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zakcebulski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
<spoilers>
Hi folks!
Well, I finally read this book! In my friend group this play is a favorite. I, however, have not seen it. In fact, I know only one song from the soundtrack (can you tell that I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to stage plays??).
So, my girlfriend graciously got me this book, and I finally got around to reading it.
I have heard that the book is not the best way to enjoy this story, so, with that in mind, I can say that I thought that this book was... okay. I did not feel blown away by it at all, and in fact, I ended it off by not really liking the titular character very much at all.
The story follows a senior- Evan Hansen who is 17 and is an awkward, anxious outcast with a broken arm. He lives with his mother- Heidi, who I feel is a really great character honestly.
Evan is a character who I am sure many of us can relate to on some level or another due to the feelings of social isolation and anxiety which he feels.
On the first day of school there is an event wherein Evan crosses paths with one Conner Murphy who is another social outcast who is the brother of Evan's crush- Zoe.
Conner shoves Evan and takes with him a note which Evan had written himself. This note is an assignment from Evan's therapist who asked that Evan write a note to himself essentially manifesting positivity- starting it with "Dear Evan Hansen...".
It is revealed that over the next day Conner committed suicide- later revealed to be from unrequited love (actually revealed to just be business that stunted any conversation) with a character- Miguel.
Upon his death, Conner's family finds the note that he took from Evan, which seems to indicate that Evan and Conner were friends.
Now, what this does is... set Evan up for a series of really, truly very fucking bad decisions.
Evan states that he and Conner were not only friends, but, they were the absolute best of friends.
Now, most people would immediately clear the air, and go from there that it was a misunderstanding and that the letter was actually to himself and that's that! Not Evan- he lets this lie build and build to the point where he employs Jared, a family friend (and also one of the worst characters in this book, in my opinion), to fabricate emails between Evan and Conner completely synthesizing a relationship that never existed.
Evan starts to benefit from these emails by getting closer to Zoe (to the point wherein they start faux-dating) and even becoming close with Larry and Cynthia- Conner's parents, who see Evan as a through line to get to know their recently deceased son. I feel so fucking bad for the Murphy's, man, this shit is despicable to play with their emotions like Evan is.
There is eventually a project called the Conner Project, which serves as a platform to hear the unheard, and to be there for those people who feel like they are alone in the world. Now, this is obviously a fantastic initiative, but, goddamn it is a castle built on sand.
And, what happens when a castle is built on sand? The sand moves and the castle crumbles, which is exactly what happens in this book. The lie obviously comes out and Evan is forced to face the bullshit that he was spewing. But, what the fuck man, he faces quite literally no repercussions aside from the Murphy's being mad at him for a bit...? I can't lie, I was not at all a fan of the ending of this book. It felt like Evan was a very manipulative person who was only doing this stuff for personal gain, and because he had no desire to speak the truth, or if he did, he was too scared to (which does not give him a pass?). Basically, what Evan did was foce the Murphy's to not only lose their son again, but, to lose a fabricated idealized version of him, who was also struggling with addiction.
That is a real piece of shit move.
Now, probably the biggest theme of this book is projecting an identity that is not genuine, and I think that this was explored very well. From Evan who has his entire life made up throughout the book, to people like Zoe who feels bad that she doesn't feel bad about her brother's passing because they weren't actually that close, to Conner who was a closeted gay/ bi man but projected a facade of being straight. I thought that the exploration of these themes was very very well done and gives some nice food for thought for the reader.
I also wonder, and wondered in my reading, what are the moral implications of the Conner Project (I just realized I have been spelling Connor with an E for some reason throughout this review- my mistake.)? The project undoubtedly does good, but, it is stemming from a completely synthesized memory/ idea of a person who killed himself. To me, this is morally dubious, because while it does help people, without a doubt, it is still perverting the memory of who Connor was and is ultimately not in his memory because he was not the person who Evan is touting him as being. I think that this actually acts to do more harm to Connor's memory because his memory is being ushered out by the fake version whom Evan is making up, which is super fucking shitty.
I did as well like the analysis of what it means to know someone. After the unfortunate passing of a person there will always be a flood of social media posts by people who state that they loved this person, and that they were best friends with me and this and that. I think that this is a narcissistic view of mortality in the internet age as many people will take someone else's passing and immediately flip it on them. Instead of "this person passed away, may they rest in peace", it is "this person passed away, and it is affecting ME", which is disturbing and fucked up. We have come to a point in society wherein people are not opposed to benefitting from the deaths of others, and Evan is a prime example of the worst-case scenario in this.
