book review on 13 reasons why

ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY

by Jay Asher ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2007

“Everything affects everything,” declares Hannah Baker, who killed herself two weeks ago. After her death, Clay Jensen—who had a crush on Hannah—finds seven cassette tapes in a brown paper package on his doorstep. Listening to the tapes, Hannah chronicles her downward spiral and the 13 people who led her to make this horrific choice. Evincing the subtle—and not so subtle—cruelties of teen life, from rumors, to reputations, to rape, Hannah explains to her listeners that, “in the end, everything matters.” Most of the novel quite literally takes place in Clay’s head, as he listens to Hannah’s voice pounding in his ears through his headphones, creating a very intimate feel for the reader as Hannah explains herself. Her pain is gut-wrenchingly palpable, and the reader is thrust face-first into a world where everything is related, an intricate yet brutal tapestry of events, people and places. Asher has created an entrancing character study and a riveting look into the psyche of someone who would make this unfortunate choice. A brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a gifted new author. (Fiction. YA)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-59514-171-2

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

Share your opinion of this book

More by Jay Asher

BOOK REVIEW

by Jay Asher & Jessica Freeburg ; illustrated by Jeff Stokely

by Jay Asher

by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

More About This Book

List of Iowa’s Most-Banned Authors Revealed

IN THE NEWS

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

Sales of Print Books Fall in First Three Quarters

SEEN & HEARD

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

From the good girl's guide to murder series , vol. 1.

by Holly Jackson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2020

A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.

Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.

Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.

Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT MYSTERY & THRILLER | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Share full article

Supported by

A Story of a Teenager’s Suicide Quietly Becomes a Best Seller

By Motoko Rich

March 9, 2009

Among the vampires, dragons and dystopian futuristic societies that dominate young adult reading lists, a debut novel about teenage suicide has become a stealthy hit with surprising staying power.

“Thirteen Reasons Why,” by Jay Asher, is made up of the transcripts of audiotapes that 16-year-old Hannah Baker recorded before committing suicide, interspersed with the reactions of a high school classmate who listens to them. Each tape reveals an anecdote about another classmate whose actions the girl blames for her death.

Since it was first published in October 2007 by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Group U.S.A., the novel has sold 158,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70 percent of retail sales. Unlike most books, which are customarily released in paperback about a year after hardcover publication, “Thirteen Reasons Why” has remained in hardcover, with word of mouth and the author’s appearances fueling sales.

“Death and dying has always been a popular theme for kids,” said Josalyn Moran, vice president for children’s books at Barnes & Noble. “Kids like to read about situations that are worse than theirs and figure out that ‘O.K., my life isn’t so bad.’ ”

The book enjoyed a short run on The New York Times’s children’s chapter books best-seller list last spring. Last fall the publisher released a revised hardcover edition that included a new Q. and A. with Mr. Asher.

Razorbill also commissioned the flagship New York office of Grey, an advertising agency, to develop a YouTube campaign featuring videos of a cassette recorder playing Hannah’s tapes, as read by the actress Olivia Thirlby, who played the title character’s best friend in “Juno.”

“Thirteen Reasons Why” re-entered the chapter-book best-seller list in November at No. 10. When next Sunday’s list is published, it will rise to No. 3.

“It was not a book where a whole house runs out and pushes like crazy, and you have to have success right away, because you spent all this money,” said Benjamin Shrank, publisher of Razorbill. The company paid Mr. Asher a low six-figure advance for two books.

With its thrillerlike pacing and scenes of sexual coercion and teenage backbiting, the novel appeals to young readers, who say the book also gives them insight into peers who might consider suicide. “I think the whole message of the book is to be careful what you do to people, because you never know what they’re going through,” said Christian Harvey, a 15-year-old sophomore at Port Charlotte High School in Port Charlotte, Fla. “You can really hurt somebody, even with the littlest thing.”

Ms. Harvey, who bought the book with a gift card last year, said she stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it and immediately recommended it to friends. The school’s book group read the novel in October, and when Mr. Asher visited Port Charlotte in February, about 35 students bought a copy.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” was partly inspired by a relative of Mr. Asher’s who had tried to commit suicide. The idea of using tape recordings, he said, came from a visit to a casino in Las Vegas, where Mr. Asher used a recorded audio guide on a tour of an exhibition about King Tutankhamen of Egypt.

Something about listening to a disembodied voice made Mr. Asher, now 33, think, “This would be a really cool format for a book that I had never seen.”

At the time Mr. Asher, who had dropped out of college to pursue a writing career, was trying to sell comedic picture and chapter books for younger children. Before he sold “Thirteen Reasons” to Razorbill, he said, he submitted a total of 11 manuscripts to publishers. All were rejected.

He was working as an assistant children’s librarian and as a bookseller at a local store in Sheridan, Wyo., six years ago when he started reading a lot of young adult fiction. One day, he said, the idea for “Thirteen Reasons” just hit him, and he wrote what eventually became the first 10 pages that night.

The eerie, sardonic voice of Hannah, the suicide victim, came easily. The character of Clay Jensen, the boy whose reactions to the tapes provide another thread through the novel, was based on Mr. Asher’s own high school memories.

Booksellers have embraced the novel from the beginning. “I’ve read a lot of titles that are pretty dark,” said Kris Vreeland, the children’s book buyer at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, Calif. “But not something that was specifically that kind of a format and never anything that really dealt with suicide from the perspective of the person who has committed suicide.” Ms. Vreeland said the store had sold more than 250 copies.

Mr. Asher was planning to write a lighthearted high school romance as his follow-up to “Thirteen Reasons,” but the intense feedback from readers, he said, caused him to abandon that manuscript halfway through. “I didn’t want them to be let down by my next book,” he said. Now he is working on a novel that “will go into the complications of high school relationships.”

That’s enough for fans like Gabrielle Dupuy, a 17-year-old junior at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, Fla., who heard Mr. Asher speak at her school. “As soon as he told us he was working on another book,” Ms. Dupuy said, “I was like, ‘Can I preorder it now?’ ”

Bookreporter
ReadingGroupGuides
AuthorsOnTheWeb

The Book Report Network

Regular Features

Author spotlights, "bookreporter talks to" videos & podcasts, "bookaccino live: a lively talk about books", favorite monthly lists & picks, seasonal features, book festivals, sports features, bookshelves.

Coming Soon

Newsletters

Weekly Update
On Sale This Week

Fall Reading

Summer Reading
Spring Preview
Winter Reading
Holiday Cheer

Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, thirteen reasons why.

In THIRTEEN REASONS WHY Clay Jenkins finds a box of cassette tapes recorded by one of his classmates, Hannah Baker, who killed herself two weeks earlier. Over the timeframe of a night filled with mystery and emotion, Clay listens to all of the recordings while wandering around town.

There are more than 13 reasons why Jay Asher’s debut novel is a must read. First of all, the premise is unlike any I have read. On Cassette 1: Side A, Hannah says, “I hope you’re ready. I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why I’m not saying which tape brings you into the story. But fear not, if you received this lovely little box, your name will pop up --- I promise. The rules are pretty simple. There are only two. Rule number one: You listen. Rule number two: You pass it on. Hopefully, neither one will be easy for you.”

Good guy Clay is freaked out. He can’t imagine why his name would be on the tapes. He used to work with Hannah at the local movie theater and had a big-time crush on her. What role does he play in all this?

The author does a flawless job of building the story with the unique structure of alternating Hannah’s voice on the tapes with Clay’s as he listens in real time. The reader is immediately drawn in and, like Clay, wants to uncover Hannah’s secrets --- and, more importantly, the reasons why she felt her life had to end so tragically.

Though the subject is dark, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is a masterfully written and gripping tale. As Clay travels through his small town with a map provided by Hannah (a bonus gift in addition to the tapes), he visits the sites of several of the incidents linked to the people on the cassettes. As secrets are revealed, Clay’s opinions of his classmates are altered, deeply affecting his view of human nature itself.

Jay Asher is clearly a talented writer, and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for his fans.

Reviewed by Kristi Olson on June 14, 2011

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Publication Date: June 14, 2011
Genres: Fiction , Young Adult 12+
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
ISBN-10: 159514188X
ISBN-13: 9781595141880

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Book Review

Thirteen reasons why.

Contemporary

Readability Age Range

Razor Bill, an imprint of Penguin Group
ALA/YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2008

Year Published

“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Clay Jensen doesn’t know why Hannah Baker committed suicide, but he’s about to find out. Before she died, Hannah recorded a set of cassette tapes, one side for each of the 13 reasons she chose to take her life. Each reason relates to a person. Each of those 13 people must listen to her tapes, then pass the set on to the next person. And Clay is one of them.

