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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
Yet another teen suicide book. Another best friend left behind, trying to figure out how things went wrong. A quasi-mystery (though it's a stretch to call it that) to figure out the kid's thoughts the night he decided to end his life. It's a recycled plot that wasn't particularly well done in this one.
Sam is pretty boring. Hayden isn't much better. And all of the supporting cast are really just there to fill in their little tidbit of what they know about the night that Hayden decided to end his life.
I'm still trying to figure out what the point of the playlist is except to show Sam that Hayden cared about him enough to leave something behind for him. Sam doesn't seem to understand the meaning behind the songs. They don't give him clues. At best, they serve as little random reminders of some of their memories. For it to be the title of the book, I felt like it should have played a much more prominent role than just highlighting that so much of their friendship was because of their conversations about music.
As per usual, we have a group of white kids with problems. There's a slight mention about socioeconomic differences and some bullying for being gay/nerdy/etc. But nothing here seemed to go into depth and really explore bigger issues. Even Sam's feelings toward the death of his best friend seemed to be muted and barely scratched the surface of the emotional turmoil he was supposedly feeling (which we only know about because the author TOLD us he felt that way, not because she SHOWED us he did).
Sam is pretty boring. Hayden isn't much better. And all of the supporting cast are really just there to fill in their little tidbit of what they know about the night that Hayden decided to end his life.
I'm still trying to figure out what the point of the playlist is except to show Sam that Hayden cared about him enough to leave something behind for him. Sam doesn't seem to understand the meaning behind the songs. They don't give him clues. At best, they serve as little random reminders of some of their memories. For it to be the title of the book, I felt like it should have played a much more prominent role than just highlighting that so much of their friendship was because of their conversations about music.
As per usual, we have a group of white kids with problems. There's a slight mention about socioeconomic differences and some bullying for being gay/nerdy/etc. But nothing here seemed to go into depth and really explore bigger issues. Even Sam's feelings toward the death of his best friend seemed to be muted and barely scratched the surface of the emotional turmoil he was supposedly feeling (which we only know about because the author TOLD us he felt that way, not because she SHOWED us he did).
Esto no es una review, es un: NO ME PUEDO CREER QUE SE CARGUEN TÍTULOS DE ESTA MANERA. Primero convertimos «Everything, everything», en un «¿Es cierto que el amor lo cambia todo? TODO, TODO.» Y ahora pasamos de «Playlist for the dead» a esto. De verdad que no sé a quién se le ocurrió esta maravillosa idea, y peor, quién la aprobó.
this wasn't bad but it wasn't necessarily good either
Overall, I thought that Michelle Falkoff handled teenage suicide sensitively with Playlist For The Dead. Read my full review here Link goes live 10/10/2016
The playlist is very dope, like really awe-tastic-jamming-on-it type of dope.
A 3.5 this time round... The whole playlist thing was a cool idea. Was I the only one who listened to it while I was reading?
Graded By: Mandy C.
Cover Story: So Close
BFF Charm: Be Mine
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: Realistic Friction
Bonus Factor: Geeks
Relationship Status: Make Me a Mix
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: So Close
BFF Charm: Be Mine
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: Realistic Friction
Bonus Factor: Geeks
Relationship Status: Make Me a Mix
Read the full book report here.
This book was a nice break. Nothing too mind-blowing, just plain entertaining. I loved the songs at the start of each chapter, it made me happy that I could recognize most of them. It was too mysterious for a contemporary book, though.
I hoped I would like this more but I didn't. It felt a lot like Love Letters to the Dead which I also wasn't a big fan of. The whole theme for the songs felt like a convenient way to just throw certain plot elements in and for me didn't have much else to do with the story. It also didn't talk a lot about the whole idea of suicide and the effects it has on people. Like Love Letter to the Dead, it was more about figuring out what happened, an element that in both novels just fell flat for me.
thought dump;
i was close to giving it a 2.5 star due to it’s mediocrity (& how boring i found certain parts) but i really found myself enjoying the central message of the book in the importance of trying to listen and understand people. people are people and we should learn to empathise with them more in order to make them feel like they belong. i wholeheartedly agree with and appreciate the message given.
— along with the message of how there are certain aspects in life in which we will never receive answers for and we have to learn to accept this in order to truly move on in life. it‘s a really applicable message along with the previous one stated.
i also liked the minor lgbtq & mental health rep this book gave within its different characters. it was subtle and i liked it.
the whole idea of a playlist being interconnected with each chapter of the book was cute too (though i didn’t follow it) it’s a creative idea that i’m sure enhanced other reader’s experiences through making them feel more engaged with the story and the protagonist’s (i forgot his name) feelings.
however, overall the book was... plain? then again it’s a book about a teen dealing with the after effects of his friend’s suicide; how engaging can it get? i just never found myself engaged with the events of the story. this could be because i felt disinterested in the cast of characters who all seemed fairly plain? (the typical high school loser, the mysterious punk girlfriend, the bullies, etc., etc.)
3/5. pretty mediocre but with a well-done message.
i was close to giving it a 2.5 star due to it’s mediocrity (& how boring i found certain parts) but i really found myself enjoying the central message of the book in the importance of trying to listen and understand people. people are people and we should learn to empathise with them more in order to make them feel like they belong. i wholeheartedly agree with and appreciate the message given.
— along with the message of how there are certain aspects in life in which we will never receive answers for and we have to learn to accept this in order to truly move on in life. it‘s a really applicable message along with the previous one stated.
i also liked the minor lgbtq & mental health rep this book gave within its different characters. it was subtle and i liked it.
the whole idea of a playlist being interconnected with each chapter of the book was cute too (though i didn’t follow it) it’s a creative idea that i’m sure enhanced other reader’s experiences through making them feel more engaged with the story and the protagonist’s (i forgot his name) feelings.
however, overall the book was... plain? then again it’s a book about a teen dealing with the after effects of his friend’s suicide; how engaging can it get? i just never found myself engaged with the events of the story. this could be because i felt disinterested in the cast of characters who all seemed fairly plain? (the typical high school loser, the mysterious punk girlfriend, the bullies, etc., etc.)
3/5. pretty mediocre but with a well-done message.