Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich

5 reviews

remwandering's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Connor's moments in the book are the greatest. You get more insight into who he is
/was
.
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sierrabowers's review

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dark emotional 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

4.0

I found this book good, but definitely not as good as I had imagined it to be. From the hype surrounding it, I thought it would be this amazingly profound story with tons of reflection on life. It did, and maybe I have just read too many books for this one to stand out. I did rate it a 4 because at the end, Evan’s mom said something that stuck with me and I connected to personally. She said, “do you remember the day your dad drove by to get his things? … it was a few weeks after he moved out … your father and I were both nervous about how you’d handle it, watching all his stuff get taken from the house. But you were so excited when you saw that big moving truck in the driveway you barely seemed to notice … and then a few hours later your father was gone, and the truck was gone, and it finally set in. It was just you and me, all alone in that big house.” That stuck with me personally because it was a mirror image of the night my own father moved out. I do appreciate the story about Connor and developing his personality and finding more about him as the story goes on. I also like how they did not demonize him at all in this book for taking his own life. 
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paulrichard's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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isadreamsof's review

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emotional hopeful sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I definitely think this is only something you can fully appreciate as a fan of the musical. Supplementary reading, if you will. Dear Evan Hansen doesn’t feel as great without the music, but to the book's credit, it wasn't bad. The strength of the novelization is that the structure gives more nuance to the characters because there's just more time and space for them. The most notable addition, of course, would be Connor's point of view and his backstory, along with the addition of Miguel.

Overall, a good read for a seasoned fan of the stage version, but I'd probably pass on it if I wasn't familiar with the source material. 
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amandalorianxo's review

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Teetering between 4.5/5 stars - I found this book to be refreshing in many ways.
Favorite quotes so far:  
" From the moment she was born, she's been training to kick life's ass." (pg 182)
" I can never just sit back and sail. People like Rox can just put their feet up and let the water carry them along. Not me. I'm constantly on the verge of sinking." (pg. 168)
" Actually drowning is peace, almost drowning is pure pain." (pg. 187)
" I'm tired of curbing my emotions just to make room for hers." (pg. 283)
 The realistic voice of a high school senior whose mental health is not used as a punchline but is taken seriously throughout the entire novel. The story of someone who initially didn’t mean to be a part of anything but has his life changed for the better.  
Evan knew from the beginning that
lying about his involvement with Connor + most importantly Connor taking his own life was wrong. But this was a kid who had practically no one to talk to except his mother and the jerk of a family friend Jared. It’s no wonder he decided to make his claim as the best friend. What follows is Evan being able to have people know who he is and being temporarily part of a family that cares about him.
His mother means well but it seemed to Evan that he was “curbing his emotions to appear her own.” I cried when I read that sentence because I too grew up having to make my emotions smaller in order to appease my own mother. This book struck me in a good way and I’m glad I made this my first read of 2021.
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