When the tapes arrive in the mail, Clay is confused. Aside from making out with Hannah at a recent party, he didn’t know her well. Despite her loose reputation, he really liked her, and he would never have done anything to hurt her. Surely there was a mistake; he can’t be responsible for Hannah’s suicide. But Hannah has threatened that the tapes will be made public if he doesn’t follow her instructions. So he pops the first tape into an old stereo system in his parents’ garage.

The first name on the tapes is Justin Foley, the first boy Hannah kissed. Clay knows him as an average guy who is popular with the girls. He also knows that Justin and Hannah did more than just kiss — or did they? According to the tapes, the rumors were false, spread by a boastful Justin. To Justin, the rumors meant nothing. But for Hannah, a newcomer, those rumors were the beginning of a reputation that would be impossible to shake.

Clay is hooked on Hannah’s story, but he doesn’t want to keep listening in the garage where his family could walk in at any time. Under the pretense of helping his friend Tony start his less-than-reliable Mustang, he steals Tony’s Walkman. Hannah has also left Clay a map, starred with significant locations that she will mention throughout the tapes. Clay walks to the first location while listening to the next tape.

The first star on the map is Hannah’s old house, now the home of an elderly man who was involved in a serious car accident earlier that year in which a high school student from Clay’s school was killed. The second name is Alex Standall, the boy who named Hannah “Best A–” in the freshman class. While Alex may have meant it as a twisted compliment, it only served to spiral Hannah’s reputation even lower. Boys now felt that they had the right to touch her whenever they felt like it. Clay remembers the girl who was voted Best Lips. He was mesmerized by them and even made out with her — all because of the list.

The third name is Jessica Davis, another newcomer who was friendly with Hannah until more false rumors (this time about Hannah and Alex) caused Alex and Jessica to break up. At the location of the third star (a coffee shop), Jessica scratched Hannah’s face, leaving behind a fingernail and a crescent-shaped scar.

The fourth name is Tyler Down, a peeping Tom who waited, armed with a camera, outside Hannah’s window. Hannah invited Courtney Crimsen (fifth name) over to help her catch the crook. Courtney cared more about using Hannah than she did about being friends. Courtney got Hannah to drive her to a party, then ditched her. And at that party, Courtney started new rumors about Hannah.

On the bus ride to Tyler’s house (fourth star), Clay runs into Skye Miller — his middle school crush. Over the past few years, she has isolated herself from the world, and Clay wonders why, but he gets off the bus without really talking to her. When he reaches the house, Tyler’s window is broken and duct-taped, and Marcus Cooley, Alex’s friend, is there with a rock. Clay refuses to throw it.

Listening to the sixth story, Clay learns that Hannah was Marcus’ “soul mate” on the Oh My Dollar Valentine survey. Marcus asked Hannah for a date at Rosie’s (next star), then almost stood her up. When he finally arrived, he groped her, even after she asked him to stop.

The seventh tape is the story of how Zach Dempsey stole notes of encouragement from Hannah during their peer communications class, and how the class refused to help when Hannah made an anonymous comment about considering suicide.

The eighth story is about Ryan Shaver, who stole one of Hannah’s poems and exposed it to public ridicule. Clay listens and continues to travel to each starred location — now with Tony’s help. Tony knows that Clay stole his Walkman, because Tony is the one Hannah asked to make the tapes public if her instructions weren’t followed. Clay thinks back to the times he was too afraid to ask Hannah out, and wonders if things would have been different if he’d only had the courage to speak to her.

The ninth story is Clay’s. Right away, Hannah admits that Clay doesn’t belong on the list, that he didn’t do anything wrong. She just wants him to hear her reasons and to know why she committed suicide. Hannah talks about how much she liked him and about the party where they lay on a bed and kissed and how she pushed Clay away because she was so afraid of getting hurt.

The 10th story is about Justin again. After Clay left the room but before Hannah could make her exit, Justin Foley and Jessica Davis lurched in. Hannah hid in the closet. Jessica was so drunk that she passed out before anything could happen. Justin left, but then reluctantly allowed his friend, Bryce Walker, to go into the room and rape Jessica. Hannah did nothing to stop it.

When Hannah wandered back into the party, she was visibly shaken. Cheerleader Jenny Kurtz (11th story) offered to drive her home. It was raining, and Jenny knocked over a stop sign. Hannah tried to convince her not to drive the rest of the way home and to report the downed sign. But Jenny refused. Hannah walked to a nearby gas station to call the police, but by the time she got there, it was too late — an accident had already occurred on the corner that was missing a stop sign. It was the accident involving the elderly man who lived in Hannah’s old house.

