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johnny92m's review against another edition
4.0
Life is messy. It’s a clichéd statement for sure, but sometimes there’s a reason for the phrase. That theme kept running through my mind reading the novelized version of Dear Evan Hansen.
I’m a huge musical theatre nerd, and this score is gut wrenchingly beautiful. So to see it brought to another one of my favorite mediums, I was all for. While some parts definitely drag, the author makes the right choice in not pretending Evan is a perfect, sympathetic person.
Yes he’s got faults, yes he does wrong. But he tries, and sometimes that’s all anyone can ask of another person. Sometimes getting up and facing the day is the strongest thing we can do.
I enjoyed the ride, and I really just want to listen to the cast album again and again now.
I’m a huge musical theatre nerd, and this score is gut wrenchingly beautiful. So to see it brought to another one of my favorite mediums, I was all for. While some parts definitely drag, the author makes the right choice in not pretending Evan is a perfect, sympathetic person.
Yes he’s got faults, yes he does wrong. But he tries, and sometimes that’s all anyone can ask of another person. Sometimes getting up and facing the day is the strongest thing we can do.
I enjoyed the ride, and I really just want to listen to the cast album again and again now.
kimreadz's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with this book. This was on the shelf at my local Little Free Library. I wanted to read it, because I know it musical.
It was interesting, but throughout much of the book, it was a struggle to read. The main character, Evan Hanson, is a high school student in therapy. A not he wrote is found and thought to be TO him rather than BY him, and this leads to many complications. Rather than explain all this, Evan lied. And every time the lie was about to be found out, he lied again and dug himself a deeper hole. It was very painful to watch, and several times I had to put the book aside. And while it all worked out in the end for Evan, it was still a sad story, knowing what happened and the reasons it happened, and that a simple difference in one moment in time could have made all the difference in the story.
I did enjoy the story, and it was a quick read, but it was also a painful read.
It was interesting, but throughout much of the book, it was a struggle to read. The main character, Evan Hanson, is a high school student in therapy. A not he wrote is found and thought to be TO him rather than BY him, and this leads to many complications. Rather than explain all this, Evan lied. And every time the lie was about to be found out, he lied again and dug himself a deeper hole. It was very painful to watch, and several times I had to put the book aside. And while it all worked out in the end for Evan, it was still a sad story, knowing what happened and the reasons it happened, and that a simple difference in one moment in time could have made all the difference in the story.
I did enjoy the story, and it was a quick read, but it was also a painful read.
accalxa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
theothercatherine's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lafaycttc's review against another edition
5.0
Comment trouver les mots pour parler de ce livre...
Ça faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas autant pleuré - ressenti - pour un livre ! J'étais déjà fan de l'histoire du musical : je le suis encore plus grâce au livre. Tout est identique au musical, si ce n'est que tout est plus approfondi. Davantages de détails, davantages de "background": et ça, on adore. Notamment le point de vue ajouté de Connor, qui nous a offert un personnage encore plus touchant.
Gros gros coup de coeur pour les derniers chapitres, où tout se précipite, la chute approchant dangereusement sans qu'on puisse l'arrêter. J'ai beaucoup, beaucoup pleuré : Heidi, Evan, Connor... Tous m'ont touchée et émue, des personnages si différents mais tout aussi fragiles dans leurs incertitudes - les rendant encore plus vrais.
En somme : UN COUP DE COEUR.
Ça faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas autant pleuré - ressenti - pour un livre ! J'étais déjà fan de l'histoire du musical : je le suis encore plus grâce au livre. Tout est identique au musical, si ce n'est que tout est plus approfondi. Davantages de détails, davantages de "background": et ça, on adore. Notamment le point de vue ajouté de Connor, qui nous a offert un personnage encore plus touchant.
Gros gros coup de coeur pour les derniers chapitres, où tout se précipite, la chute approchant dangereusement sans qu'on puisse l'arrêter. J'ai beaucoup, beaucoup pleuré : Heidi, Evan, Connor... Tous m'ont touchée et émue, des personnages si différents mais tout aussi fragiles dans leurs incertitudes - les rendant encore plus vrais.
