An interesting premise which has been re-enacted for the small screen as an 18 rating. Not ideal, particularly as the novel has been changed in the process. A difficult novel to follow at times as it moves to and fro in time, with only a change in font to indicate it.

I did generally find this book interesting, but at the same time kind of weird, it was hard to read because of the subject matter sometimes, and the traumas involved, i know its only fiction but this book hit me hard because there were so many signs leading up to what happened, and no one noticed or did anything and that really got to me.
This book was so deep, and intense, and I don't think I quite realised how much it would affect me. I'm glad I read it.

The story wasn't told as well as it could have been. Of course, the subject matter was serious and emotional. I just didn't feel the connection. and found the writing to be a little mixed up.

My thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this Young Adult story a 3 stars or 6/10.

I really enjoyed the premise of the story and the way that it was told as if Clay was listening to the tape that Hannah had recorded. However, by the time I'd read the story I wasn't really bothered why she'd done it as to me, none of the reasons seemed to be valid enough reasons to make someone take their own life. I do appreciate that the actions of others, can and often do affect us all differently. Hannah could've been any High School student as most of what happened could've happened to anyone, unlike Hannah though they might have reacted differently.

It's not easy being a teenager, their bodies are changing, they have so  many pressures put on them from loads of different directions. It's no wonder really that something that we would perceive as not being a problem, to them it's immense. Hannah it appeared had loads of problems, that she saw fit enough to be reason enough to cause her to take her own life.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is so true, people young and old need to remember this or they too could be the one of the reasons that someone deems big enough cause to make them take their life.

This has been made into a TV drama and I would be interested in watching it, to see how it compares to the book.

I loved this book, no kidding. I first watched the Netflix series so I wasn't really sure if I was going to like the book but omg, its just so real and good!

I kept thinking about the series all the way through but I liked what happens in the book more than what happens in the series even though the series seems more tragic to me. They're completely different platforms but I liked the book and how it was written. Full review coming soon....

As a prolific reader of YA, this is a hard one for me. This book covers a number of extremely difficult and timely issues. That of mental health in teenagers, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and foremost, suicide. But it also covers other societal issues like drugs, underage drinking, bullying, sexual consent and rape.

It is not for the younger of the ‘Young Adults’ unless, perhaps studied in a class under strict supervision of a teacher to mediate discussion.

It is difficult for me because while I’ve suffered from mental health issues, I have never tried to take my life and so I feel somewhat unable to comment on the ‘believability’ of the reasons ‘why’ the protagonist wanted to take her life.

My personal view was that they did seem to be the expected issues one would find at school, often peer pressure and bullying. However, that is not to undermine the character’s feelings or that of anyone who has ever been a victim of bullying (as I, myself, have been). These things do build and can severely damage and affect one’s mental health. Just because I got through the bullying doesn’t mean another could. We are individual for a reason. But this is a book review and not a debate on mental health.

Therefore, I think a fair criticism is in terms of the believability of the writing. For me, the justifications/ thirteen reasons ‘why’ did not provide enough depth for me to believe the character. I needed more, and on reflection I think this was not because of the reasons provided but because of the Points of View (POV).

The book is told from two POVs one of the main character and the second through taped audio recordings from the girl who committed suicide. The two were woven together so that often there were two different parallel conversations running simultaneously AND interspersed. It was confusing and not always clear. That said, it was also very cleverly done.

My biggest disappointment with this book, however, was the ending. For me, it fell completely flat. The author brought back a character that we had only seen once or twice the entire book and it felt like a deus ex machina.


My thanks to NetGalley and Razorbill publishers for a review copy of this book (although I actually purchased a copy before the review copy was accepted!)

Reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon

This book addresses a bunch of serious issues that face teenagers today - I decided to read the book before I watched the show so I wouldn't ruin it for myself. This book had me in tears for Hannah and I was glad she wasn't a perfect character, she had some clear flaws that made her feel more human, more relatable to me.

Clay returns home one day to find a box of cassettes waiting for him. On them is the voice of his classmate Hannah....the girl he has had a crush on throughout high school. The only thing is she committed suicide two weeks before. The tapes are her suicide note, written to the people she feels collectively brought her to this point. And Clay is one of the people she wants to listen....