The 12th story belongs to Bryce Walker. Hannah, spiraling fast, was determined to make some bad choices. At an after party, Bryce asked Hannah to join him and Courtney in a hot tub — in their underwear. Courtney left, and Bryce started groping Hannah. She didn’t resist. He had sex with her. On the tapes, Hannah says that she was finally giving in to her reputation and that she was using Bryce to let go of herself.

The last tape, the 13th story, is about the school guidance counselor, Mr. Porter. Already determined to commit suicide, Hannah hopes he can talk her out of it. But he fails to get Hannah to open up to him, and she leaves. He doesn’t follow.

Help Prevent Teen Suicide

Christian beliefs.

On the tapes, Hannah tells Mr. Porter that he can take the tapes to h— and that she might see him there.

Other Belief Systems

Authority roles.

Clay’s mother tries to be involved in his life, but she too willingly believes his lies and excuses. Late at night, she brings him money to buy food at Rosie’s Diner, but even when she realizes that the tapes aren’t part of a school project, she doesn’t act. Obviously hurt by the lie, she still tells Clay that she trusts him.

Hannah’s parents notice her sliding grades and ask for weekly progress reports. They also ground her. Hannah deceives and disobeys her parents. She goes on dates when they are out of town, lies about boys and sneaks out of the house to go to parties after her parents are asleep.

Mr. Porter is a friendly teacher and guidance counselor. Despite his willingness to meet with Hannah, he fails to stop her from committing suicide. Hannah blames him for not caring enough. Mrs. Bradley is the peer communications teacher. She is universally liked and respected by her students, but she still misses the warning signs of Hannah’s impending suicide.

Profanity & Violence

Profanity includes the terms a–, jacka–, h— and p— . Crude words for private anatomy are used. God’s name is frequently misused.

A girl is raped. After contemplating other ways to commit suicide, Hannah takes pills and dies in a bathtub. Two boys have a fistfight at a party.

Sexual Content

Tyler waits outside Hannah’s bedroom window with a camera and takes pictures of her. In an attempt to catch the peeping Tom, Hannah and Courtney pretend to have a sexualized conversation. Hannah gives Courtney a back massage. Courtney pretends to find sex toys in Hannah’s dresser drawers and starts a rumor about them later. When the girls pull up the blinds, Tyler runs away, frantically trying to put his penis into his pants.

Hannah sits in her underwear in a hot tub with Courtney and Bryce. She doesn’t want to get out because her wet underwear has become see-through. She allows Bryce to fondle her breasts and genitals (very graphic description) and then have sex with her.

Students fill out a survey and pay to receive the names and phone numbers of their “soul mates.” A middle school-aged Clay has an erection when a girl offers to kiss him. Lists circulate about who is hot (or not) and unofficial “awards” are given for the best body parts.

Teens play spin the bottle. They kiss, lie in bed together and make out. High school boys repeatedly touch, grab and grope Hannah, even after she tells them to stop. People around her ignore her discomfort.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Smoking: The store clerk at Blue Spot Liquor is described as having the face of a walnut from smoking too much. Although Hannah only goes there to buy candy, ads for alcohol and tobacco cover the windows.

Suicide: Hannah is fatalistic, and she doesn’t claim responsibility for her actions, blaming the people around her for her decision to take her own life. While this novel condemns suicide as a poor choice offers suggestions for suicide prevention, it also validates the notion that if a person commits suicide, he or she will have the power from beyond the grave to make people pay. If part of the allure of killing oneself is that people will feel horrible for what they did, then this story presents suicide as an effective tool for achieving that goal.

TV Review Tie-In: Producers sometimes use books as a springboard for TV shows. Because of this, a TV show may differ from the novel. To better understand how this book and the TV show differ, compare this book review with Plugged In’s review for 13 Reasons Why .

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] .

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

Latest Book Reviews

The Mystery of Locked Rooms

The Book of Bill

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

Grief in the Fourth Dimension

The First State of Being

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Tales of Belle

Lifestyle Blog

April 16, 2019

Thirteen Reasons Why Book Review

Updated on April 26th, 2023

Last month I finished listening to the audiobook of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, and since I watched both seasons of the series on Netflix, I wanted to compare the book to the series.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through my links, but there is no extra cost to you .

You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.

