A novelization of the Tony-awarding winning musical

Evan is depressed. And anxious. Anxiously depressed. Depressedly anxious. His social anxiety prevents him from making friends and being himself. Instead, he prefers to stay invisible. To help with his mental illness, he sees a therapist, Dr. Sherman, who gives him a daily assignment: write a letter to yourself. One of these letters, though, gets in the wrong hands: Connor Murphy, resident troubled boy whose young sister, Zoe, Evan as the biggest crush ever on. The day after confiscating Evan's most recent letter, Connor kills himself, and his parents mistakenly think that Evan and Connor were best friends-- because Connor was found with the "Dear Evan Hansen" letter on him. Nothing could be further from the truth, but Evan feels compelled to help the grieving family feel better by playing along. However, as with all webs of lies, it gets out of hand. VERY out of hand. How will Evan get out of and/or fix this mess he's made.

This is definitely a book that I skimmed. I had high hopes for it since the musical has been so widely talked about and loved, but it felt like a bland white boy who didn't have any personality beyond his mental illness. (Haven't you read (Don't) Call Me Crazy?! We are not defined by our mental illness!) This makes him a one-dimensional character. I appreciate the attention to mental health and the de-stigmatizing it is doing for mental health in the larger picture, but there are so many other stories out there that do better justice for the cause.

I was so disappointed I wouldn't be able to see this play in person so when I saw the book I naturally freaked out! I loved every second of this book! I read it while listening to the soundtrack of the play! So wonderful!

Wow, so I'm really torn and am finding this book very hard to rate and review. I went into it knowing very little other than that the story is based on a very popular Broadway musical that I know almost nothing about except that the kid from Pitch Perfect played the lead. I read the general synopsis about getting caught up in a lie and how this "simple lie leads to complicated truths" and while this is a very apt description, it also made reading the book really difficult for me. I found it really hard to read from Evan's point of view as he got deeper and deeper into this lie, and the things he did to maintain his lie.

Overall, I am very glad that I pushed through the hard parts to read and made it to the end. I think everyone will be able to find something in this book to connect to, whether it is a character, a part of the story or the emotions and struggles in character's lives.

My rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. This review is based off an arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for honest reviews.

I wasn’t familiar with the show or the soundtrack when this was sent by the publisher as a “read it now”. It seems safe to say that if I wouldn’t have gotten that email, I probably wouldn’t have read it, even if I was intrigued by the synopsis.

I liked Evan well enough. He’s struggling and wants someone to know him and it almost made sense why he did what he did. I wish I could say something about the other characters, but everyone seemed so clichéd and flat. I did like Connor’s chapters and they were sort of what kept me reading.

Plot wise it was soooooooo slow. I read to 60% before I started skipping around and for me it didn’t really improve. I couldn’t settle into the story and spent a good portion of the book irritated that Evan kept lying. Oh, and he was such a dick to his mom.

Overall, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I’m wondering if the show would have worked better for me.

**Huge thanks to Poppy for providing the arc free of charge**

I'll fully admit that my rating for this book will be slightly skewed due to my love of the show and soundtrack, which I admit are better than this book. However, I still enjoyed getting a deeper insight and perspective into the characters that could only be provided via this medium.

And while there are parts of this book this book that I'm certain readers are going to have issues with I still think the overall message is inspiring, hopeful, and so necessary in today's chaotic world.

I need to really study my notes and try to separate book from show to produce a full review, but I do believe this novel serves as a solid standalone. If you haven't seen the show, or listened to the OBC album, you'll still understand Evan's plight.

Some books are difficult to read. Not because the words are too hard – I’m a prolific reader and a graduate of English Literature, don’t you know. They are difficult because – as with all books – you have no control over the characters and as much as you would like to subtly whisper in their ears the right choices and the right paths to take, you just can’t.

This was true of Dear Evan Hansen. Oh Evan, what are we going to do with you? Evan finds himself in a completely horrible situation. As the saying goes, he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the day that Evan’s classmate Connor Murphy dies he and Evan have had an altercation which leads Connor’s parents to believe that Connor and Evan were friends. More than that, they believe that Connor’s suicide note was left to Evan. Much to Evan’s dismay, the note is actually a letter he wrote to himself on the advice of his therapist. How can he explain himself without ruining the last remnants of hope from Connor’s family and without making himself look crazy in the meantime?

Dear Evan Hansen is cringeworthy in all the right places and you feel yourself spiral deeper into the abyss alongside Evan. You feel the oppressive air become closer and tighter the more and more lies that Evan has to tell. It is a book that you cannot read passively. And the frustrating thing is that you know the story can only end one way but like Evan you keep looking for escape routes. It is that sort of novel.

