Synopsis from Goodreads
Title: Just Listen
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication Date: 6th of April, 2006
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.
My Review
It was an enjoyable summer and light read. It is the first book I’ve ever read of Sarah Dessen’s and it definitely won’t be the last.
Just listen is about a girl called Annabel, who is viewed and known as “The girl who has everything”, a popular best friend, a seemingly perfect family, a popular reputation for being the beautiful model. However, it all ended after one incident at a party she was attending last summer. She lost her friendship with Sophie, her reputation was tampered, and is totally alone. This incident traumatized Annabel, which her solution to it was isolate herself the rest of the summer believing everything would be okay after returning back to school. Instead, her perfect plan backfired wherein she found herself alone and judged by everyone around her. Which also eventually, she still believes that not talking about it is still for the best, which in reality, she was lying to herself and to the people around her.
One day, she meets this boy, Owen, who is a music freak.. He is addicted to it. He teaches her that there are many things to learn in life and where she can make options for herself instead of sticking with just one that might as well suffocate her. Other than that one incident, she also has issues at home in which her sister Whitney has eating disorder, and her parents were on denial of everything that’s going on around them, well maybe, mostly her mother. The whole plot is about Annabel's life after that incident and how she would be able to learn more about herself.
Character: Annabel can be relatable, but she still was very annoying to me. I just wanted her to speak up and say what’s on her mind. However, it’s the whole purpose of this book, where Annabel is in this journey trying to figure out who she really is and who she can be. Owen, was this sweet boy, but not so sweet to the point of being TOO perfect. He was realistic, and he also has some issues of his own. Whitney, Annabel’s sister, was dark, but has this unique character that makes you want to read more about.
At first, I had issues with how the story kept going back and forth between pasts and presents. Nevertheless, I was able to get over it because Sarah Dessen was able to synchronize the past and present pretty well in which I did not feel out of place. The whole story was able to be a well rounded piece of work/art.
Overall, this book is great for teens where it teaches many valuable and memorable lessons. It teach us how to be honest with ourselves, how to be able to open up to people we trust expecting them not to judge us, and how to understand and figure out ourselves. A definitely recommended read for everyone.
There are many memorable quotes I liked in the book; here are some I want to share:
“I was beginning to see, though, that the unknown wasn’t always the greatest thing to fear. The people who know you best can be riskier, because the words they say and the things they think have the potential to be not only scary but true, as well” Page 67
“It wasn’t until I was right up to him that it occurred to me this might be a mistake. But you get only so many do-overs in this life, so many chances to, if not change your past, alter your future” Page 145
“It was not the last time I would run away from my sisters. Not the last time I thought being alone was preferable. I am still the center sister. But I see it differently now. There has to be a middle. Without it, nothing can ever truly be a whole. Because it is not just the space between, but what also holds everything together” Page 333
“There comes a time in every life when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you’d better learn to know the sound of it. Otherwise you’ll never understand what it’s saying” page 349
These quotes taught me a lot.. this book is filled with advices, so it’s a must read!
5/5
I know I’m always positive about my books, but I guess I choose them pretty well :P
Xoxo Meera
No comments:
Post a Comment