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Dear Evan Hansen
From the show's creators comes the groundbreaking novel inspired by the hit Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen.
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why...
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--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy'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 swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, 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. And a website. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.
A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why...
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--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy'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 swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, 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. And a website. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.
A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 2018
4184 people are currently reading
51752 people want to read
About the author
Val Emmich
7 books505 followersDubbed a "Renaissance Man" by the New York Post, Val Emmich is a writer, a singer-songwriter, and an actor. His first novel, The Reminders, was a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers selection and his follow-up, Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, based on the hit Broadway show, was a New York Times bestseller. He's had recurring roles on Vinyl and Ugly Betty, as well as a memorable guest role as Tina Fey's coffee-boy fling, Jamie, on 30 Rock. Emmich lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,339 reviews
February 2, 2019
I honestly wasn’t the biggest fan of this novel. I started out absolutely loving it, but it was very lacking in the end. I’ve never seen or listened to the soundtrack of Dear Evan Hansen but still managed to find enjoyment in the story. I just wish it had made a larger impact for me.
TW: anxiety, depression, suicide, talk of drug use
I did enjoy Evan as a character. I felt his struggle with anxiety was extremely well written – it felt very honest and real. I liked his voice as a narrator and enjoyed getting to know him as a character. Unfortunately, I felt many of the other characters were underdeveloped. There were remnants of personalities there and traits to enjoy for each character, but they were nowhere near as well rounded as Evan. I actually really enjoyed the secondary characters like Zoe and Jared, but they just didn’t receive enough attention.
I was surprised to find that this novel takes place from two people’s perspectives. This was a point of intrigue for me as I was not expecting it and felt it contributed much to the novel! I just wish the two point’s of views were more balance. I understand this is Evan’s story and it’s necessary for the majority of the book to take place through his eyes, but it’s a pet peeve of mine when one character’s perspective greatly outweighs the other. I feel I would have enjoyed a few less chapters from Evan and a few more from the other narrator to make it more even between the two.
My main gripe is mostly with the overall plot of the novel. While I’m always happy to see more novels that focus on mental health awareness and I was pleased with the representation of anxiety, I can’t help but feel unsettled by the way suicide is presented in this novel. Dear Evan Hansen follows a boy who write letters to himself as a therapy assignment but one of his letters is stolen and later found in the pocket of a boy who has recently died of suicide. The family believes their late son wrote the letter to Evan and assumes they were best friends, so Evan begins to fabricate a deep and meaningful relationship to placate the family. I can’t help but dislike the way Evan takes every ounce of autonomy away from Connor after his death, not only speaking for him to his family, but essentially to the world. It almost kind of made me disgusted at a certain point that essentially a stranger to Connor was controlling the narrative of his life when Connor can’t speak for himself. I’m so encouraging of books about mental health and telling stories of those who survive victims of suicide, but I can’t stand it when the person’s death becomes a path to self-discovery. In truth, I probably could have forgiven a lot of that if the ending appropriately addressed the mistakes Evan made and the damage he caused, but the resolution was not strong enough for me. It’s not as if I think Evan deserves to have his life ruined, but there were just not enough consequences to justify the story in my opinion.
Overall, I somewhat enjoyed Dear Evan Hansen, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as I expected. I’ve heard there are significant changes to the source material in the novelization, so I would not judge the play based on the book. I’m still interested in the musical, but I definitely would not re read the book.
This book was sent to me or free by Little Brown. I had no obligation to review this book and all opinions are my own.
TW: anxiety, depression, suicide, talk of drug use
I did enjoy Evan as a character. I felt his struggle with anxiety was extremely well written – it felt very honest and real. I liked his voice as a narrator and enjoyed getting to know him as a character. Unfortunately, I felt many of the other characters were underdeveloped. There were remnants of personalities there and traits to enjoy for each character, but they were nowhere near as well rounded as Evan. I actually really enjoyed the secondary characters like Zoe and Jared, but they just didn’t receive enough attention.
I was surprised to find that this novel takes place from two people’s perspectives. This was a point of intrigue for me as I was not expecting it and felt it contributed much to the novel! I just wish the two point’s of views were more balance. I understand this is Evan’s story and it’s necessary for the majority of the book to take place through his eyes, but it’s a pet peeve of mine when one character’s perspective greatly outweighs the other. I feel I would have enjoyed a few less chapters from Evan and a few more from the other narrator to make it more even between the two.
My main gripe is mostly with the overall plot of the novel. While I’m always happy to see more novels that focus on mental health awareness and I was pleased with the representation of anxiety, I can’t help but feel unsettled by the way suicide is presented in this novel. Dear Evan Hansen follows a boy who write letters to himself as a therapy assignment but one of his letters is stolen and later found in the pocket of a boy who has recently died of suicide. The family believes their late son wrote the letter to Evan and assumes they were best friends, so Evan begins to fabricate a deep and meaningful relationship to placate the family. I can’t help but dislike the way Evan takes every ounce of autonomy away from Connor after his death, not only speaking for him to his family, but essentially to the world. It almost kind of made me disgusted at a certain point that essentially a stranger to Connor was controlling the narrative of his life when Connor can’t speak for himself. I’m so encouraging of books about mental health and telling stories of those who survive victims of suicide, but I can’t stand it when the person’s death becomes a path to self-discovery. In truth, I probably could have forgiven a lot of that if the ending appropriately addressed the mistakes Evan made and the damage he caused, but the resolution was not strong enough for me. It’s not as if I think Evan deserves to have his life ruined, but there were just not enough consequences to justify the story in my opinion.
Overall, I somewhat enjoyed Dear Evan Hansen, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as I expected. I’ve heard there are significant changes to the source material in the novelization, so I would not judge the play based on the book. I’m still interested in the musical, but I definitely would not re read the book.
This book was sent to me or free by Little Brown. I had no obligation to review this book and all opinions are my own.
Want to read
June 15, 2018A YA BOOK ADAPTATION OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE MUSICALS? KINKY!!!!
Read
April 1, 2019DNF @ 20%
Video review - https://youtu.be/w9617uq7Kk0?t=1235
I’m sure the musical is lovely and I definitely want to see it but unfortunately the book just isn’t interesting me.
Video review - https://youtu.be/w9617uq7Kk0?t=1235
I’m sure the musical is lovely and I definitely want to see it but unfortunately the book just isn’t interesting me.
January 23, 2019
"No one deserves to be forgotten, no one deserves to fade away. No one should come and go and have no one know he was ever even here. No one should flicker out or have any doubt that it matters that they are here. No one deserves to disappear."
Well this was every bit as lush as I hoped it would be 💖😭
I've listened to a few of the songs from the theatre soundtrack and have been desperate to watch the show for ages (unfortunately it's not being shown in the UK yet) so when I saw Dear Evan Hansen was being made into a novel - I had to have it!
Evan Hansen is a loner, he has severe anxiety and is basically invisible. When he breaks his arm, his mum sees it as an opportunity for him to talk to people, maybe get some signatures on his cast. In the meantime, he goes to therapy, and writes letters to himself as part of his therapy to create a more positive mind set. One of these letters to himself is picked up by Connor Murphy, who misinterprets its meaning and steals it, after writing his name in giant letters across Evan's cast. Despite having never spoken before.
The next day Connor is found to have committed suicide. No one knew him, so when his parents find Evan's letter in Connor's pocket addressed 'Dear Evan Hansen' they believe Connor wrote it to Evan and that they were friends.
Pretty soon Evan is in way over his head. Connor's whole family believe he and Connor were best friends, Evan starts dating Connor's sister Zoe and he creates fake email conversations between him and Connor with the help of his 'friend' Jared'.
When they didn't know where to aim their rage. Or how to endure their isolation. Or reverse their mistakes. Or not give up"
At times quite difficult to read, as we know the truth, and it's only a matter of time before it all comes out.I loved Evan's flawed but lovable character, and despite the lie, a lot of good comes from it when he creates 'the Connor Project'. A website designed to raise money and help those struggling with mental health. We find out about Evan's background and how he actually broke his arm, and the entire novel is just wonderful. No one is perfect. But no one should be alone.
"If the pain is in you, it's in you. It follows you everywhere. Can't outrun it. Can't erase it. Can't push it away; it only comes back."
Well this was every bit as lush as I hoped it would be 💖😭
I've listened to a few of the songs from the theatre soundtrack and have been desperate to watch the show for ages (unfortunately it's not being shown in the UK yet) so when I saw Dear Evan Hansen was being made into a novel - I had to have it!
Evan Hansen is a loner, he has severe anxiety and is basically invisible. When he breaks his arm, his mum sees it as an opportunity for him to talk to people, maybe get some signatures on his cast. In the meantime, he goes to therapy, and writes letters to himself as part of his therapy to create a more positive mind set. One of these letters to himself is picked up by Connor Murphy, who misinterprets its meaning and steals it, after writing his name in giant letters across Evan's cast. Despite having never spoken before.
The next day Connor is found to have committed suicide. No one knew him, so when his parents find Evan's letter in Connor's pocket addressed 'Dear Evan Hansen' they believe Connor wrote it to Evan and that they were friends.
Pretty soon Evan is in way over his head. Connor's whole family believe he and Connor were best friends, Evan starts dating Connor's sister Zoe and he creates fake email conversations between him and Connor with the help of his 'friend' Jared'.
When they didn't know where to aim their rage. Or how to endure their isolation. Or reverse their mistakes. Or not give up"
At times quite difficult to read, as we know the truth, and it's only a matter of time before it all comes out.I loved Evan's flawed but lovable character, and despite the lie, a lot of good comes from it when he creates 'the Connor Project'. A website designed to raise money and help those struggling with mental health. We find out about Evan's background and how he actually broke his arm, and the entire novel is just wonderful. No one is perfect. But no one should be alone.
"If the pain is in you, it's in you. It follows you everywhere. Can't outrun it. Can't erase it. Can't push it away; it only comes back."
