ARC OF DEAR EVAN HANSEN REVIEW

Dear Evan Hansen
by Val Emmich
Expected publication: October 9th 2018
by PoppyGet a copy:
Amazon barnesandnobles 
book depository
Indigo

Summary

From the show's creators comes the groundbreaking novel inspired by the Broadway smash hit 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.



REVIEW

Thank you to LBYR and The NOVL for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book not knowing what it was about, only knowing that it was based on a musical. I devoured this book quiet fast. It was such a warm hearted light read with really big topics and a heart breaking story. The story, the plot, the characters were all so amazing and I loved every part of it. By the ending I found myself crying so hard and couldn't stop.

We follow Evan Hansen who has dug himself into a whole of lies, he can't seem to find the way out of. He was a good and enjoyable character to follow. You never really knew which path he would take. While reading I thought he was going to break and tell the truth sometimes, but he just kept digging that whole. I truly felt for Evan, I felt like I sort of connected to him in a way. I understood why he did the things he did and felt what he felt. 

We also follow some small scripts from Conner which I really enjoyed. I really like being able to read what Connor was thinking after his death and what his thoughts were on what was happening with Evan. On the other hand, I didn't feel much of a connection with Zoe. We didn't get a lot or enough of her. I felt like she was a bit blurred throughout the story even though it made it seem as if she was a big part of it. Also, her relationship with Evan felt a little fake. It had no build up of any sort and the climax wasn't good enough for me either. 

I deeply loved the development of this story. I love how in the beginning everything felt like it was collapsing, in Evan's world. After Connor took that letter we didn't know what was really going to happen. Especially putting yourself in Evan's shoes.( I also didn't read a synopsis of this story, I went in blind.) The build up with all the lies on top of lies was so scary and overwhelming. I felt so bad for Evan I didn't want the book to end because I didn't want for him to end up exactly where he started or worse. When the ending did come I cried so hard for him. I was an emotional wreck. 

This story was amazing and I'm so glad I was able to read it. The soundtrack is on blast and I'm getting ready to buy tickets to the Broadway show. I definitely recommend books with heavy topics such as dealing with mental health and suicide. This book was very diverse as well and I loved that.

5★★★★★