuses to tell. Now, Annabele has no friends, a bad relationship with her sister Whitney, and her mother just doesn't seem to understand her. And then she meets Owen Armstrong, a music fanatic that s...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 04, 2012 Teresinha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: česky, in-english, cooboo

Další Dessenová... komu se líbila Ukolébavka, sedne mu i tahle knížka. Je to maličko chytřejší milostný románek, Sarah Dessenová nemusí nikomu dokazovat, že psát umí. Hlavní hrdinka je občas na ránu, ale to asi taky nikoho nepřekvapí :) Na tohle téma chystám takovou úvahu na blog, tak se těšte :D

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 17, 2009 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 9th-grade

Ashley writing arts Hall **Just listen**
There are books that are intriguing enough to get through and there are books that drag on without getting to the point. Most are perpetual and relentless. Then, there are books that light a dark tunnel the end of the railroad. They are intense and heartwarming. They give you enlightenment and inspiration. They make you want to just listen. That is why the title of my book fits so well with the novel. You want to listen to her passionate story about the li...more Ashley writing arts Hall **Just listen**
There are books that are intriguing enough to get through and there are books that drag on without getting to the point. Most are perpetual and relentless. Then, there are books that light a dark tunnel the end of the railroad. They are intense and heartwarming. They give you enlightenment and inspiration. They make you want to just listen. That is why the title of my book fits so well with the novel. You want to listen to her passionate story about the life of a teenage girl. The enigma and suspense will keep you jumping out of our seat. Sarah Dessen knows how to put an astonishing novel that can relate to teenage girls together. This book is fictional but very real and honest. Sarah Dessen doesn’t hold back. This book is great because of the well drawn characters, the relation between teenage girls, the theme that everything is not what it seems and the great immense plot.
Annabel Greene, a 16 teen your old girl, seems to have the life of the ideal teen. She’s got the friends, the clothes, the job, the family and the life. Outsiders thought they knew what she was all about. They thought they knew her life, her story and the reason why she and her best friend Sophie stopped being friends. They had he story all wrong. Not even Annabel had the story right. She had to come to terms with what happened on her own. Every girl can relate on some level with this because there’s always a time in your life where people misunderstand you and you feel isolated and alone. In some cases, girls are severely bullied and feel like there is nobody that will understand them which is how Annabel feels. Her family wasn’t the most functional but it had gotten worse as her older sister developed an eating disorder. She almost dies from dehydration and her mom loses it. The only thing that keeps her mother sane is keeping up and managing Annabel’s modeling. The thing is, Annabel doesn’t want to model anymore but she’s scared that if she stops, her mother will fall into the blank and scary state of hysteria she was in when her grandmother had died.
Sarah Dessen took the theme that everything is not what it seems and displayed it extremely well. People make assumptions about people they don’t know every day. You may think you know someone but you never really know them like they know themselves. As Sarah Dessen said in her book, “Don’t think or judge, just listening”. You never know the things you could find out about someone by just listening to what they have to say and walking in their shoes. If people tried to step into Annabel’s shoes, they would realize they were be two sizes two small and her feet had no room in there. She had secrets that didn’t seem real to her and everything may look perfect on the inside, but it’s the inside that really counts.
The book has so many deep dark secrets and which keeps the plot interesting. It is so motivating and attention grabbing and it tells us all of the things adults think we are too young to hear. Things start to change for Annabel after a nasty fight with Sophie. She meets Owen. He is tall, scary, all dressed in black and he always had headphones in his ears. People always inferred that he was probably listening to something like heavy metal or something about hurting someone. Owen usually kept to himself and as Annabel began to reveal the other side of him; she realized that she was making the wrong assumptions. He was very true, honest and most definitely music obsessed and although he had past anger management issues, he was very kind and helpful.
Her story is so remarkable; you want to read all the secrets yourself. No review can some up the words for this genuine novel. All the unscrambled situations will work itself out in the end. Sarah Dessen will not disappoint the young teen readers. Once you start you won’t be able to stop. That’s a promise.
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Aug 22, 2010 Sunny Stone rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book amazed me by how the author can turn a cheesy story into one that I cannot stop reading. I especially enjoyed its romance, which is slowly presented but so sweet. Friendship-toward-love relationship is the type I like. Under normal circumstances, I hate to read or watch movies about men and women who only know each other for a short couple of hours but start to make out, claiming they are deeply in love...For me, friendship is like the basic and primal level of romance. Skipping it to...more