So there's a lot of arguing about this book. Some say it gives suicide glamour, that her reasons are not enough to justify such a drastic step....yada yada yada. Here's the thing. Suicide needs no reasons. To really mean to kill yourself you are mentally ill in some way. And for teenagers who are inclined that way suicide doesn't need to be glamorised. What Hannah gives in this book isn't reasons.....it's justifications. Her justifying why she has reached this point. And if you really want to kill yourself the smallest thing can tip you over.

Anyway that's my opinion on suicide. On this book I must say I liked it. I can't say I enjoyed it as it is an emotive subject. Reading it as an adult I can recommend it heartily. I wouldn't be happy about my daughter reading this as a teenager. I know it isn't a self help manual but because of the subject matter I wish it had rested more on mental health issues and it been a bit clearer that really Hannah didn't look for help. Even when she approaches a teacher she doesn't really say directly she needs help. She comes across as an intelligent girl but she hints to the world anonymously she's in trouble and expects people to know. Actually thinking about teenagers that's pretty realistic!

So if your 18 upwards read this, it's a great read. If you're under that read something happier.

I received this novel from Netgalley for an unbiased review.

[July 2017] I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this gem a second time.

***********************************************
"You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything."

This book describes something I wished I had done. And sometimes, I still wish I would do. So Jay Asher's words crept right under my skin and into my soul. I listened to the audiobook and it felt like listening to Hannah.

People should read this book! They should, so that they know how easy it is to hurt, to ignore, not to care. And it's not just teenagers. Adults, too, can hurt just as easily.

Thirteen Reasons Why is about a girl who committed suicide. She was not crazy, she was not a coward. And she left thirteen cassette tapes, explaining the thirteen reason she decided to end her life. Each reason revolves around a person and these persons are bound to pass the cassettes or another set will become public.

"If you hear a song that makes you cry and you don't want to cry anymore, you don't listen to that song anymore.
But you can't get away from yourself. You can't decide not to see yourself anymore. You can't decide to turn off the noise in your head."

Suicide is an uncomfortable subject. It sounds almost like an obscene word. And it's a reality.

We should start looking more closely to the persons around us. And parents ought to really see their children.

"After all, how often do we get a second chance?"

2 stars

I had the hardest time trying to work out what to rate this book. I’d heard a lot about this book, some of it good, some of it bad, all of it quite controversial. I wanted to read it with my own eyes, to see where my own opinions fell on the spectrum.

I had a vested interest in this book, as someone who a) had been a depressed teen and b) is someone considering specialising in child and adolescent mental health in my medical career. My general feeling is that I’m struggling to vocalise what I felt about this book. It didn’t feel like my depression at all, but I know that I can’t speak for everyone. Depression is an amorphous entity, as varied as there are people suffering from it, and everyone’s ‘black dog’ is different. I would say that I didn’t think the book delved into Hannah’s depression particularly deeply, it made the decision to focus on external motivators for her suicide, which, in my opinion, made this book more about how people treat others than suicide.

I liked the message that people should always be kind as no one knows what anyone is going through, but I also felt very uncomfortable with the idea that depression, and suicide, had a basis that could be entirely based in environmental interactions. Depression and suicide are very very complicated subjects and part of me did feel that this story oversimplified that.

I was also wary of the message that all of these ‘crimes’ towards Hannah were ‘reasons’ for her suicide. One of the characters only crime was to let a friendship drift? That’s not a crime against Hannah, that’s life. I feel uncomfortable with the idea that someone who lets a friendship drift (and herself is assaulted later in the story) is in the same league as a rapist. I’m also wary of the message that it sends teens, watching these ‘reasons’ stacking up in their own lives and wondering at what number their life starts to become unliveable. As someone who lived through a not particularly happy high school situation, that experience does not have to follow a person. Who cares who your friends and enemies were in High School? Odds are that you’re never going to see them again. Yes, the issues and problems born in teenage life can plague a person, but there’s therapy and medication and life beyond High School, and I worry that this book did not give that as an option. I wish Clay had challenged some of what Hannah had said, rather than believing it word for word. Depression can make people bitter and angry, it doesn’t necessarily make them the perfect sage counsellor for a book about how people should treat others.