I know that Evan is the main character in this book, but, man, I really did not like him at all. I thought that he was a manipulative person who fell back on his mental illness as a means of letting things go way too fucking far, and seemingly getting a pass for his actions while benefitting from the fires he was letting rage. Let it be said- mental illness is not a get out of jail free pass- and it is sort of illustrated as such in this book. Evan truly faces no repercussions for his actions which I think is super shitty, and I feel horrible for people like the Murphy's who were subjected to this horseshit after the tragedy of losing their son.
I am interested to see how the play stacks up to the book, because, I left this with a very sour feeling toward Evan.
</spoilers>
Hi folks!
Well, I finally read this book! In my friend group this play is a favorite. I, however, have not seen it. In fact, I know only one song from the soundtrack (can you tell that I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to stage plays??).
So, my girlfriend graciously got me this book, and I finally got around to reading it.
I have heard that the book is not the best way to enjoy this story, so, with that in mind, I can say that I thought that this book was... okay. I did not feel blown away by it at all, and in fact, I ended it off by not really liking the titular character very much at all.
The story follows a senior- Evan Hansen who is 17 and is an awkward, anxious outcast with a broken arm. He lives with his mother- Heidi, who I feel is a really great character honestly.
Evan is a character who I am sure many of us can relate to on some level or another due to the feelings of social isolation and anxiety which he feels.
On the first day of school there is an event wherein Evan crosses paths with one Conner Murphy who is another social outcast who is the brother of Evan's crush- Zoe.
Conner shoves Evan and takes with him a note which Evan had written himself. This note is an assignment from Evan's therapist who asked that Evan write a note to himself essentially manifesting positivity- starting it with "Dear Evan Hansen...".
It is revealed that over the next day Conner committed suicide- later revealed to be from unrequited love (actually revealed to just be business that stunted any conversation) with a character- Miguel.
Upon his death, Conner's family finds the note that he took from Evan, which seems to indicate that Evan and Conner were friends.
Now, what this does is... set Evan up for a series of really, truly very fucking bad decisions.
Evan states that he and Conner were not only friends, but, they were the absolute best of friends.
Now, most people would immediately clear the air, and go from there that it was a misunderstanding and that the letter was actually to himself and that's that! Not Evan- he lets this lie build and build to the point where he employs Jared, a family friend (and also one of the worst characters in this book, in my opinion), to fabricate emails between Evan and Conner completely synthesizing a relationship that never existed.
Evan starts to benefit from these emails by getting closer to Zoe (to the point wherein they start faux-dating) and even becoming close with Larry and Cynthia- Conner's parents, who see Evan as a through line to get to know their recently deceased son. I feel so fucking bad for the Murphy's, man, this shit is despicable to play with their emotions like Evan is.
There is eventually a project called the Conner Project, which serves as a platform to hear the unheard, and to be there for those people who feel like they are alone in the world. Now, this is obviously a fantastic initiative, but, goddamn it is a castle built on sand.
And, what happens when a castle is built on sand? The sand moves and the castle crumbles, which is exactly what happens in this book. The lie obviously comes out and Evan is forced to face the bullshit that he was spewing. But, what the fuck man, he faces quite literally no repercussions aside from the Murphy's being mad at him for a bit...? I can't lie, I was not at all a fan of the ending of this book. It felt like Evan was a very manipulative person who was only doing this stuff for personal gain, and because he had no desire to speak the truth, or if he did, he was too scared to (which does not give him a pass?). Basically, what Evan did was foce the Murphy's to not only lose their son again, but, to lose a fabricated idealized version of him, who was also struggling with addiction.
That is a real piece of shit move.
Now, probably the biggest theme of this book is projecting an identity that is not genuine, and I think that this was explored very well. From Evan who has his entire life made up throughout the book, to people like Zoe who feels bad that she doesn't feel bad about her brother's passing because they weren't actually that close, to Conner who was a closeted gay/ bi man but projected a facade of being straight. I thought that the exploration of these themes was very very well done and gives some nice food for thought for the reader.
