Just Listen came out in 2006 and is the seventh YA novel by Sarah Dessen. I rarely read YA anymore, but Dessen’s writing style is classic and fun. She writes really well. I’ll usually grab her titles when I see them around.
In Just Listen, Annabel Greene starts the new school year with a bad reputation thanks to her former best friend Sophie who is spreading nasty rumors about her. Even when modeling part-time outside of school, Annabel cannot escape hearing about how she supposedly slept with Sophie’s boyfriend.
Annabel eats lunch in seclusion every day to escape dirty looks being thrown her way in the cafeteria. One day she meets Owen, an outsider with a reputation for being one of the scariest, hot-tempered kids in school. Owen introduces Annabel to his eclectic music tastes, and teaches her about the importance of being honest and acting like her true self regardless of what others may think. Their blossoming friendship teaches Annabel how to speak up and defend herself regarding what really happened between her and Sophie’s boyfriend. Owen also inspires her to evaluate her future—which certainly doesn’t involve modeling.
I enjoy reading Sarah Dessen not necessarily because I love her stories, but because I love the way she writes. Her books evoke emotion and make me feel things. She has a magical way of making characters come alive on paper, and of making me reminisce about my own high school days and experiences. I have no doubt her novels are highly inspirational for teens and young adults, as her protagonists always end up learning important life lessons by the end.
In Just Listen, I particularly liked how Owen’s character was written true to age. He was portrayed as a real-life high school boy as opposed to those overly mature beau-hunks featured on TV and in other YA books. I knew a few “Owens” in high school myself, so reading this book was somewhat nostalgic in that way.
Here’s my review of Someone Like You, which I also loved.
Check out Sarah Dessen’s latest novels, which include Saint Anything (2015), Once and for All (2017), and The Rest of the Story (2019).
What are your favorite books by Sarah Dessen?
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