💬: Anxiety. Depression. Medication. Self-doubt. Low confidence. Broken arm. Sweaty palms. All of these things are daily problems for high school senior Evan Hansen. After writing a letter as a form of therapy, Evan suddenly finds himself in the principal's office sitting across from the Murphy's. After losing their troubled son Connor, the Murphy's are struggling to piece together the details of Connor's life outside of home. And when the Murphy's see Connor's name written in big letters across Evan's cast, they assume that Connor and Evan were friends.
But this isn't the case.
Evan and Connor weren't friends at all. In fact, they didn't even like each other and got into an altercation the day Connor died. Connor had signed Evan's cast without asking, mainly out of spite. Evan tries to explain this, but can't seem to say no to the grieving parents. Evan sends himself into a serious game of pretend when he tells Connor's parents that he was Connor's best friend. After word gets out about this, people start looking at him in the hallways. And suddenly, Evan doesn't feel so invisible anymore. Everyone takes notice of him- even Zoe, the girl he likes. He spreads awareness of Connor's death around school and with the help of a few others, he manages to get the message all over the internet. Thankful, the Murphy's invite Evan to their house multiple times a week just to hear him talk about their son. As Evan spends more and more time with them, he starts to realize all the anger, regret, and confusion they are feeling. He knows what he's doing is wrong, but he's helping them. Isn't he?
As the lies keep growing and growing, Evan finds his secret to be untamable. And as people start to question his credibility, Evan comes face-to-face with his biggest obstacle of all: himself.
❤: Not many books get me to cry. But this one did. To me, this story is a unique exploration of grief and sadness. Not just for the Murphy family, but for everyone in the story. The best part of this book, in my opinion, was its characters. My favorite character by far, Zoe, has so much depth and character development. Her story is so devastating and heart wrenching, but she is still a kind person. Her reaction to grief was so real, that it made me tear up a lot of times. Also, though I don't agree with anything he did in the book, Evan's character is so unique and sad that I couldn't help but feel sorry for him as more and more of his past was revealed. Evan's mom, Heidi, was another realistic character. She was just a mother who wanted the best for her kid AND for herself. And though Evan didn't always see it, she was doing her best for him.
I recommend this book for teens who would like to educate themselves a little more on mental health issues. But I also recommend this book for people who need a reminder that they do belong and that someone will always be there to lift them up.
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