I also wonder, and wondered in my reading, what are the moral implications of the Conner Project (I just realized I have been spelling Connor with an E for some reason throughout this review- my mistake.)? The project undoubtedly does good, but, it is stemming from a completely synthesized memory/ idea of a person who killed himself. To me, this is morally dubious, because while it does help people, without a doubt, it is still perverting the memory of who Connor was and is ultimately not in his memory because he was not the person who Evan is touting him as being. I think that this actually acts to do more harm to Connor's memory because his memory is being ushered out by the fake version whom Evan is making up, which is super fucking shitty.
I did as well like the analysis of what it means to know someone. After the unfortunate passing of a person there will always be a flood of social media posts by people who state that they loved this person, and that they were best friends with me and this and that. I think that this is a narcissistic view of mortality in the internet age as many people will take someone else's passing and immediately flip it on them. Instead of "this person passed away, may they rest in peace", it is "this person passed away, and it is affecting ME", which is disturbing and fucked up. We have come to a point in society wherein people are not opposed to benefitting from the deaths of others, and Evan is a prime example of the worst-case scenario in this.
I know that Evan is the main character in this book, but, man, I really did not like him at all. I thought that he was a manipulative person who fell back on his mental illness as a means of letting things go way too fucking far, and seemingly getting a pass for his actions while benefitting from the fires he was letting rage. Let it be said- mental illness is not a get out of jail free pass- and it is sort of illustrated as such in this book. Evan truly faces no repercussions for his actions which I think is super shitty, and I feel horrible for people like the Murphy's who were subjected to this horseshit after the tragedy of losing their son.
I am interested to see how the play stacks up to the book, because, I left this with a very sour feeling toward Evan.
</spoilers>
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Car accident
marlo_o's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Death
james1star's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I’ve listened to the broadway musical soundtrack for Dear Evan Hansen many times as there are some amazing and inspirational songs on there. I’ve never seen the show version but did recently watch the film which was enjoyable - some issues with the plot that the book shares - and I would recommend… mostly because of the songs thought.
The plot is we follow a first person account from Evan, a senior high schooler, who struggles with social anxiety (and other mental illness but none examined the best apart from his anxiety) and is told by his therapist to write letters to himself. One such letter falls in the hands of fellow student Connor Murphy who thinks it was made to cause a reaction (he’s bullied for being an outsider and having a ‘psycho’ persona) so keeps it. A few days later Evan is called to the principle where Connor’s parents tell him the sad news that their son died by suicide, believing this letter was his suicide note. Unable to come clean, he goes along with it, fabricating a friendship with a spiralling of lies. The novelisation does make some changes and additions but in general it follows the musical with some parts being exact copies.
What I liked was I believe the anxiety representation was quite believable and portrayed well, especially mentions of the ‘fight or flight’ sensation. Evan’s characters was rather developed but not all that multi faceted. Although not really that fantastic - and hence unrealistic - the speech Evan makes was a bit inspiring but it’s impact and message of we’re not alone is good. This is something we should take from the book and hopefully those struggling will reach out and know there are many others in a similar situation and people are there to help. It was quite an easy read as well, no amazing writing but it’s fine and generally an enjoyable reading experience.
The main thing I disliked was how Connor’s suicide was in essence a plot device and vehicle for Evan’s character growth. This representation wasn’t very good in my opinion and all that he essentially benefited from wasn’t properly addressed. I find it quite a stretch for someone’s anxiety to prevent them from saying ‘I wrote the letter’ and instead fabricate a whole friendship and all the necessary lies and effort that comes along with this. This leads Evan to control Connor’s story, their ‘friendship’ before his suicide, their adventures and discussions and also what is being done in his name - yes it’s helping people but the actions fall under a morally grey area that is hard to evaluate - and the way he felt about members of his family. The lies are also quite extreme, totally changing the person Connor was which is just wrong I feel. And the thing that most presses me is how Evan was a total stranger as well and with hindsight this ‘task’ would have been better suited for a different character. The ending was very unrewarding and I think the film did a much much better job.
Something that wasn’t in the film but is referenced multiple times in the book is the stalkery attraction Evan has to Connor’s sister Zoe. It’s not extreme but is most definitely cringy in how he made sure to glance at her and it was like a ‘fix’ he needed. Kinda eww. And so when they begin to have a relationship… umm I dunno? Their chemistry is also very unrealistic, it seemed too soon for something to start up and I personally hated this plot point.
