Just Listen

Written by Sarah Dessen

Narrated by Jennifer Ikeda

From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Rest of the Story comes a moving novel about the power of finding and speaking your truth.

When she’s modeling, Annabel Greene is the picture of perfection—the girl who has everything.
 
But her real life is far from perfect. Her best friend Sophie and she are no longer speaking; her older sister’s eating disorder is affecting everything at home.
 
Then she meets Owen. He’s intense, music-obsessed, and dedicated to always telling the truth.
 
And most of all, he’s determined to make Annabel happy. . .
 
“This is young adult fiction at its best.” —School Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062991416

Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, including Once and for All, Saint Anything, This Lullaby, The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, and Along for the Ride. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and have sold millions of copies worldwide. That Summer and Someone Like You were made into the movie How to Deal. She is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature. A North Carolina native, Sarah currently lives in Chapel Hill with her family. Visit Sarah at www.sarahdessen.com.

Reviews for Just Listen

[Irene Figueroa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[Destiny Yahola · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[Hannah Sincavage · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this as a teenager, but as an adult, I can truly appreciate Dessen's craftsmanship and skill. I'm able to relate to every character and see them all change.

Also, someone else said that there was no chemistry between the main characters. That's the point. Owen is not some heart throb or some guy there to whisk her off her feet. He's, in fact, exceptionally flawed. But he was a nice person who was willing to listen to her and let her be who she really is. The love story is so minor in this book, and the focus is Annabelle learning to listen to herself and actually feel her feelings.

[dawn.zimmerer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not all is as it seems in the Greene’s modern glass home. From the outside, sisters Annabel, Whitney and Kirsten Greene look perfect. All three are models, and Annabel starred in a commercial as the high school girl who has everything. Under the surface though, it’s an entirely different story.


Sarah Dessen's Just Listen takes a look inside the glass house. Whitney has an eating disorder which she doesn’t want to acknowledge, Kirsten is the oldest and doesn’t want to model anymore, and then there’s Annabel. After her best friend dumps her, Annabel spends her summer in a self-imposed social exile. She starts her junior year alone and friendless. Sitting alone at lunch, Annabel meets Owen, a tall, music-obsessed, “bad-boy” who teaches her about what it means to be honest. Through their friendship Annabel finds her voice and begins to use it.

One of the things I love about Sarah Dessen’s books is that, while they can be predictable, I always find characters with whom I can identify.

People-pleasing Annabel can’t stand to disappoint. She goes to great lengths in order to keep up appearances, even if it means lying. Avoidance is her modus operandi. She avoids what happened at a party before the summer; she avoids Clarke, her childhood best friend; she avoids dealing with Whitney’s eating disorder; she avoids telling her mother she no longer wants to model. She learns from Owen that lies by omission are still lies.

I used to believe that everyone had to like me or agree with me. I wish I had “an Owen” to inspire me to live in complete honesty, not mean-spirited, unsolicited criticism masquerading as honesty, but the kind that enables me to take ownership of my feelings and opinions. It has taken me a long time begin to understand that I have to respect myself, and I can’t avoid situations hoping that they will magically change. In facing things as they really are, I learn to accept them and, as Annabel does, become the person I am supposed to be.

[ms_rowse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A student of mine has been begging me to read a Sarah Dessen book all year. I buy them at the Scholastic Book Sales, because the covers look like they might be the type of book my girl students would like, but I've never actually read any.

And since the school year is almost over, I owed it to my student to read one before she's not my student any more. I think part of why I didn't want to read it was simply because of the volume of books she's written--on par with Lurlene McDaniel or Nicholas Sparks--and we all know someone dies in all of their books. So, spoiler alert: no one dies in this book. But it is a well-written story and once I got about 100 pages in, I couldn't put it down.

So I'll probably be reading more of her books...

[sjgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[amandanan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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

[capriciousreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[heycaye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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!

[jdifelice-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

any sarah dessen book is worth ready, just another great one to add to the list.

