Dear Evan Hansen is a novel that will touch your heart and give you food for thought. The novel discusses mental health in great detail, and touches on grief and loneliness. It was a hard-hitting and poignant read, and I absolutely loved it.

As I mentioned before, the novel discusses mental health and it affects the lives of others. You get to look at it in a couple of perspectives: Evan’s and Connor’s. It was very interesting seeing it from Connor’s perspective, from the deceased’s point of view. To see what pushed him, and seeing how his death affected his family, was incredibly poignant and it hit me incredibly heard.

As for Evan, although his actions weren’t right, I believe it was for good intentions. Nobody knows how to deal with grief, and when it breaches the subject of a loved one, it can be unbearably painful. I’m not agreeing with what he did, he could have most definitely found another way of helping that family grieve, but in his head, he was just trying to give Connor what he deserved: to be seen.

Dear Evan Hansen also looks at identity and belonging. Who are we? Where do we go? What’s next? As much as it looks at mental health, it looks at the social aspect of high school; the cliques and how even the most popular of people can be affected by mental health. From Evan’s eyes, we see the highs and lows of high school and how it affects his mental health.

The ending I loved. The path that the author took with the ending was not what I thought it would be. It was realistic, and it was touching.

Dear Evan Hansen is a poignant read that will start the discussion about mental health, identity and belonging in society. You get to see how it affects people in a few different perspectives, and will touch your heart in a big way.

Now this was a great read. Great characters, funny, meaningful. I had no idea this was a musical so that’s my next stop.

Definitely one to read.

This book has come after the musical of the same name, which isn't my usual format - I prefer to read a book before seeing any stage adaptations or films. If you are unfamiliar with the story/musical, I’ll give you a quick run-down. There’s a boy named Evan who has social anxiety and doesn’t have a lot of friends. He writes an encouragement letter to himself as an assignment from his therapist, and it ends up in the wrong hands. As a result, he basically begins to fabricate a story. That’s as vague as I can be without giving more of the story away.

Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me.

Firstly, the pacing. I wasn’t thrilled with it. Some parts dragged on forever and other times you turned a single page and it was over. The writing style felt very basic as well to me. It wasn’t ‘bad’ per-say, but nothing stood out to me.

The characters felt very two dimensional as well. I suppose because they were already crafted for the musical, they didn’t want to stray far away from what people knew already. Evan was really the only character that I felt we really got to know (considering the book was told in first person POV from Evan’s perspective).

I was disappointed I'm afraid. Worth a read, but only if you get it free - don't spend your money.

I Liked...
- It's Dear Evan Hansen. I love this musical so of course I'm going to enjoy that this book is based on the show.
- The story. Like I said, I love the show and as this is the story of the show, it's safe to assume I would enjoy the story.
- The characters. Again, they are the same as the show. However, they really came to life in the book. They were all very well written and I really enjoyed reading about all of them.

I Didn't Like...
- It just didn't translate well. The story alone without the music and stage production just didn't live up to the standard of the show. It fell a bit flat.
- I was bored. As much as I love the story, I found it boring in this format. It took me too long to get through it and I lost interest.
- I was disappointed. I set my expectations too high as this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations, which is probably more my own fault than the book itself.

I really related fully to Evan at the start of the book with his bad anxiety to the point of him wishing he could stay in his room all day because it's so much easier. That was my last year of high school too. The author did an excellent job of describing that level of crippling anxiety.

But I couldn't relate to him embroiling himself deeper with lies about Connor due to anxiety. It makes sense in a disembodied story maybe, but when it's a book and you're actually inside his head and you see his anxiety about literally everything else including eating lunch in public and driving a car, it's completely baffling to see him get himself deeper into these lies just because he thinks it will help Connor's grieving mother. And I'm speaking as someone who stopped leaving the house because passing strangers I'd never see again might think a single bad thought about me.

I'm glad it didn't try to be funny about the cringe parts of the book. I am not a fan of cringe humour and it seems like there's a trend in books lately for cringe humour - especially relating to LGBT themes and misunderstandings therein and, seriously, I am really not a fan so I'm glad this book swerved it when it could've gone that way so easily with Connor's story. The second hand cringe was a little too much at times though.

