JUST LISTEN.

I am a huge fan of Sarah Dessen. I’m not sure but I probably read four or five of her books. I think she is one of the best you adult book authors. All the books that I have read by her has some kind of an inner message and makes me see life in a whole different point of view. This is somehow very amusing for me because this book made me appreciate and understand music and gave me a deeper understanding about reality by telling the truth. Even though telling the truth hurts, it is better than lying. And that is how Annabel Greene learned the concept from Owen Armstrong. Annabel is what you would call a perfect girl. She has a loving family and has been in the modeling business since she was a kid while attending school and keeping her good grades up at the same time. But her life is far from perfect. The summer before her junior year began, something happened terribly. She stopped being friends with Sophie, her best friend, and became a loner. Her former friends and classmates have completely misunderstood her and she is unable to talk about it. She didn’t have the courage to tell the truth until she met Owen, another loner at school. Owen has the two major components in life that Annabel didn’t have; music and honesty. Annabel thought that the cure for what happened to her in the summer was silence. She just wanted to escape the reality and live life as if nothing happened. Owen proved her wrong, music changes everything; either lyrical or the message of its tunes. He somehow communicated with her though music. He showed her that silence slows everything down in her life. The second concept the Owen taught her was honesty. He was never afraid to speak his thoughts even though his comments are harsh at times but it didn’t stop him from being himself. He projected her that telling the truth is relieving and if she doesn’t, she’s just hurting herself. When there was a misunderstanding between the two of them which forced them to not speak with each other for a while. She blossomed and finally told him everything. I know, I know that this is an almost plot less book but it changed me. I am now able to speak what is on my mind. I used to keep my thoughts to myself and didn’t have to courage to express my feelings. And I realized that there is always that someone who is willing to listen and not judge you. So, don’t think or judge. JUST LISTEN.
I recommend this book to people who like reading about young love. I am sure there are a lot of you who heard of Sarah Dessen and this is one of her best books. For me, it’s actually a tie between Just Listen and The truth About Forever.