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Book Review of Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why
beauregarde avatar reviewed on
Helpful Score: 1


I don't know, this book really left something to be desired for me. It was good for a quick read, but as far as deep and important content, it just seemed contrived. I felt that not only the main character, Hannah, but also the author were being emotionally manipulative when that really wasn't necessary to tell the story. I feel like I can understand Hannah's motivation better than some, having been in a similar state of mind when I was that age. But the author was overly sympathetic with Hannah (and Clay) and did not give either of them a chance to become truly human. He should have left it up to the reader to decide whether or not Hannah was "justified" in doing what she did. I also found the writing style was often somewhat amateurish, even for YAF, and implausible that a depressed teenager could have such stunningly clear and accurate insight into herself and her peers. I did like the book, but I finished it feeling a little disappointed.