That, I think is key. I don’t think this book was written for suicidal teens. I think it was written for teens who couldn’t even begin to consider that feeling. That job I think it does very well. People should be considering how their actions affect others, one person’s actions can create a domino effect. ‘Treat others as you’d want to be treated yourself’ is the lesson we try to instil in all kids, but sometimes it just doesn’t seem to get through. So, I hope that all kids reading this book take that message away, but for kids reading this who are suicidal, this is not the only path you have ahead of you. Please talk to people in your life, don’t waste your precious breaths on a cassette recorder…

Here’s a list of some resources for people who are currently struggling, or those who know someone who is struggling:

-currently suicidal or having thoughts of suicide? Here’s a list of suicide helplines around the world: http://www.suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html

–for parents or educators who want help in raising the conversation of suicide: https://teenlineonline.org/13-reasons-help-parents-educators/

-for American Teens, ‘teenline’ offers phone/ text/email support from fellow teens in discussions of mental health and social problems: https://teenlineonline.org/

-As always, if you feel in danger, whether it be from yourself or others, your local emergency room, accident and emergency department (UK) or crisis centre should be your first port of call. Mental health is health and you deserve to have your illness treated just like any other illness.

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

I wanted to read this as I had heard a lot about it due the Netflix series and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, but I don't think it lived up to the hype surrounding it. I was expecting it to be sad, however I felt that Hannah just cane across as bitter and hell-bent at getting back at the kids who mocked her, as a result I didn't feel sorry for her or much empathy for her, no matter how I tried.

She was happy to blame everyone else for her problems but 1. I think she needed to take the blame for some of it, as she allowed/didn't discourage some of the things to happen 2. She mentions her parents so WHY??? didn't she talk to them, even though they were busy I'm pretty sure any parent would listen 3. Okay high school sucks, boys are jerks and girls are cruel, it's life, but I think she over-reacted, she shouldn't have expected some one else (reason 13) to magical snap their fingers n fix things for her, if she wanted things to get better SHE was the only person that could do that for herself. Everyone at some point has been on the receiving end of someone's unkindness, but it depends on how you deal with it. 4. My brother suffered with depression and I'm pretty sure even at his lowest point he wouldn't have done what Hannah did (with the tapes, as he just wanted to be left alone, he didn't want to talk). I feel Hannah was just after revenge, to me she didn't sound depressed, she sounded angry, and for a couple of the reasons I agree she had the right to be angry, but I go back to, she could have handled them differently.

All that being said I didn't want this to be all negative, because I think it's great that someone had the guts to write a book on the subject of teen suicide. And I hope that it opens people's eyes to the fact that yes this does happen (all too often).

After ranting about my perceived flaws in this book, if even one person picks this up and it makes them think twice about how they act/ treat/ talk to somebody else. If it makes them realise that actually what they say and do could effect somebody deeper than they think and like in the book possibly contribute to a snowball effect on someone's life. If their altered attitude helps to save someone's life as a result of reading this, then at the end of the day there are no amount of stars I could ever give this book that would do it justice.

An interesting storyline. Those little things that you do that may not matter; they actually do, especially when there are lots of little things. I read this book with great interest but felt that it was a little lacking in places when I really wanted to love it. An important message and what that raises questions, good for a discussion book.

It was a strange urge to read this, a large par of me was intrigued by the concept, there is a mystery edge to the book and I felt it would help if customers had questions about it. Without doubt it was technically good, the plot circled slightly which was confusing but the tension and pace were there. I felt for Clay. As a piece on teen suicide I am confused. For someone feeling depressed the lack of drama that led to Hannah's decision may not be reassuring. The "it get's better" argument was never used. But for friends and classmates there was a lot here. Subtle hints on what to watch out for, advice on reaching out and there was a lot of thought into her depressive state. Whatever Clay did at the party is was already too late, which could reassure a victim's friend.

