Just Listen

I just finished reading a wonderful, yet- uh, no. Actually, I just finished reading a some-what interesting, yet pretty boring book called, Just Listen by the incredible author, Sarah Dessen. Now, I absolutely love, ADORE Sarah Dessen. All her books were just beautifully-written, but I actually didn't enjoy this one. Just Listen was about a girl named Annabel Greene, "the girl who had everything", the girl who was a model, was popular and had a perfect family. But, that all changed when she was accused by her best friend, Sophie for sleeping with her boyfriend, when Clarke her first best friend left her and when her sister, Whitney almost dies with an eating disorder, anorexia. And, so when school returns, all the worst happens; she eats alone, she's an outcast, and obviously Sophie, the biggest b*tch alive torments her everyday. But, that all changed when she met Owen, another outcast who connected with her, made her laugh, and it all started with an offering of a ride to go home.

Even though this story might just sound like such an, "awe!" story, to me it was down right boring. So boring that I didn't even bother to finish the book. If it was so boring, you might ask then,  why are you writing about it?  Well I'm writing about it, because it has such sincere theme that I had to write about. Just Listen showed the importance of facing the truth, facing reality. I thought that was the theme, because that's what basically what Owen and Anabel talked about. One part really did represent a theme in the book, 

"So you're always honest," I said.

"Aren't you?"

"No," I told him. "I'm not."

"Well, that's good to know, I guess."

"I'm not saying I'm a liar," I told him. He raised his eyebrows. "That's not how I meant it, anyways."

"How'd you mean it, then?"

"I just...I don't always say what I feel."

"Why not?"

"Because the truth sometimes hurts," I said.

"Yeah," he said. "So do lies, though."

This part showed how that to face the truth it takes a lot of hurt and courage, because Anabel was a little surprised when Owen told her this, even a little hurt because she wasn't expecting it. It was just facing the truth. Anabel also, had to face the truth about her sister, her family and what her life has become. Anotherquote I really did actually loved from the book was, "Silence is so freaking loud." Owen had said that, and why I loved it so much was because of the fact, I felt the same way. I even "tried" it out, at home I tried to be without noise, without music and I was just disturbed, to me noise is so freaking quiet. 

The reason why I didn't even bother to finish this book was, because it was just so cheesy teen realistic-fiction, and i'm trying to grow out of those kinds of book but I always end up looking at them, especially Sarah Dessen books. Not only that, but it was really boring to me, it was boring because I didn't even understand what they were saying, or really what was going on. Wait, there is actually one reason why I thought this book way okay and that was Anabel's sister, Whitney. Whitney's not those like television characters who obsess over their weight and keep eating, she was really serious and quiet. And that's why she was my favorite character, that's why I admired her, especially for the effort of actually trying to help herself. I don't recommend to anyone who doesn't like romance, or teen fiction, which I don't think they'd ever pick up this book. But, I do recommend to anyone who's out there that wants an up-n-down adventure of love and conflict. I wonder though, what happens at the end of the book? Do they even stick together? What happens to Whitney? I guess I'll just read another time and find out :/...

Yours truly, 

Zarrin Class 813. (: