Thirteen Reasons Why – Audiobook review

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher follows Clay Jensen on the worse night of his life. After Clay discovers a mysterious package of cassette tapes from Hannah Baker, he is pulled into the girl’s story which explains why she committed suicide. Every side of the tapes is a reason that influenced her decision and they are all actions of people she knew, including Clay himself.

This was the first book I’ve ever listened to, instead of plain reading and I’m glad I did. I’m sure I wouldn’t have finished it in less than a day if I’d have read it and I also don’t think I’d have enjoyed it so much.

The book follows two Clay’s and Hannah’s perspectives and the fact you’re listening to Hannah talking, just as Clay is, makes the experience so immersive. If you want to give audio books a try and you don’t know where to start, this is a great idea!

As for the book itself, I liked Clay’s character. He’s not overly complex, but he shows depth and emotions. However, I think his story line in Hannah’s life should have been more relevant. The main points this book scored for me were all surrounding Clay, but he didn’t actually make an impact on the main plot.

This book showed me how we impact people’s lives on a daily basis and every action we take has repercussions. The even more important lesson is that inaction, not stepping up when you witness something happening, is not acceptable.

We often think and live by the phrase: you’ll regret what you haven’t done, not what you have done. Still, when it comes to the ones around us, we don’t always follow that rule. We don’t always step up in defence of people we don’t know, even though we can clearly see that what is happening is not right. That’s how we become accomplices to what is being committed.

Even though I enjoyed this audiobook, I felt sorry that I knew from the beginning what was going to happen to Hannah. It brings on frustration and you want to nudge every character to help her, especially Clay. At points, it feels like Hannah’s surrounded only by jackasses who she can’t stay away with and you’d like to give her some level headed advice. But you can’t…she’s already dead. Roll in the frustration!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed listening this book. Engaging, pushing you to action!