Evan Hansen is invisible. When his therapist sets him the task of writing a letter to himself , he has no idea just how much his world is going to change. The letter is stolen and later found in the pocket of a fellow student who has killed himself. The grieving family latch on to Evan, believing him to be their deceased son's only friend and soon the web of lies Evan reluctantly creates threatens to spiral out of control.
I knew nothing about the musical before reading this book, I was simply drawn to the idea, and I thought it was well executed , While the character of Evan is not particularly likeable, and some of his actions misguided and even despicable , I still found myself feeling some sympathy for his loneliness and feelings of isolation from his peers.
I read and reviewed a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

It’s a good book with solid writing and excellent character development. It rang true in terms of YA voice and issues. The failing was on me as a reader. I am so hit and miss on YA contemporary. So I just didn’t love this. I would rather Evan had discovered himself without a classmate boosting him to fame through committing suicide. (Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zapia is an excellent example of how this can be done in my opinion). I’m very ambivalent about the lying too. On one hand I can understand it considering Evan himself. On the other, the target of those lies made many of them unforgiveable. I really wish Evan hadn’t profited off the grief of bereaved parents. Having said that this book really looks at different mental health issues and explodes a few myths. It contains an important message. It just wasn’t really for me.

When I saw this become available, I jumped at the chance to read it, so thank you Net Galley for accepting my request. Dear Evan Hansen is a very successful broadway musical and is set to transfer to the West End imminently. After seeing the show in New York our son recommended the soundtrack to us and it has become a firm family favourite so as I read this book and noticed lines from lyrics I had a constant musical accompaniment playing in my head and as soon as I’d finished it (it’s a quick read), I played the album in full, understanding far more of the story.

It will pull at your heartstrings, especially if you have or have had or indeed simply worked with teenagers. Evan doesn’t feel he ‘belongs’…he’s ’on the outside, always looking in’ and his mum has him visiting a therapist who has suggested he writes letters to himself to help. The letters begin with ‘Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be an amazing day and here’s why’ and are signed off ‘Sincerely me’. Printing off one of his letters to show his therapist at school sees it falling into the hands of another social misfit – Connor Murphy who sadly takes his own life that evening. His parents find the letter in his possession and wrongly assume that Connor had written it to Evan as his farewell message. Evan doesn’t have the heart to tell them otherwise and ends up getting caught up in a massive web of deceit of his own doing. Finding it harder and harder to come clean, he discovers that he is no longer invisible and experiences what it is like to have friends and ‘belong’. For once, every day is amazing. He is so focused on making the Murphy’s feel better, he totally neglects his own Mum who being a single parent works all hours and is therefore rarely there for him. He knows he can’t go on forever without coming clean and so eventually he does. He loses much of what he has gained and waits for the whole world to come crashing down around him – he is surprised when it doesn’t. His Mum is there for him and it turns out that whilst they don’t want anything more to do with him personally, the Murphy’s prefer their son to be remembered as someone better than he was, the persona Evan created. The really sad part is when the reader discovers the antecedent to Connor’s behaviours…

This is YA fiction, but don’t let that put you off…read the book, see the play, listen to the album – you won’t be disappointed and you will probably cry!

The novelisation of the smash hit Broadway musical, rather than hitting the high notes, falls slightly flat.
Being a fan of the musical Dear Evan Hansen, I was chuffed to be approved for a copy of Dear Evan Hansen the novel, and started reading almost straight away. Having read the first two chapters as part of Penguin's ARC sampler, I knew the style of writing was interesting and engaging, and stuck closely to the musical plotline. This isn't as much a reinterpretation of Dear Evan Hansen as it is a transposition - taking it from the stage and putting it straight on the page.
I won't deny that there were some lovely moments in this book - Evan Hansen's crippling mental health issues are sensitively dealt with and Conor Murphy's taking of his own life is dealt with in accordance with all suicide reporting guidelines, and never played for shock, which is both appropriate and appreciated. But the general plot of Dear Evan Hansen is ... ridiculous.
It's easy to justify ridiculous plots for Broadway musicals because you get carried away by the staging. An entire musical about a chess competition? Yes, ridiculous, but ABBA wrote the music! The single most depressing failed rebellion in French history? Should be dull, but injected with searing intensity of Jean Valjean's desperate struggle to be the man he could be, it is enduringly brilliant. A secret double life completely invented because of a misinterpreted note in the pocket of a boy who took his own life? Sure, why not, as long as the songs are good!