September 6, 2018
i'm gonna be real with you: this really was not for me
i think books like these all depend on what kinds of characters and people you relate to. i have suffered with anxiety before, so i thought that i would "get" evan... but i so did not.
i'm not sure what i expected from this book but i really didn't expect a severely lonely, awkward, anxious kid with no hobbies essentially lying to a grieving family. i mean i should have known from the synopsis but i figured there would be some levity at the very least. but no. it was just depressing all the way through.
and not even in a way that made me sympathize. if we're talking lonely characters give me a france janvier or aled from radio silence. kids with interests that their school friends don't have. where their mental illness is not their entire personality.
give me a plot that doesn't hinge on a suicide for self discovery. or a manic pixie dream girl for finally "putting themselves out there" (both of which this book had). all in all it was just so disappointing because i think the overall message was pretty nice.
but i'm sick of bland, straight, white male wallflowers
i think books like these all depend on what kinds of characters and people you relate to. i have suffered with anxiety before, so i thought that i would "get" evan... but i so did not.
i'm not sure what i expected from this book but i really didn't expect a severely lonely, awkward, anxious kid with no hobbies essentially lying to a grieving family. i mean i should have known from the synopsis but i figured there would be some levity at the very least. but no. it was just depressing all the way through.
and not even in a way that made me sympathize. if we're talking lonely characters give me a france janvier or aled from radio silence. kids with interests that their school friends don't have. where their mental illness is not their entire personality.
give me a plot that doesn't hinge on a suicide for self discovery. or a manic pixie dream girl for finally "putting themselves out there" (both of which this book had). all in all it was just so disappointing because i think the overall message was pretty nice.
but i'm sick of bland, straight, white male wallflowers
December 15, 2020
”Of course it sounded good. Fantasies always sound good, but they’re no help when reality comes and shoves you to the ground. When it trips your tongue and traps the right words in your head. When it leaves you to eat lunch by yourself.”
The more I think about this book (and musical) the more I feel conflicted about it. Is it an important book? Yes, when it comes to the representation of people with anxiety and yes when it comes to grieving. Those two reps were done really well in “Dear Evan Hansen” and I think a lot of people will find themselves in them. Well, themselves or a close friend, family member, etc. Moreover I think that the relationship between parents and their children was portrayed pretty well too.
”I know. I’m such a burden. I’m the worst thing that ever happened to you. I ruined your life.”
“Look at me,” she says, grabbing my face hard. “You are the only... the one good thing that has ever happened to me, Evan.”
For instance Evan’s mum. She’s trying so hard to take care of him, to give him a good life but it’s not always enough and she’s aware of it. Especially when Evan shuts her out and feels ashamed of how they live. At those moments my heart bled for her because, gosh this woman was trying so hard! She worked her ass off to provide for Evan and she really did her best to be there for him as well. It’s a thin line to walk but she managed to do it somehow. Connor’s and Zoe’s mum was a completely different kind of brand though and where Connor obviously felt left alone, Zoe seemed to be able to deal with it. Mrs. Murphy’s disappointment was too much for her son to handle it and I could relate to Conner in this regard. It’s tough to be the odd one out and to compete with a sibling that is seemingly perfect. >_<
”I laugh plenty. I mean, I laughed plenty. I laughed at how absurdly fucked everything is. I laughed because there’s not much else you can do. You can laugh or you can cry. I’d do plenty of both.”
I wish, Connor would have been able to open up to at least one person and that things wouldn’t have ended the way they did. The most particular thing about this book is that Evan and Connor are actually pretty alike. Both of them felt left out and not good enough, both of them struggled with the pressure and the expectations of their environment and both of them went through life almost unseen. For different reasons but the outcome was the same. So in some way, Evan and Connor actually could have been best friends! Which is the irony of the story if you ask me.
”If the pain is in you, it’s in you. It follows you everywhere. Can’t outrun it. Can’t erase it. Can’t push it away; it only comes back.”
Still, no matter how close they could have been, they weren’t and this is exactly the point of the story that makes me feel so conflicted about it. I wasn’t okay with anything Evan did after Connor’s funeral. He sort of got famous because of his funeral speech and he used Connor’s death to become a part of society. Yes, his initial motive was to try to help Connor’s parents with their grief, but no matter how noble his motivation he began to dig his own grave the moment he started to lie to them and made up e-mail conversations between Connor and himself. From the moment he had dinner with the Murphy’s to read this book felt like watching a car crash. I couldn’t look away but I also couldn’t bear to read “Dear Evan Hansen”. I always waited for the other shoe to drop and I dreaded the moment they’d find out the truth.
”There’s relief, real relief, small but tangible, in the room. What I’m doing, what I’m saying, is working, it’s helping, and that’s all I want, to help.”
Evan was so eager to please them that he totally got lost in the lie. If I would have been Connor I would have been mad at him! Mad for telling all those lies, mad for making up stories that never happened and painting a picture of me that was never real... In the end the truth always comes out though. So even though I didn’t like the ending, I still thought that it was realistic. And there actually came out a few good things from Evan’s lie. I mean the Connor Project and the orchard were good things, no matter how they came into being. XD A place to feel less alone and awareness for people’s struggle with their anxiety and depression, those are good things.
This said “Dear Evan Hansen” was a good book, rather unconventional, at times anxiety-inducing and most definitely not always ethical. But human nature is complex and I think this book captured this pretty well. I’d even go as far as to say that Evan did the right things for all the wrong reasons. >_< So all told that makes him a really morally grey character, at least in my book. And I agree with him:
”That’s the gift that he gave me... to show me that I wasn’t alone. To show me that I matter.”
I do. Don’t I? And not just me.
“That everybody does. That’s the gift that he gave all of us. I just wish...”
It’s the worst part. How unfair it is.
“I wish we could have given that to him.”
I really wish we could have given that to Connor Murphy as well. It might be too late for Connor but it’s not too late to show others that we care about them and that they matter! <3
P.S: I really hope that I’ll be able to see the musical one day! I already love the soundtrack. =)
______________________________
This was interesting and made me pretty nervous, because I constantly worried about the moment when the shit would hit the fan. >_<
I can’t help but wonder if the musical is the same?!
If yes it’s a rather unconventional musical in comparison to all the others I know. XD
Also I’m pretty addicted to the “Dear Evan Hansen” soundtrack now. *lol* It's really good!
Full RTC soon! I have to think about it first! ;-)
_________________________________
So here is what I know about “Dear Evan Hansen”:
- There exists a musical named “Dear Evan Hansen”
- Apparently this has an LGBTQ+ element? (Is there really one?)
- There are so many references to this musical in YA contemporary literature that it’s not even normal anymore. *lol*
Erm yeah, that’s it! I got curious about this one because everyone raves about the musical, including YA book characters. XD So here I go!
Let’s find out what the fuss is all about!
P.S: I’ll listen to the soundtrack while I read this! XD
P.P.S: I'm probably the only person who never saw this musical. *lol*
The more I think about this book (and musical) the more I feel conflicted about it. Is it an important book? Yes, when it comes to the representation of people with anxiety and yes when it comes to grieving. Those two reps were done really well in “Dear Evan Hansen” and I think a lot of people will find themselves in them. Well, themselves or a close friend, family member, etc. Moreover I think that the relationship between parents and their children was portrayed pretty well too.
”I know. I’m such a burden. I’m the worst thing that ever happened to you. I ruined your life.”
“Look at me,” she says, grabbing my face hard. “You are the only... the one good thing that has ever happened to me, Evan.”
For instance Evan’s mum. She’s trying so hard to take care of him, to give him a good life but it’s not always enough and she’s aware of it. Especially when Evan shuts her out and feels ashamed of how they live. At those moments my heart bled for her because, gosh this woman was trying so hard! She worked her ass off to provide for Evan and she really did her best to be there for him as well. It’s a thin line to walk but she managed to do it somehow. Connor’s and Zoe’s mum was a completely different kind of brand though and where Connor obviously felt left alone, Zoe seemed to be able to deal with it. Mrs. Murphy’s disappointment was too much for her son to handle it and I could relate to Conner in this regard. It’s tough to be the odd one out and to compete with a sibling that is seemingly perfect. >_<
”I laugh plenty. I mean, I laughed plenty. I laughed at how absurdly fucked everything is. I laughed because there’s not much else you can do. You can laugh or you can cry. I’d do plenty of both.”
I wish, Connor would have been able to open up to at least one person and that things wouldn’t have ended the way they did. The most particular thing about this book is that Evan and Connor are actually pretty alike. Both of them felt left out and not good enough, both of them struggled with the pressure and the expectations of their environment and both of them went through life almost unseen. For different reasons but the outcome was the same. So in some way, Evan and Connor actually could have been best friends! Which is the irony of the story if you ask me.
”If the pain is in you, it’s in you. It follows you everywhere. Can’t outrun it. Can’t erase it. Can’t push it away; it only comes back.”
Still, no matter how close they could have been, they weren’t and this is exactly the point of the story that makes me feel so conflicted about it. I wasn’t okay with anything Evan did after Connor’s funeral. He sort of got famous because of his funeral speech and he used Connor’s death to become a part of society. Yes, his initial motive was to try to help Connor’s parents with their grief, but no matter how noble his motivation he began to dig his own grave the moment he started to lie to them and made up e-mail conversations between Connor and himself. From the moment he had dinner with the Murphy’s to read this book felt like watching a car crash. I couldn’t look away but I also couldn’t bear to read “Dear Evan Hansen”. I always waited for the other shoe to drop and I dreaded the moment they’d find out the truth.
”There’s relief, real relief, small but tangible, in the room. What I’m doing, what I’m saying, is working, it’s helping, and that’s all I want, to help.”
Evan was so eager to please them that he totally got lost in the lie. If I would have been Connor I would have been mad at him! Mad for telling all those lies, mad for making up stories that never happened and painting a picture of me that was never real... In the end the truth always comes out though. So even though I didn’t like the ending, I still thought that it was realistic. And there actually came out a few good things from Evan’s lie. I mean the Connor Project and the orchard were good things, no matter how they came into being. XD A place to feel less alone and awareness for people’s struggle with their anxiety and depression, those are good things.
This said “Dear Evan Hansen” was a good book, rather unconventional, at times anxiety-inducing and most definitely not always ethical. But human nature is complex and I think this book captured this pretty well. I’d even go as far as to say that Evan did the right things for all the wrong reasons. >_< So all told that makes him a really morally grey character, at least in my book. And I agree with him:
”That’s the gift that he gave me... to show me that I wasn’t alone. To show me that I matter.”
I do. Don’t I? And not just me.
“That everybody does. That’s the gift that he gave all of us. I just wish...”
It’s the worst part. How unfair it is.
“I wish we could have given that to him.”
I really wish we could have given that to Connor Murphy as well. It might be too late for Connor but it’s not too late to show others that we care about them and that they matter! <3
P.S: I really hope that I’ll be able to see the musical one day! I already love the soundtrack. =)
______________________________
This was interesting and made me pretty nervous, because I constantly worried about the moment when the shit would hit the fan. >_<
I can’t help but wonder if the musical is the same?!
If yes it’s a rather unconventional musical in comparison to all the others I know. XD
Also I’m pretty addicted to the “Dear Evan Hansen” soundtrack now. *lol* It's really good!
Full RTC soon! I have to think about it first! ;-)
_________________________________
So here is what I know about “Dear Evan Hansen”:
- There exists a musical named “Dear Evan Hansen”
- Apparently this has an LGBTQ+ element? (Is there really one?)
- There are so many references to this musical in YA contemporary literature that it’s not even normal anymore. *lol*
Erm yeah, that’s it! I got curious about this one because everyone raves about the musical, including YA book characters. XD So here I go!
Let’s find out what the fuss is all about!
P.S: I’ll listen to the soundtrack while I read this! XD
P.P.S: I'm probably the only person who never saw this musical. *lol*
December 1, 2020
Are you a fan of head shaking, cringing, and yelling at characters in books? Well, then let me introduce you to Evan Hansen.
He is the personification of:
- Open mouth, insert foot
- Out of the frying pan and into the fire
- Being your own worst enemy
I cannot say that Evan Hansen is a tragic “hero”, but he is tragic and can’t stop digging himself into the biggest hole ever. He is not a bad guy; he just makes very bad decisions (or no decision at all when he really should be). It is so painful that you just cannot look away. That makes for a great book!
The characters and the story are interesting. The writing is great. I enjoyed the audiobook presentation. I understand that this is a stage play as well, so I hope to see it someday. It was an all-around good reading experience.
But, Evan . . . C’mon man!
(Spoilerish trigger warning: so only click if you really need to know ).
He is the personification of:
- Open mouth, insert foot
- Out of the frying pan and into the fire
- Being your own worst enemy
I cannot say that Evan Hansen is a tragic “hero”, but he is tragic and can’t stop digging himself into the biggest hole ever. He is not a bad guy; he just makes very bad decisions (or no decision at all when he really should be). It is so painful that you just cannot look away. That makes for a great book!
The characters and the story are interesting. The writing is great. I enjoyed the audiobook presentation. I understand that this is a stage play as well, so I hope to see it someday. It was an all-around good reading experience.
But, Evan . . . C’mon man!
(Spoilerish trigger warning: so only click if you really need to know ).
December 9, 2018
4.5 stars!!
I am obsessed with the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, I mean OBSESSED. It’s been on constant repeat on my Spotify for months and I have tickets to see it on Broadway in May (YAY), so when I saw there was a book, I jumped in to read it. It was really fun to listen to the sound track as the book was playing, I just knew when each song would fit after being so familiar with the songs.
Evan Hansen is a teenager who doesn’t quite fit in. So is Connor Murphy. When Connor is found with Evan’s letter, the one that he wrote to himself, it’s easy to fall to the assumption that Evan and Connor were best friends. This lie is so easy for Evan to keep going. It gives him something he’s never had before. A feeling of belonging. But Evan can’t keep up the lie for forever. Even though he does a lot of good and reaches a lot of people, he can’t stand living a lie. When the truth comes out, it’s hard to know what will happen with Evan.
Evan is someone I think a lot of people can relate to. I love this coming of age story. It’s beautiful, the story itself, especially the lyrics (PLEASE listen to this soundtrack- it’s epic) and I loved it. An important YA story with a message that is moving and an unforgettable read!
I am obsessed with the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, I mean OBSESSED. It’s been on constant repeat on my Spotify for months and I have tickets to see it on Broadway in May (YAY), so when I saw there was a book, I jumped in to read it. It was really fun to listen to the sound track as the book was playing, I just knew when each song would fit after being so familiar with the songs.
“I wish that everything was different. I wish that I was a part of something. I wish that anything I said mattered, to anyone. I mean, let's face it: would anybody even notice if I disappeared tomorrow?”
Evan Hansen is a teenager who doesn’t quite fit in. So is Connor Murphy. When Connor is found with Evan’s letter, the one that he wrote to himself, it’s easy to fall to the assumption that Evan and Connor were best friends. This lie is so easy for Evan to keep going. It gives him something he’s never had before. A feeling of belonging. But Evan can’t keep up the lie for forever. Even though he does a lot of good and reaches a lot of people, he can’t stand living a lie. When the truth comes out, it’s hard to know what will happen with Evan.
Evan is someone I think a lot of people can relate to. I love this coming of age story. It’s beautiful, the story itself, especially the lyrics (PLEASE listen to this soundtrack- it’s epic) and I loved it. An important YA story with a message that is moving and an unforgettable read!
November 20, 2019
NO SPOILERS.....
... for those who are still interested in reading this book....I’ll hold back on juicy details.
I’m late to the game ( this book), but I wasn’t late to feeling it’s impact!
“Dear Evan Hansen”, was inspired by the Tony Award Broadway musical.
Yep... not ‘every’ person around the globe - knows this!
I listened to the Audiobook narrated by the outstanding trio: Ben Levi Ross, Mike Faist, and Mallory Bechtel.
I was impressed by the ingenious, smart, and savvy writing from Val Emmich.
This isn’t the first time I’ve read him. His book “The Reminders” was insightful and inventive, with irresistible characters.
In “Dear Evan Hansen”,
we are taken deeply into the minds of High School kids struggling with mental health disorders -
( loneliness, anxiety, isolation, depression, distorted thinking, deficient relationships, psychological complexities throughout, suicide), and their parents trying to understand.
Everything worked beautifully together: the poignant storytelling, the character development,(distinctive personalities from Evan, Conner, Zoe, Jared, Alana, and Miguel),
the audio-adolescent-voices - ( great speaking talents), the issues explored, (serious but with the right amount of humor for balance).
Lies were fueled by wanting to fit in...to please...and help.
No-nonsense seriousness of social issues were explored
I don’t think we could have enough books that help strengthen emotional growth in adolescence.
This novel is a great pick for High School kids - teachers - therapists - parents - really ‘anyone’.
Too many young people feel alone, unworthy, different, afraid, loss, lonely, hopeless, desperate, and suicidal.
Mental health issues are not going away.
Social networking risks and dangers are not going away ...
Thank goodness for this book that looks closely at honest feelings, and self worth.
...The suspenseful plot moved at a steady pace.
...Emmich’s style of prose is fluid - creative - addictively enjoyable - and important.
Many messages ‘felt’ ....
and friends....
.....well,.....
they are vitally important to mental health!!!
***Thank you *Geo*!
... for those who are still interested in reading this book....I’ll hold back on juicy details.
I’m late to the game ( this book), but I wasn’t late to feeling it’s impact!
“Dear Evan Hansen”, was inspired by the Tony Award Broadway musical.
Yep... not ‘every’ person around the globe - knows this!
I listened to the Audiobook narrated by the outstanding trio: Ben Levi Ross, Mike Faist, and Mallory Bechtel.
I was impressed by the ingenious, smart, and savvy writing from Val Emmich.
This isn’t the first time I’ve read him. His book “The Reminders” was insightful and inventive, with irresistible characters.
In “Dear Evan Hansen”,
we are taken deeply into the minds of High School kids struggling with mental health disorders -
( loneliness, anxiety, isolation, depression, distorted thinking, deficient relationships, psychological complexities throughout, suicide), and their parents trying to understand.
Everything worked beautifully together: the poignant storytelling, the character development,(distinctive personalities from Evan, Conner, Zoe, Jared, Alana, and Miguel),
the audio-adolescent-voices - ( great speaking talents), the issues explored, (serious but with the right amount of humor for balance).
Lies were fueled by wanting to fit in...to please...and help.
No-nonsense seriousness of social issues were explored
I don’t think we could have enough books that help strengthen emotional growth in adolescence.
This novel is a great pick for High School kids - teachers - therapists - parents - really ‘anyone’.
Too many young people feel alone, unworthy, different, afraid, loss, lonely, hopeless, desperate, and suicidal.
Mental health issues are not going away.
Social networking risks and dangers are not going away ...
Thank goodness for this book that looks closely at honest feelings, and self worth.
...The suspenseful plot moved at a steady pace.
...Emmich’s style of prose is fluid - creative - addictively enjoyable - and important.
Many messages ‘felt’ ....
and friends....
.....well,.....
they are vitally important to mental health!!!
***Thank you *Geo*!
May 9, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Boy, this is a tough one. If you’re not familiar, Dear Evan Hansen is actually a story originally presented as . . . . .
And it is good. SO. GOOD. Like give them all the Tony Awards good. And the touring company is coming here soon and I’m sooooooo hoping tickets will be available so me and my fellow songlover kid can attend. But my reaction to the book?????
Here’s the pickle I’m in. This was so much more than a novelization. It was full length and well written to boot. The problem? Evan is kind of an awful unlikeable character for a goodly chunk (like 90% of the thing) until the reader/audience really gets to know what makes him HIM and you can become sympathetic to him making this just a cringey type of read. And the character who IS automatically the one you want to get to know more? Well, unfortunately he’s dead . . . .
So the chapters from his perspective are few and far between.
Obviously other things were missing in the print version as well. Like . . . .
And . . . .
That boy is just farking adorable.
I’m always looking for stuff to listen to during the commute, but since I only spend about 20 minutes in the car each way I’m pretty particular about what I want. Funny, short, or something I’m already familiar with in some way are generally winners. Probably goes without saying the narrator needs to not suck (narrator definitely does not suck here). If you’re a lover of YA you won’t be wasting your time here – same goes for if you’re a crazy completionist superfan (trust me, no judgment). As for me? My family is just happy I’ve changed up the playlist I sing while I’mdusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, doing laundry, taking a shower awake . . . .