I was very happy that it ended on a realistic note, with Evan improving with therapy and time. There is no miracle cure for anxiety, and it's important that books and other media reflect this.

The relationship between Evan and Zoe was never good though. Kinda icky. Not sure why it needed to be put in. It didn't drive the plot, and I don't know how anyone could root for them to be together.

I liked all the characters. The writing did very well in feeling authentically teenage boy. I didn't know about the stage show until I heard about this book, so I'll have to check that out now (Netgalley tells me it's coming to the West End in Autumn 2019 so there's something to look forward to!)

Favourite quote:
"Sometimes I feel like therapy is total bullshit, and other times I think the real problem is that I can never get myself to fully buy in."

It was an interesting situation to be in for many reasons. For the most part, I think my weirdness about it was tied up in the fact that I'm so used to the book/movie crossover I wasn't quite prepared for how a book/musical crossover would go. I don't think I can confidently review this without comparing it to the musical so I'm sorry if anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about, I urge you to go and listen to the soundtrack, it's just wonderful. 

So I suppose the main benefit of writing a book to go alongside a stage show is that you can go into a bit more detail, more backstory, more character than you can onstage. For the most part, this book achieves that. I thought it was interesting that I actually found Evan a much less likeable character in the book than he comes across in the musical. That's not to say he isn't a compelling main character and certainly his struggles come off the page in a much more real way then they do on stage, but certain things like his relationship with his mother and with Zoe feel much more broken than they do on stage. So you do get that depth of character. There are also plot elements that you don't get from the stage show (I mean, you get Connor's perspective which was pretty damn cool). So, for those who adore the show and are wanting to delve even deeper into the story then I'd say this is worth a read. And, let's face it, the people who love the show are the target audience for the book.

But that's not to say that I totally loved this book. 

I think, with a musical, you get more of a willing suspension of disbelief because there aren't quite the same means of communicating a complicated plot as there is in a book and as audiences, we're quite used to ludicrously complex set-ups (my mind jumps to Mama Mia). In contrast, in books (even in speculative fiction) we're more cynical. We'll accept a somewhat ridiculous set up (sticking with the Mia theme, I'm going to cite Princess Diaries as my example here) but we do kind of expect the authors to work to make it a bit more plausible. I'm not saying that the plot doesn't work in book form - because it does - but it has that feel of 'yeah right' to it that I couldn't quite shake. 

Because how would this book read if you hadn't seen the musical or listened to the soundtrack? Obviously, I have so I can't fully detach from that, but would the plot seem even more - for want of a better word - fake? Would the moments where the song lyrics actually appear within dialogue or various scenes feel shoehorned and odd if you didn't have the memory of that onstage moment to back them up? Again, the intended audience is surely fans of the show so it doesn't matter too much, but you do have to consider people who will pick this up in bookshops and libraries who don't have that connection, how will they find the story. 

I will say that this book did still manage to get me in the same places that the musical does. Of course, I miss those swelling crescendos and Ben Platt's gorgeous performance but the story is still a powerful one even on the page. Of course, it takes a little suspension of disbelief but I think we can all relate to that feeling of getting in totally over our heads and feeling everything come toppling down at once. And what else can one expect of a book based on a musical - really?

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A great book for secondary school children, but such a shame there is so much bad language. I read some of this through my fingers, as Evan got himself so deep into his lie that he and the recently deceased Connor had been best friends and shared so many times together. This book reminds us that so many secondary pupils feel vulnerable and alone, and yet if they spoke out they would realise they are amongst the majority.