En somme : UN COUP DE COEUR.
mrghostietoastie's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
julisiabrock's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 made the musical/soundtrack so much more enjoyable! Also wish in the musical we could have seen the personality of Connor portrayed more. Book > Musical
lakenwise's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
befsk's review against another edition
4.0
I really related fully to Evan at the start of the book with his bad anxiety to the point of him wishing he could stay in his room all day because it's so much easier. That was my last year of high school too. The author did an excellent job of describing that level of anxiety.
"No one else at my school has an assignment from their therapist. No one else even has a therapist, probably. They don't snack on Ativan. They don't shift and fidget when people come too close to them, or talk to them, or even look at them. And they definitely don't make their mother's eyes well up with tears when they're just sitting there not doing anything."
But I couldn't relate to him embroiling himself deeper with lies about Connor due to anxiety. It makes sense in a disembodied story maybe, but when it's a book and you're actually inside his head and you see his anxiety about literally everything else including eating lunch in public and driving a car, it's completely baffling to see him get himself deeper into these lies just because he thinks it will help Connor's grieving mother. And I'm speaking as someone who stopped leaving the house because passing strangers I'd never see again might think a single bad thought about me.
I'm glad it didn't try to be funny about the cringe parts of the book. I am not a fan of cringe humour and it seems like there's a trend in books lately for cringe humour - especially relating to LGBT themes and misunderstandings therein and, seriously, I am really not a fan so I'm glad this book swerved it when it could've gone that way so easily with Connor The second hand cringe was a little too much at times though.
The relationship between Evan and Zoe was never good though. Kinda icky. Not sure why it needed to be put in. It didn't drive the plot, and I don't know how anyone could root for them to be together and stay together.
I liked all the characters. The writing did very well in feeling authentically teenage boy. I didn't know about the stage show until I heard about this book, so I'll have to check that out now (It's not on in the UK yet and there's only talk about a film at the moment so it looks like I'll be waiting a while.)
Favourite quote:
"Sometimes I feel like therapy is total bullshit, and other times I think the real problem is that I can never get myself to fully buy in."
Received this ARC from Netgalley.
"No one else at my school has an assignment from their therapist. No one else even has a therapist, probably. They don't snack on Ativan. They don't shift and fidget when people come too close to them, or talk to them, or even look at them. And they definitely don't make their mother's eyes well up with tears when they're just sitting there not doing anything."
But I couldn't relate to him embroiling himself deeper with lies about Connor due to anxiety. It makes sense in a disembodied story maybe, but when it's a book and you're actually inside his head and you see his anxiety about literally everything else including eating lunch in public and driving a car, it's completely baffling to see him get himself deeper into these lies just because he thinks it will help Connor's grieving mother. And I'm speaking as someone who stopped leaving the house because passing strangers I'd never see again might think a single bad thought about me.
I'm glad it didn't try to be funny about the cringe parts of the book. I am not a fan of cringe humour and it seems like there's a trend in books lately for cringe humour - especially relating to LGBT themes and misunderstandings therein and, seriously, I am really not a fan so I'm glad this book swerved it when it could've gone that way so easily with Connor
Spoiler
being bisexual and having a secret boyfriend.Spoiler
I was very happy that it ended on a realistic note, with Evan not really better even a year later, but improving with therapy and time. There is no miracle cure for anxiety, and it's important that books and other media reflect this.The relationship between Evan and Zoe was never good though. Kinda icky. Not sure why it needed to be put in. It didn't drive the plot, and I don't know how anyone could root for them to be together and stay together.
I liked all the characters. The writing did very well in feeling authentically teenage boy. I didn't know about the stage show until I heard about this book, so I'll have to check that out now (It's not on in the UK yet and there's only talk about a film at the moment so it looks like I'll be waiting a while.)
Favourite quote:
"Sometimes I feel like therapy is total bullshit, and other times I think the real problem is that I can never get myself to fully buy in."
Received this ARC from Netgalley.
ihmeidenmaailma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5