Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Kristin

I enjoyed this latest book from Sarah Dessen, but it definitely wasn't my favorite. I'm a fan of all of Dessen's books for a lot of reasons - she has realistic and likable characters, a clear, easy tone, peppered with humor and poignancy throughout, interesting situations that draw the reader in, and lots of intricate subplots. Dessen delivers all of this in Just Listen, a novel about Annabel, 16, the "girl who has everything" but whose life is really falling apart. However, I disliked how it was often quite similar to Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and I think Speak did a better job in portraying this type of situation. Overall, worth reading, especially if you're a Dessen fan, but not one of my favorites. If you like this book, you may want to check out Speak as well.