"13 Reasons Why" // Book Review

SUICIDE IS NOT ROMANTIC.
SUICIDE IS NOT ROMANTIC.
SUICIDE IS NOT ROMANTIC.
Period.

Just a small disclaimer before I actually start my book review. And it's one of the reasons that I'm actually logging onto the Internet to voice my opinion about this controversial book. I think that glamorizing suicide is disgusting. End of discussion.

I literally just finished this book about 20 minutes ago so everything that I'm writing I'm pretty much feeling fresh.

1. I didn't like this book. It was a page turner, I will say that. But it was a boring page turner. I found myself flipping through it just wanting it to end and to see what was going to happen. And to figure out how all the characters fit into the story.
2. After pretty much eating the book, I finished it two days later only to find out that the hero is kinda a wimpy hero and the heroine is not as empathetic as I thought she could have been. Massive let down? I guess. But then again what would that say about me if I actually liked a book about a teen suicide?
3. I don't like his writing style. I found it to be confusing at times when I would get characters mixed up...like the end: "Skye? Who the heck is Skye?!" *flipping pages backwards totally ruining the ending of the book*
4. Personally I hate books that take place on the exact same day. It makes the book a little tedious.
5. His supporting characters seemed bland, and truthfully they all ran together a little bit, making them impressionable.

I was impressed at the very end by the author's ability to crawl into a suicidal teen's head space. He scarily captured how one thinks and processes things as a depressed person. A little too well, I found the lack of disclaimer about trigger warnings a little disturbing.

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Definitely not any friend who is younger than 18 and not to anyone who feels that the strong sexual scenes and graphic depression might offend their personal belief. As someone who has been through depression as a teen and gotten through it I didn't find myself triggered by this novel, so much as comparing my experience with Hannah's.

I know a lot of people think that this book and the attention that is has received through it's popular Netflix series has glamorized suicide. But then again where have you been? Hollywood has been casually suggesting that suicide is "brave" for awhile now through subtle themes, and messages. Having lost a family member to suicide it is not all that is it portrayed on our TV screens. It is horrific. It is NOT the answer.

After having read the book I don't think the book itself glamorized suicide. But being only 1 episode into the Netflix series, I think I am beginning to understand where that idea comes from. Also they make the Hannah in the series a little more relatable than her literary counterpart.