Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lexi_2003 's review for:
Playlist for the Dead
by Michelle Falkoff
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I first saw the concept of this book I was immediately drawn to it. I hadn't seen another book use music in the way this book seemed to, and the concept definitely reminded me of "13 reasons why". I had high hopes for this book and I finally decided to read it.
While the concept was promising, I feel the execution wasn't there. Don't get me wrong, it is a good book, and I really liked some of the themes it covered, like grief, loss and finding a way to see others points of view. However, I felt like there was a disconnect between the playlist and the story, and for a book that is named "playlist for the dead", I don't feel like there was much emphasis on the playlist and Sam (protagonist) using it to figure out why Hayden decided to end his life. It was used as a way to incorporate memories from the past, which was still valuable to the story, but when you see "For Sam. Listen and you'll understand" on the front cover, it builds up the idea that the playlist is the suicide note and that it tells the story of what lead Hayden to suicide, which in a way it does, just not in the way you would expect.
I still enjoyed this book, and even though it wasn't what I thought it was, I was still able to enjoy the story and it wasn't like I didn't want to finish it. Afterwards I decided to listen to the playlist and I think it added to the experience, it was interesting to hear the music and then seeing how it fit into the story and the characters lives. This book isn't one that I would recommend straight away if someone asked what book they should read, but it isn't something that I would tell people to avoid either. It didn't blow me away, but not all books do, and that's ok. For the young adult genre this book is definitely made for that audience, and though I do like to read books from that genre, I think this book is more suited to new teens (13-15) rather than someone in my age demographic (17-20). Obviously read any trigger warnings surrounding the book as it does contain content about suicide and losing someone.
While the concept was promising, I feel the execution wasn't there. Don't get me wrong, it is a good book, and I really liked some of the themes it covered, like grief, loss and finding a way to see others points of view. However, I felt like there was a disconnect between the playlist and the story, and for a book that is named "playlist for the dead", I don't feel like there was much emphasis on the playlist and Sam (protagonist) using it to figure out why Hayden decided to end his life. It was used as a way to incorporate memories from the past, which was still valuable to the story, but when you see "For Sam. Listen and you'll understand" on the front cover, it builds up the idea that the playlist is the suicide note and that it tells the story of what lead Hayden to suicide, which in a way it does, just not in the way you would expect.
I still enjoyed this book, and even though it wasn't what I thought it was, I was still able to enjoy the story and it wasn't like I didn't want to finish it. Afterwards I decided to listen to the playlist and I think it added to the experience, it was interesting to hear the music and then seeing how it fit into the story and the characters lives. This book isn't one that I would recommend straight away if someone asked what book they should read, but it isn't something that I would tell people to avoid either. It didn't blow me away, but not all books do, and that's ok. For the young adult genre this book is definitely made for that audience, and though I do like to read books from that genre, I think this book is more suited to new teens (13-15) rather than someone in my age demographic (17-20). Obviously read any trigger warnings surrounding the book as it does contain content about suicide and losing someone.