All the characters except Evan weren’t really explored very much. This is most apparent with Alana as the film really adds a likeness to her where in this she’s basically a overachieving do-gooder and her personal feelings of loneliness are a very minor part - her song ‘anonymous ones’ is amazing btw, could totally relate to parts of it. A similar theme is apparent with all the secondary characters: Zoe, Jared, Cynthia and Larry (Connor’s parents), Heidi (Evan’s mum) and Connor himself. The film totally added a level of nuance and complexity to their personality which is touched on here but it’s clearly a story focusing on the character growth of Evan - possibly watching the film prior meant I couldn’t imagine and realise these characters in my head so I was constantly comparing them but still… other books do add depth to the whole cast and in less pages sooooo… yeah.
The characters from Connor’s perspective were my favourite and I believe Emmich really missed an opportunity with this book. These chapters were by far the shortest but a lot more interesting and ones I wish were explored more - there should have been more, made longer and delved deeper into his story. This is particularly the case in introducing us to the character of Miguel (who should’ve been the Evan but alas, it’s not ‘Dear Connor Murphy’) who I just wish could’ve had a larger part. I loved him and how his role could have been a trigger in Connor’s suicide - I’m not blaming him btw! - and there relationship was super intriguing. I really appreciated the inclusion of a queer character and that Connor’s possible queer (bi/pan) identity wasn’t used as a reason for his deteriorating mental health like so many other stories that concentrate on ‘queer shame’ so I am happy but really annoyed that this wasn’t explored more. Such a missed opportunity here, the book was an adaptation of the musical but in essence is just another version with a few minor changes, actually refocusing on - or at least rebalancing the impact of - another character would have been great.
Audiobook specific notes: it was well narrated, clear and the narrators made the story come to life. The two song parts were a little unnecessary unless more were included, especially as some parts of this book were a complete replica of lyrics. I think if I was physically reading this I’d have DNFd it but it was an east listen in the background whilst doing other tasks.
Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend this book. I’m glad I read it but the film adaptation of the show is better in my opinion with more fleshed out characters despite being six hours shorter and is more satisfying. Or if you don’t care for the story - something I am coming to terms with the more I think about it - I’d just listen to the soundtrack which is loads better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, and Death
Minor: Self harm, Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders
alelumino's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
did not finish cuz of time.
so last night i borrowed the audiobook of this from libby. im at 17% bc thats where i left off.
update on 1/31: finished listening on audiobook. simply breathtaking. here i am crying at 9pm over this. hearing this while im still technically a teen is so helpful and well hopeful. the ending made me cry when evan's mom is unexpectaly invited to dinner with the murphys and what happens after that.
so last night i borrowed the audiobook of this from libby. im at 17% bc thats where i left off.
update on 1/31: finished listening on audiobook. simply breathtaking. here i am crying at 9pm over this. hearing this while im still technically a teen is so helpful and well hopeful. the ending made me cry when evan's mom is unexpectaly invited to dinner with the murphys and what happens after that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, and Death
bookish_manatee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the soundtrack of the Dear Evan Hansen musical, and it’s gotten me through some rough times. I’ve always had mixed feelings about the story, however, and the book didn’t help that. The writing style was engaging and overall I enjoyed it, but I didn’t like how Evan was written. I found him to be very unlikeable, even if that was meant to make him more realistic. I also didn’t like how the themes of mental illness and suicide weren’t addressed as well as they could’ve been. I did love reading the chapters from Connor’s POV though, and I wish we could see more from him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Addiction, and Suicide
Minor: Fatphobia
littlecharming's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Grief, and Death
Minor: Medical content and Toxic relationship
allieslay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i strongly dislike evan hansen. i just can't get behind him and his actions. given the context and his mental health, yes he has issues but i still believe that he knew what he was doing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Suicide, Drug use, Grief, and Mental illness
angel06's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book has truly changed me. I went into this book not really understanding what it was about, but I’m so glad I gave it a chance and finished it. I definitely was sobbing a lot reading it, but in the end, I was pretty satisfied.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Self harm, and Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
amerikinz14's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book gives more detail about the characters than the musical does.
Chapters are divided between Evan Hansen’s POV and Connor Murphy’s POV; both boys share similarities with their perspectives.
This book does have difficult subject matter and adult language but this story still matters in today’s world!
Chapters are divided between Evan Hansen’s POV and Connor Murphy’s POV; both boys share similarities with their perspectives.
This book does have difficult subject matter and adult language but this story still matters in today’s world!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Death, and Suicide
reading_srsly's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide