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Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher

Start date: June 1, 2013

Finish date: June 30, 2013

Discussion: Group Read

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What Members Thought

Nov 09, 2011 Annie Brewer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-on-my-shelf, death, 2013, tearjerker, favorite-authors, sexual-abuse, emotionally-devastating, unforgettable, teen-sex, male-point-of-view

God. What a story. I read this book in less than 12 hours. That's a record. Seriously. I was sucked right into Clay and Hannah's story. From the word go. I finally went to sleep at 4 am in tears. I woke up and picked up where I left off. This book was so heartbreaking. For Clay. For Hannah.

This is a must read for teens and those that've been in Hannah's situation. I've known a few people who went through this...and that made it all the more real, gritty, raw and hard to swallow.
Suicide is pret ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2012 ♥Booknerdswift♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

So good! If any of you know of a friend who's thinking of it, just try to stop them. Do things with them. One of my teachers friends was going to end his life(friend not teacher) @ 20. Teacher did things with him, like going to Niagara Falls. Don't just sit there and do nothing! Do something! ...more

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Sep 19, 2011 ellie k rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Thirteen Reasons Why
This book has been recommended to me so many times, so I knew I’d read it eventually. I reserved it at my local library (which, conveniently enough, is also my workplace). However, I was reading several books by the time it came in so it got put on my shelf and more-or-less forgotten about.

When I realised it was overdue (only by a day or two, don’t stress) and two reservations on, I thought I better prioritise and see if I could get through it in a couple of days.

I started re Thirteen Reasons Why
This book has been recommended to me so many times, so I knew I’d read it eventually. I reserved it at my local library (which, conveniently enough, is also my workplace). However, I was reading several books by the time it came in so it got put on my shelf and more-or-less forgotten about.

When I realised it was overdue (only by a day or two, don’t stress) and two reservations on, I thought I better prioritise and see if I could get through it in a couple of days.

I started reading it when I got home from work at 6pm. I read it while I cooked tea; while I ate tea; while my boyfriend watched Top Gear. Then at 9:30pm I had to stop because he needed Girlfriend Support. I picked it back up this morning and read it while I was getting ready for work.

It’s now on its way to the next person. Much like Hannah’s tapes.

Thirteen reasons why is a one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read. It grips you from the first few lines and doesn’t let go … ever.

It’s helped along by the simplistic writing – and really, how many books can you say that about? The short sentences from Clay are completely in tune with how he’s feeling. No wishy-washy paragraphs about feelings here. And the book is better for it.

Even the idea behind the novel – a package of thirteen tapes with no return address appears on Clay’s doorstep, addressed to him. On the tapes is the voice of Hannah, a girl who committed suicide a few weeks earlier. She explains there are thirteen reasons – people – why she killed herself; if you received the tapes, you’re one of them.

I can’t even describe how this novel affected me. As someone who suffered depression and a suicide attempt … it’s powerful. Every teenager should read it. It should be in the curriculum at high schools, or maybe even upper primary (middle school). It shows the snowball effect of bullying and what might seem virtually innocent to the person doing the harassment can often be devastating for the victim. ...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Karisa Mariee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow. I don't even know where to begin when describing this book. First off i guess i should say that i was really iffy on this book but i am very glad that i gave it a chance because it ended up being one of the best books i have ever read. :) This book made you look at the topic of suicide in many different ways, and it made you realize that the smallest thing could be why a person committs suicide. This book was well written, and throughout the whole book it had me on the edge of my seat becau ...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Megan (The Book Babe) rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed-on-my-site

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Thirteen Reasons Why is a whirlwind, full of emotion, along with a cast full of terrific characters. It pulled me in from the very beginning. If you know me, you know that I absolutely cannot resist a sad story, a sad song, or even a sad movie. The more they make me cry, the better I'll feel at the end. Because it actually says something. It's not meaningless fluff, and you'll know when you're finished that you truly got som [image error]

Due to copy an paste, formatting has been lost.

Thirteen Reasons Why is a whirlwind, full of emotion, along with a cast full of terrific characters. It pulled me in from the very beginning. If you know me, you know that I absolutely cannot resist a sad story, a sad song, or even a sad movie. The more they make me cry, the better I'll feel at the end. Because it actually says something. It's not meaningless fluff, and you'll know when you're finished that you truly got something out of it. It was truly worth it.

Hannah's story is exactly that. It's amazingly sad, but you know when you're done that it was worth it. It was worth it, just to know why she did it. What her 'Thirteen Reasons Why' were. Why she never truly thought that she belonged. And that sad part is, that through Clay's eyes, she was amazing. But she never knew it. So many things went wrong in her life, and they all just added and added to the catalyst. The real reason why.

Even though we never really get to see Hannah alive (her point of view is told through tapes, made before she died. Her suicide note, if you will.), she is so amazingly developed that I had a hard time believing that she was dead. A lot of authors don't pull out all the stops when writing a character, but Jay Asher definitely did. I had no problem believing that Hannah was real, or that she had killed herself. She was that kind of character, and I really, really wish that she hadn't been a suicide. I would've loved to have read a story about a happy Hannah, but maybe she wouldn't have been as great happy.

Maybe what makes her so great is her heart-breaking story, and the lengths she goes through to tell it. Maybe she would've been mediocre without it.

I hope not. But it's always a possibility. You've heard me sing Hannah's praises enough. Now you need to hear about Clay. Clay is everything that Hannah is not. He's a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. No one ever has anything bad to say about him, because he's simply a good guy. And when he's listening to the tapes, you feel him. You feel his agony, right in your heart, pulsing to get out. He doesn't know why he's on the tapes. And neither do you, until you truly read. You'll be surprised, because he has the best story of all.

Overall, I cannot sing enough praises about Thirteen Reasons Why, so I'll stop now, before I get too carried away.

Favorite Quote:
And truthfully, I don't know what they could have said to sway me either way. Because maybe I was being selfish. Maybe I was just looking for attention. Maybe I just wanted to hear people discuss me and my problems.
...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Kimberly rated it liked it

Hannah, the girl who committed suicide due to a string of events, leaves behind 7 cassette tapes for those who she said its the cause of her suicide. Clay Jensen, who got the tapes one day out of the blue, start listening to those tapes and trying to figure out what part did he play in Hannah's suicide.

After listening (*or me reading it*) to Hannah's tapes, my first thought was, "Is there no one in that school good or kind?". I know (view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Carys rated it did not like it

Shelves: ugh, 2015-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 03, 2011 Talia Dominguez Castro added it

Shelves: zread-in-2012

ok so this book is sad :( bt well is abt clay likin hanna and is mad fpr mt noticin dat hanna was goin to commit suicide until he heard the tapes dat she had left before she died.....when he goes back to school da next day he sees a girl name skye givin the same signals

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