Friday Favorites: Just Listen

On Fridays I post a little shout out to one of my favorite books and explain why I love it so much. It gives me the chance to fangirl over books I never reviewed on this blog and lets me post about some not necessarily YA books I love.

Which book?
Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen

Genre?
Contemporary YA

Summary? (From GoodReads)
Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

When did I first read it?
Last summer.

Why did I first read it?
It was part what I like to call my “summer of discovery,” aka the summer I discovered the genius that is Sarah Dessen. My friend had always been a Sarah Dessen lover, but for whatever reason, I’d never read anything by her and was a little hesitant to. But then I decided to just go for it. I started with “The Truth about Forever”—which was a really good decision. Then I borrowed all the Sarah Dessen books my friend owned and rented from the library the ones she didn’t. And along the way, I discovered Just Listen.

What did I think about it then?
I loved it, obviously. It reminded a bit of Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, which is a book I really like. But honestly? The thing that sealed the deal for me was the fact that Owen reminded me of Jonah Griggs, aka the hottest boy in YA literature.

What do I think about it now?
Even after reading all of Sarah Dessen’s books but two, Just listen is definitely my favorite. Don’t get me wrong—there aren’t any Dessen books I dislike. But for some reason, this one just speaks to me. I think it's the fact that Annabel has to deal with some pretty tough issues, but Owen ends up being just so perfect for her.

Have you read Just Listen? What did you think? What’s your favorite Sarah Dessen book?