Isobel Morrison

Isobel Morrison
Just Listen
Sarah Dessen
Realistic Fiction
Just Right
Just Finished


1.   At the end of the book, Annabel’s life still isn't perfect, but it’s pretty close.  Annabelle Greene was accused of having an affair with her best friends boyfriend by her best friend, Sophie.  When actually Annabelle was raped by Will Cash, Sophie's boyfriend.  Her life was already really complicated.  Her family was falling apart because Annabelle's sister, Whitney, is trying to overcome and eating disorder while her older sister is off making her way in this world and her former best friend, Sophie, hates her and isolates Annabel from everyone else at school. Except she meets this other kid name Owen Armstrong that also isolates himself from the rest of the school.  Owen is the complete opposite of Annabelle.  She is timid and afraid to offend anyone, even if it means lying to them or not sticking up for herself. Owen on the other hand is in anger management for his hot temper and is always honest to people, no matter what.  After bonding with Owen for a while,  Owen finally gets her to speak up about the incident that happened with Will Cash and they go to court.  

2.  I really like this book because I think the story line is very different from other books I have read.  The plot always had something exciting coming next in the book.  I felt that at some parts the text got very confusing and I would have to re-read it a couple of times.  The characters in this book all had really different personalities from each other.  For example Sophie is popular, mean, outgoing, and she doesn't keep things to herself.  Unlike Annabelle who is shy, nice, and keeps things to herself.  The author is pulling me into this book by adding many dramatic twists.  Like when Annabelle went over to Owen's house to help his little sister with a photo shoot...they kissed.  I was very surprised I didn't expect that to happen at all.  This is an author I have read before so I am very familiar with her material.  

3.  I think one of the many themes in this book is isolation.  I think this appears most in the characters actions and personalities.  Annabelle doesn't really chose to isolate herself from everyone else but Sophie made that impossible for her to reach out make friends.  Sophie isolates Annabelle from making friends and socializing with people.  Owen also chooses to isolate himself from everyone at school. That is how he met Annabelle because they were both outcasts and no one would talk to them.  Also Sophie isolates herself from Annabelle.  The former best friends now want nothing to do with each other.  Isolation occurs many times in this book.

4.  My favorite character is Annabelle.  She is the narrator of the whole so I got to know her the best out of all the characters.  although she has a very shy personalty she has a lot of things to say but keeps them to herself.  She seems very timid but I thinks she is really tough.  Annabelle has been through a lot but she still puts on a happy face.  

5.  My least favorite character is Sophie because she is a very mean person.  She hasn't let Annabelle even explain what happened or given her a chance to make it up to her.  Sophie goes and deliberately makes Annabelle's life way worse than it needs to be.  Sophie has kind of a rough edge to he but my biggest guess is that she is just insecure on the inside and doesn't know how to express that to Annabelle or anyone.  I think that it makes Sophie feel better when she puts other people down so that's why she does it all the time to Annabelle.

6.  I didn't expect Annabelle to go to court and actually have the guts to even to tell her parents.  I did expect her to date Owen in the end and that happened.  I feel like the author was foreshawdowing that they were going to go out at the end of the book.