montanasounddesign 's review for:

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

4.0

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As someone who has crushed on plenty of music obsessed boys, this was a clearly authentic book. Also I just really loved the character of Owen. But beyond that I was surprised about how good this teen fiction book was at observing a lot of the turmoil that adolescent girls go through, but also some of the joys of being that age and finding a new friendship that brings out something new in yourself. This book was a really pleasant surprise and I finished it in two days. I would say my only complaint is that the big reveal of the book, although well written and earned, felt less surprising than the rest of the dialogue and characters. It felt a little like a trope of a genre, well written, but still a bit formulaic. But I do really like Ms Dessen's work, it felt lived in and real, particularly the relationships.