“It was the first lie I told my mother about Sophie, but yet by no means the last. Then, I’d still thought everything I felt about that night-the shame, the fear-would fade in time, healing like a one time gash to a single, barley noticeable scar. But that hadn’t happened. Instead, the things I remembered, these little details, seemed to grow stronger, to the point where I could feel their weight in my chest. Nothing, however, struck me with more than the memory of stepping into the dark room and what I found there, and how the light then took that nightmare and made it real.”

Imagine a story about love, friendship, and hope, then you have Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. Annabel used to be a normal girl who had friends and a normal family. But being a teenager flipped that. She lost all her friends, and her family started to fall apart when her sister develops an eating disorder that weighs everyone down. Will her new friend Owen be able to help her and make her listen?

Sarah Dessen is an amazing writer, who weaves a relatable story to life, love, and friendship. Her writing is engrossing, it makes one feel as though they’re with the characters and experiencing their emotions of hope, sadness, and love. I absolutely adore the way the way Dessen brings her her characters to life through dialogue and plot. I couldn’t put it down, I read it cover to cover in three days. This is my favorite Dessen book! It will attract the attention of mature, young adult readers, who enjoy a realistic fiction book with a clever plot.