They’re a lucky bunch . . . . .
Boy, this is a tough one. If you’re not familiar, Dear Evan Hansen is actually a story originally presented as . . . . .
And it is good. SO. GOOD. Like give them all the Tony Awards good. And the touring company is coming here soon and I’m sooooooo hoping tickets will be available so me and my fellow songlover kid can attend. But my reaction to the book?????
Here’s the pickle I’m in. This was so much more than a novelization. It was full length and well written to boot. The problem? Evan is kind of an awful unlikeable character for a goodly chunk (like 90% of the thing) until the reader/audience really gets to know what makes him HIM and you can become sympathetic to him making this just a cringey type of read. And the character who IS automatically the one you want to get to know more? Well, unfortunately he’s dead . . . .
So the chapters from his perspective are few and far between.
Obviously other things were missing in the print version as well. Like . . . .
And . . . .
That boy is just farking adorable.
I’m always looking for stuff to listen to during the commute, but since I only spend about 20 minutes in the car each way I’m pretty particular about what I want. Funny, short, or something I’m already familiar with in some way are generally winners. Probably goes without saying the narrator needs to not suck (narrator definitely does not suck here). If you’re a lover of YA you won’t be wasting your time here – same goes for if you’re a crazy completionist superfan (trust me, no judgment). As for me? My family is just happy I’ve changed up the playlist I sing while I’m
They’re a lucky bunch . . . . .
July 20, 2020
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I guess that means we’re just products of whoever made us and we don’t have much control. The thing is, when people use that phrase, they ignore the most critical part: the falling. Within the logic of that saying, the apple falls every single time. Not falling isn’t an option. So, if the apple has to fall, the most important question in my mind is what happens to it upon hitting the ground? Does it touch down with barely a scratch? Or does it smash on impact? Two vastly different fates. When you think about it, who cares about its proximity to the tree or what type of tree spawned it? What really makes all the difference, then, is how we land.
June 4, 2021
(CW: Suicide, depression, anxiety, language)
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today was not a great day. Wanna know why? Because I wish you were a better book.
Sincerely,
Me
Alright, to start I should mention that I’ve never seen the Broadway musical of the same name. I know it’s highly popular, and maybe has won some awards? I don’t know. Part of me wanted to see it over the years, but I wasn’t inclined enough to look it up; I didn’t know much about it. That small piece of me has died somewhat after “reading” this book. (But… It can’t be as bad as this, right?)
Dear Evan Hansen, the book is:
1. Cringe-y
2. Problematic
3. Just… boring
The story follows high-schooler Evan Hansen, a pathetic weirdo, as he navigates life after the suicide of his classmate, Connor. The plot revolves around a misunderstanding wherein Connor takes a letter Evan was writing to his therapist, and Connor’s parents believe it was his suicide note to his “best friend,” Evan. The lies stack up, and soon Evan is too deep in, so he must keep up the facade of being Connor’s best and only friend… all the while pining after Connor’s sister, Zoe. The whole thing reeks of “suicide as a plot device” to further Evan’s story… which just should not have been told that way. Connor deserved better than Evan, and we, the readers, deserved better than this book.
Here’s the thing: Evan is a creep. And the fact that he recognizes he’s a creep, doesn’t make him any less creepy. He’s also a bland character. Truly, it made reading excruciating. Evan has no friends, hobbies, interests (other than Zoe, apparently), and barely has any reciprocal relationship with his single mother—who also happens to be a busy, overworked nurse— (a well-trodden cliché). Sure, Evan has anxiety, and reading about it and his social inefficiencies makes me feel a modicum of sympathy, but it’s all so very surface level and commonplace. His awkward shyness is not endearing, it’s off-putting. Maybe if I hadn’t seen this same character trait in quite literally HUNDREDS of other YA contemporaries, I’d be singing a different tune. But I have, and I’m not.
Evan’s “family friend”, Jared, is also a piece of shit. Actually, scratch that—he’s WORSE (please don’t ask me to think up something worse than a piece of shit. Whatever you imagine, go with that). He may quite possibly be one of the worst characters I’ve ever read in literature. I’m not even kidding. I guess we’re supposed to think positively of him, because he’s the comic relief—or, the funny, awkward quip guy—but he’s simply an awful person that made the book feel less personal, and more like what it was: a generic YA story about a heavy subject, that employs clichéd characters and character tropes.
It was the over-excessive lying that really did the book in for me: The lies that buried it six feet under. I kept screaming at the book, willing Evan to “Shut up!” nearly every page. Not to keep him from embarrassing himself, but because it was just wrong on so many levels. A kid took his own life, and all Evan can do is lie lie lie to everyone about their “friendship.” And the cringe-inducing pining for the dead kid’s sister!!! Like, you oblivious creeper! I get Evan is remorseful about how things panned out with the lies, but from THE VERY BEGINNING he could have stopped it. A decent human would have. And even with Evan saying time and again he’s “sick of lying,” he continues to do so for hundreds of pages. I couldn’t take it anymore.
As soon as Evan gotwho what he wanted, he became this selfish, lovesick schmuck. Okay, man: Your manic pixie dream girl came to rescue you from yourself… I think I strained my eye muscles, I rolled them so hard.
Part of me wanted to be optimistic about this; Be less critical. The message (I matter, you matter, we all matter!) is a sweet, affirming one, and I believe the author meant it sincerely, but the cynic in me shut it down. It all felt (dare I say?) almost manipulative.
.
Listen, I write these reviews while I’m reading. So, if they appear manic or unstructured, that’s why. But now, I’ve come to the end of the book. It’s much more depressing than I initially anticipated. Like, by a lot! I still think it’s a terrible book, but it made me emotional. Kudos to the Authors’s note at the end.
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today was not a great day. Wanna know why? Because I wish you were a better book.
Sincerely,
Me
Alright, to start I should mention that I’ve never seen the Broadway musical of the same name. I know it’s highly popular, and maybe has won some awards? I don’t know. Part of me wanted to see it over the years, but I wasn’t inclined enough to look it up; I didn’t know much about it. That small piece of me has died somewhat after “reading” this book. (But… It can’t be as bad as this, right?)
Dear Evan Hansen, the book is:
1. Cringe-y
2. Problematic
3. Just… boring
The story follows high-schooler Evan Hansen, a pathetic weirdo, as he navigates life after the suicide of his classmate, Connor. The plot revolves around a misunderstanding wherein Connor takes a letter Evan was writing to his therapist, and Connor’s parents believe it was his suicide note to his “best friend,” Evan. The lies stack up, and soon Evan is too deep in, so he must keep up the facade of being Connor’s best and only friend… all the while pining after Connor’s sister, Zoe. The whole thing reeks of “suicide as a plot device” to further Evan’s story… which just should not have been told that way. Connor deserved better than Evan, and we, the readers, deserved better than this book.
Here’s the thing: Evan is a creep. And the fact that he recognizes he’s a creep, doesn’t make him any less creepy. He’s also a bland character. Truly, it made reading excruciating. Evan has no friends, hobbies, interests (other than Zoe, apparently), and barely has any reciprocal relationship with his single mother—who also happens to be a busy, overworked nurse— (a well-trodden cliché). Sure, Evan has anxiety, and reading about it and his social inefficiencies makes me feel a modicum of sympathy, but it’s all so very surface level and commonplace. His awkward shyness is not endearing, it’s off-putting. Maybe if I hadn’t seen this same character trait in quite literally HUNDREDS of other YA contemporaries, I’d be singing a different tune. But I have, and I’m not.
Evan’s “family friend”, Jared, is also a piece of shit. Actually, scratch that—he’s WORSE (please don’t ask me to think up something worse than a piece of shit. Whatever you imagine, go with that). He may quite possibly be one of the worst characters I’ve ever read in literature. I’m not even kidding. I guess we’re supposed to think positively of him, because he’s the comic relief—or, the funny, awkward quip guy—but he’s simply an awful person that made the book feel less personal, and more like what it was: a generic YA story about a heavy subject, that employs clichéd characters and character tropes.
It was the over-excessive lying that really did the book in for me: The lies that buried it six feet under. I kept screaming at the book, willing Evan to “Shut up!” nearly every page. Not to keep him from embarrassing himself, but because it was just wrong on so many levels. A kid took his own life, and all Evan can do is lie lie lie to everyone about their “friendship.” And the cringe-inducing pining for the dead kid’s sister!!! Like, you oblivious creeper! I get Evan is remorseful about how things panned out with the lies, but from THE VERY BEGINNING he could have stopped it. A decent human would have. And even with Evan saying time and again he’s “sick of lying,” he continues to do so for hundreds of pages. I couldn’t take it anymore.
As soon as Evan got
Part of me wanted to be optimistic about this; Be less critical. The message (I matter, you matter, we all matter!) is a sweet, affirming one, and I believe the author meant it sincerely, but the cynic in me shut it down. It all felt (dare I say?) almost manipulative.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
I need to talk about another thing: THE KILL YOUR GAYS TROPE! The one queer person in the book kills himself, a devastating act that becomes a pushing off point for all the hetero chatacters and their stories. So, his suicide is a plot device… ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY DISGUSTING!
**END OF UNTAGGED SPOILERS**
.
Listen, I write these reviews while I’m reading. So, if they appear manic or unstructured, that’s why. But now, I’ve come to the end of the book. It’s much more depressing than I initially anticipated. Like, by a lot! I still think it’s a terrible book, but it made me emotional. Kudos to the Authors’s note at the end.
did-not-finish
July 13, 2020DNF at over halfway through the book. I realized I was forcing myself to try and finish this. I love the songs from the musical and always will, but the book just wasn’t doing it for me and I found Evan’s motives regarding Connor to make me very uncomfortable.
November 26, 2018
Today is going to be a good day and here's why: IT'S COMING OUT A FEW DAYS BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY. IT'S EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED.
26/08/18
I don’t know how to rate this book yet, and my review is coming. I’m so thankful Penguin decided to send me an ARC of it as it was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Let’s just say I sobbed a lot. Still am.