Like all books that turn into musicals, films etc the book gives you so much more.
Everything in-depth.
Thanks to both NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Evan Hansen is invisible. When his therapist sets him the task of writing a letter to himself , he has no idea just how much his world is going to change. The letter is stolen and later found in the pocket of a fellow student who has killed himself. The grieving family latch on to Evan, believing him to be their deceased son's only friend and soon the web of lies Evan reluctantly creates threatens to spiral out of control.
I knew nothing about the musical before reading this book, I was simply drawn to the idea, and I thought it was well executed , While the character of Evan is not particularly likeable, and some of his actions misguided and even despicable , I still found myself feeling some sympathy for his loneliness and feelings of isolation from his peers.
I read and reviewed a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

Wickedly funny and sometimes morally bereft but in a good way. I really enjoyed this though I've never seen the musical, nor did I really know anything about it. So the plot was a complete surprise for me. I often complain that YA doesn't always allow for characters who do truly terrible things, there's a puritanical moralism lately and I often think some of my favourite YA books wouldn't be published today because they're darkly comic and could be construed as insensitive. Evan Hansen is from this family of books and so I suspect it will divide opinion but the people who love it are going to adore its black wit and the beating heart underneath

It’s a good book with solid writing and excellent character development. It rang true in terms of YA voice and issues. The failing was on me as a reader. I am so hit and miss on YA contemporary. So I just didn’t love this. I would rather Evan had discovered himself without a classmate boosting him to fame through committing suicide. (Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zapia is an excellent example of how this can be done in my opinion). I’m very ambivalent about the lying too. On one hand I can understand it considering Evan himself. On the other, the target of those lies made many of them unforgiveable. I really wish Evan hadn’t profited off the grief of bereaved parents. Having said that this book really looks at different mental health issues and explodes a few myths. It contains an important message. It just wasn’t really for me.

When I saw this become available, I jumped at the chance to read it, so thank you Net Galley for accepting my request. Dear Evan Hansen is a very successful broadway musical and is set to transfer to the West End imminently. After seeing the show in New York our son recommended the soundtrack to us and it has become a firm family favourite so as I read this book and noticed lines from lyrics I had a constant musical accompaniment playing in my head and as soon as I’d finished it (it’s a quick read), I played the album in full, understanding far more of the story.

It will pull at your heartstrings, especially if you have or have had or indeed simply worked with teenagers. Evan doesn’t feel he ‘belongs’…he’s ’on the outside, always looking in’ and his mum has him visiting a therapist who has suggested he writes letters to himself to help. The letters begin with ‘Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be an amazing day and here’s why’ and are signed off ‘Sincerely me’. Printing off one of his letters to show his therapist at school sees it falling into the hands of another social misfit – Connor Murphy who sadly takes his own life that evening. His parents find the letter in his possession and wrongly assume that Connor had written it to Evan as his farewell message. Evan doesn’t have the heart to tell them otherwise and ends up getting caught up in a massive web of deceit of his own doing. Finding it harder and harder to come clean, he discovers that he is no longer invisible and experiences what it is like to have friends and ‘belong’. For once, every day is amazing. He is so focused on making the Murphy’s feel better, he totally neglects his own Mum who being a single parent works all hours and is therefore rarely there for him. He knows he can’t go on forever without coming clean and so eventually he does. He loses much of what he has gained and waits for the whole world to come crashing down around him – he is surprised when it doesn’t. His Mum is there for him and it turns out that whilst they don’t want anything more to do with him personally, the Murphy’s prefer their son to be remembered as someone better than he was, the persona Evan created. The really sad part is when the reader discovers the antecedent to Connor’s behaviours…

This is YA fiction, but don’t let that put you off…read the book, see the play, listen to the album – you won’t be disappointed and you will probably cry!

The novelisation of the smash hit Broadway musical, rather than hitting the high notes, falls slightly flat.
Being a fan of the musical Dear Evan Hansen, I was chuffed to be approved for a copy of Dear Evan Hansen the novel, and started reading almost straight away. Having read the first two chapters as part of Penguin's ARC sampler, I knew the style of writing was interesting and engaging, and stuck closely to the musical plotline. This isn't as much a reinterpretation of Dear Evan Hansen as it is a transposition - taking it from the stage and putting it straight on the page.
I won't deny that there were some lovely moments in this book - Evan Hansen's crippling mental health issues are sensitively dealt with and Conor Murphy's taking of his own life is dealt with in accordance with all suicide reporting guidelines, and never played for shock, which is both appropriate and appreciated. But the general plot of Dear Evan Hansen is ... ridiculous.
It's easy to justify ridiculous plots for Broadway musicals because you get carried away by the staging. An entire musical about a chess competition? Yes, ridiculous, but ABBA wrote the music! The single most depressing failed rebellion in French history? Should be dull, but injected with searing intensity of Jean Valjean's desperate struggle to be the man he could be, it is enduringly brilliant. A secret double life completely invented because of a misinterpreted note in the pocket of a boy who took his own life? Sure, why not, as long as the songs are good!

