Updated on January 27th, 2025
Last month I finished listening to the audiobook of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, and since I watched both seasons of the series on Netflix, I wanted to compare the book to the series.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through my links, but there is no extra cost to you.
You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.
Trigger Warning: Suicide
13 Reasons Why follows Clay Jensen after he receives a box of cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah Baker who committed suicide 2 weeks earlier. In the tapes, Hannah explains the 13 reasons why she decided to end her life and why Clay is one of those reasons.
Both the Netflix series and the book follow a similar plot, but in the book, Clay listens to all the tapes in a single night whereas in the series it takes him much longer and he interacts with his classmates at school as well as Hannah’s parents at their business. Clay’s relationships with the others add another element to the story, but the book by itself is powerful. The second season of the Netflix series departs from the book and follows the court case between Hannah Baker’s parents vs the school because they failed to protect her from committing suicide, which was interesting to watch.
In both the book and series, you hear Clay’s thoughts as he is listening to the tapes. I thought it was important to see how someone close to Hannah was impacted by her death. The book and series discuss difficult topics including suicide, bullying, and victim blaming. Despite the difficult topics, I did not find the book that emotional whereas the series made me cry several times. I have also read some negative reviews saying that the reasons why Hannah committed suicide were not believable, but I thought they were. Hannah went through horrible experiences in high school that built up inside her. Just because many teenagers experience bullying in high school, there is no reason to believe it was unrealistic for Hannah to commit suicide since people cope differently.
13 Reasons Why is an important book to read because it shows how your actions no matter how small can affect others. If you decide to read the book, I highly recommend the audiobook because there are two narrators, one for Clay and one for Hannah when Clay is listening to the tapes.
Overall, I recommend reading Thirteen Reasons Why because it highlights difficult topics including suicide and how people’s actions can affect others.
Available at Bookshop
Rate: 8/10
Have you read or watched 13 Reasons Why? What did you think?
If you or anyone you know need help finding support and crisis resources in your area, go to 13reasonswhy.info for more information.
Hey Karalee,
I read 13 Reasons Why last year, having already watched the first and second series on Netflix.
For me, the book hit hard as I felt closer to Clay and his experience of Hannah’s death, perhaps because we see so many more viewpoints in the tv series that it may have distracted me a bit from his.
The tv series was admittedly difficult to watch in some places but I also saw a lot of myself in Hannah and some of the specific struggles she faced. I was glad that the producers didn’t shy away from the difficult and at times disturbing subjects as I feel that other young people (and older people too) will be able to watch it and say, ‘hey, I went through that too,’ and that maybe there are other options than suicide if they can just find the courage to speak to someone.
Loved this review. xx
Ive watched the first season of thirteen reasons why on netflix and have got it audible to listen to but havent had the chance, great review
I hope you like the book when you do listen to it!
I read the book when I was in middle school or maybe, high school & had always considered it one of my faves. I loved the series, too & agree that it was even more emotional.
That’s nice to hear this book is one of your favs & I loved the series too!
I watched the series first and really enjoyed it but I wasn’t a huge fan of the book. Like you, I didn’t find the book particularly emotional but the series was a whole different story. I know they changed her method of suicide for the series as well to make it more shocking and I wonder what people’s reactions would have been if they’d kept with the original?
Jenny
http://www.jennyinneverland.com
Yes the series was on a whole different level, and I think it wouldn’t have been as powerful if they kept the original method of suicide.
Didn’t they also change the hot tub scene from just the antagonist groping her in the book to a full-fledged rape in the Netflix series for some reason?
Yes in the book it’s only implied Hannah was raped, but the series made it explicit. I think they wanted the series to be more shocking like they even changed her method of suicide to be more graphic.
The way I recall that scene in the book, he ended up with reaching into her bikini bottoms, and “that was all he needed”, which I took to mean he came or something, and the way I understood it, he let her go after that. Maybe my memory is off.
If they changed it to rape for shock factor, that’s pretty distateful, and also ruins a lesson of how sexual assault doesn’t need to involve penetration to be traumatising.
I’ve not read the books, but I watched the series, and I thought they were well done, portraying the situations we all face from time to time. Yes it may not be enough for you personally to commit suicide, but it’s false to think it’s not for someone else, so I found it believable and relatable. I hope it makes more people aware of their actions no matter how small x
I’m glad to hear you thought the series was well done, and I agree that even though Hannah’s reasons were unbelievable to some people, they were enough for Hannah and possibly others going through a similar situation as her.
Extremely hard for me to read and watch, but super fulfilling and worth it!
Yes the series was especially hard to watch, but it is worth it!
I loved the book! Personally I watched the TV series first then read the book. The thing is, it made me love the book more in my opinion. The topic is touched on very well.
I did the same where I watched the series first, and I agree!
I didn’t read the book but I watched the series. It is a hard watch- but also, I think it did create incredibly important conversation as you said. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Karalee!
I agree the series is hard to watch, but it is important!
I liked the book ! And when I watched the series i didn’t like the fact they deviated from the book so I couldn’t watch the second part! But listening to the book was an emotional journey by itself !!
I’m glad to hear you liked the book! I didn’t mind the deviation in the series and I thought it made the series more emotional!
Hmmm , maybe, but sometimes i don’t like it when it is supposed to be adopted from a book and the story deviates from it😅
I watched the series but the second season was too disturbing for me!
The second season was definitely disturbing, but I thought it ended Hannah’s story well with her funeral.