[calavari · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just Listen This was a much better book than I expected. The way it handled serious issues was careful and deliberate.
Trigger warnings for rape and sexual assault.
Given the description on the book page, I wasn't really prepared for what I found in this book. As mentioned above, the issues were handled with great care. While rape was at the center of the story, it also has mention of and dealings with eating disorders but never blames the victim. Owen is important, but I felt like this description inflates his importance. I expected a bit of a rom-com type story where Annabel's life isn't perfect but her problems aren't quite being the victim of a violent crime, you know what I mean?
Yes, her life wasn't perfect before the rape either and that's obvious from it's first mention, but that's not the point either. Owen is also not an "Edward" like figure as the description also led me to believe. Maybe it's just my own misguided interpretation but I feel like "intense" is one of the words used in yound adult stories to denote a boy who turns your life upside down and then is borderline abusive in some way. Owen is absolutely wonderful and his version of intensity is more the insistence of honesty and his level of comfort in his own skin than the way he broods or tries to control her life, neither of which are things he does.
I loved absolutely every character, except one, of course. They all worked well to propel Annabel's character growth. It was well paced and I enjoyed both the family drama and the school drama, especially the work they worked together to prompt Annabel to act. I thought it presented a great narrative for how such events come into being and how people respond to them.
I borrowed the audiobook from the library, which is read by Jennifer Ikeda. She's a fantastic narrator, having won a few awards for it already.

[emma_manolis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This isn’t my favorite Dessen novel. It was good, but I walked away from it feeling like something was missing for me. I wanted more of. . .something but I can’t quite put my finger on what was missing.

From the get-go I was completely immersed and sucked into this glimpse into a little corner of our world that Dessen provided. She has this incredible ability to share so much with so little. Only a few pages in and you can’t help but feel the dread and nerves that Annabel is feeling as she pulls up to the first day of school. All Dessen has to say is, “I’d had over three months to get ready to see Sophie. But when it happened, I still wasn’t ready.” There is barely anything there but I can already tell that shit hit the fan a little over three months ago and Annabel has been avoiding the inevitable fallout.

I wish this book featured Annabel’s family more. It just seems to me that there was some real potential for more of a focus on sisters and family coming together. There were some moments where that was demonstrated, but because there was this other storyline going on with Annabel and Owen and that night with Cash, those moments just weren’t as complete as I had hoped. For example, Whitney gets up at an open-mic night and shares this story from her childhood, but there was never any discussion between the sisters after that. Thinking about my own sister if one of us had shared something like that and how we felt on a stage it would have led to a conversation. Maybe that’s just me.

As for the romance, Owen and Annabel felt more like pals or brother and sister to me. I never really sensed that attraction between the two of them and had zero butterflies throughout my read. I kept feeling like the author was trying to convince us that they liked each other, but I just never really felt it. That’s okay with me though, because I think there was enough going on to keep me interested and entertained without it.

While this isn’t my favorite Dessen novel, I really did enjoy every moment I spent reading Just Listen. I think it was well written and packed with interesting characters who all seemed to grow and develop as the story progressed. I would highly recommend thinking about having a copy for your own little library. In fact as soon as Tom and I start a library room, when we are all grown up with a house, you can bet you will find a copy on one of my shelves.

[ishanella · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved it. >>insert gushing here<<

[bell7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When events at a party at the beginning of the summer leave Annabel suddenly without her best friend, she dreads going back to school alone. She won't talk about what happened, and honestly has enough going on with her sister Whitney struggling with anorexia, and her mom still fragile after a bout with depression. Then she becomes friends with Owen, who's always listening to music and encourages Annabel to say what she really thinks.Just Listen could so easily be an "issue" book with a point to be made, but while it touches on a lot, that never overwhelms the story of Annabel's growth, her acceptance of herself, and dealing with both interpersonal conflict and what happened at that party in May. I love Owen, the kid who had to go through anger management but resolves never to tell a lie. Annabel's family morphs and changes too, as she learns to see her sisters and parents in a new light and each of them grows over the course of the story. The dynamics among them rang true and were never heavy-handed. This was the first Sarah Dessen book I ever read and still among my favorites.

[jennysbookbag.com · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love everything about Just Listen — the story, the characters, the writing. I had so many flashbacks of my teenage years as I read this novel. I felt like I knew the characters, maybe from my childhood or at the very least, I felt like I could reach out and touch them. I lived with them — their day-to-day drama, their secrets, their frustrations.

At first you think Annabel has everything and then her world comes crashing down only to have everything circle back around making the story feel complete.