Sadly, on the page, I don't have the same kind of benevolent dismissal of plot difficulties. Without the jaunty tune of Sincerely, Me buoying me up, I can't have the same kind of affection for the book as the musical.
As an adaptation of the source material, DEH is great. It's very faithful to the story, interweaving aspects of the musical through lyrics, thoughts, overheard songs, and conversational snippets, meaning that the avid DEH fan has plenty of Easter Eggs to spot. Evan's chapters are also interspersed with an additional perspective which gives more voice to Conor, which I really liked. I thought it added great depth to a character who is both central and spectral in the musical.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make this book stand up without the prop of the musical behind it. Plenty of great stuff for a fan of DEH the musical, but I don't think I would recommend this to the uninitiated. A cast of largely dislikeable characters, incomprehensible decisions, and absolutely no respect for privacy or personal concerns (Alana, wth), propped up by an improbably huge fundraiser - there's just too much going on here to support without the complex chords of the musical underneath.

A lovely harmony added to the musical version of DEH, it's not strong enough to be a countermelody on its own, and sounds discordant in isolation.

This book is definitely worth reading. The characters are easy to empathise with and I got totally caught up in what was happening. Evans life shows how easy it is for a lie to snowball. There is so much packed into this book. It is great that someone is talking about mental health and loneliness. This may be a book for young adults but it tackles issues adults face as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I finally got around to reading this and i'm quite pleased i did!
I was already a big fan of the soundtrack, but as i hadn't seen the play, i didn't quite grasp how good the story was.
Poignant and sweet with a beautiful lasting message, this was a story that really tugged at the heart strings and had me feeling all types of emotions.

I liked Evan as the main character and loved a lot of the secondary characters too, this was a fun read that i'll definitely be recommending to friends.

I came to this book knowing almost nothing about it. I had heard vaguely that there was a musical and lots of attendees at YALC were excited about the prospect of an arc, so naturally I jumped at the chance of reading it.

Dear Evan Hansen feels a lot like The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Both books had really important discussions about mental health which are absolutely necessary. Its a very relatable book. Evan attempting to navigate high school is something that every can understand.

Like Charlie in Perks, Evan is shy, unpopular and just trying to find his place in the world. In doing so, he crosses paths with Connor Murphy, a troubled teen at his school. Evan develops a relationship with Connor which pulls him into the spotlight. Evan finds Connor and finds himself. Unfortunately too late for Connor.

Today’s going to be an amazing day and here’s why...this book is absolutely worth reading. It’s necessary and important just like Evan, just like Connor, and - reader - just like you.

This is a sensitively written book showing rare insights into the mind of a tortured teenage boy suffering mental health problems. It reads well and although it is a subject that many people might not want to read about, it runs well and holds the reader's interest. There are dire moments but also times of humour. It is entirely believable.

I have seen this book numerous times and didn't really give it much thought. I am now so glad a did.
It brings to light the mixture of different people and emotions that are around when you are a teenager trying to make it through school.
When Evan hears of the suicide of fellow loner Connor, he discovers Connor had in his possession a letter Evan wrote to himself as a part of the project his therapist set him. Connor's family then believe he was never a loner and Evan was his best friend. The last thing Evan wants to do is make Connor's family pain any worse.
I will not forget this book in a hurry.

I have to say that I am a huge fan of the musical that this book is based on so I had high hopes. And luckily this book surpassed that. Felt like you could listen to the soundtrack along with this slightly awkward coming of age tale about rights, wrongs and learning from mistakes. I loved the story. Loved the message and a reminder that you are not alone.

So, this novel is based on the hit broadway production of dear evan hansen. It was pretty much the same story and i loved every single minute of it, it was super good and i loved how it included lines from the original songs. i hope to one day see the production but im glad i read this first




4/5 stars