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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I loved the book but the ending was kinda stupid, I think.
I mean you spend 280 pages talking about Hannah Baker and then on the last page it's like it's all about a girl he had a crush on in 8th grade and never talked to again... I don't know could've ended better in my opinion.
I mean you spend 280 pages talking about Hannah Baker and then on the last page it's like it's all about a girl he had a crush on in 8th grade and never talked to again... I don't know could've ended better in my opinion.
My thoughts: Firstly, I have to point out that I was completely shocked that the amazon age suggestion for this book is 12-16 years old - please note that under no circumstances do I think young children should be reading this book and those who may be affected by the triggers listed above should take great caution in reading this.
I did love the netflix series when it was initially released in 2017; I would have been 17 at the time. However, as an adult I do recognise the romanticism that 13 Reasons Why links to suicide and I do think that there is some danger with this.
Mental health is a wide societal issue, and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 29 years, with other 700,000 taking their life every year.
The book does touch on some very important issues such as bullying, kindness and compassion, recognising signs and triggers for suicidal ideation - however I felt there was no justice for what Hannah had been through. There were also many issues raised where I was upset that Asher hadn’t provided resolutions; it just felt like the characters were all left in Limbo - but perhaps this is a message in amongst itself.
If you need any support when reading either this review or if you have read the book or watched the series, please reach out to professionals, loved ones ❤️
I did love the netflix series when it was initially released in 2017; I would have been 17 at the time. However, as an adult I do recognise the romanticism that 13 Reasons Why links to suicide and I do think that there is some danger with this.
Mental health is a wide societal issue, and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 29 years, with other 700,000 taking their life every year.
The book does touch on some very important issues such as bullying, kindness and compassion, recognising signs and triggers for suicidal ideation - however I felt there was no justice for what Hannah had been through. There were also many issues raised where I was upset that Asher hadn’t provided resolutions; it just felt like the characters were all left in Limbo - but perhaps this is a message in amongst itself.
If you need any support when reading either this review or if you have read the book or watched the series, please reach out to professionals, loved ones ❤️
I absolutely loved this book! I could see how people could think that it was glorifying suicide but that's not the point of a book. It reminds you how you need to tell people how you feel about them before it is too late.
Just okay. Had a hard time getting into this story, but it got better about a hundred pages in.
As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, the initial thought of this book was that it would help people like me. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
Thirteen Reasons Why is essentially just a giant romanticization of depression and suicide. Depression isn’t something that should be looked at as “quirky” and “cool”.
Not only did this book do horrible in accurately portraying mental illness, but it also wasn’t written the best. ai can’t say I hate too many books, as I love to read. However, this particular book is on my shitlist.
Thirteen Reasons Why is essentially just a giant romanticization of depression and suicide. Depression isn’t something that should be looked at as “quirky” and “cool”.
Not only did this book do horrible in accurately portraying mental illness, but it also wasn’t written the best. ai can’t say I hate too many books, as I love to read. However, this particular book is on my shitlist.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to rate and review this book. It's interesting I'm reading it within a month of Lauren Oliver's "Before I Fall" - both touch on a similar theme of how realizing your actions affect someone else, especially when they are at their most vulnerable. Both left me rushing to finish, compelled to know how it would turn out. Where they really diverged, though, was the ending. "Before I Fall" was a gut punch, but left me satisfied. "Thirteen Reasons Why" probably was meant to feel uplifting, but all I could envision was the end of the movie "Heathers" - but that was a black comedy and it fit; here it felt too neatly tied up, coming full circle, and yet left me frustrated not to hear the rest of the story of the passage of the tapes. I wanted to know how Clay would react as others listened; as he had to deal with those whose secrets he'd already heard.
Despite some glaring issues for me (I don't want to go into too many details because they each give away bits of the story that Asher does an excellent job keeping suspenseful), I found the unique method of story telling and the suspense itself made it an enjoyable read.
Despite some glaring issues for me (I don't want to go into too many details because they each give away bits of the story that Asher does an excellent job keeping suspenseful), I found the unique method of story telling and the suspense itself made it an enjoyable read.
You're not alone. Confidential help is available for free. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Polarizing book. Two stars off for the writing...it felt shallow and undeveloped for the most part. The characters were not very well developed, mainly.
As for the subject matter...yes, it's a 'book about suicide' but if that's all you got out of it, we don't read books the same way. I don't see an glamorization or glorifying of it. I see a cautionary tale. More of a 'these are my reasons' (key word here is "my"...Hannah's...not yours or your friend's or your therapist's or anyone else). You don't have to agree with her, like her or even sympathize with her, because they are her reason's. But look at those reasons...within them are signs. Signs Clay missed. Her parent's missed. Her friends, teachers, etc. That should be the real story...she reached out for help and numerous places...and didn't get the help she needed. Is that her fault? Some of it, yeah. Doesn't mean the rest of us can't take something away from it. The ending makes that pretty blunt/clear. If you disagree...good for you.
Asher did one thing pretty great though...kept me wanting to keep reading. The book was hard to put down. So he gets kudos for that.
Polarizing book. Two stars off for the writing...it felt shallow and undeveloped for the most part. The characters were not very well developed, mainly.
As for the subject matter...yes, it's a 'book about suicide' but if that's all you got out of it, we don't read books the same way. I don't see an glamorization or glorifying of it. I see a cautionary tale. More of a 'these are my reasons' (key word here is "my"...Hannah's...not yours or your friend's or your therapist's or anyone else). You don't have to agree with her, like her or even sympathize with her, because they are her reason's. But look at those reasons...within them are signs. Signs Clay missed. Her parent's missed. Her friends, teachers, etc. That should be the real story...she reached out for help and numerous places...and didn't get the help she needed. Is that her fault? Some of it, yeah. Doesn't mean the rest of us can't take something away from it. The ending makes that pretty blunt/clear. If you disagree...good for you.
Asher did one thing pretty great though...kept me wanting to keep reading. The book was hard to put down. So he gets kudos for that.
I read this because my teenager did. She was concerned about sadness and depression at the time and found it helpful, although she was frustrated with Clay's reactions to Hannah's story.
The back cover says, "Thriller-like pacing. - The New York Times," but for me the pacing was agonizingly slow. I found Clay's interjections tedious and I was annoyed by Hannah's snark.
I'm sure that Asher's main point is true - that living and dying is an accumulation of life experiences, not just one incident. But overall the whole thing felt a bit preachy to me. Perhaps it was a poor choice to read this during the holiday season.
The back cover says, "Thriller-like pacing. - The New York Times," but for me the pacing was agonizingly slow. I found Clay's interjections tedious and I was annoyed by Hannah's snark.
I'm sure that Asher's main point is true - that living and dying is an accumulation of life experiences, not just one incident. But overall the whole thing felt a bit preachy to me. Perhaps it was a poor choice to read this during the holiday season.