9 likes · like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Abby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would recommend Just Listen by Sarah Dessen to a friend because the reader feels like you are watching the story unfold. The book is about a girl named Anabel Greene. On the outside she has the perfect life, but it isn’t. Her sister has an eating disorder which is weighing down on her, she is fighting with her old friend Sophie, and she feels alone.I was amazed by how relatable the events were in the book. For Example, “When I finished my skin felt clammy and there were tears in my eyes” (Pag...more I would recommend Just Listen by Sarah Dessen to a friend because the reader feels like you are watching the story unfold. The book is about a girl named Anabel Greene. On the outside she has the perfect life, but it isn’t. Her sister has an eating disorder which is weighing down on her, she is fighting with her old friend Sophie, and she feels alone.I was amazed by how relatable the events were in the book. For Example, “When I finished my skin felt clammy and there were tears in my eyes” (Page 88) After being humiliated in front of a bunch of people, Anabel is left crying alone. Everyone at one point in time gets embarrassed. Anabel was torn apart when she gets confronted by her Ex-friend Sophie who makes a scene by telling Anabel to stay away from her boyfriend. Everyone gathers around laughing at Anabel. I felt like I was watching this unravel, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I was also stuck by the strong level of writing. “As she shifted again, though, I saw it, the one thing that would stick with me forever: the sharpness of her shoulder blades as they rose out of her skin, looking like the wings of a dead baby bird I’d once found in our backyard hairless and barely born already broken”.(Page 57 ) The author didn’t just say she looked sick. You can picture Anabel’s sister broken and weak. Anabel must have been traumatized when she saw her sister like this. It must have been hard finding her in the middle of the night like that. The author put it in a way where I wanted to read more to make sure she was okay. Lastly, I was very impressed by the word choice. For Instance, “Bones and knobs every bump of her spine protruding and visible.” (Page 57) Anabel is describing her sister Whitney and what she looks like when she has her eating disorder. Anabel found her sister on the bathroom floor. The word choice was spot on. Words like protruding and visible and knobs made the book move forward. However, some people may not want to read a book with such strong vivid details. However for me, it made the book come alive. It made me want to read on to see what happens. I loved this book very much. Although I was okay with reading about these topics some younger kids may not be, but it made the book real and relatable. Some parents may appreciate there kids reading about this instead of going out and doing it.
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Dec 03, 2008 Carla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Annabel is a teenage girl that is having a few problems in her life, but what teenage girl does not? She is wishing she could take back ever meeting Sophie. Sophie has cause a lot of trouble in her life and in other people’s lives. They use to be friends, but over the summer at a party, Sophie caught Annabel with her boyfriend. Annabel is trying to fix everything that is wrong with her own life and problems within her family. She cannot do it all on her own and she needs help; she needs someone...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 ★RavenclawReader★ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-read, dessen-challenge

An amazing YA read, this book revolves around Annabel Greene, the girl who has "everything" until one night at a party. She drifts off into isolation, and longs for somebody she can confide her truth in. That's when she meets Owen Armstrong, a reformed angry teen, who finds truth and memory in music, and he pulls her through. Annabel learns to listen to herself, and others, and wonders if she can face the truth... her truth...

I seriously loved this book. A lot.

Many people, I think, can relate to...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 22, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-a-copy

Loved this, though I wish the ending was a tad longer. Yes, Sarah Dessen's works are somewhat formulaic but it does not bother me as I intentionally put gaps in between each of my readings so as not to feel like I'm reading the same thing over and over again.
I love her choice of words, her sentence construction, her dialogues... All so simple yet so honest, so sincere.
"There has to be a middle. Without it, nothing can truly be whole. Because it is not just the space between, but also what holds...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Camila rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorite, buttkick-heroine, i-lost-my-ability-to-even, cool-cover, beautiful-cover, cute-love-story, expectations, got-sucked-in, grinning-like-an-idiot-all-the-time, had-me-lol-ing, page-turner, real-problems, so-sad-it-ended

First of all I want you to think about this...
How many times have you answered "fine" when they ask you "how are you" or "are you okay?" when you really aren't?
How many tines have you seen no way out? And think there is not even a silver of light thet can guide you?
How many times have you feared the light as well as the darkness?
How many times have you felt alone? Scared? Trapped? Angry? Misunderstood? Misplaced?
How many times have you felt like Annabel Greene?
Second I wnat to tell you that I si...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Gasp. H Penderton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: surprisingly-good, cool-title, characters-i-fell-for, ageless, something-so-beautiful, amazing, blew-my-socks-off, dessen-wonders-of-the-world, i-would-date-you

I was once a Dessen virgin. Tragic i know, but it was true.

I was then introduced by ~~cupid~~ *coughs* my friend telling me to read this "Just Listen." This book with a pretty freaky cover, this book about "Annabel Greene" picture perfect model and i with an aversion to the realistic. As you can tell i was stumped.
To read this book my friend recommended and to like it? It was impossible (no offence Emma).

I was pleasantly surprised. Surprised as Harry Potter is when he finds out he is a wizard, sur...more I was once a Dessen virgin. Tragic i know, but it was true.

I was then introduced by ~~cupid~~ *coughs* my friend telling me to read this "Just Listen." This book with a pretty freaky cover, this book about "Annabel Greene" picture perfect model and i with an aversion to the realistic. As you can tell i was stumped.
To read this book my friend recommended and to like it? It was impossible (no offence Emma).

I was pleasantly surprised. Surprised as Harry Potter is when he finds out he is a wizard, surprised as Wolverine is when he finds he has metal claws, when i found out this book was nothing short of amazing.
Piercing, bitter sweet and magical.
To date, best realistic book i have read. To date, my favourite Dessen novel. My first Dessen novel has become my favourite, i don't regret reading this, i regret undermining Emma's choice though her idea of "Hush, hush" has set her back again (no offence Emma).

I am in love. The characters have stolen my heart and chained me to a wall shouting "read ME, read ABOUT ME." Dessen's characters have a life of their own. I have read this book three times and it takes the place of most read book in my shelf of read books.

The characters are complex, sometimes too much so for this book but Dessen wraps it up nicely at the end. It has a brilliant flow, a steady flow that drops only momentarily when Annabel has her freak out and leaves. I could almost chart this novels progress, a steady climb towards the end. That's how brilliant i feel this novel is.

I didn't hate any characters, i even felt sorry for Sophie, who was a total snob in my opinion. I related with every single character, even the snob and i loved each one of them.

It is talent when you make someone like me love your characters with all my heart and the romance, ohhhhh~~~ the romance *swoons* i think i died reading it.

This is one of the best types of novels. One that delves into something so deep and manages to find its submarine, submerge and re-emerge even better. I think the best part about reading this novel was finding another author to love even though you doubted your friend (no offence Emma).

But all is well that ends well...
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2 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Delaney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: love-to-smithereens

NOOOOO I'M DONE!!!! I'm killing myself for reading this fabulous book too face!!! It's killing me!!!! x.x

"Don't think or judge. Just Listen."

Oh, I could dedicate this whole review just to Owen, but I won't. The music obsessed geek. I actually wrote down every song/singer/band listed in JUST LISTEN and listened to them like "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin or Jimmy Paige. The Jimmy Paige one actually gave me a bit of headache. I got tired even from just listening to it! Anyways, Owen helps Annabelle...more NOOOOO I'M DONE!!!! I'm killing myself for reading this fabulous book too face!!! It's killing me!!!! x.x

"Don't think or judge. Just Listen."

Oh, I could dedicate this whole review just to Owen, but I won't. The music obsessed geek. I actually wrote down every song/singer/band listed in JUST LISTEN and listened to them like "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin or Jimmy Paige. The Jimmy Paige one actually gave me a bit of headache. I got tired even from just listening to it! Anyways, Owen helps Annabelle (our main character here) get over things. And each quote that I was copying down was from him. He's just that awesome! Even if his taste of music is a little odd. XP

And next time I go to a carwash, I need to try the carwash phenomenon.

"Silence is so freaking loud."

Annabelle, I could really relate to her because i'm the youngest but not of three daughters, still, the youngest. She keeps things in, and that's the hard part of things, it's so easy to keep things in and once you actually let it out, it just spills. I really felt for her, I wanted to be her friend when everything was turned against her. Her sisters: Kirsten and Whitney. Both superbly amazing. Both in depth and character. I truly just loved every single character, even Sophie! Koodos for that!

But the writing! After re-read after re-read, I didn't realize that the writing, the plot, EVERYTHING, was just so simple. It was just so simple and that simplicity is what made me fall in love with JUST LISTEN. What made me fall in love with Owen, Annabelle, Whitney, Kirsten, Clarke, Rolly. And--oh my!--there's a little cameo of my best buds in THIS LULLABY Dexter and Remy!!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!! I was screaming that I got to meet them!!! It's the first re-read after reading THIS LULLABY. And I LOVED, LOVED, seeing them!!!

This book, it just holds a dear place in my heart. It really does, it's just amazing. THE BEST SARAH DESSEN BOOK IN MY MIND!!!!! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!!! And it makes me want to go get bacon!!!!
And so, now I'm going to mope because I won't get around to a really good book to just sit down and read like this one in a while. <33333333

"Well, you know, it's day to day."

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5 likes · like · see review

Sep 30, 2011 Ciesca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first book review in this website. It just so happened that I am in good mood today to write a review after I finished reading Just Listen a while ago. Well, it took me, I guess, more than one week to finish the book, because of the hell week in school (or is it hell weeks?). However, a while a go, I decided to give myself a break from the continuous schoolworks and found myself opening the book again.

When I started it before, the story seemed interesting at first, but later on, I beg...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 07, 2012 Mansi Sharma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, books-i-will-keep-coming-back-to, sarah-dessen

Just Listen. Two words that we all want to say to the people in our lives, but often do not. A single incident could tell a thousand different tales. All we need to do is...'just listen'. A book for everyone, specially including the people who are 'enlightened' with the art of music (and love Techno).

The story is about Annabel, who doesn't do what she wants to because she's afraid of being just another dagger in her mother's already wounded heart. The youngest of the three sisters, Annabel stri...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 28, 2011 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-books-ever, musical-books

Just Listen is one of my favorite books hands down. I could read it again and again. Annabel Greene has had the farthest thing from a perfect life. Her sister Whitney has an eating disorder and the household seems to center around her needs. Her other sister Kirsten is away at Collage. Annabel is the only one left out of her two sisters that still models. She wants to quit, but doesn't have the heart to tell her mother. On the outside you could say she has “a great life.” But Annabel is hiding s...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 04, 2009 Samantha Medeiros rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked the book, Just Listen ..., by Sarah Dessen, to read for my book report because Sarah Dessen is one of my all-time favorite authors. Her writing not only captivates me, but also inspires me. Dessen writes from a troubling teenager's point of view in which she expresses the many issues that Annabel faces. This book is about a girl, Annabel Greene, who is a model that appears in a commercial portraying as the girl that has it all. But in reality, she has nothing: no friends because of her...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 03, 2008 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book, Just Listen is a contemporary fiction book. The main character, Annabelle Greene is a Midwestern sophomore who starts out her school year without friends because of an incident that happened last year. She is ostracized by everyone in the school except a large, angry boy named Owen Armstrong and her ex-best friend Sophie who constantly insults her. She becomes friends with Owen and learns he is in anger management, and he teaches her how to confront people and tell the truth, especial...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 30, 2008 Snorkle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, read-2008, review-on-blog

You'd think the life of a model would be perfect and hassle-free, but Annabel's life is anything but perfect. It's the fall of her junior year and even though in all the adds it looks like she's got it all, Annabel feels like her life is just falling apart. Between her former best friends vicious rumors and her sister's sickness at home, Annabel just doesn't know how to cope. It's not until she meets Owen Armstrong, the super tall, music obsessed loner, that Annabel starts to see thinks in a dif...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 04, 2008 Wee!wawaLAA!!! rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: teenagers, not-into-pop-music people

Recommended to Wee!wawaLAA!!! by: Waffle?

So far, the storyline's OK, but not the best I've ever seen. Like Annabel is the model, but she hates the job, but doesn't want her mom to be hurt with the decision. So she constantly tells less than the actual truth and denies being a liar. Until she met Owen Armstrong, who helped her when she was getting hurt by all these assholed gossipers. Then all they talk about is like music and jobs, which is kinda boring. Apparently Annabel is one of the more preppy girls who like the more modern pop so...more

1 like · like · see review

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Don't think or judge, just listen.	21	72	18 hours, 54 min ago
Teen Critic: June 2013: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen	32	27	Jun 16, 2013 10:07am
For Anyone Who Wants to Talk About This Book	121	388	Jun 15, 2013 08:54pm
The book teaches you a lesson but what do you learn from it?	52	187	Jun 11, 2013 08:39am
Would you date Owen?	27	145	Jun 04, 2013 10:49pm
Sarah Dessen Love...: quote from just listen	3	24	Apr 28, 2013 10:40pm

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Quotes from Just Listen

“Don't think or judge, just listen.” — 6,742 people liked it

“There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying.” — 4,901 people liked it

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