Review (Randi): Thirteen Reasons Why I didn't like this book

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: October 18th, 2007
Page Count: 288
Genre: contemporary realism/issues book (suicide)
Audience: young adult
Source: bought
Rating: 1.5 I would ignore this book's calls, but respond via text

Goodreads Summary: 
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Becky reviewed Thirteen Reasons Why back in August, so check out her review here if you missed it. (Our reviews are very different!)

My thoughts: As a play on this book's title (and the fact that I didn't love it, I thought I'd do a little something different with this review. So here are my thirteen reasons why I didn't much like this book. (Note: I seem to be in the severe minority of people who didn't like this book, so if it sounds appealing to you, just know that most reviews I've read absolutely rave about it!)

Spoiler tags ahead.

1. I didn't like Hannah. At all. Though she did go through some unpleasant things, I couldn't really empathize with her in the long run.

2. Adding to that first reason, Hannah really ticked me off. She blamed everyone else for her problems, granted some of them definitely are attributable to others, rather than trying to take control of her own life. She did effectively "take control of her life" by taking her own life, but she seemed to me to just want to blame everyone else.

3. Some of the people & events she mentioned in her reasons why she killed herself made me want to slap her! 

For example, WHO SITS IN A CLOSET AND LISTENS TO SOMEONE BE RAPED? And then complains about it...Freaking DO SOMETHING.

4. Also, adding onto #3, hot tub scene anyone? She had total control of that situation...yet she used it as one of her "reasons."

5. The fact that she even included Clay.

6. The tapes...Everyone makes mistakes, yes. People do some crappy things to other people. I'm only 24 though, and I realize I'm not anywhere close to the same person I was in high school. I like to think I'm a better person. So how can you saddle thirteen people with guilt over your own suicide for the rest of their lives? So vindictive.

7. This is going to sound incredibly callous, but...I didn't feel sorry for Hannah. We've all been through screwed up situations in our lives (especially during those high school years), and many have been through much much worse than Hannah. But she killed herself anyway.

8. Adding on to #7, what I admire so much about people who persevere is the fact that they didn't give up. Hannah did, and rather than taking her own life to cease the pain she feels, she needed to get vengeance on all the people she felt had wronged her.

9. As someone who deals with clinical depression, I just can't understand why of all the people in her life who care for her,

she picks the guidance counselor to give her help. Yes he failed her, but what about her family? Her parents? I felt like she just didn't anyone to "save" her by this point.

10. I really wanted to like this book. And I thought I would. And that itself annoys me as well because of all the hype it's gotten. I try not to read a book solely based on its hype, but I was actually interested in the premise of this one. However, the characterization of Hannah completely let me down. I think this could have been a better story, but it just didn't work for me.

11. Bouncing off of #10, the whole thing felt anti-climactic. After the escalation of the first few tapes and "reasons" (blames), you assume the "reasons" closer to the time of Hannah's suicide would get worse and worse. I didn't see them that way, though. As I mentioned in 3 & 4, I felt like Hannah got to the point where she simply allowed bad things to happen to her (and others, in the case of #3). I'm not trying to blame the victim here, I promise! I just feel like the story arc and the things she had already gone through would have made Hannah a little less naive, make her a little more active in the events occurring around her, but it seems like she's just looking for more reasons to round out her list of 13.

12. I'm annoyed that she chose 13 reasons since 13 is my birthday and lucky number, and reading this book made me really sad that now I think of Hannah when I think of my number.

13. Overall, my dislike of this book comes down to two points: I couldn't connect with Hannah at all, and the plot fell flat for me. Just remember, many people rave about this book, and definitely don't forget to check out Becky's review to such one such opinion! (Link at the beginning of this review.)

Okay, so obviously some of my reasons were stronger than others. But what did you think? I want to know what I missed in this book. 

FTC Disclaimer: All reviews are solely the opinions of Becky and/or Randi. We are not paid in any way for our reviews, and all opinions are 100% honest.