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blurrypetals's review against another edition
5.0
I'm incredibly late to this party, but I'm glad I read this before I watched the new TV show. An excellent, heartwrenching, and t00-real-to-deal depiction of depression and people left in the wake of a suicide.
empyrealmelody's review against another edition
4.0
One of those books that are hard to read but have stories so compelling that you can't stop reading.
crashley87's review against another edition
4.0
I was very intrigued by the book before I even started reading it. It was good from the very first page all the way to the end. I highly suggest everyone reads this book at least once.
breezy_bre's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
herperfume's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
This book fundamentally misunderstands the causes of suicide, mental illness, and trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
river_blue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
zapkode's review against another edition
5.0
{my thoughts} – I have this neat little habit of not completely reading a books description before I decide if I want to read it. I do this so that the story can pull me in and not the description which in some cases with some books has completely torn me away from the desire to read them. This book was amazing that’s for sure and I can understand Hannah’s view on life.
This book is about teenage suicide. Hannah Baker kills herself by Overdosing on non-specified pills. When she finally decides it’s what she wants to do she goes about making a list of all the people that brought her to her decision. All the people that had made her feel like life was no longer worth living. All the people that had wronged her. Once she makes that list then she goes about making tape records for each of these people to listen to once she’s gone. She wants everyone to know what they did to her and how they helped shape the choice she made to end her life.
I have to admit the way this story is written is a little odd. It took a bit to get use to reading what Clay (the person listening to the tapes) is saying in thoughts – where Hannah is talking on the tapes and then there are the in between conversations of Clay with others around him as well. Once you are able to follow the format it makes for a really nice read.
{reason for reading} - Like most other books I read, I read them because I heard about them and though it might be nice to read. In this case it turned out to be a really nice read for me. I had a really hard time putting it down!
This book is about teenage suicide. Hannah Baker kills herself by Overdosing on non-specified pills. When she finally decides it’s what she wants to do she goes about making a list of all the people that brought her to her decision. All the people that had made her feel like life was no longer worth living. All the people that had wronged her. Once she makes that list then she goes about making tape records for each of these people to listen to once she’s gone. She wants everyone to know what they did to her and how they helped shape the choice she made to end her life.
I have to admit the way this story is written is a little odd. It took a bit to get use to reading what Clay (the person listening to the tapes) is saying in thoughts – where Hannah is talking on the tapes and then there are the in between conversations of Clay with others around him as well. Once you are able to follow the format it makes for a really nice read.
{reason for reading} - Like most other books I read, I read them because I heard about them and though it might be nice to read. In this case it turned out to be a really nice read for me. I had a really hard time putting it down!
akinad's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hannahchair's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have heard a great deal about the Netflix adaptation but little about the actual book content, the start was established fairly, with a dual narrator with the tape and Clay’s voice. Another notable point was the very clear structure of each one character’s part in the story, yet there were a few critical flaws that ruined it for me.
For one, the whole tape situation seemed too unrealistic, you are telling me someone suicidal would make this much of tapes narrating every bit of pains that made her want to kill herself?
The story also fails to give us what it promised. Clay’s character kept emphasising how these tapes changed his outlook on life, but we mostly see Hannah’s tapes accompanied by Clay’s conversation-like narration with her, but little of the actual reflection of HOW this had changed him, as he liked to say. Another hyped up event was how does innocent Clay play a role in causing Hannah’s suicide, repeatedly a little too excessively, and to be quite a disappointing revelation of “nothing” at all. I thought this reasoning was alright, but poorly executed. Even if Clay had no role in this, the book still did not address properly why Clay would be part of the recipients of the list of tapes.
In generally, I feel like this was a creative idea for a novel, yet the execution was a bit of a letdown. Overrated lmao.
For one, the whole tape situation seemed too unrealistic, you are telling me someone suicidal would make this much of tapes narrating every bit of pains that made her want to kill herself?
The story also fails to give us what it promised. Clay’s character kept emphasising how these tapes changed his outlook on life, but we mostly see Hannah’s tapes accompanied by Clay’s conversation-like narration with her, but little of the actual reflection of HOW this had changed him, as he liked to say. Another hyped up event was how does innocent Clay play a role in causing Hannah’s suicide, repeatedly a little too excessively, and to be quite a disappointing revelation of “nothing” at all. I thought this reasoning was alright, but poorly executed. Even if Clay had no role in this, the book still did not address properly why Clay would be part of the recipients of the list of tapes.
In generally, I feel like this was a creative idea for a novel, yet the execution was a bit of a letdown. Overrated lmao.
llfoofaye's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this book. A lot. I think that it's an important book and one I will probably give my kids to read when they're old enough. I understand some people believe that Hannah's reasons for committing suicide were shallow and not enough of a reason. It may be true, if hannah had lived to be 20 or 30 would she feel the same way about the events that led up to her suicide? Probably not. But I think that's an important part of this book. Especially for young people to understand. It doesn't have to be a big thing that happens or one reason, it just has to be yours and yours in that moment. I think this book showed how one small thing can snowball into many small things and that you never know how your actions may affect someone....This book will stay with me for a long time.