Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Released: October 18, 2007
Publisher: Razorbill
Page Amount: 288, US Paperback
POV: 1st Person (Clay)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-20/20
Characters-18/20
Creativity-20/20
Writing-17/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-10/10
=94/100  A
★★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
This is a very emotional book that really makes you think. I read a sample of this book on my kindle was absolutely intrigued. I wondered, alongside Clay, why he was on the list. I would not recommend this book for anyone younger than 14 because of the tough issue that it is primarily about. This book had a very past pace and was so interesting I could not put this book down. The only problem I had with the writing was that it was hard to distinguish Hannah's voice from Clay's. The writing would be in italics for Hannah's voice and after about very sentence, the point of view would switch abruptly to Clay. I enjoyed his comments, but I wish it would be easier to tell when each character was speaking.  


I really enjoyed Clay. He was realistic and wondered why he would be on the tapes. I felt for him throughout the book, I could not imagine listening to a dead girl's voice explaining why she did what she did. It's really heartbreaking. Asher did a terrific job of making Hannah's experiences relatable and realistic. I can understand why Hannah committed suicide, but I still think she should've reached out a little bit more. Her experiences were unique but not so outlandish that I could not believe that they could occur. I applaud Asher for making so many characters stories come to life. It must have been hard to come up with 13 reasons why, but he did a stellar job and turned them into mini stories. 


The ending was just... breathtaking. Hannah's story was so interesting that I wanted to explore her life more. I really enjoyed this entire book. It really made me remember certain times in my life that made me feel low, but I also remembered how I overcame the feelings. I just wish Hannah (although fictional) could have overcome hers.

My Favorite Part: The whole concept with the cassette tapes and 13 reasons. This book was simply breathtaking.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes it makes you think and teaches you that every move you make affects others around you.

Thanks for reading! 
It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