Sadly, on the page, I don't have the same kind of benevolent dismissal of plot difficulties. Without the jaunty tune of Sincerely, Me buoying me up, I can't have the same kind of affection for the book as the musical.
As an adaptation of the source material, DEH is great. It's very faithful to the story, interweaving aspects of the musical through lyrics, thoughts, overheard songs, and conversational snippets, meaning that the avid DEH fan has plenty of Easter Eggs to spot. Evan's chapters are also interspersed with an additional perspective which gives more voice to Conor, which I really liked. I thought it added great depth to a character who is both central and spectral in the musical.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make this book stand up without the prop of the musical behind it. Plenty of great stuff for a fan of DEH the musical, but I don't think I would recommend this to the uninitiated. A cast of largely dislikeable characters, incomprehensible decisions, and absolutely no respect for privacy or personal concerns (Alana, wth), propped up by an improbably huge fundraiser - there's just too much going on here to support without the complex chords of the musical underneath.

A lovely harmony added to the musical version of DEH, it's not strong enough to be a countermelody on its own, and sounds discordant in isolation.

This book is definitely worth reading. The characters are easy to empathise with and I got totally caught up in what was happening. Evans life shows how easy it is for a lie to snowball. There is so much packed into this book. It is great that someone is talking about mental health and loneliness. This may be a book for young adults but it tackles issues adults face as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I finally got around to reading this and i'm quite pleased i did!
I was already a big fan of the soundtrack, but as i hadn't seen the play, i didn't quite grasp how good the story was.
Poignant and sweet with a beautiful lasting message, this was a story that really tugged at the heart strings and had me feeling all types of emotions.

I liked Evan as the main character and loved a lot of the secondary characters too, this was a fun read that i'll definitely be recommending to friends.

I came to this book knowing almost nothing about it. I had heard vaguely that there was a musical and lots of attendees at YALC were excited about the prospect of an arc, so naturally I jumped at the chance of reading it.

Dear Evan Hansen feels a lot like The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Both books had really important discussions about mental health which are absolutely necessary. Its a very relatable book. Evan attempting to navigate high school is something that every can understand.

Like Charlie in Perks, Evan is shy, unpopular and just trying to find his place in the world. In doing so, he crosses paths with Connor Murphy, a troubled teen at his school. Evan develops a relationship with Connor which pulls him into the spotlight. Evan finds Connor and finds himself. Unfortunately too late for Connor.

Today’s going to be an amazing day and here’s why...this book is absolutely worth reading. It’s necessary and important just like Evan, just like Connor, and - reader - just like you.

This is a sensitively written book showing rare insights into the mind of a tortured teenage boy suffering mental health problems. It reads well and although it is a subject that many people might not want to read about, it runs well and holds the reader's interest. There are dire moments but also times of humour. It is entirely believable.

I have seen this book numerous times and didn't really give it much thought. I am now so glad a did.
It brings to light the mixture of different people and emotions that are around when you are a teenager trying to make it through school.
When Evan hears of the suicide of fellow loner Connor, he discovers Connor had in his possession a letter Evan wrote to himself as a part of the project his therapist set him. Connor's family then believe he was never a loner and Evan was his best friend. The last thing Evan wants to do is make Connor's family pain any worse.
I will not forget this book in a hurry.

I have to say that I am a huge fan of the musical that this book is based on so I had high hopes. And luckily this book surpassed that. Felt like you could listen to the soundtrack along with this slightly awkward coming of age tale about rights, wrongs and learning from mistakes. I loved the story. Loved the message and a reminder that you are not alone.