Dear Evan Hansen has to have been one of the most immersive YA novels that I have read in a long time…and I bloody loved it.

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich is available now.

For more information regarding Val Emmich (@ValEmmich) please visit www.valemmich.com.

For more information regarding Little Brown for Young Readers (@LittleBrownYR) please visit www.LBYR.com.

I was so excited to pick up this book, because even though I still have to go and watch the Broadway show in which this one based off, I'm a big fan of the soundtrack and the lyrics and everything, so I wanted to see if the novel had the same vibe the songs had. Turns out, it did, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I adored to read more about Evan Hansen. He is such a pure being, and I think the book portrayed him just as I imagined him to be. The first part of the novel was absolutely amazing. We get to know more about him and his relationship (practically non-existent relationship) with Connor and everything he did to prove he was friends with him before. The tone of the writing was serious, but with some funny dialogs and parts that made me cracked out loud. And not only that but also found the characters very relatable and real.

The second part, though was were I had more issues with. I feel that it came a bit rushed, and though that usually works with theatre plays, I would have enjoyed it more if it slowed down and addressed more those character issues and their stories than what it did. I found the things that I enjoyed in part one weren't actually there, so that made me a bit disappointed.

However, I enjoyed the writing style and I think that it was a super fast paced book that took me less than three hours to finish, and not only that but I think it also brought up some important things to discussion.

"Dear Evan Hansen" is a sad but sweet YA contemporary that addresses anxiety and the power of a small lie. Evan has a lot of anxiety for which he sees a therapist and takes medication. It also prevents him from easily making friends. This school year, he is determined to be different. His mother, who is often too busy working to spend time with him, has given him a marker to allow other kids to write on his cast, obtained when he was climbing a high tree at the park where he interned, and an appointment with his therapist for after school, for which he needs to write a letter to himself.

The first day does not go as planned. Lunch is always anxiety-provoking and Evan decides to ask Jared, a family friend, if he can sit with him. In the process, Jared makes a rude comment to Connor Murphy, the brother of the girl Evan has a crush on, and Evan laughs awkwardly, earning him a shove from Connor. When he is printing his letter to himself in the computer lab, Connor is again there, but this time, he signs Evan's cast, because they both don't have friends. However, then he sees Evan's letter and assumes it is a prank on him (since it talks about his sister) and so he takes it.

Evan is waiting for the ball to drop- will the letter appear online? Will it ruin his life? When a few days later, he is called to the principal's office, he learns that Connor did nothing but pocket the letter. However, he had the letter in his pocket when he killed himself, and his family and the police believe that it was his suicide note. Evan is unable to clear the air and tell the truth due to his anxiety and a grieving family grasping for answers about the son they felt they barely knew. So begins this journey into Evan's new life where people notice him for being Connor's secret best friend and Connor's family begins to accept him as part of theirs- the family he doesn't have.

Told mostly from Evan's point-of-view but with some valuable sections from Connor after his death, this book is full of hope and anxiety. While we all know the truth will always get out, we don't know how or what the repercussions will be. This was a fast-paced book which I read within a day. The characters, particularly Evan, really drew me into this story- he's so genuine, real, and sweet (despite the situations in which he finds himself). I think there are some really important messages about mental health in this book, and I really think the overall flow and tone was well done. This is a story about grief, honesty, and healing that I found really engaging and touching.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I think this might be a hit or miss for people. You’re either going to really like it, or be disappointed.

Thankfully, I’m the former!

I did have some issues with pacing; times where I felt disengaged. But I really related to Evan and Connor.

I’m wondering how closely this relates to the musical. And I also want to watch said musical. This book is probably more in-depth, but I think I’d love the live action just as much. I do wonder how these themes are handled on the stage, but then again, it’s not as though tough subject matter hasn’t been scripted for such before.

I highly recommend this!

I loved the musical but I LIVED FOR THIS NOVEL!! Breath taking. Everything I could have ever asked for. All it was missing was Ben Platt, which would be impossible to translate into mere words, so you are forgiven.

Well worth the struggle to obtain an ARC. So so beautiful and so so sad and so so real. It didn't seem possible that I could love a story more than I loved Ben Platt as Evan Hansen. But this did the job. The writing is lovely and sets the perfect tone for the anxiety and fear and flat-0ut terror Evan encounters during the seemingly mundane encounters of life. Big big props to these writers for doing the play justice. I'm impressed

Dear Evan Hansen is a beautifully written story. Powerful, sad, and full of hope. Evan is the character people will wish they noticed for the right reasons.

Thank you to The Novl #Partner #TheNovelBookSquad for gifting me this book, in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I rate this book a 4 out of 5 Stars.

