Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

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Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher
Genre: Young Adult / Realistic Fiction / Mental Health
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 27th December 2016
ISBN: 9780141387772
Stand Alone/Series: Stand alone
Pages: 336 pages
First Lines: "Sir?" she repeats.  "How soon do you want it to get there?"

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Synopsis:  
The #1 New York Times bestseller and modern classic that's been changing lives for a decade, gets a gorgeous revamped cover and special additional content.

You can't stop the future.
You can't rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.

My Thoughts:
I did watch the tv show first.  See here for the quickie review on the tv show! Part of me always likes to read the book first.  You get so much more out of books than movies / Tv Shows!  The book is obviously different as well, because a tv show tailors to a wider audience of both readers and non -readers.

First thing: the way Hannah chooses to go is different.  I'm not going to say how because I don't want to ruin it for you but that's the first thing.  The other part is Clay listens to all the tapes in one night in the book as opposed to dragging it out in the tv show.  For the book, I think it was a better choice to have it play out in one night otherwise the book would have dragged on and became boring.

When the tapes begin in the book, I could hear Hannah Bakers voice from the show, because the tapes in the book seemed word for word.  It was good!  Though I can't help comparing the tv show to the book, I did like tv Hannah Baker that little bit more.

For me, I put the book down about halfway through.  I'm not sure whether it was because I knew how it was going to end, or whether I lost interest a little bit.  I'd like to think it was the first reason.  Obviously I did pick it up but there was a moment where I didn't think I was going to finish it.  I'm glad I did though.

Like the tv show, and most of you, I was itching to get to Clay's tape.  I think that's what drove me to pick the book back up.  I knew what it was going to say, but like any other story, you always take away something different each time you read a book.  This was also where I really fell in love with the other character Tony.  He's compassionate towards Clay and a genuinely caring person.  You also get to see the other side of Clay that is empathetic and sensitive.  All in all, if you've watched the tv show you should read the book.  Just remember books always hold more than a tv or movie can ever portray.  This was a great read.

Not sure I'd recommend it to anyone under the age of 15 though because it touches on things like suicide, bullying and rape.


Book received from:  Purchased.

Tv Shows Based on Books: Thirteen Reasons Why

*This post may contain Afilliate links

Synopsis:
The #1 New York Times bestseller and modern classic that's been changing lives for a decade gets a gorgeous revamped cover and special additional content.

You can't stop the future.
You can't rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.

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Quickie Review: 

I haven't read the book, but this weekend I binge-watched all 13 episodes of Thirteen Reasons Why.  It showed up on Netflix (Australia) on the 31st of March and by the preview on there I was itching to see whether it lived up to the hype of the trailer.  And yes, yes it did!
I feel guilty for not reading the book, and I hope those of you that have, will enjoy the tv show as much as the book.
It was intense, amazing, and downright cruel the things that Hannah Baker had endured.  You will be bracing for the worst that is yet to come, because you know what is coming, and it's hard to watch someone go through these things and not feel the need to yell at the tv and tell the other characters to stop it!
Thirteen Reasons Why is dramatic take on what pushes a person to commit suicide.  It shows the dark side of High school and how separate incidents can drive a person to choosing such a final end to their story.
I loved all the characters in their own way.  It's not unusual to like the main character the most, but my second favourite apart from Clay was Tony.  He kept Clay in check throughout the tapes and kept him going when he tried to quit.

There are adult themes so keep that in mind when watching.  Towards the end it gets harder to watch so brace yourself for those parts, but definitely worth the time.  I'm guilty of watching this all in just two sittings, it was that good.  I was hooked.

Hope you all enjoy this and take away a bit of insight as well.
Bullying can come in many forms and when it happens, don't be a bystander!  

Waiting on Wednesday (158)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I'm looking forward to reading The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes which will be out July 7th.

Synopsis
This thriller YA is Scandal meets Veronica Mars.

Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems.

And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess.

Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for this compelling teen drama with a political twist.

What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday (152)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I'm really looking forward to reading Instructions for the End of the World: A Novel by Jamie Kain.  This is expected to be out 8th December 2015, so a little bit of a wait but I'm sure well worth it.

Synopsis

From the author of The Good Sister comes a gripping novel about two sisters who learn that there are things in life—love, loss, and self-discovery—that you simply can't prepare for.

He prepared their family for every natural disaster known to man—except for the one that struck.

When Nicole Reed’s father forces her family to move to a remote area of the Sierra Foothills, one without any modern conveniences, it's too much too handle for her mother, who abandons them in the middle of the night. Heading out to track her down, Nicole’s father leaves her in charge of taking care of the house and her younger sister, Izzy. For a while, Nicole is doing just fine running things on her own. But then the food begins to run out, the pipes crack, and forest fires start slowly inching their way closer every day. Wolf, a handsome boy from the neighboring community, offers to help her when she needs it most, but when she starts to develop feelings for him, feelings she knows she will never be allowed to act on once her father returns, she must make a decision. With her family falling apart, will she choose to continue preparing for tomorrow’s disasters, or will she take a chance and really start living for today?

Instructions for the End of the World is a gripping, young adult novel that explores family, friendship, and love in the midst of the most difficult and dangerous circumstances.

What are you waiting on?

MBOB: Still Alice

Movies Based on Books: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Admittedly I have not read this book, but watching the trailer alone for Still Alice has made me pick it up to read.

 Synopsis

Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she’s a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life--and her relationship with her family and the world--forever.

At once beautiful and terrifying, Still Alice is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Judith Guest's Ordinary People.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Title:  Eleanor and Park
Author:  Rainbow Rowell
Genre:  Young Adult / Contemporary / Realistic Fiction
Publisher:  Orion (Hatchette)
Publication Date:  30th April 2013
ISBN:  9781409120544
Stand Alone/Series:  Stand Alone
Pages:  336 pages
First Lines:  He'd stopped trying to bring her back.  She only came back when she felt like it, in dreams and lies and broken-down deja vu

Synopsis:  Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.
Park is the boy at the back of the bus.  Black tshirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible.  But not to Eleanor... never to Eleanor
Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for eachother.  They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you are young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.

My Thoughts:  Eleanor and Park isn't what I expected at all.  I'm glad to say it was better than I initially thought it would be. I am slowly reading more and more contemporary and realistic fiction.  I wouldn't say it's my favourite genre because I prefer post apocalyptic and paranormal books but I really enjoyed Eleanor and Park from beginning to end.  There were no borings bits that I found tends to happen in some contemporary which was a bonus too!

There are so many instances in the book where I can relate to both Eleanor and Park.  The very first time that Eleanor shows up on the bus, I felt so bad for her.  But I also love her attitude when faced with so many challenges.  I would have probably cried a long time before she did and I think that is why I loved her so much.  With her mismatched clothes and the way that she uses ribbons and ties, I was so glad that the Author made her the way she was and not some perfect stereotype of a girl that everyone tries to conform to be.

I really felt for Park too.  Especially towards the very end!  His parents were so supportive of him, it was hard to imagine this sort of thing happening back in 1986, and his father knowing what he knew about the family.  I think that's what makes his family all the more likeable.  Especially his Mum.

I guess this is a really good example of how first loves go.  The awkwardness, and uncertainty when getting to know another person you happen to really like.  By the end of the book I was wishing it didn't have to end!

Favourite part of the book would have to be around 170, when I happened to be sitting there grinning like an idiot at work and thinking Nawwwwwwwwwwww this is awesome!

Definitely not suitable for younger readers as it does explore their relationship a little more than other YA books.


Fave Lines:  Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.
Book received from:  Hatchette Australia

As Stars Fall by Christie Nieman

Title:  As Stars Fall
Author:  Christie Nieman
Genre:  Young Adult / Contemporary
Publisher:  Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication Date:  1st July 2014
ISBN:  9781743517697
Stand Alone/Series:  Stand Alone
Pages:  320 Pages
First Lines:  The light was strange.  The darkness was a deep red, and there was a thickness between the stars.  And the air was strange too.  It had a bitter tang.

Synopsis:  In north-eastern Victoria, bush-covered hills erupt into flames. A Bush Stone-curlew escapes the fire but a woman studying the endangered bird does not.
When Robin's parents split up after the fire, her mother drags her from the country to a new life in the ugly city. Robin misses her dog, her best-friend, the cows, trees, creek, bushland and, especially, the birds. Robin is a self-confessed, signed-up, card-carrying bird-nerd. Just like her dad.
On the first day at her new school, Robin meets Delia. She's freaky, a bit of a workaholic, and definitely not good for Robin's image. Delia's older brother Seth has given up school to prowl the city streets. He is angry at everything, but mostly at the fire that killed his mother.
 When the Bush Stone-curlew turns up in the city parklands next to Seth and Delia's house the three teenagers become inextricably linked. Soon their lives are circling tighter and tighter around each other, and the curlew.

My Thoughts:  As Stars Fall was one of those books that I really enjoyed, most of the time.  I hate to say it but there was a part in the middle in the section named "States and Transitions" where it was, well for me, a bit slow and I kept putting the book down, because I just wasn't interested.

In saying that,  I really enjoyed the rest of the story.  The beginning, "Disturbance" drew me in, and had me feeling sad for both the bird and the woman. Especially the woman as she lost her life in the fire.  We've had some serious fires in Australia, and in February 2009 was the most extreme.  The fires were so bad that they jumped roads and incinerated cars, homes, people.  "Black Saturday" was a very sad day, and the pictures that circulated, including the Koala who came up to the cyclist for water, showed how harsh and unrelenting it was.

The characters were unique, and it was easy to tell each voice apart.  It is labelled at the beginning of a narration change, but even so, to me, it didn't seem needed.  Robin is the new girl at school, a country girl, who has moved to the city with her mother.  She's strong but confused on how she fits into the new city life and is having trouble adjusting.

Delia and Seth are struggling to deal with their grief, and anger; the aftermath of losing their mother.  Living with their father who is drowning out his sorrows with alcohol rather than dealing with his grief head on.  Delia seems to be a little bit of a loner at school, but when it comes to the new girl she has no problem sticking her neck out for her and telling the other "In" girls just how it is.  I feel like she's trying to be so strong that she's just about to crumble under the surface.  Seth skips school, and is drowning out his sorrows another way.  But the thing I love the most about these characters, is how they each see the bush stone curlew.  And this is what ties them all together.

The story is narrated by all three of these characters, Robin in first person, and Delia and Seth in third person.  But occasionally throughout the book, you see the curlew narrating her story, as well as an essay here and there from Selena.  It adds to the story I think, but it also seems to slow the narration and jars it a little.

Overall I did like this book.  There are bits that I didn't like, but it picks up where it needs to towards the end and I loved the ending.  Not for everyone though.

Book received from:  Pan Macmillan Australia