Main Characters: Anabelle Greene, Owen Armstrong
Series: None
When Annabel, the youngest of three beautiful sisters, has a bitter falling out with her best friend—the popular and exciting Sophie—she suddenly finds herself isolated and friendless. but then she meets owen—a loner, passionate about music and his weekly radio show, and always determined to tell the truth. And when they develop a friendship, Annabel is not only introduced to new music but is encouraged to listen to her own inner voice. with Owen’s help, can Annabel find the courage to speak out about what exactly happened the night her friendship with Sophie came to a screeching halt?
My love of all things Sarah Dessen started with this book. This story follows Annabelle Greene as she makes her way back to school after a summer spent being away from everyone and anyone from school. Including her ex-best friend Sophie. Now she’s back at school and has to face everyone that she hasn’t seen in months and she also has to deal with the fact that nobody likes her anymore.
Annabelle’s life is anything but simple. She’s got family issues she’s dealing with and she’s got to deal with the fact that she has no friends at school anymore except for the kid who’s got anger management issues, Owen Armstrong. Annabelle is known for playing popular girls on commercials but in real life, her life is anything but perfect. She’s the youngest of three girls who are as different as night and day. Her older sister Kristen is the loud and outspoken sister while her sister Whitney is more reserved. Annabelle has the kind of personality where she can fade into the background without too much effort. She’s simply…just there. She’s nice and friendly. She doesn’t do well with confrontation so she goes out of her way to avoid fights.
When her best friend Sophie gets roaring pissed at her, instead of trying to make things right or explain herself, she just lets Sophie be pissed off and she kind of caves into herself. She hides from everyone and it’s not until Owen Armstrong comes along and changes her slowly but surely that things start to look up for Annabelle.
Goodness was Owen good for Annabelle. From his radio show to his Cd’s that he made for her and just everything about him was good for her…until she messes things up and chases him from her life.
The thing about Sarah Dessen is she writes characters and conflict so well. What makes her stories stand out for me is the fact that every single one of her books feels…real. From the characters to the relationships between the characters and just everything about the books feel real. I can see these kinds of things happening and in some cases, I have seen these things happen. The teens in her books suffer from the same things that I remember suffering from in high school and all I want is to give them the nudge in the right direction. I love, love, love her characters and even though Annabelle drove me up the wall sometimes, I never once not liked her. She felt like a little sister to me and I just adored the hell out of her.
But what really made this book for me was Owen. Man but I loved that boy. I thought he was such a great character and wonderful addition to an already fantastic story. His radio station never failed to bring a smile to my face and the following scene made me sigh.
Check it out:
“So you’re always honest,” I said.
“Aren’t you?”
“No,” I told him. “I’m not.”
“Well, that’s good to know, I guess.”
“I’m not saying I’m a liar,” I told him. He raised his eyebrows. “That’s not how I meant it, anyways.”
“How’d you mean it, then?”
“I just…I don’t always say what I feel.”
“Why not?”
“Because the truth sometimes hurts,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said. “So do lies, though.”
That was a cute scene and the bond that formed between Owen and Annabelle was just too cute for words. I adore this book and I think that anyone who is looking for a great realistic contemporary YA romance will enjoy this book. Seriously, if you haven’t read this book then you should totally fix that. This book rocks!
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com
This was a cute story – I <3 Owen too!
Aww, that scene…*sigh* I agree with you in regards to how Sarah Dessen just makes everything seem so real. Her characters are always fantastic and she writes some of the best male characters.
Karen,
Owen totally made this book for me. Loved him!
Michelle,
It’s amazing how many different times I think that it’d be great to know these characters in real life. I agree, her male characters are always the best!
I love this book!! 😀
I had been reading Dessen’s books for a while but I adored this one. Owen was super cool, if a bit of a music snob.
I really liked this book too. I agree about Sarah’s writing.
Just listen was another good book of Sarah Dessen. Owen is a total hero in the book. I agree with you Wena, all of her books are so real and I can totally see her stories come to life..I love it!
thanks for the review. i haven’t read anything by dessen, but i’ve been wondering which book i should start with. this book sounds like a good place to start.
AnimeGirl,
Owen is still one of my favorites of the Dessen boys. He was so cute!
Kelley Vitollo,
She does write some amazing stories. I can’t stop reading her.
Haven,
I just finished reading This Lullaby and I see why you love Dexter so much. He was adorable!
toothybooks,
You’re welcome sweetie. You should definitely read a Dessen if you like contemporary YA romances, they’re always such good books!
I forgot to mention that I loved the ending where OWEN couldn’t control his anger and showed up at the courthouse and gave whats his face a good punch in the eye..SWEETNESS!
One of my favorite parts is when his little sister had her little pretend modeling sessions and Remy and Owen shared a sweet kiss in the hallway..So CUTE!