If you would have told me that this book was based on a Broadway play, I never would have guessed. Honestly I would have thought it'd be the other way around. I am a super fan of Val Emmich, he writes incredibly well, and pulls at every heart string you have.

I appreciated all the topics broached in this book, mental health, sexual orientation, first loves, drug use, bullying, all of which I love seeing in a good YA book. Teens tend to follow pop culture trends more than the advice of their own parents. So if a book could help my daughter feel more comfortable with her mental health, or her sexual orientation, than I'd so for it. So when I come across a book like this, I want to see it succeeded.

Once I started D.E.H. I was pretty much sucked in from the start. There is something so endearing about Emmich's story telling process. His emotions are very apparent, you can tell what he was feeling from mind onto the pages. This book will show you how fast a lie, even one with the best of intentions can spiral wildly out of control, and when you know the difference between right and wrong, how long do you let the lie go? When do you tell the truth, even though it's going to break the hearts of EVERYONE you care for and love?

I felt for Evan, I felt for his mom, As a mom myself, when my kids hurt, I hurt, when my kids are bullied, I want to go stop said Bully. I want to fight every fight for them, I want them to have the best life, but then it comes to a time where I have to stand back, and let them be, just as Evans mom does. So for me, I read this with my mom instincts, but also because there are some very strong similarities between Evan, Connor, and my daughter, so I felt like this book really just resonated with me. A very visceral reaction to this book. I loved it, and I am so glad that I got to read it early, because I was having a very hard time waiting for it!

I appreciated that the kids in the book seemed like kids I'd see roaming any high-schools halls. They were portrayed very realistically, and very age appropriate. I also appreciated this was a borderline clean read, so it can be safe for young readers and adult readers alike. It flowed well, and was a very quick read, I read my copy within 12 hours of starting. There was something very addictive about this story. I wanted to see what happened with Evan's lie, and because of that I feel like I flew through the pages to see how it all ended.

Great book for those who love the musical. I have yet to see the show, but have heard great things! I would recommend this to everyone as it's a great way to have the story with you every year. Plus you can add the songs from the musical into your reading experience.

Dear Evan Hanson, today is going to be a good day and here’s why.



I need to get tickets ASAP to see the show when it comes this way in November.

I think I benefited knowing very little about the show going in to read this book because I had an open mind. I adored the characters and the overall story line.



Some downsides to the book:



1) Evan and Zoe’s relationship – it happened quickly and I would have liked more detail and story to go along with it.
2) Epilogue – I think at some points it was a little all over the place which made me not enjoy it as much as I could have.



Now please excuse me while I go listen to the soundtrack for the first time.


Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I like how the characters, especially Connor, were much more fleshed out than in the musical. However, I still feel like Evan doesn’t learn the right lessons.

Before starting this book, my only familiarity with Dear Evan Hansen was that I knew it was a Broadway play and someone had a broken arm. Beyond that, I was completely unaware of the subject matter.

This book drew me in from the first page. It was a quick read, but I found myself having to put it down a few times, because it was just so hard. Evan's anxiety was palpable, and at times made me feel anxious as a reader. I didn't understand or agree with some of the choices hew was making, but I kept reading to try and get an understanding. At times, Evan felt over-the-top dramatic, but I forgave this as the story is adapted from a Broadway show.

I overall liked the plot, even if I was uncomfortable with the premise it was based on. (lying) Not having too many characters to focus on allowed the important ones to have some development. Also, getting glimpses of Connor's thoughts was a nice addition that I thought added a different layer to the story. I do wish the adult characters had been given a bit more development, but that is a usual complaint for a YA book.

I read this as an ARC, and this is definitely one I'd like to read again in hard copy. Some of the online interactions were hard to follow on the digital copy and I think it would be easier to follow in print. I thought this format (along with letters, e-mails, and text messages) added a nice sense of reality to the story, as that is how teenagers actually communicate with one another.

This book made me want to see the play and download the soundtrack ASAP!

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Little Brown for the chance to read and review this amazing book! I will post a full review closer to release.

I am already recommending this book to my teens. I have one teen who loves musicals so this is perfect for him. It's also an amazing choice for a book with autism representation.

I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Dear Evan Hanson: The Novel is based on the award-winning Broadway musical. I was fortunate enough to see the play and it was outstanding!!

“Dear Evan Hansen,

Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why...”

I’m not going to bore you with a review that mirrors what you can read for yourself in the book’s summary. What I’m going to tell you is this…your day will be amazing the moment you pick it up and start reading. Is the book as good as the play? I personally don’t think a book can ever be as good as a live performance but, if you haven’t seen the play, this is as close as you’ll get. #youwillbefound