So, this novel is based on the hit broadway production of dear evan hansen. It was pretty much the same story and i loved every single minute of it, it was super good and i loved how it included lines from the original songs. i hope to one day see the production but im glad i read this first




4/5 stars

I'll be honest. I'm a huge fan of the soundtrack but I have never seen the musical itself. I knew the rough idea of the story but other than that I went into this not knowing a great deal.
I wasnt expecting the multiple perspectives and I'm not sure how I felt about the POV from someone who was dead and looking in on the situation. I also found it hard to tell who's view I was reading from but that may simply be a formatting issue.
Overall the book was quick and easy to read and I liked the moments in the books where I could see the link to the songs. I liked how the words were not exact copies from the songs themselves and it just really helped to make the scenario seem more realistic.
A good read and I'm looking forward to seeing the musical now even more so that I've had an insight into the story a bit more.

3.5/5 Stars

When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore. And Connor's parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his 'closest friend'. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their family, he knows that what he's doing can't be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be? No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Until everything is in danger of unravelling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.

I was unsure what I was going to make of this, I will be honest, I could not really see why a novel would be written for an already successful musical. Still, as a big fan of the musical I did still want to read this. For the most part I enjoyed it, I found the beginning hard to get into and the borrowing of lyrics meant I constantly had the songs running through my head which did not really assist with reading. Once I got into the flow of the plot, I enjoyed this novel about teenage angst and surviving. The more I read of the novel, the more I liked the use of lyrics in the text so this is definitely a book to stick with!

Of course, this book sticks close to the musical so if you know the story for that then you will know this, I did enjoy reading a book about the plot as it means that some scenes are fleshed out more in book format. I particularly enjoyed the epilogue and would say this is worth reading just for that! The characters are well developed as well, again it helps having characters to start with and as a reader I knew who I was going to be following but I relished following them in book format and understanding them more.

This book is perfect for any fans of the musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. I still do not think that this necessarily needed to be written but I did thoroughly enjoy the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for an advance copy.

I have heard great reviews of this show, so wanted to read the book. I loved this story, I now realise why the title is Dear Evan Hansen as Evan is writing to himself. This really is the most fantastic atory of how social outcast Evan becomes popular following the death of his ‘best friend’. Can’t wait to see the show now.

My thanks to Random House (Poppy) and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read DEAR EVAN HANSEN.
This is without doubt one of the most endearing and well-written coming of age books I've read. From the first page I was tearful because I recognised the feelings Evan relates in this insightful and amazing story. As a woman with autism I related perhaps more than many to the lows and highs Evan goes through, the taking of decisions because they seem so right at the time (usually to please someone else), only to discover it was totally the wrong one.
Evan doesn't fit in. Anywhere. He has no friends, and although he says he doesn't want any because it puts more pressure onto the already heavy load he carries on his shoulders, he envies the huddles of kids at school, the occasional scream of laughter, the plans to meet up at the weekend. Evan doesn't do any of this. He spends his time alone in his room. Just be yourself, his mother tells him. Yeah right. Look where being me got me!
But suddenly Evan's world changes. A passing almost forgettable conversation with Connor is suddenly seen as something very different when Conner takes his own life and is found with a letter he took from Evan, a letter he wrote to himself on the instruction of his therapist. The Letter, is the beginning of something Evan tries to catch the tail of but is constantly out of reach, and gradually he finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into the lie that has been created.
I understood Evan, He's a beautiful soul, muddled perhaps, but not malicious. He tries to help and it goes wrong. It often happens. Read this and get your kids to read it. There are so many out there who are misunderstood and suffering in silence, and just need someone to reach out to them. A wonderful, wonderful book.

"I turn my attention to the sky. A clear night. Stars visible. Where are they, exactly, those stars? They're gone, but still here. Extinguished, but burning bright. A contradiction. How can that be? Maybe I'm like those stars now. I have a place in the universe, just not here anymore. How does it end up this way? I try to follow how it happens, all of it. Still, I can't begin to understand."

