Dear Evan Hansen - The Musical





Conclusion: It's Worth It

This is a review of the musical, which I love. If you're looking for the review of the book, which I did not love, go here.

The musical focuses a lot on suicide and how it effects those left behind. It also focuses a lot on loneliness and depression and how that effects you and how you see the world. As a person with depression and anxiety, I related very strongly to this and really enjoyed the story. There were so many sad emotions to wallow in! My favorite! And it does satisfy our most vital criteria: Does It End Well?

Seriously, listen to "Words Fail," and if you ever felt alone in high school, I bet you will relate so hard.

I was tempted to put this in It's Good, But... for two reasons:
  • Patrick Ness, one of my all-time favorite authors, had to walk out of the musical because he didn't realize it was about suicide. 
  • I found myself getting moody after obsessively listening to it.
But at the end of the day...I really enjoyed this story. It didn't destroy me. I just found it relatable and moving. BUT if you have trouble with stories about suicide, than this one is not for you.

For the record, I think it handled the topic better than some other shows/books cough13ReasonsWhycough.

- Alana

Books It Reminded Me Of:

If you're looking for more funny awkward narrators, I would recommend, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl and To All the Boys I've Loved Before. For a less funny/more complex/but still delightful read dealing with anxiety, try Starfish (also reviewed here!).

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