26/11/18
Finally decided to give it 3.5 stars!
26/08/18
I don’t know how to rate this book yet, and my review is coming. I’m so thankful Penguin decided to send me an ARC of it as it was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Let’s just say I sobbed a lot. Still am.
26/11/18
Finally decided to give it 3.5 stars!
April 17, 2023
Oh gosh, this one grabbed me right away. Evan Hansen deals with anxiety and doesn’t have friends. His therapist has his write letters to himself as a way to work on communication. When a bully at school steals the letter, Evan panics for days…. From this point on, Evan is trapped in a cycle of wanting to make things right and not knowing the way out. Complicating things is Connor’s sister, Zoe, who Evan has had a crush on all along, and who suspects the truth. A sad and well-written tale.
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
November 11, 2019
A Treat for Life Thinkers
Are there any good lies?
Do you need to fight for social acceptance? Or would you rather invest in being yourself, and let other’s recognition come by itself, even if it seems to be the thorniest way?
Living a lie is opposite to being yourself. However, if you’re the owner of a kind nature, and know how much someone depends on a lie to move on, in which case are you being faithful to yourself:
Would you tell the savior lie or unveil the damaging truth?
None? Better get yourself a plates balance cos the choice is mandatory!😜
Will you always be yourself no matter what, or would you also consider other’s feelings in the process?...
All in all, Dear Evan Hansen expresses the conflict between being faithful to ourselves and our social need of belonging!
What a treat for life thinkers 👍
Are there any good lies?
Do you need to fight for social acceptance? Or would you rather invest in being yourself, and let other’s recognition come by itself, even if it seems to be the thorniest way?
Living a lie is opposite to being yourself. However, if you’re the owner of a kind nature, and know how much someone depends on a lie to move on, in which case are you being faithful to yourself:
Would you tell the savior lie or unveil the damaging truth?
None? Better get yourself a plates balance cos the choice is mandatory!😜
Will you always be yourself no matter what, or would you also consider other’s feelings in the process?...
All in all, Dear Evan Hansen expresses the conflict between being faithful to ourselves and our social need of belonging!
What a treat for life thinkers 👍
January 29, 2021
MEH — O Falso Evan
A história começa com um miúdo a escrever uma carta a si mesmo.
Não percebemos imediatamente porque estará a fazê-lo, mas arriscamos um tímido “talvez se enquadre nalgum programa de terapia”...
Ao que parece, a vida não andará a correr-lhe de feição, e... para superar essa onda negativa, nada como escrever uma carta a si mesmo encabeçada por um pensamento positivo, como este:
“Hoje vai ser um dia fantástico, e eis porquê:”
Bem... mas permitam que vos fale um pouco mais deste miúdo que escreve cartas a si próprio:
Logo que nasceu, a mãe logrou chamar-lhe Evan. Porém, o pai, que vira nele uma oportunidade imperdível de expansão do ego, entendeu que o neófito deveria chamar-se Mark e não Evan, e... por esta altura ... já todos, certamente, deslindaram o nome do egocêntrico pai 😜
E assim foi: Evan foi relegado para segundo nome, ficando Mark, ostensivamente, em primeiro!
Contudo, se o pai ganhou a batalha, a mãe ganhou a guerra, pois nunca esta chamou ao seu filho outro nome que não Evan, o que levou todos os demais (pai Mark inclusive), a recorrer ao nome Evan para o distinguir dos restantes mortais.
E assim nasceu Mark Evan Hansen (MEH), dado que o dito recém-nascido era, além do mais e acima de tudo, o mais recente membro da família Hansen.
E...agora que vos revelei o segredo deste falso Evan, como esta resenha já vai longa, para abreviar e concluir, resta-me dizer-vos que este é um livro que aborda duma forma simultaneamente divertida e comovente, o eterno confronto entre o que intrinsecamente somos e... a não raras vezes espinhosa, inserção social ...
A história começa com um miúdo a escrever uma carta a si mesmo.
Não percebemos imediatamente porque estará a fazê-lo, mas arriscamos um tímido “talvez se enquadre nalgum programa de terapia”...
Ao que parece, a vida não andará a correr-lhe de feição, e... para superar essa onda negativa, nada como escrever uma carta a si mesmo encabeçada por um pensamento positivo, como este:
“Hoje vai ser um dia fantástico, e eis porquê:”
Bem... mas permitam que vos fale um pouco mais deste miúdo que escreve cartas a si próprio:
Logo que nasceu, a mãe logrou chamar-lhe Evan. Porém, o pai, que vira nele uma oportunidade imperdível de expansão do ego, entendeu que o neófito deveria chamar-se Mark e não Evan, e... por esta altura ... já todos, certamente, deslindaram o nome do egocêntrico pai 😜
E assim foi: Evan foi relegado para segundo nome, ficando Mark, ostensivamente, em primeiro!
Contudo, se o pai ganhou a batalha, a mãe ganhou a guerra, pois nunca esta chamou ao seu filho outro nome que não Evan, o que levou todos os demais (pai Mark inclusive), a recorrer ao nome Evan para o distinguir dos restantes mortais.
E assim nasceu Mark Evan Hansen (MEH), dado que o dito recém-nascido era, além do mais e acima de tudo, o mais recente membro da família Hansen.
E...agora que vos revelei o segredo deste falso Evan, como esta resenha já vai longa, para abreviar e concluir, resta-me dizer-vos que este é um livro que aborda duma forma simultaneamente divertida e comovente, o eterno confronto entre o que intrinsecamente somos e... a não raras vezes espinhosa, inserção social ...
August 9, 2020
A Boy Named MEH
M, from Mark
E, from Evan
H, from Hansen
Besides being a way of expressing a lack of interest and/or enthusiasm, MEH also happens to be the name of a boy!
Gosh! A boy named MEH?! Poor guy!
But... allow me to tell you how it happened:
The moment he was born, his mother wanted to cal him Evan. However, his dear father, looked at the newborn infant as an unmissable opportunity of ego expansion, and decided to name him Mark, and... I’m sure by now, all of you already guessed the name of the self-centered father...😜
Due to the baby’s father ego, Evan had to be his second name, finally followed by Hansen which was the common family name.
However, if dad won the battle, mom won the war, cos she never used the name Mark to address her son — in fact, she always called him Evan, and the other mortals, including daddy Mark, followed her steps.
And that’s how the name MEH was built😜...
Years later the boy was having some sort of identity crisis, cos every time he had to fill one of those boring forms we all know about, he had to write his full name starting with Mark, although everyone called him Evan. As a result he was feeling, you know... like a false Evan!
And probably due to that falsehood feeling , later on, this false Evan got himself involved in a sequence of uncontrollable events, rooted in a lie, and ... although he embarked in a journey of self discovery, it also expanded his identity crisis...
Mark Evan Hansen has been doomed by his own name...
I wonder if hidden in a person’s name won’t be the key of her/his destiny?!😜
M, from Mark
E, from Evan
H, from Hansen
Besides being a way of expressing a lack of interest and/or enthusiasm, MEH also happens to be the name of a boy!
Gosh! A boy named MEH?! Poor guy!
But... allow me to tell you how it happened:
The moment he was born, his mother wanted to cal him Evan. However, his dear father, looked at the newborn infant as an unmissable opportunity of ego expansion, and decided to name him Mark, and... I’m sure by now, all of you already guessed the name of the self-centered father...😜
Due to the baby’s father ego, Evan had to be his second name, finally followed by Hansen which was the common family name.
However, if dad won the battle, mom won the war, cos she never used the name Mark to address her son — in fact, she always called him Evan, and the other mortals, including daddy Mark, followed her steps.
And that’s how the name MEH was built😜...
Years later the boy was having some sort of identity crisis, cos every time he had to fill one of those boring forms we all know about, he had to write his full name starting with Mark, although everyone called him Evan. As a result he was feeling, you know... like a false Evan!
And probably due to that falsehood feeling , later on, this false Evan got himself involved in a sequence of uncontrollable events, rooted in a lie, and ... although he embarked in a journey of self discovery, it also expanded his identity crisis...
Mark Evan Hansen has been doomed by his own name...
I wonder if hidden in a person’s name won’t be the key of her/his destiny?!😜
May 4, 2020
Translation widget on The blog!!!
O lectură captivantă!
De câte ori nu am mințit fiecare dintre noi pentru a nu provoca și mai multă durere?
Asta face și Evan. Iar minciunile devin din ce în ce mai multe, se simte prins ca într-o capcană....
Evan este un tânăr ce suferă de anxietate, iar psihologul i-a recomandat să-și scrie în fiecare zi câte o scrisoare care să îl motiveze.
Ce te faci când scrisoarea îi e luată de Connor, un coleg de școală care se sinucide?
De aici începe povestea minciunii. Evan se dă drept cel mai bun prieten al lui Connor pentru a nu provoca și mai multă durere familiei acestuia. Deși, începe să realizeze că are mai multă încredere în el, socializează mai ușor cu cei din jur. Cu toate acestea minciuna rămâne!
Până când totul poate ieși la iveală. Ce va face Evan în acest moment?
O lectură interesantă, perfectă pentru adolescenți dar și pentru părinți.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
O lectură captivantă!
De câte ori nu am mințit fiecare dintre noi pentru a nu provoca și mai multă durere?
Asta face și Evan. Iar minciunile devin din ce în ce mai multe, se simte prins ca într-o capcană....
Evan este un tânăr ce suferă de anxietate, iar psihologul i-a recomandat să-și scrie în fiecare zi câte o scrisoare care să îl motiveze.
Ce te faci când scrisoarea îi e luată de Connor, un coleg de școală care se sinucide?
De aici începe povestea minciunii. Evan se dă drept cel mai bun prieten al lui Connor pentru a nu provoca și mai multă durere familiei acestuia. Deși, începe să realizeze că are mai multă încredere în el, socializează mai ușor cu cei din jur. Cu toate acestea minciuna rămâne!
Până când totul poate ieși la iveală. Ce va face Evan în acest moment?
