Today's stop features my review for JUST LISTEN, as well as a giveaway! Below, you'll have a chance to enter to win, as well as learn more about Sarah's upcoming release, ONCE AND FOR ALL. First, about JUST LISTEN.
ABOUT THE BOOK / MY REVIEW
By: Sarah Dessen
Published by: Speak
Released on: 2/28/08 (reprint)
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Rating: 4 stars
*As a PRH partner, a copy of the book was provided by Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest review
To find the truth you’ve got to be willing to hear it.
When she's modeling, Annabel is the picture of perfection.
But her real life is far from perfect.
Fortunately, she's got Owen. He's intense, music-obsessed, and dedicated to always telling the truth.
And most of all, he's determined to make Annabel happy....
There's just something about a Sarah Dessen book that makes me want to pick up all her books and read them. She makes reading contemporary books enjoyable for me. I can't help but get sucked into her stories. There's depth to her characters, and substance to her stories. Just Listen has all that.
Annabel and Owen are two characters I enjoyed getting to know. There's something relatable about both of them. They were so easy to get to know, and to root for. Individually they're both great characters in their own way, but together they both taught each other so much. They're opposites, yet there's so much the offer each other. I wanted to see them get through the through things they both deal with in the story. They both have very real, things that have effected them. They're both struggling for a new normals, and trying to just make it through each day.
Annabel it's a survival mechanism. The less attention she brings to herself the better. Or least she thinks. Her story broke my heart, because I had a friend who dwelt with something similar to what she experiences. With Annabel, I understood why she didn't want to say anything, yet I really hoped she would say something about the secret she was closely guarding. I loved that when she finally got the courage to share it, all she asked of Owen was to "Don't think or judge, just listen." I felt like if anything gets taken away from Annabel's story, it is for us to not judge, and to 'just listen'.
I really liked Owen and Annabel. I loved what they offered each other. Friendship, trust, a listening hear, advice etc. I loved the natural progression from their friendship growing into something more. Together, these two make each other realize their own strengths. I loved seeing the two of them work through things individually and with the support of each other, and even their own families. It was a natural progression, and one that mirrored reality.
I really liked Owen and Annabel. I loved what they offered each other. Friendship, trust, a listening hear, advice etc. I loved the natural progression from their friendship growing into something more. Together, these two make each other realize their own strengths. I loved seeing the two of them work through things individually and with the support of each other, and even their own families. It was a natural progression, and one that mirrored reality.
I love the way Dessen writes her characters. They're flawed, realistic characters that are relatable and incredibly easy to root for. I may not relate to their situation, but I can relate to them on some level. It makes it incredibly easy to get emotionally invested in their stories. I want to see them come out on top of the situation they're in, and over come whatever it is that they're struggling with. I also enjoyed their family dynamics. Their families, like them, aren't perfect, yet they do their best in their own way.
This my first time reading JUST LISTEN, and yet when I finished it, I found myself thinking that, 'This is another awesome Sarah Dessen read.' There's just something about the way she writes her YA books that leaves you feeling happy with the characters's journeys and yet feeling empowered by the message she shared in their story.
Whether you're a long time fan of Sarah Dessen's or new to picking up her books, JUST LISTEN is a YA book I'd recommend picking up. *This book does cover some sensitive material that is written in a very respectful way.
By: Sarah Dessen
Published by: Penguin
To Be Released on: June 6th, 2017
Pre-Order from: Penguin Teen | Amazon | B&N
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As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen’s thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.
Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants.
Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself.
As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen’s thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.
Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants.
Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself.
ABOUT SARAH DESSEN
CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE
- Week of April 17th: That Summer + Someone Like You
- Week of April 24th: Keeping the Moon + Dreamland
- Week of May 1st: This Lullaby + The Truth About Forever
- Week of May 8th: Just Listen + Lock & Key
- Week of May 15th: Along for the Ride + What Happened to Goodbye
- Week of May 22nd: The Moon and More + Saint Anything
ENTER TO WIN
Enter for a chance to win one (1) set of Sarah Dessen’s books in paperback (ARV: $132.00).
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on April 17, 2017 and 12:00 AM on May 29, 2017. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about June 1, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
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THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
JUST LISTEN
May 8 – YA Bibliophile
May 8 – Reed’s Reads & Reviews
May 8 – Picture Books to YA
May 9 – Xingsings
May 10 – Tales of the Ravenous Reader
May 10 – Paper Trail YA
May 11 – Dazzled by Books
May 11 - Mundie Moms
May 11 – Oh the Book Feels
May 12 – Library of a Book Witch
May 12 – Dark Faerie Tales
May 12 – A Perfection Called Books
LOCK AND KEY
May 8 – Bookmark Lit
May 8 – Dazzled by Books
May 8 – Picture Books to YA
May 10 – Peace Love Books
May 10 – Don’t Fold the Page
May 10 – Paper Trail YA
May 11 – Arctic Books
May 10 – Live Love Read
May 12 – Reader’s Candy