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A review by befsk
Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich
4.0
I really related fully to Evan at the start of the book with his bad anxiety to the point of him wishing he could stay in his room all day because it's so much easier. That was my last year of high school too. The author did an excellent job of describing that level of anxiety.
"No one else at my school has an assignment from their therapist. No one else even has a therapist, probably. They don't snack on Ativan. They don't shift and fidget when people come too close to them, or talk to them, or even look at them. And they definitely don't make their mother's eyes well up with tears when they're just sitting there not doing anything."
But I couldn't relate to him embroiling himself deeper with lies about Connor due to anxiety. It makes sense in a disembodied story maybe, but when it's a book and you're actually inside his head and you see his anxiety about literally everything else including eating lunch in public and driving a car, it's completely baffling to see him get himself deeper into these lies just because he thinks it will help Connor's grieving mother. And I'm speaking as someone who stopped leaving the house because passing strangers I'd never see again might think a single bad thought about me.
I'm glad it didn't try to be funny about the cringe parts of the book. I am not a fan of cringe humour and it seems like there's a trend in books lately for cringe humour - especially relating to LGBT themes and misunderstandings therein and, seriously, I am really not a fan so I'm glad this book swerved it when it could've gone that way so easily with Connor The second hand cringe was a little too much at times though.
The relationship between Evan and Zoe was never good though. Kinda icky. Not sure why it needed to be put in. It didn't drive the plot, and I don't know how anyone could root for them to be together and stay together.
I liked all the characters. The writing did very well in feeling authentically teenage boy. I didn't know about the stage show until I heard about this book, so I'll have to check that out now (It's not on in the UK yet and there's only talk about a film at the moment so it looks like I'll be waiting a while.)
Favourite quote:
"Sometimes I feel like therapy is total bullshit, and other times I think the real problem is that I can never get myself to fully buy in."
Received this ARC from Netgalley.
"No one else at my school has an assignment from their therapist. No one else even has a therapist, probably. They don't snack on Ativan. They don't shift and fidget when people come too close to them, or talk to them, or even look at them. And they definitely don't make their mother's eyes well up with tears when they're just sitting there not doing anything."
But I couldn't relate to him embroiling himself deeper with lies about Connor due to anxiety. It makes sense in a disembodied story maybe, but when it's a book and you're actually inside his head and you see his anxiety about literally everything else including eating lunch in public and driving a car, it's completely baffling to see him get himself deeper into these lies just because he thinks it will help Connor's grieving mother. And I'm speaking as someone who stopped leaving the house because passing strangers I'd never see again might think a single bad thought about me.
I'm glad it didn't try to be funny about the cringe parts of the book. I am not a fan of cringe humour and it seems like there's a trend in books lately for cringe humour - especially relating to LGBT themes and misunderstandings therein and, seriously, I am really not a fan so I'm glad this book swerved it when it could've gone that way so easily with Connor
Spoiler
being bisexual and having a secret boyfriend.Spoiler
I was very happy that it ended on a realistic note, with Evan not really better even a year later, but improving with therapy and time. There is no miracle cure for anxiety, and it's important that books and other media reflect this.The relationship between Evan and Zoe was never good though. Kinda icky. Not sure why it needed to be put in. It didn't drive the plot, and I don't know how anyone could root for them to be together and stay together.
I liked all the characters. The writing did very well in feeling authentically teenage boy. I didn't know about the stage show until I heard about this book, so I'll have to check that out now (It's not on in the UK yet and there's only talk about a film at the moment so it looks like I'll be waiting a while.)
Favourite quote:
"Sometimes I feel like therapy is total bullshit, and other times I think the real problem is that I can never get myself to fully buy in."
Received this ARC from Netgalley.