A great read that delves into the difficult subject of teen suicide. The non-linear narrative is original and keeps you hooked. Understanding the effect that small remarks and little events can have on a person is an interesting subject to tackle and will make you think about how you treat people around you and how your words and actions can have all sorts of repercussions. Let's all be kinder to each other,

Clay Jensen finds a package containing 7 cassettes on his doorstep with instructions to listen to them and then send them on to the next person on the list. The cassettes are from Hannah Baker, his classmate, work colleague and fantasy girlfriend who had committed suicide a few weeks earlier. Hannah had recorded these tapes as an explanation for her suicide and names the people she felt either pushed her to that decision or could have helped her overcome her suicidal thoughts.
The thirteen reasons, according to Hannah, taken independently may seem trivial, but it is the accumulation of them all which Hannah could not cope with.
This is a dark read but one which should make the reader reflect on their own actions. One never knows if a small act of kindness or a mean action is all it takes to change a life.

brilliant book i was gripped from start to finish although it was a very sad story 😞 it has a very strong message and would absolutely recommend.

So obviously i had heard a lot about this book due to the tv show being made from it, but me myself i like to read the book then watch the show/movie. This book is truly thought provoking and makes you linger on all the details Hannah gives us, no matter what they may be. It is an emotional story and at times my heart ached but i also was glad i was reading a book which though it does have tough subject matter it makes you think long and hard bout people and what goes on under the surface. This sort of book as not around when i was a teen/young adult and after reading it i wish it was to make you realize that in thoughts, feelings, and events you are not alone. This book could be very difficult for some people to read, and for that the book like all stories is not for everyone. But i must say i was gripped by the story, and i have since watched the tv show,and i can say they did a great job of adapting a very detailed and complex story

review up on goodreads under username kimothy

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is a young adult book which deals with a disturbing case of teenage suicide. This book has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and has been made into a series by Netflix.

Teenager Clay Jensen returns home to find a mystery package on his doorstep. It contains old style cassette tapes from a girl at school, rumoured to have committed suicide. Intrigued, Clay begins to listen, then he is reminded of a map of the town which mysteriously arrived in his school locker.

Hannah’s reasons for creating the tapes have Clay criss-crossing town as we hear about the decisions others made which, she felt, which left her alone, hurt and eventually suicidal.
The author chose to write the book using dual narration: Hannah’s voice on the tapes and Clay’s immediate response to points and situations. It makes the story incredibly intense and puts the reader right in with the middle of the story. Thirteen reasons; thirteen stories of how and why Hannah ended up where, she believed, she only had one choice left. Those mentioned on the tapes never realising the connections they made and the impact they had on one girl.

Using everyday situations that many teens find themselves in, the suicide element has already shown itself to be a controversial discussion topic among many other readers. Was the book intended to highlight suicide? I don’t think so; it is more about the impact anyone’s thoughts and actions can have on another human being. Would it be a suitable book for anyone with suicidal tendencies? I don't think so, not particularly; there are no answers or suggestions for help. Instead, it could make us think about how simple, often thoughtless, words, and action or non-action, can have such an effect on another's life, and highlight that we don't exist in a bubble.

I liked this book and read it over the course of twenty four hours. It was refreshing, harsh at times, intense and even surreal. The unusual writing style worked well and I can see this work being a popular discussion topic, for the teenage groups in years to come. Maybe a classic in the making? I shall leave you with a quote from the book:

“No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people.”

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

So I somehow managed to begin this book without being spoiled by any of the hype surrounding it and the TV adaptation, and had only the vaguest idea of the story-line. For that reason I am not going to begin this review with a synopsis as I believe it greatly enhanced my reading of this not to know any particulars concerning the plot. If you are only the lucky unspoiled people, yet to read this book, I'd suggest you try and do the same. What I will divulge is that this book seems to have had such a great emotional impact on the unaware, like myself, that I believe explains the early hype and rave reviews and some of the later disappointed ones.

The premise for this book is heartbreaking enough, but when combined with the method of narrative I found it made for almost unbearably sad reading, in some parts. Knowing the ultimate ending at the beginning of the book I thought was a ballsy move by the author, as it could have ruined some of the tension for the reader. As it is, I felt it added to the emotional impact of the novel and made every one of the protagonists' situations and feelings that much more intense.

I really appreciated that the tragic subject matter was broached in such a sensitive yet illuminating way. It really highlighted a situation that is real-life for many individuals and, I believe, is what made this book have such wide-spread acclaim.

Where do I start. I had heard a lot about this book and the tv series before I read it so was very sceptical about it glorifying suicide. How wrong was I. What an eye opener and I think handled carefully with the right theory behind it this book should be used on the A level curriculum in schools. The book took me through a mixture of emotions actually willing it to be wrong and for someone to say NO!!!!