13 Reasons Why audiobook screenshot from Libby

Trigger Warning: Suicide

13 Reasons Why follows Clay Jensen after he receives a box of cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah Baker who committed suicide 2 weeks earlier. In the tapes, Hannah explains the 13 reasons why she decided to end her life and why Clay is one of those reasons.

Both the Netflix series and the book follow a similar plot, but in the book, Clay listens to all the tapes in a single night whereas in the series it takes him much longer and he interacts with his classmates at school as well as Hannah’s parents at their business. Clay’s relationships with the others add another element to the story, but the book by itself is powerful. The second season of the Netflix series departs from the book and follows the court case between Hannah Baker’s parents vs the school because they failed to protect her from committing suicide, which was interesting to watch.

In both the book and series, you hear Clay’s thoughts as he is listening to the tapes. I thought it was important to see how someone close to Hannah was impacted by her death. The book and series discuss difficult topics including suicide, bullying, and victim blaming. Despite the difficult topics, I did not find the book that emotional whereas the series made me cry several times. I have also read some negative reviews saying that the reasons why Hannah committed suicide were not believable, but I thought they were. Hannah went through horrible experiences in high school that built up inside her. Just because many teenagers experience bullying in high school, there is no reason to believe it was unrealistic for Hannah to commit suicide since people cope differently.

13 Reasons Why is an important book to read because it shows how your actions no matter how small can affect others. If you decide to read the book, I highly recommend the audiobook because there are two narrators, one for Clay and one for Hannah when Clay is listening to the tapes.

Overall, I recommend reading Thirteen Reasons Why because it highlights difficult topics including suicide and how people’s actions can affect others.

£8.99 / $11 at Waterstones

Have you read or watched 13 reasons why what did you think.

If you or anyone you know need help finding support and crisis resources in your area, go to 13reasonswhy.info for more information.

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Tales of Belle and receive notifications of new posts.

Email Address

Privacy Overview

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Thirteen Reasons Why › Customer reviews

Customer reviews.

4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 21% 10% 3% 2% 64% 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 21% 10% 3% 2% 21% 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 21% 10% 3% 2% 10% 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 21% 10% 3% 2% 3% 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 21% 10% 3% 2% 2%

Thirteen Reasons Why

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the united states, there was a problem loading comments right now. please try again later..

← Previous page
Next page →

Amazon Newsletter
About Amazon
Accessibility
Sustainability
Press Center
Investor Relations
Amazon Devices
Amazon Science
Sell on Amazon
Sell apps on Amazon
Supply to Amazon
Protect & Build Your Brand
Become an Affiliate
Become a Delivery Driver
Start a Package Delivery Business
Advertise Your Products
Self-Publish with Us
Become an Amazon Hub Partner
› See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Visa
Amazon Store Card
Amazon Secured Card
Amazon Business Card
Shop with Points
Credit Card Marketplace
Reload Your Balance
Amazon Currency Converter
Your Account
Your Orders
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
Registry & Gift List

Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
Your Ads Privacy Choices

Member Login
Library Patron Login
Get a Free Issue of our Ezine! Claim

Book Summary and Reviews of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

Critics' Consensus:
Readers' Rating:
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Write a Review
Buy This Book

About this book

Book summary.

Clay Jenkins returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 13 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.

"Beyond the Book" articles
Free books to read and review (US only)
Find books by time period, setting & theme
Read-alike suggestions by book and author
Book club discussions
and much more!
Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
More about membership!

Media Reviews

Reader reviews.

"Starred Review. A brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a gifted new author." - Kirkus "...compelling reading." - Booklist "This provocative tale touches on universal topics of interest, is genuine in its message, and would be a good choice for high school book discussions and booktalks." - VOYA "It may not be for everyone, and many may become bored and/or discouraged before the end, but, like other Razorbill books, it is challenging and interesting." - Children's Literature "The episodic structure is nicely suited to reluctant readers, but the breakneck pace and dizzying emotion are the true source of this novel's irresistible readability at all levels." - School Library Journal

More Information

More Author Information

More Recommendations

Readers also browsed . . ..

My Heart Underwater by Laurel Fantauzzo
Saints of the Household by Ari Tison
The Making of Yolanda la Bruja by Lorraine Avila
The Lightness of Hands by Jeff Garvin
The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho
Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon
Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour
Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley
We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Like Home by Louisa Onome

more YA literary fiction...

Book Jacket: There Are Rivers in the Sky

BookBrowse Book Club

Members Recommend

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

Discover the bestselling Japanese novel celebrating the healing power of cats.

Solve this clue:

K U with T J

and be entered to win..

Book Club Giveaway!

Before the Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kurian

Both epic and intimate, this debut announces a brilliant new talent for readers of Imbolo Mbue and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Your guide to exceptional books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email.

Free Weekly Newsletters

Discover what's happening in the world of books: reviews, previews, interviews, giveaways, and more plus when you subscribe, we'll send you a free issue of our member's only ezine..

Spam Free : Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time.

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The novel follows Hannah Baker, a teenager girl who commits suicide and leaves behind a series of tapes explaining the reasons and the people who contributed to her unfortunate end. In her first tape, she requests the tapes to be passed along to those mentioned in them and Clay Jensen ends up listening to them. Each tape represents a person, which means Clay is on them. On the tapes, each person is not only roasted by Hannah, but is also involved with several events that happened to her in the past year.

First of all, I don’t like Hannah Baker. Hannah could have been written better and the attitude she has throughout the book could have been altered or left out. Clay seemed to be the most realistic person written in the book and you feel quite sympathetic for him because he has no idea how or why Hannah has included him on these tapes. As for the other characters, they each portray the stereotypical students you see in high school.

From the creep to the jock and the popular girl, the book features all of these characters and they are all at fault for contributing to Hannah’s death. With each person having played a vital part in both Hannah’s life and death, they are all connected to Hannah in some way. From Justin to Courtney, and even the ‘Peeping Tom’, each character was captured perfectly, except for Hannah. The ending is probably one of the most heart-wrenching things to read, and for me, possibly the hardest thing I’ve read. The thing about topics like suicide is almost any person can play such an important role no matter how long they have known the person.

While it may not have been the best book overall, it was a decent representation of how an individual who has had or is currently having suicidal thoughts. However, the book is something everyone should read at some point in their lifetime.

A 10th anniversary edition of Thirteen Reasons Why was released in December last year, which features exclusive content including an alternate ending, notes and deleted scenes. Another version of the book has also been released to tie-in with the upcoming series. The Netflix tie-in edition features a 16-page full-colour photo insert displaying scenes from the show, and interviews with the cast and crew.

Review: Steelstriker by Marie Lu

Whether you have or haven’t watched the Netflix series yet, we highly recommend you read the book as well. While the series has expanded on the book and differed slightly, both the book and series are excellent.

Have you read Thirteen Reasons Why? Let us know your thoughts on the book in the comments below!

Learn More About The ‘Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda’ Film Adaption

January Book Releases: YA Contemporary

Review: The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

How to Achieve Your Bookish Resolutions

New Trailer for Netflix’s ‘13 Reasons Why’

12 March Book Releases

April Book Releases: Fantasy & Sci-Fi

New to Netflix: 13 Reasons Why

Top Reviews

Movie review: free guy, tv review: normal people, lovecraft country recap: 1.05 ‘strange case’, lovecraft country recap: 1.06 ‘meet me in daegu’.

--> --> Light --> --> --> Dark --> --> PVPF 2023 -->

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

Please select an existing bookshelf

Please sign up to continue.

Almost there!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

A Story of a Teenager’s Suicide Quietly Becomes a Best Seller

Regular Features

Newsletters

Fall Reading

Word of Mouth

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Book Review

Readability Age Range

Year Published

Plot Summary

Help Prevent Teen Suicide​

Other Belief Systems

Profanity & Violence

Sexual Content

Discussion Topics

Additional Comments

Latest Book Reviews

The Mystery of Locked Rooms

The Book of Bill

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

Grief in the Fourth Dimension

The First State of Being

Thirteen Reasons Why Book Review

£8.99 / $11 at Waterstones

Share this:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe via Email

Privacy Overview

Thirteen Reasons Why › Customer reviews

Thirteen Reasons Why

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Book Summary and Reviews of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why

About this book

Media Reviews

More Information

More Recommendations

BookBrowse Book Club

Members Recommend

Book Club Giveaway!

Free Weekly Newsletters

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Review: Steelstriker by Marie Lu

Learn More About The ‘Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda’ Film Adaption

January Book Releases: YA Contemporary

Review: The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

How to Achieve Your Bookish Resolutions

New Trailer for Netflix’s ‘13 Reasons Why’

12 March Book Releases

April Book Releases: Fantasy & Sci-Fi

New to Netflix: 13 Reasons Why

Top Reviews

Help Prevent Teen Suicide