I could relate to Annabel, not regarding her modeling career, but her avoidant behavior, how she was intimated by her friend Sophie, and how she hoped her troubles would just dissolve away only to have them haunt her until she finally speaks up. I’m grateful that I didn’t have Annabel’s traumatic experience.

Whitney’s issues with food threw me back into my high school years when I barely ate. My issue never got as bad at hers, landing her in the hospital for months followed by outpatient therapy. I do remember feeling as broken as Whitney and food became one of our enemies, temporarily, but something that was always on our minds.

I wanted a friend like Annabel’s friend Owen, someone to pick me up during my darkest moments in my adolescence. He has his own radio show on Sunday mornings and he plays techno and new age type of songs. I love his views of commercial music and fashion. I’m not sure if this is Sarah Dessen’s views of music and fashion or just something fictitious she created for the novel. Owen expressed his opinions so directly and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

“Bitsy Bonds isn’t a singer, Mallory. She’s a product. She’s fake. She has no soul; she doesn’t stand for anything.”

“I mean, you just have to keep in mind that my listeners are going to be confused. They’re still tuning in, and they expect quality. If possible, enlightenment. Not commercial, mass-produced crap sung by a teenager completely controlled by corporate marketing.”

I love Owen for his brutal honesty. We can all name at least a dozen teenage singers who fit that description. I get so angry when I hear of another talentless teenage singer who is worth $100 million all because they fit a mold and people blindly support them without thinking. I just don’t find these singers entertaining. Anybody can sound good if you add a ton of reverb and compression to their vocals and then run it through ProTools.

Mallory is Owen’s little sister who idolizes fashion, fashion models, and the latest popular artists. By the way, her personality is hysterical. Owen is constantly voicing his opinion of Mallory’s taste in fashion and music.

“’Mallory,’ Owen said, ‘don’t be a label whore.’”

I went to school with so many label whores. You know the type. They’re in the shallow cliques who all think, act and dress alike in whatever the trend-of-the-week happens to be. If you’re not wearing a label, you’re a nobody, a loser. This scene with Owen and Mallory reminded me of a time when I sat in band class and the girl next to me criticized me for wearing generic labels while she wore her Alligator shirt and whatever those trendy shorts were at the time. I can picture them, but I’m drawing a blank on the name of them. Back then, I just played dumb and pretended that I just didn’t know where to buy those trendy clothes when in reality, my single-parent mother was dead-ass broke. It’s sort of funny how a harmless and entertaining novel like the one can bring back so many memories.

Annabel’s friend Sophie was intimidating and a bit scary, but I got the impression that Annabel wished she had those qualities. She wanted to stand up to Sophie, but found herself remaining silent and constantly following her lead until they had a falling out. Sarah Dessen describes Sophie’s social behavior very vividly:

Sophie’s particular brand of fearlessness was perfect for navigating the cliques and various dramatics of middle school and high school. The bossy girls and whispered comments that had always unnerved me didn’t bother her at all, and I found it was much easier to cross the various social barriers once she’d already busted through them for me.”

Owen taught Annabel how to speak up for herself. At first it was by expressing her opinion of Owen’s taste in music on his radio show. Their disagreements about music were often humorous. I laughed when Annabel gave her honest opinion of a “Baby Bejesuses song” that she described as a song that was all touch-tones. Owen tried to claim that the song meant “The Baby Bejesuses are innovators of the genre.” Annabel replied, “Then they should be able to put together a song using more than a phone keypad.” Annabel had to endure songs with yodeling, Gregorian chants and faucets dripping. No joke.

Owen also taught Annabel how to be direct with her opinions and not use placeholders like interesting or thing. He told her they were “something you use when you don’t want to say something else.” Actually, there were several characters other than Annabel that experienced internal growth. Both of her sisters, Whitney and Kirsten changed in meaningful ways. I feel like I’ve been schooled in so many ways by Owen, Annabel, Whitney, and even Sophie, but they each had something different to teach.

Just Listen left me wanting more of the story and more of Sarah Dessen’s novels. She’s definitely an author I’ll be coming back to in the near future.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a nice story, but nothing startling. Annabelle, the main character, was not a strong protagonist, in fact there were many times I wanted to shake her for being so weak. However, Owen I loved. He was so good and intense, and perfect for Anabel. There were a number of issues in this book, typical of Dessen, but the plot was rather slow moving in places. However, girls looking for a more serious book will still enjoy this one.

