Sunday, April 09, 2006

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Annabel Greene, a model, starred in one commercial as a girl who has everything. The irony is that she is, in fact, a loner. Annabel was once best friends with Sophie, the most popular girl in school. But something happened that caused them to separate. But Annabel doesn't like to think about that night. That's not the only problem she has to deal with. Her sister, Whitney, has an eating disorder and that fact is what started a fight between Kirsten, her oldest sister, and Whitney. Her mother tends to be unstable in dealing with problems. And Annabel wants to quit modeling but doesn't know how to tell her mother. When Annabel meets Owen, she gets a whole new outlook on life. Through music, he helps her deal with her problems and shows her how to confront them.

I thought this book was even better than previous Darah Dessen books. I could not put this book down until the very last sentence. I think that every girl can relate to this book in some way. She really was able to take serious issues and put them together to make a novel that wasn't too heavy, yet got it's point across. The hints of romance were nice to break up the seriousness of the novel. I highly recommend this novel and I will be looking forward to Sarah Dessen's next book!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 19
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA