Dear Evan Hansen: THE NOVEL Kindle Edition

DEH fanboys and girls, those who have or haven't yet seen the show, and those who don't care about musicals at all -- this book will satisfy them all. NO SPOILERS in this review, just a rundown of what I loved and didn't love.I'm a person who can't tolerate sloppy or clichéd prose, and YA literature is rife with it. This book is a happy exception. It's very well written and briskly plotted, with well-drawn characters I could easily picture in my own mind. The high-quality writing is the best part of the book, and in my opinion the most important part of any fiction book.Evan Hansen, the protagonist, is a bundle of neuroses, self-doubt, and self-loathing. For me, that got tiring after a bit, but I'm no longer a teenager. It might be that if I were 16 or 17 I'd feel a lot more empathy. Even so, Evan is likable enough to sympathize with, despite his many incredibly obvious blunders and history of awful decision-making. The ancillary characters are all vivid and well fleshed out, mostly representing high school "types" we all know well. I did feel that, in terms of character development, the adults are more sketched-out than thoroughly explored. I think this is true to the teenage mind, though, which conceives of adults as somewhat mysterious and capricious, and EH is a teen speaking in the first person, so it's appropriate.I haven't seen the show or heard the cast album, but after reading the book, I looked up the plot of the show. It appears that there is an important character added in this book that helps flesh out Connor's story. And Connor's story is left somewhat ambiguous; we're teased with a was-he-or-wasn't-he question that's never answered. That left me a little frustrated, because it felt a bit like the writer backed off a potentially controversial character trait by leaving it open. But that's a minor flaw. Overall, I was very surprised at how much I, a grown adult with no particular interest in YA fiction, enjoyed the writing, the characters, and the experience of reading the book.FOR PARENTS -- no spoilers of plot, but a couple notes on content, so don't read on if you don't want to know any more.There is a suicide in the book. It's not described and there's nothing graphic, but the aftermath reverberates throughout the story. So this may not be a great book for younger kids struggling with self-harm and depression. There is also a relentless emphasis on Evan's mental health struggles. If your child suffers from panic, social anxiety, or depression, I'd suggest you read the book yourself and decide whether your kid will feel empathy and relief at reading about others fighting the same battles, or whether the content might trigger more morbid feelings.

I don't know what I can say about this - I am in absolute love with the novel. I have not seen the play, and only listened to the soundtrack after reading the book (I didn't want any spoilers). For those saying that they could not get hooked and had to actually close the book - I'm really not sure if you're reading it properly. The book goes into such great depths to personalize each of the characters that you feel like you're transported into the book and you're a classmate with Evan, or at times, actually him. Feeling what he's feeling, going with the emotions (the good, the bad, and the ugly).The book takes you on a journey that revolves around a lie (yes, a big one), and continues to build up until it reaches its breaking point. I had been waiting for what I dubbed "the drop" from when the lie was first spewed. And I kept reading with interest with where the story was going to go next...was it going to be found? Towards the end of the novel, that's where I let loose of all my emotions while reading...I released all of my emotions the same time Evan did. I wiped away tears from my eyes as I tried to read the last few chapters and as it all came to an end.What I will say is to make sure you read the "Epilogue" as well. There are a lot of loose ends that are tied that there helps put each of the character's - Evan, Jared, Zoe, the Murphys, etc. - stories to a complete close.If I could rate this more than five stars, I would. I would, without a shadow of a doubt, definitely recommend this to anyone that has been struggling or has struggled with mental health, feeling connected with anyone, or that just wants to read an amazing story for the fall (or any time of year).Don't trust in the negative reviews.

My daughter, in the 7th grade, recommended this book to me. It is such a beautiful book, and it lead to some great talks with my daughter. I feel that any adolescent would enjoy and benefit from this book (and any parent for that matter.) The author makes you genuinely care about the characters. When you know you're going to miss the characters when you reach the end of the book, the author has done an incredible job.

I'm so glad I got this book. I hesitated, as I love the show and got to see it in NYC, but it's a wonderful addition to the musical. It also stands on its own as a good story. There's a lot more backstory about Connor especially that adds to the experience and explains his motives.I know the play was based on a real story (with changes). I really enjoyed here how the lyrics for songs were brought in seamlessly (though I think I was singing them in my head).It's a really inspirational story. Since seeing the play, I've wished that it was more available, and this is a great way to spread it. Though I'm going to see the national tour when it comes to Boston.Have you ever felt like nobody was there?Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?Have you ever felt like you could disappear?Like you could fall, and no one would hear?Well, let that lonely feeling wash awayMaybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to standYou can reach, reach out your handAnd oh, someone will coming runningAnd I know, they'll take you homeEven when the dark comes crashing throughWhen you need a friend to carry youAnd when you're broken on the groundYou will be foundSo let the sun come streaming in'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise againLift your head and look aroundYou will be found

Dear Evan Hansen is an Amazing Book with a relevant and emotional story. buy it

Dear Evan Hansen is a book that's going to be viral and everywhere very soon. Since I am reading it currently, I understand why that is. It's based on a real story and is very realistic in it's writing when all we are consumed by is the social media culture. Justin Paul, the Oscar winning lyricist of La La Land is one of the authors and since it was originally written as a play, it won 6 Tony awards this year! It's about this guy who feels like he does not belong, feels left out and lonesome until something terrible happens at school. Topics like suicide, loneliness and depression are centre themes of the book and you will relate to the characters. You need to check out the songs from this musical and oh, did I tell you that you could listen to the songs while reading the part in the book where there are songs? Like I said, I am still reading it and discovering all that lies inside this plain white treasure of a book.

This is an amazing book and it has an amazing meaning behind it, the book came in the time expected and the pages were perfect and all together. Thank you very much!

El diseño está increíble, me gusto muchísimo el libro, el guardapolvos venía un poco sucio pero me encanto la portada que está debajo, ademas de eso llego rápido y la letra es grande y perfectamente legible, hermoso libro!

El libro llegó muy sucio, la portada es blanca y se veía que la persona que lo empaqueto tenía las manos sucias pero en general llegó bien