[alanna1122 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. The plot takes off right away and the characters are really well developed. I thought the story felt fresh. It deals with some not-so-easy topics - but in a way that is serious enough without being disturbing.

[yourotherleft_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Annabel Greene is the girl who has everything, or at least she plays one on TV. When the commercial she features in starts popping up on TV screens, Annabel feels like she couldn't be less like the smiling girl in the pictures who is having the perfect high school experience. Instead, something happened during the summer that she can't talk about, that is the talk of the school, that has sent all her best friends packing to avoid becoming a social pariah like Annabel. Things are no better at home where her mother is struggling with depression, her middle sister is recovering from anorexia, and Annabel has no choice but to maintain the facade to keep her precarious family's boat from rocking.Instead of letting the truth out, Annabel is limping through her senior year friendless and sick with worry. That is, of course, until she meets the guy. Owen Armstrong's not exactly a social butterfly either. He's got kind of a frightening reputation for anger and a habit of always using his headphones to block out the world, but it turns out broody, honest to a fault Owen is the only one who can rescue Annabel from her own act and help her tell the truth, even to herself.There is definitely something special about a Sarah Dessen book. It's not that I relate terribly much to her trying-to-be-perfect teenage main characters or expect that an unexpected guy will always come to the rescue when life goes south. However, Dessen does a great job of turning a "perfect" untouchable girl into a normal person with normal problems whose life isn't as great as it seems. Annabel's life, in ways, is perfectly typical, filled with sisters who are rivals; loving, if distracted, parents; and a childhood friend or two who got dropped along the way. It's that true-to-life high school experience that really helps Dessen's characters jump off the page and become truly lovable.The romance that brings an unlikely couple together is satisfying, but more importantly serves as a way to draw out Annabel's character and her coming of age story. Admittedly, Dessen books have a bit of a formula to them, but I think it's a great formula, and when Annabel finally comes to terms with her secrets, I was crying right along with her. Just Listen is a touching, satisfying romance with a musical bent and a main character who is learning just how much the truth can set her free.

[mariannelee_0902 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Basically what you need to know about the book is this:-I read this book while suffering the biggest book slump I’ve ever encountered.-I thought I was in for a fluffy, unimportant book, but it was much more than that. This book beautifully covered different topics such as eating disorders, family drama, friendship, romance and self-discovery.-Annabel’s situation really touched me because she was such a simple character to relate to. I really liked seeing her confronting her demons and really rooted for her.-Owen’s role in the book is much more than a love interest. He was first and foremost Annabel’s friend and the one who made Annabel want to speak up and confront her problems.-Annabel’s family is wonderfully portrayed and could very easily be my family, or yours. They had a great dynamic between them and I loved seeing them supporting each other.-The romance is so sweet because it starts off as nothing more than two outcasts who start talking to each other and becomes much more.-The whole book was sweet, charming, poignant and powerful.I recommend this book if you think you haven’t found the right contemporary. I recommend this book if you want a read to get you out of a book slump. Just listen to my recommendation and read this book if you get the chance.P.S. I apologize in advance for my non-review because honestly I can’t form coherent words in regards to this book.“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.”

[hannah7248 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book recommend it for teens no younger due to the fact of the topic witch is not exactly appropriate for kids

[ahopkinsbibliomaniac · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm a huge fan Sarah Dessen. Her stories and characters always have a real feeling to them. It's so easy to put yourself in the story like your there. This storie covers some sensitive issues both social and personal. I cried a couple times while reading this book. The end is left open to possibilities. Making you want more. Love her books. I definitely recommend this book.

[ginawilliams-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As always, Dessen beautifully portrays her adolescent characters, flaws and all. In this novel, Annabel Greene appears, on the surface, as the popular and privileged high school girl. She excels in school, has cool friends, and even has a part-time job as a model. Yet, on the inside, Annabel is a fragile, insecure girl. Her family life is strained as her parents attempt to deal with her sister’s eating disorder, and now her best friend is no longer talking to her after a misunderstood incident at a summer party. After a lonely summer, Annabel is dreading the return to school as a social outcast, but she soon finds honesty and trust in an unlikely friend, Owen. This friendship ultimately leads Annabel to face the truth about a devastating, life-changing experience. Dessen’s lifelike characters and relatable storylines offer important and gripping lessons for teenagers, especially girls. Expose your readers to this novel, and they will certainly ask for more of her work.

