Sophie, the former best friend, is one of my favorite portrayals of the “mean girl” trope, because she feels genuine.I was enthralled by how much effort Sarah puts into fleshing her out beyond just her disorder. Whitney, Annabel’s middle sister, suffers with an eating disorder that manages to never feel like a prop, despite it being present only in a side character (instead of the narrator, as we usually see in YA).Completely obsessed, and not with the death metal and rock that we’re led to expect, but with… chants? And techno? He’s an odd character in the best way and he’s easily my favorite part of the book, because his banter is so damn cute and he’s got a heart of gold. We learn pretty quickly that he’s not only a bit of a teddy bear, but he’s also really freaking geeky when it comes to music. Rumors abound that say he’s done hard time, he’s violent, etc. Owen, the love interest, seems at first like your typical “bad boy”: he’s big and tall and brooding and a little bit scary because he has anger issues.

The entire plot of the book really wouldn’t even exist without her refusal to just speak up and say what’s on her mind, but we get to follow her as she grows and learns how to be honest and listen to her heart. There’s Annabel, whose biggest flaw is that she’s dishonest, because she hates confrontations and saying what she really feels.This book is full of characters that feel really authentic and genuine: She was a successful teen model, she hung out with the coolest girls in school, she went to all the best parties… everything was fine, until her sister developed anorexia and had to go to treatment until modeling became less of a joy and more of a nightmare until a party went wrong and her former best friend managed to convince everyone who mattered that Annabel was a relationship wrecker. This was probably my 12th reread, but it had been a while, so I’m happy to say that I still enjoyed every moment of it. Her books introduced me to the YA contemporary genre, and this one has been dear to my heart for so long that I was a little bit afraid to reread it.

I’m so in my feelings about finally writing a review for this book! This has been my favorite Sarah Dessen title since the first time I picked it up, waaaay back in 2006. If you don’t pay attention to the past, you’ll never understand the future. “No matter how much time has passed, these things still affect us and the world we live in.

Just listen by sarah dessen