Annabel sharply observes everyone's blinders, including most of her own-with one disturbing exception. Flashbacks reveal that her unwanted status is the result of something that happened with the boyfriend of her ex-best friend, a vicious girl who believes 'everyone had a place and it was her job to make sure you knew yours.' What moves this story beyond problem novel fare is Dessen's nuanced characters, especially hulking Owen, another outcast who, in befriending Annabel, reminds her not to judge by appearances, while steeping her in his eclectic musical tastes. Annabel, who inherited this trait, nevertheless begins her junior year as a pariah. Their mother, Grace, operates in what Annabel wryly calls the 'default Greene family mode,' pretending everything is just fine. When middle sister Whitney follows to pursue a modeling career, the two clash, and Whitney returns home with a full-blown eating disorder. Oldest sister Kirsten, 'the family powder keg,' has left for New York. Predictably, the surface perfection masks trouble. 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? Publishers WeeklyĪnnabel Greene, who narrates, lives with her gorgeous sisters in a glass house designed by their architect father, in Dessen's (This Lullaby) familiar suburb of Lakeview.

And when they develop a friendship, Annabel is not only introduced to new music but is encouraged to listen to her own inner voice. but then she meets owen-a loner, passionate about music and his weekly radio show, and always determined to tell the truth.

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.

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