O lectură interesantă, perfectă pentru adolescenți dar și pentru părinți.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
August 19, 2019
This was an okay read. I'm very familiar with the musical adaptation of the book which I enjoy to an extent and this was very similar. There were times where I was interested and I thought the book was sending a good message and other moments where it just seemed a bit stupid. I didn't get bored reading it though which is good and the writing although not amazing, didn't bother me at all. I listened to the audiobook version and I really liked the addition of a song playing from the musical whenever a character sang in the book. If you want to read this, I recommend the audio for a more entertaining experience.
2.5 stars.
2.5 stars.
November 4, 2018
. : ☾⋆ — 1 ★
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2P6fnt8
unsurprisingly, the broadway show is overwhelmingly better.
in a very confusing turn of events, though, i’m listening to de Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack as i write this review. i can’t reconcile my intense love for the musical with the utter, totally staggering MESS that this book was. i really can’t believe this is supposed to be the ‘official’ novelization of the show, because they’re just two completely different things. it kinda makes me mad now that this book is #2 in the NYT best seller’s list (at the time that this review is being written), because this book was so astoundingly BAD and the thought that most people are buying it on the pretense that the show is really successful and therefore the novelization must be just as good? WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG.
i haven’t read anything by Val Emmich before, so unfortunately i can’t be sure if this was just an issue of who actually wrote the novelization or otherwise, but Val Emmich’s writing style definitely did NOT match up with what the atmosphere and general aesthetic of the show is supposed to be. the nature of the plot is depressing enough, but the broadway show lifts it up and turns it into something warm and mostly comedic because the aesthetic of the show is NOT supposed to be depressing. the songs are (mostly) uplifting and inspiring, and the actors bring life to the characters and their stories with bright enthusiasm. so i really don’t know what happened here?? the characters are literally so bland, they could all be the same character talking to itself over and over again and you wouldn’t notice. and, my god, everyone is either depressing as hell or extremely obnoxious. unlikeable. everyone in this book is unlikeable.
i’m disappointed because this really was one of my most expected releases of the year. i unfortunately (in hindsight, fortunately??) couldn’t get my hands on an ARC, so i very patiently waited for its release so that i could get it the very second it was available. it’s a testament to how bad it was that it took me almost a month to get through it, and i swear, by the time i reached the midway point, i was already skimming. i just wanted to be done with it. it was SO, SO, SO bad, you guys. so bad.
this is besides the point, too, but i just realized that we didn’t learn anything new from this book that we didn’t already know from the musical?? in fact, i think the musical actually shows more?? so i’m not sure what the point of releasing this novelization is supposed to be. other than, you know, milking your fans dry of their money by releasing a shitty NYT best seller that you KNOW everyone will buy, no matter what. i’ve successfully been taken advantage of, and i’m very sad about it. it should’ve just stayed as a musical.
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2P6fnt8
unsurprisingly, the broadway show is overwhelmingly better.
in a very confusing turn of events, though, i’m listening to de Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack as i write this review. i can’t reconcile my intense love for the musical with the utter, totally staggering MESS that this book was. i really can’t believe this is supposed to be the ‘official’ novelization of the show, because they’re just two completely different things. it kinda makes me mad now that this book is #2 in the NYT best seller’s list (at the time that this review is being written), because this book was so astoundingly BAD and the thought that most people are buying it on the pretense that the show is really successful and therefore the novelization must be just as good? WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG.
i haven’t read anything by Val Emmich before, so unfortunately i can’t be sure if this was just an issue of who actually wrote the novelization or otherwise, but Val Emmich’s writing style definitely did NOT match up with what the atmosphere and general aesthetic of the show is supposed to be. the nature of the plot is depressing enough, but the broadway show lifts it up and turns it into something warm and mostly comedic because the aesthetic of the show is NOT supposed to be depressing. the songs are (mostly) uplifting and inspiring, and the actors bring life to the characters and their stories with bright enthusiasm. so i really don’t know what happened here?? the characters are literally so bland, they could all be the same character talking to itself over and over again and you wouldn’t notice. and, my god, everyone is either depressing as hell or extremely obnoxious. unlikeable. everyone in this book is unlikeable.
i’m disappointed because this really was one of my most expected releases of the year. i unfortunately (in hindsight, fortunately??) couldn’t get my hands on an ARC, so i very patiently waited for its release so that i could get it the very second it was available. it’s a testament to how bad it was that it took me almost a month to get through it, and i swear, by the time i reached the midway point, i was already skimming. i just wanted to be done with it. it was SO, SO, SO bad, you guys. so bad.
this is besides the point, too, but i just realized that we didn’t learn anything new from this book that we didn’t already know from the musical?? in fact, i think the musical actually shows more?? so i’m not sure what the point of releasing this novelization is supposed to be. other than, you know, milking your fans dry of their money by releasing a shitty NYT best seller that you KNOW everyone will buy, no matter what. i’ve successfully been taken advantage of, and i’m very sad about it. it should’ve just stayed as a musical.
October 29, 2018
Es ist perfekt. Das Broadway Musical ist ja schon großartig, der soundtrack der absolute Wahnsinn... Aber diese Story als Roman zu erleben, ist ein Geniestreich. Emotional und herzergreifend wie kaum ein Zweites Buch, hat sich diese Geschichte direkt in mein Herz geschlichen. Ich finde keine Worte.
July 6, 2023
first: connor murphy deserved better.
second: what is praise worthy about a book that uses suicide as vehicle to drive the story, but doesn’t have a single meaningful conversation about mental illness or suicide? what is praise worthy about a main character who is a self-important jackass who capitalizes off the suicide of a stranger and inserts himself into a grieving family’s life to feel better about himself and never faces a single consequence for it? what is praise worthy about the portrayal of a mental illness that disappears halfway through the story?
what the actual fuck is praise worthy about this garbage fire? (and i’m gonna go ahead and say the musical is just as trash. i don’t care if it has a different feel or whatever the fuck, it’s the same horrible story. point blank.)
content/trigger warnings; suicide, self-harm, attempted suicide, depression, anxiety, ableism, disfiguremisia, fatphobia, anti-native language, harassment, doxxing, stalking, death of a queer character,
so, i read this for the social anxiety rep that i saw people praising, but um........i wish i hadn’t. sure, there were moments where evan’s descriptions of his anxiety were relatable, but the way he interacted with people wasn’t relatable to me, as someone with social anxiety. nor was his angsting about being different and not right and wanting to be like everyone else. for once, i’d like a mentally ill character to just accept their mental illness and work with it and that’s it. i don’t need or want the angst about wishing they were neurotypical. and there’s also the glaring fact that his anxiety disappears in the second half of the book.
a major flaw in this is the complete lack of any discussion about mental illness or suicide. it’s becoming real meaningless to me when authors have books with these themes, without any important, needed conversations going on in the text, but have a whole “if you or someone you know is struggling....” page with hotline numbers at the end of the book. you’ll sensationalize and romanticize suicide and use it as a plot device, you’ll have your mentally ill character go off their meds without telling anyone, you’ll have characters commit suicide, you’ll fill your book to the brim with ableism, but you won’t actually delve into the important topics surrounding mental illness and self-harm and suicide. you won’t let your characters have meaningful discussions about it. but you’ll accept the praise of your book being a needed take on this topic.
other things that annoy, anger, and disgust me:
• fatphobia (kids of a “certain body type” watch with envy as even sits out during gym class, because obviously if you aren’t skinny you must hate any kind of physical activity. gym teacher was replaced for ridiculing “generously proportioned” students. when evan refers to baby-evan as fat, zoe immediately admonishes him for saying so and assures him that he was adorable.)
• ableist language/slurs and disfiguremisia (can people stop fucking comparing being disabled or disfigured to being dead? thanks.)
• anti-native language
• the idea that when a man chooses to leave his girlfriend/wife for another women, he is being stolen by the other woman, which absolves men from all responsibility of being faithful, decent fucking people
• jokes about school shootings
• evan angsts about being friendless and invisible, but then decides to not ask certain students to sign his cast because he deems them irrelevant
• evan fantasizes about how connor murphy killed himself and then we’re told how connor did it which is some tragedy porn bullshit
• students making money off a kid’s suicide
• students romanticizing connor’s suicide, claiming he’s bringing people together, calling it inspirational
• evan proclaiming himself as a guy who doesn’t think, let alone say, anything mean ever. despite an entire book of him being the absolute worst person ever.
• being a senior in high school and not having been kissed a lot is described as depressing, because apparently mental illnesses are adjectives for random shit and everyone should be kissing people by a certain age
• evan convinced himself that his encounter with connor forged a bond between them and that he knew what connor was feeling in that moment, and that saying he’s connor best friend is “kind of true” and i really cannot deal with this bullshit. before connor’s suicide, evan literally justified him thinking of connor as a future school shooter. fuck all the way off. “who was closer to connor than i was?” oh i don’t know his sister his parents his boyfriend. fuck off.
• “i don’t want it to be this way, but what am i supposed to do?” how about not lie about being the best friend of a dead kid and insert yourself into his family’s life and grief and justify doing so because you want the attention. how about that?
• some talk about “fixing” mentally ill people
• evan romanticizing himself, convincing himself that what he was doing was saving connor’s family
• evan thinking he isn’t allowed to feel upset about his father having another son because zoe just lost her brother, which is bullshit that needs to stop. zoe losing her brother doesn’t change or have anything to do with the relationship between evan and his father, or evan’s feelings about his father having another son.
• "i can’t imagine what it must have been like having to share a house with connor. it was hard enough for people who shared a classroom or bus or hallway with him." evan pretends to have been connor’s best friend, while actually feeling sorry for everyone who came into contact with him.
• of course evan goes off his meds and doesn’t tell anyone. because what is mental health rep without that? and of course once he’s off his meds, he’s feeling more and finally experiencing life.
• evan’s mom is awful. she pushes and pushes and pushes evan without a care if it’s what he needs or will actually help him, and then when he’s actually going out and meeting people and putting himself out there, she gets mad at him and claims she doesn’t know him.
• evan referring his cleaned up and carefully messed around room as “fake news” um what?
