TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Jill's Book Blog 
I think this one depends on whether you’ve listened to the soundtrack obsessively/seen the Broadway production. I say that because they use a lot of the lyrics and plot points (obviously lol) from the show while changing a few things up. The pro? You get a new perspective and deeper insight on what the characters are feelings/thinking internally that you can’t get from the show. The con? I don’t feel like the lyrics are as powerful without knowing how they sound and the emotions the actors put behind their delivery.
At the end of the day this is controversial read because of Evan’s actions and deceptions, but I do believe the overall message the show and the book push is inspiring, hopeful, and necessary in today’s chaotic world.
Hope that helps lol
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Hmm that’s interesting. I haven’t seen the play, but I may one day. I’ll probably read the book before I see the play so I’m curious to see what the differences are.
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