Dear Evan Hansen is one of my all-time favorite musicals. If you're like me, and know the lyrics to all the songs by heart — then I think this one is a must-read. Just like the musical, this book was emotionally very heavy: I felt very angry, I cried, I cringed, I laughed … If you're planning on reading this one, you're in for a rollercoaster of emotions, that's for sure !

Knowing the musical almost by heart, I was afraid the book would feel redundant and read almost like a retranscription. Thankfully, the reading experience was very enjoyable to me: Not only are we presented with new scenes and situations, we also get to read the characters' thoughts and feelings regarding specific scenes from the musical. It made me feel so much more connected to them — in that way only books can. I loved re-discovering the story through the characters' perspectives. We are also introduced to a new parallel plot-line which I really loved.

Mental health is a very difficult subject to talk about, and everyone has different experiences. I couldn't really relate to his feelings, but reading about Evan's struggles and vulnerabilities was very enlightening to me. Although I hated his actions and decisions, I loved his evolution as a character. The one thing I disliked was the relationship between Evan and his psychiatrist: it felt quite reductive and I wish it had been treated differently.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Dear Evan Hansen. If you're looking for a moving coming-of-age tale with a modern twist, then I highly recommend you pick this one up !

Oh, Evan Hansen, what a hole you have dug for yourself. This is one of those books where you read whilst cringing at the mess the protagonist is getting himself into, but unlike others, rather than digging himself, out he lays himself bare. A lovely book for all you loners out there

After Conor Murphy dies by suicide, Evan Hansen finds himself from invisible to visible as a letter from his therapy sessions gets mistaken as Conor's suicide note. Now, he's stuck with a lie he never meant to tell. Dear Evan Hansen expands upon the musical of the same name. Told from the perspectives of Evan Hansen and Connor Murphy.

I've glad I decided to listen to the musical after I had read this. I've come to love the musical so much that I feel like it would've shrouded my review of the novelisation of the musical. Which definitely has its flaws.

The characters are absolutely phenomenal, and we get a more in-depth look to all the beloved characters from the musical. Especially Conor Murphy. You get a much better in-depth look into his mind which I really appreciated and loved the most about the book. You don't get much from Connor that isn't from his perspective in the musical and the novel did well on his side. Everyone transcends beyond the time limitations of the musical.  Dear Evan Hansen is a thoughtful coming-of-age tale that depicts mental health issues and how social media impacts connections on a global scale.

Like I said before, I'm glad I read this before listening because the beauty of the songs would've shrouded my review of the book. There was a bit of frustration at how Evan allows the lies to spread for him to gain a sense of belonging, but it's understanding of communication and finding meaningful relationships is utterly amazing. But its moral ambiguity of the entire situation was somewhat unsettling. While Evan's lies did aid them in their grief, it was still disturbing. And how everyone forgives him for it was somewhat disappointing. Maybe, it was easier for plot sake, but I would've liked it to be emphasised on him facing some sort of consequences for his actions, rather than brushing it off. I'll link to this review which describes some issues of the musical. I don't think I could put it words better than they had.

Overall, Dear Evan Hansen has its flaws which I definitely acknowledge. The importance of its central message to everyone that they are never alone. And I really needed that. Take a listen to the musical, even if you're a not a fan of the format, it really is so powerful.

Dear Evan Hansen a five-star read that will make you think. I think this was a compelling read as it deals with something that affects a lot of us at different points in our lives, isolation. It is darkly depressing and its not all fun and giggles, but as someone who deals with social isolation on a daily basis in my professional capacity it was eye opening at the lengths some will go to, usually I see the opposite, but it made me open my eyes so much wider. I hadn’t even known about the musical or soundtrack but after reading this I will certainly be looking out for them.

If I didn’t already know it, this book would really confirm the adolescent mental health crisis going on at the moment. Evan Hansen is both remarkably confused and clear sighted at the same time. He makes a split second decision to keep quiet about a misunderstanding, then suddenly he’s entwined in a web of lies. Like most teenagers he decides to keep the lie going rather than face the consequences of coming clean.

If you’re looking for an insight into the teenage psyche then look no further.