Just Listen

Chapter 13 is heartbreaking.
This book made me sad. And I cried a little.

I really liked this book and I really like the author. I can see a pattern in all her books, of the ones I read so far that is. I would recommend teenagers to read her books because I think they are more for that age group then adult or child.

This is my second favorite Sarah Dessen book behind The Truth About Forever. To me, it’s about courage and sticking up for yourself.

This book reminded me a lot of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but I was impressed by how Dessen took a very similar plot and made a very different story out of it. There are a lot of elements in this story other than what happened to Annabel and how she deals with it, including her relationship with her sisters, but Annabel's struggle to come to terms with her experiences is obviously the base of the book. Dessen has a fine ear for the voice of a high schooler. Overall, this is a gripping, realistic story. Like I said, Annabel's a great character and Dessen's writing is so good that we care about even the secondary characters, like Annabel's sisters.

There were two things I didn't like much about this book. The first was Sophie, Annabel's putative friend. She's barely a character in the story, so I can't really say I was disappointed not to see some growth in her, but she's depicted as such a flat character, with few redeeming qualities, that I had a hard time believing in her, which is a problem since, even though she doesn't figure into the story itself, she provides the center for much of the story.

My other problem had to do with Annabel herself. Although a very well-drawn character, much of what happens to her comes as a result of her making the same mistake over and over again. Which is not to say that we don't all do that, but at some point one might hope that a character would become aware of it at least to the point of not being so surprised when someone pointed it out to them. I feel almost nitpicky saying this, but Annabel was otherwise such a well-written character that I hated to see her be given such a glaring flaw.

Well crap.

I've done it again. I got really excited to read this because there were so many 5 star ratings and everyone just seems to love it. And maybe I would have, too...a decade ago. I felt like I was back in high school as I read it (although I couldn't relate to Annabel at all) because it is the type of book I would have swooned over back then. Owen was the type of guy I would have swooned over back then.

What irked me about this was that it wasn't really anything new. Pretty girl (hell, this one is a model) is for some reason an outcast with no friends. She meets a guy who also seems to be a loner - or at least eats alone everyday. No one seems to talk to him, but she ends up talking to him and discovers this diamond in the rough that no other girl noticed. The description of him: Like that he was tall and muscular, with broad shoulders and thick biceps. And he always wore boots with thick rubber soles that made him seem even bigger, his steps heavier. His hair was dark and cut short, spiking a bit at the top... Yeah, I can see why no girl would have been interested in him. Wait, he punched a dickhead guy in the face? Oh, that always makes every girl in the world run the other direction. Actually, I kept getting this image of him:



Juicehead, anyone?

I mean, I thought his personality was pretty cool and all and loved that he loved music (because - oh, hey! I love music, too!), but I just couldn't connect.

Moving on...poor Annabel also has this seemingly perfect home life but there are all these problems going on that no one else knows about, and she is trying to hold it all together while this is going on. And, of course, she has a secret. A secret that the reader pieces together right around page 24. I just didn't really like Annabel. She was a little too wishy washy for me.

I didn't dislike everything about this book. I did like the parts about the sisters even if it was hard for me to understand (because I also have two sisters and the way each feels towards the others and acts didn't strike me as completely realistic especially at the ages they were). I thought the story line about Annabel's sister Whitney made me give at least two out of the three stars. It was interesting and heartbreaking. I even had a couple tears slip.

I also really liked Annabel's former best friend, Clarke. Now that is a cool girl that I can respect and admire.

I really wish I could have loved this book. It was just meant for a different time and place in my life, which is unfortunately long gone.