Just Listen - Sarah Dessen

This is my second favorite Sarah Dessen book, and she was having a contest I wanted to enter recently, so I re-read Just Listen. It's the third time I've read it, and each time I read it I like it better and better . I can hardly wait until Along for the Ride comes out in June.

Annabelle and Owen are the main characters in this novel, both of whom are complex characters with secrets they rarely share. Both of them are also loners, and at lunch they sort of end up being loners together. And then they end up being friends.

Owen is obsessed with music. Owen is also completely honest. Always. Even if you don't want to hear it. Anabelle is definitely neither of these. In fact, Anabelle couldn't really care about music (except in the car wash) and if there's any chance anyone might get hurt, she'll go to great lengths not to tell the truth. This is the main reason she's all alone now - she won't tell the truth.

There are all kinds of family dynamics going on in this story, including divorce and an eating disorder, that affect the characters as well, and it is all perfectly woven together. Another fantastic contribution to YA lit by the amazing Sarah Dessen.