• nothing about evan is genuine. nothing. he asks zoe about things he already knows from literally stalking her around town and watching her every move in school. he cleans his room and then makes it carefully messy when zoe comes over. and obviously, the entire fabrication of him being connor’s best friend. after threatening jared, evan knows people might be watching him, so he puts on a fake smile to make people think the conversation was just harmless joking between friends.
• evan has connor’s family so fucking manipulated that they want to give evan the money they had set away for connor’s college!!!! they even invited him to stay the nigh in connor’s bed!!!! he had them treating him like their son. this book makes me fucking sick to my stomach.
• nothing about evan did was for anyone but himself. his number one concern when thinking about telling the truth was everything he would lose. zoe, connor’s parents, people at school knowing and liking him. he kept the lie going because he didn’t want to lose the life his lie got him.
• a character posts what she believes is connor’s suicide note online which is so fucking disgusting i can’t even wrap my head around it
• after evan sends what he tells another student is connor’s suicide note, it’s posted online, and connor’s family is blamed, hated, harassed (online and otherwise), and doxxed. and then evan goes to their house to comfort him. he is a fucking disgusting human being.
• zoe meeting up with evan later and telling him that he saved her parents? yeah, fuck off. evan did a horrible, atrocious, devious, self-serving thing and faces zero consequences. zero. two people he didn’t really even care about stopped talking to him. but the family he royally fucked over and used and manipulated never reported him and the girl whose brother’s suicide he used to get close to her forgives him and absolves him of all wrongdoing.
and my one positive from this book. connor murphy.
connor is the only good part of this book. the chapters in his pov are the only parts of the book that don’t piss me off. he deserves so much better than a family that treated him like shit and didn’t help him, a school who only “cared” about him after he was dead, students making money off his death, and a stranger capitalizing off his death and taking advantage of his grieving family. he calls out zoe for checking on evan, but not checking on connor. he calls out the school for claiming they cared and related to him, when he had to die for them to notice he was ever alive. but sadly, he never really calls out evan for being a piece of shit. connor is also queer, which is nice. but also upsetting because i don’t need more dead queer characters. he only refers to his sexuality as fluid.
jared is okay, too. he’s the only one to call evan on his bullshit and not justify it or wave it away. but at the same time, he did help in the bullshit, so *shrug*
anyways. trash. wish i hadn’t read it. wish i could cleanse it from my mind. wish connor wasn’t treated so horribly. wish evan got hit by that car.
just a very aggressive
nope.
nope.
nope.
second: what is praise worthy about a book that uses suicide as vehicle to drive the story, but doesn’t have a single meaningful conversation about mental illness or suicide? what is praise worthy about a main character who is a self-important jackass who capitalizes off the suicide of a stranger and inserts himself into a grieving family’s life to feel better about himself and never faces a single consequence for it? what is praise worthy about the portrayal of a mental illness that disappears halfway through the story?
what the actual fuck is praise worthy about this garbage fire? (and i’m gonna go ahead and say the musical is just as trash. i don’t care if it has a different feel or whatever the fuck, it’s the same horrible story. point blank.)
content/trigger warnings; suicide, self-harm, attempted suicide, depression, anxiety, ableism, disfiguremisia, fatphobia, anti-native language, harassment, doxxing, stalking, death of a queer character,
so, i read this for the social anxiety rep that i saw people praising, but um........i wish i hadn’t. sure, there were moments where evan’s descriptions of his anxiety were relatable, but the way he interacted with people wasn’t relatable to me, as someone with social anxiety. nor was his angsting about being different and not right and wanting to be like everyone else. for once, i’d like a mentally ill character to just accept their mental illness and work with it and that’s it. i don’t need or want the angst about wishing they were neurotypical. and there’s also the glaring fact that his anxiety disappears in the second half of the book.
a major flaw in this is the complete lack of any discussion about mental illness or suicide. it’s becoming real meaningless to me when authors have books with these themes, without any important, needed conversations going on in the text, but have a whole “if you or someone you know is struggling....” page with hotline numbers at the end of the book. you’ll sensationalize and romanticize suicide and use it as a plot device, you’ll have your mentally ill character go off their meds without telling anyone, you’ll have characters commit suicide, you’ll fill your book to the brim with ableism, but you won’t actually delve into the important topics surrounding mental illness and self-harm and suicide. you won’t let your characters have meaningful discussions about it. but you’ll accept the praise of your book being a needed take on this topic.
other things that annoy, anger, and disgust me:
• fatphobia (kids of a “certain body type” watch with envy as even sits out during gym class, because obviously if you aren’t skinny you must hate any kind of physical activity. gym teacher was replaced for ridiculing “generously proportioned” students. when evan refers to baby-evan as fat, zoe immediately admonishes him for saying so and assures him that he was adorable.)
• ableist language/slurs and disfiguremisia (can people stop fucking comparing being disabled or disfigured to being dead? thanks.)
• anti-native language
• the idea that when a man chooses to leave his girlfriend/wife for another women, he is being stolen by the other woman, which absolves men from all responsibility of being faithful, decent fucking people
• jokes about school shootings
• evan angsts about being friendless and invisible, but then decides to not ask certain students to sign his cast because he deems them irrelevant
• evan fantasizes about how connor murphy killed himself and then we’re told how connor did it which is some tragedy porn bullshit
• students making money off a kid’s suicide
• students romanticizing connor’s suicide, claiming he’s bringing people together, calling it inspirational
• evan proclaiming himself as a guy who doesn’t think, let alone say, anything mean ever. despite an entire book of him being the absolute worst person ever.
• being a senior in high school and not having been kissed a lot is described as depressing, because apparently mental illnesses are adjectives for random shit and everyone should be kissing people by a certain age
• evan convinced himself that his encounter with connor forged a bond between them and that he knew what connor was feeling in that moment, and that saying he’s connor best friend is “kind of true” and i really cannot deal with this bullshit. before connor’s suicide, evan literally justified him thinking of connor as a future school shooter. fuck all the way off. “who was closer to connor than i was?” oh i don’t know his sister his parents his boyfriend. fuck off.
• “i don’t want it to be this way, but what am i supposed to do?” how about not lie about being the best friend of a dead kid and insert yourself into his family’s life and grief and justify doing so because you want the attention. how about that?
• some talk about “fixing” mentally ill people
• evan romanticizing himself, convincing himself that what he was doing was saving connor’s family
• evan thinking he isn’t allowed to feel upset about his father having another son because zoe just lost her brother, which is bullshit that needs to stop. zoe losing her brother doesn’t change or have anything to do with the relationship between evan and his father, or evan’s feelings about his father having another son.
• "i can’t imagine what it must have been like having to share a house with connor. it was hard enough for people who shared a classroom or bus or hallway with him." evan pretends to have been connor’s best friend, while actually feeling sorry for everyone who came into contact with him.
• of course evan goes off his meds and doesn’t tell anyone. because what is mental health rep without that? and of course once he’s off his meds, he’s feeling more and finally experiencing life.
• evan’s mom is awful. she pushes and pushes and pushes evan without a care if it’s what he needs or will actually help him, and then when he’s actually going out and meeting people and putting himself out there, she gets mad at him and claims she doesn’t know him.
• evan referring his cleaned up and carefully messed around room as “fake news” um what?
• nothing about evan is genuine. nothing. he asks zoe about things he already knows from literally stalking her around town and watching her every move in school. he cleans his room and then makes it carefully messy when zoe comes over. and obviously, the entire fabrication of him being connor’s best friend. after threatening jared, evan knows people might be watching him, so he puts on a fake smile to make people think the conversation was just harmless joking between friends.
• evan has connor’s family so fucking manipulated that they want to give evan the money they had set away for connor’s college!!!! they even invited him to stay the nigh in connor’s bed!!!! he had them treating him like their son. this book makes me fucking sick to my stomach.
• nothing about evan did was for anyone but himself. his number one concern when thinking about telling the truth was everything he would lose. zoe, connor’s parents, people at school knowing and liking him. he kept the lie going because he didn’t want to lose the life his lie got him.
• a character posts what she believes is connor’s suicide note online which is so fucking disgusting i can’t even wrap my head around it
• after evan sends what he tells another student is connor’s suicide note, it’s posted online, and connor’s family is blamed, hated, harassed (online and otherwise), and doxxed. and then evan goes to their house to comfort him. he is a fucking disgusting human being.
• zoe meeting up with evan later and telling him that he saved her parents? yeah, fuck off. evan did a horrible, atrocious, devious, self-serving thing and faces zero consequences. zero. two people he didn’t really even care about stopped talking to him. but the family he royally fucked over and used and manipulated never reported him and the girl whose brother’s suicide he used to get close to her forgives him and absolves him of all wrongdoing.
and my one positive from this book. connor murphy.
connor is the only good part of this book. the chapters in his pov are the only parts of the book that don’t piss me off. he deserves so much better than a family that treated him like shit and didn’t help him, a school who only “cared” about him after he was dead, students making money off his death, and a stranger capitalizing off his death and taking advantage of his grieving family. he calls out zoe for checking on evan, but not checking on connor. he calls out the school for claiming they cared and related to him, when he had to die for them to notice he was ever alive. but sadly, he never really calls out evan for being a piece of shit. connor is also queer, which is nice. but also upsetting because i don’t need more dead queer characters. he only refers to his sexuality as fluid.
jared is okay, too. he’s the only one to call evan on his bullshit and not justify it or wave it away. but at the same time, he did help in the bullshit, so *shrug*
anyways. trash. wish i hadn’t read it. wish i could cleanse it from my mind. wish connor wasn’t treated so horribly. wish evan got hit by that car.
just a very aggressive
nope.
nope.
nope.
October 27, 2021
Mir fällt es schwer, diese Rezension zu schreiben. Denn ich weiß nicht, wie ich ausdrücken soll, was ich beim Lesen von „Dear Evan Hansen“ gefühlt habe. Ich will euch eine auf Fakten basierende Rezension schreiben, aber... Ehrlich gesagt ist das für mich in diesem Fall fast unmöglich.
Evan Hansen gehört zu den Schülern, die nicht gesehen werden. Er gehört nirgendwo dazu und leidet unter Angstzuständen, die er mühsam mit Tabletten bekämpft. Für seine Therapie schreibt er Briefe an sich selbst. Als einer dieser Briefe an die Öffentlichkeit gerät, wird er fälschlicherweise als der beste Freund eines Mitschülers dargestellt, der sich das Leben genommen hat. Ohne es selbst zu wollen wird Evan in ein Kartenhaus aus Lügen verstrickt, welches ihm aber endlich eine Aufgabe gibt: Er wird das Vermächtnis von Connor wahren, seiner Familie Kraft geben. Und plötzlich beginnt dieses Kartenhaus, ihn sichtbar werden zu lassen... Sogar für das Mädchen seiner Träume: Connors Schwester.
Ich bin zuerst über die Lieder zu dem Musical gestolpert. Als ich erfahren habe, dass die Geschichte als Roman veröffentlicht wird, habe ich nicht lange gezögert. Zum Glück. „Dear Evan Hansen“ lässt den Leser weinen und hoffen, regt zum Nachdenken an. Der Roman berichtet auf tiefgreifende, emotionale Weise von dem Gefühl, alleine zu sein – und von dem Kampf gegen diesen Eindruck, gegen die eigenen Ängste. Der Schreibstil ist trotz des schweren Themas leichtgängig und flüssig und bringt einem die Gedanken der Charaktere nah – sei es das Leiden der Hinterbliebenen, das Wanken zwischen Schuld und dem Gefühl, etwas Gutes zu tun oder auch die Befürchtung, niemals zu genügen und keinen Platz in dieser Welt zu finden.
Ich hätte das Buch am liebsten an einem Stück verschlungen, aber zwischendurch war ich aufgrund des Inhalts doch gezwungen, eine Pause zu machen. Dieses Buch ist keine lockere Unterhaltungslektüre. Dieses Buch ist Stoff für deine Gedanken, Gewicht für deine Schultern und gleichzeitig Balsam für dein Herz. Nichts, was ich besser in Worte fassen könnte als mit der Aufforderung, selbst zu erleben, wie diese Geschichte einen berührt.
Evan Hansen gehört zu den Schülern, die nicht gesehen werden. Er gehört nirgendwo dazu und leidet unter Angstzuständen, die er mühsam mit Tabletten bekämpft. Für seine Therapie schreibt er Briefe an sich selbst. Als einer dieser Briefe an die Öffentlichkeit gerät, wird er fälschlicherweise als der beste Freund eines Mitschülers dargestellt, der sich das Leben genommen hat. Ohne es selbst zu wollen wird Evan in ein Kartenhaus aus Lügen verstrickt, welches ihm aber endlich eine Aufgabe gibt: Er wird das Vermächtnis von Connor wahren, seiner Familie Kraft geben. Und plötzlich beginnt dieses Kartenhaus, ihn sichtbar werden zu lassen... Sogar für das Mädchen seiner Träume: Connors Schwester.
Ich bin zuerst über die Lieder zu dem Musical gestolpert. Als ich erfahren habe, dass die Geschichte als Roman veröffentlicht wird, habe ich nicht lange gezögert. Zum Glück. „Dear Evan Hansen“ lässt den Leser weinen und hoffen, regt zum Nachdenken an. Der Roman berichtet auf tiefgreifende, emotionale Weise von dem Gefühl, alleine zu sein – und von dem Kampf gegen diesen Eindruck, gegen die eigenen Ängste. Der Schreibstil ist trotz des schweren Themas leichtgängig und flüssig und bringt einem die Gedanken der Charaktere nah – sei es das Leiden der Hinterbliebenen, das Wanken zwischen Schuld und dem Gefühl, etwas Gutes zu tun oder auch die Befürchtung, niemals zu genügen und keinen Platz in dieser Welt zu finden.
Ich hätte das Buch am liebsten an einem Stück verschlungen, aber zwischendurch war ich aufgrund des Inhalts doch gezwungen, eine Pause zu machen. Dieses Buch ist keine lockere Unterhaltungslektüre. Dieses Buch ist Stoff für deine Gedanken, Gewicht für deine Schultern und gleichzeitig Balsam für dein Herz. Nichts, was ich besser in Worte fassen könnte als mit der Aufforderung, selbst zu erleben, wie diese Geschichte einen berührt.
March 23, 2019
Jeżeli uważacie, że nie możecie przeczytać tej książki, bo ma coś wspólnego z musicalem, którego nie znacie (lub w ogóle nie lubicie musicali), to jesteście w błędzie!
Chociaż – nie oszukujmy się. Daleko mi do obiektywizmu.
WIĘCEJ W VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HhTG...
Historia jest smutna. Żeby nie powiedzieć – dołująca. Powieść dla młodzieży o samobójstwie, kłamstwie, introwertyzmie, nieśmiałości i fobii społecznej. I o potrzebie bycia zrozumianym, zauważonym, bycia częścią czegoś, pozostawienia po sobie czegokolwiek na tym łez padole. Ale jednocześnie jest przez to piękna. Bo porusza trudny temat w przystępny dla każdego sposób. Jednak ważne, by znaleźć drugie dno, by nie zrozumieć wszystkiego opacznie. Do tego została poprowadzona specyficzną narracją, dzięki której można lepiej obserwować psychikę Evana.
No i musical. Musical kocham całym sercem i nie byłam przekonana, czy obdarcie go z muzyki i spisanie w formie książki będzie dobrym pomysłem (bo tak, to książka na podstawie musicalu, nie odwrotnie). Okazało się jednak, że książka daje nam znacznie więcej, że skupia się na postaci Connora, prezentując go nam w całkiem innym świetle! Mam teraz ochotę jeszcze raz obejrzeć wersję sceniczną, by móc na nowo przeżyć te emocje, znając już myśli poszczególnych bohaterów.
Powody, dla których kocham DEH oraz porównanie książki z musicalem dostępne na YouTube: Wybredna Maruda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HhTG...
☕️ Książka z kubkiem dostępna tu: http://bit.ly/2AXQ43q
October 12, 2018
I felt in love with the musical a few months ago. It always been an emotional story for me ! I cried a lot while reading the novel. I laughed too of course cause Jared is hilarious (very bad but hilarious). I loved the part about Connor and the lyrics found in the book. I want to listen to the soundtrack once again and to see the musical!
January 3, 2019
I love this book. It's like a slow motion train wreck and you know you should look away but you just can't stop watching it happen. Here's this boy, this nobody, who people barely remember. This boy who is scared of social interaction and doesn't know how to be like everyone else. He feels alone. He feels unknown. He feels lost.
One chance encounter, one mistake, one misunderstanding and he tumbles head first down a rabbit hole of his own creation. He could have corrected Connor, could have corrected Connor's parents, but his own anxiety gets in the way. Then he just wants to ease their pain, make them happy but one questionable choice leads to another and another and another until his up to his neck in his own fantasy and he can't see a way out.
I loved Evan. Yes he made some choices that are morally...well, dark grey...but his desire to offer some kind of comfort to Connor's family is good. He just gets sidetracked by the popularity, the fame, the girl.
Do I think Evan is a good guy? Yes. Do I think he went about things in a terrible way? Yes. But his heart is in the right place...mostly.
I also loved having the bits with Connor. Watching this all unfold after he's gone. Starting to see what is really happening with Evan and seeing the symmetry with his own life.
What ever Evan's methods, you can't argue that the outcome was good. He helped the family when they were overcome with grief, he started a movement in Connor's name, he reached people (albeit totally unintentionally) and made them connect with the story. He provided some light in the dark. And even when it all came crashing down, when he was back to being afraid and alone...there was still the orchard, still the movement and it helped heal the Murphy family. In the end, it helped to start and heal Evan.
Also, someone needs to take me to see the musical. Like...right now.
One chance encounter, one mistake, one misunderstanding and he tumbles head first down a rabbit hole of his own creation. He could have corrected Connor, could have corrected Connor's parents, but his own anxiety gets in the way. Then he just wants to ease their pain, make them happy but one questionable choice leads to another and another and another until his up to his neck in his own fantasy and he can't see a way out.
I loved Evan. Yes he made some choices that are morally...well, dark grey...but his desire to offer some kind of comfort to Connor's family is good. He just gets sidetracked by the popularity, the fame, the girl.
Do I think Evan is a good guy? Yes. Do I think he went about things in a terrible way? Yes. But his heart is in the right place...mostly.
I also loved having the bits with Connor. Watching this all unfold after he's gone. Starting to see what is really happening with Evan and seeing the symmetry with his own life.
What ever Evan's methods, you can't argue that the outcome was good. He helped the family when they were overcome with grief, he started a movement in Connor's name, he reached people (albeit totally unintentionally) and made them connect with the story. He provided some light in the dark. And even when it all came crashing down, when he was back to being afraid and alone...there was still the orchard, still the movement and it helped heal the Murphy family. In the end, it helped to start and heal Evan.
Also, someone needs to take me to see the musical. Like...right now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2019
I cried. I cried a lot.
Want to read
March 9, 2021i must read this, if not for the fomo, then for three-summers-ago me.
October 9, 2018
Happiest of Pub Day's to DEH!
I'll fully admit that my rating for this book will be slightly skewed due to my love of the show and soundtrack, which I admit are better than this book. However, I still enjoyed getting a deeper insight and perspective into the characters that could only be provided via this medium.
And while there are parts of this book this book that I'm certain readers are going to have issues with I still think the overall message is inspiring, hopeful, and so necessary in today's chaotic world.
I need to really study my notes and try to separate book from show to produce a full review, but I do believe this novel serves as a solid standalone. If you haven't seen the show, or listened to the OBC album, you'll still understand Evan's plight.
Stay tuned for my full review closer to pub date.
I'll fully admit that my rating for this book will be slightly skewed due to my love of the show and soundtrack, which I admit are better than this book. However, I still enjoyed getting a deeper insight and perspective into the characters that could only be provided via this medium.
And while there are parts of this book this book that I'm certain readers are going to have issues with I still think the overall message is inspiring, hopeful, and so necessary in today's chaotic world.
I need to really study my notes and try to separate book from show to produce a full review, but I do believe this novel serves as a solid standalone. If you haven't seen the show, or listened to the OBC album, you'll still understand Evan's plight.
Stay tuned for my full review closer to pub date.
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