[margaraawr-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm totally overwhelmed after reading this book. I cried because I am like Annabel who likes to hide what's inside her. But, as the book says, silence is so freaking loud.

"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." Well, this quote, I like it.

[delilahparrie-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Favorite book of all time. So real, deep, carries so much meaning in such simple words. Funny, quirky, tear jerker, and satisfying. This is a gem, makes you think!

[coloradogirl14 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In my quest to become more familiar with YA fiction, I turned to my coworkers who suggested that I read Sarah Dessen, specifically this novel. Contemporary YA is usually hit-or-miss for me, especially since I don't care for romance which seems to be a requirement for YA nowadays.This book surprised me. I really, really enjoyed it. In fact, I read it over the course of two days and at times had to physically pull myself away from the book because, oh, you know...I had to eat. Or sleep. Or whatever.Annabel Greene is a high school student, a local model, and a pariah at school because of an incident that happened at a party earlier that summer. (We don't find out until later what it is, but if you've read the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, that'll give you a good idea as to what's going on.) She finds solace in her new friend, Owen, who teaches her valuable lessons about music and honesty, and helps her confront the truth of what happened that summer.YA doesn't always work for me because I'm not always able to approach the story from a teenager's perspective, but this wasn't an issue for Just Listen. Maybe it was because I could relate to Annabel's character, maybe it was the writing style, and maybe it was a little bit of both. But I found myself transported back to my own high school days (for better or for worse), and I was able to leave my adult perspectives behind. There's a romantic subplot, but it doesn't take over the entire story.There are a ton of appeal factors that make Just Listen a great suggestion for a wide range of readers: writing that does not feel dated, a significant subplot revolving around eating disorders, an honest portrayal of friendship during the high school years, romance, a positive ending, and a universal message about conflict and honesty.I debated on the rating for this book - although it's not what I would consider a stunning novel, it captured my attention so thoroughly that giving it anything less than five stars felt unfair. I knew Sarah Dessen was a popular author with our teen patrons, but now I have a concrete understanding of why her novels are so popular, and I'll likely read another one in the future.Readalikes:Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson. The writing is more experimental and poetic than in Just Listen, which employs a more traditional style. But the plots are very similar and teens who connected strongly with Just Listen will likely feel the same way about Speak.OCD, The Dude, and Me - Lauren Roedy Vaughn. Both protagonists find themselves ostracized from their classmates at the beginning of the school year, but are able to rise above their situations with the help of an unusual friendship. Both novels ultimately end on a positive note, and both realistically portray high school life.Novelist also offers these authors as readalike suggestions for Sarah Dessen fans: Jenny Han, Sara Zarr, and Robyn Schneider. All of these authors write female-centered YA fiction that focus on complex characters, romance, and adolescent issues.

[katie1802 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wasn't my favourite Dessen, as I had just read The Truth About Forever, a far superior novel, but still, its a great book.

[crashmyparty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first Sarah Dessen book I've read, and I can't believe I haven't read this before now. This was such a beautifully constructed book. I loved the characters, and I felt I really connected with them. And I loved those two words "Just Listen" that the book revolves around (obviously). It made me think. It's amazing what you will hear if you just listen.

[bonnie_ferrante · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't that interested in the beginning, it felt like the novel was going to be pretty shallow and predictable. However, the main character grew on me. I could relate on several levels with Annabel and really wanted her life to improve. The second half of the book was much better and made it a good read. I was disappointed about the "Just Listen" tape when I found out Owen's reaction. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars.

[citizenjoyce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rated 4, not for literary merit but for well accomplished didacticism. The writing is very simple, I'd rate it at a 12 year old level, but the sexual content maybe tends it toward older teens. The way it treats communication and trust, though, is just perfect. I can see many girls benefitting from the story.

[ahnya-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anabel is a social pariah who through a series of events manages to befriend another social pariah Owen. They bond over his love of music, and she is taken in by his complete honesty. Through this friendship she is able to work through issues in her own life.
I would not have picked this book to read if it wasn't for the summer reading program at the library, but I did end up enjoying it.