With its almost eerie tone, Thirteen Reasons Why is the perfectly balanced suspense and mystery novel. With spectacular honesty and a strong voice, Jay Asher touches on the extremely sensitive topic of suicide.

Entering the world of high school student Clay, the reader finds him grieving and confused about the suicide of a peer, Hannah, two weeks before. When Clay receives a package containing seven cassette tapes, he is positive it's a prank. But as he listens to the first one, he is abruptly met by Hannah's voice. She claims that there are 13 reasons why she made the decision to end her life.

Asher uses an unusual and interesting approach to storytelling, inviting the reader to listen to the tapes along with Clay in order to discover what Hannah's life truly was like.

This wonderfully realistic book explores a very important point: how even small acts of cruelty can slowly accumulate until a dam of emotions finally breaks.

This compelling story affected me deeply, making me think twice about even the smallest remarks. A comment that might take seconds to say can cause long-term damage.

This riveting and brilliant novel made me want to be the best person possible to everyone around me, and it left me eager for more work by Jay Asher.