Dear Evan Hansen- Val Emmich BOOK TALK

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It's hardly surprising that I loved this book. The musical is one of my favourites and I was super excited when they announced a book was going to be written around the story. This story is perfect for a book format and I was really excited to get even more detail out of the plot! Don't get me wrong, the musical is amazing and heart-felt and relatable but... it's a musical! Like with movies, there's not enough time to get a real in-depth backstory for every character and the book really expanded on certain characters that may have been in the background of the movie.
This story revolves a lot around social anxiety and different relationships which makes it so beautifully relatable. Honestly, this story, book and musical, is a warm hug saying 'it's alright. I understand. You'll be okay and here's why...'

GOODREADS

AMAZON

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
Warning: This review will contain many comparisons to the musical because, let's face it, it's kind of hard not to compare them.
What I loved most about this book was learning more about Connor. Yes, he has a big presence in the musical but you don't actually find out that much about him- I didn't even know why he'd committed suicide!! I desperately wanted the book to provide more insight into his character and it definitely did! I loved Connor's chapters. It was so interesting to learn about his life, what he really thought of everyone and, especially, his relationship with Miguel! Miguel isn't even mentioned in the musical but I loved his importance to this book. And, honestly, it broke my heart to find out that Miguel didn't reply to Connor's 'I miss you' text because he was at work!! I nearly cried at that point.
Unsurprisingly, I also loved Evan- he may be one of the most relatable protagonists I've ever read. It's so nice to read a character that struggles with such social anxiety and, even though Evan makes many questionable decisions and mistakes, I actually felt proud of him throughout this book because he was putting himself out there and no longer needing to take his medication! It was great to see his confidence grow throughout the book.
Zoe really surprised me in this book. I'm not a massive fan of her in the musical- we don't really know too much about her and she's pretty much just there for the most part. Book Zoe just felt like a deeper, more realistic character and I actually felt sympathy and genuine feelings for her through this book. It was nice to see a little more about how Connor's death affected her and how she truly feels about it all.
Moving onto Jared... I was disappointed in his character and it pains me to say that because musical Jared is so great! I just don't think we got to see the true extent of Evan and Jared's friendship as much in the book because we spent so much time with Zoe. And then, because we don't get a full sense of how far their friendship has grown, Jared being mad at Evan near the end of the book doesn't pack the same punch as it does in the musical. In the song, Good for You, you really get a sense of Jared's bitterness and how betrayed and hurt he felt but the book skimmed over that too much for me. I wanted to see more of who Jared actually is, not just this funny, cares-about-nothing facade!

Finally, an opinion that didn't change during this book (but maybe strengthened) is my hatred for Alana. Hear me out before you kill me. I understand that she's a loner just like Evan, she tries really hard and she's super motivated but... I just find her a bit too full-on and insensitive. If I met her in real life, she'd intimidate the heck out of me and would probably made me curl further and further into my little shy-nervous-anxious-person shell. And then there's the case of how insensitive she is. Throughout the whole book she was pressuring and pushing Evan to give more emails and private details and it seemed totally out of order! According to what she knows, he's grieving the loss of his only friend- stop hounding him! I was livid when she posted a copy of 'Connor's' suicide note online because she had no right! Evan specifically asked her not to share it, claiming it was too private and personal but does she care about anyone's feelings? No! She essentially tells him 'tough luck' and that everyone has a right to see that letter. How out of order!
Rant over.
Another great thing about this story is the focus on the parental relationships. A lot of YA fiction keeps parents to the sidelines (if they're not dead to add some extra angst to the protagonist's background) but I love how this story explores these relationships. Evan's relationship with his mother is so painfully realistic and it's the same with Connor's parents. This story is truly an honest and profound look at the realities of growing up- especially with social anxiety.
Overall, of course I loved the book because it had such great material to develop a story from. I won't say I prefer the book to the musical because, frankly, that'd be a complete and utter lie. However, I will say that this book was relatable in a bittersweet way and I absolutely loved it.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe