*SPOILERS*

On March 31, Netflix released Thirteen Reasons Why, adapted from the NY Times bestseller by Jay Asher, into a 13 episode original series.

Despite having some differences, Thirteen Reasons Why stays true to every detail and emotion portrayed in the book, and even expands the plot.

The series follows Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) and his journey to discover the reasons why his close friend, Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), committed suicide. Hannah left seven tapes explaining the 13 reasons why she killed herself, and the people that drove her to do it.

The tapes contain instructions to pass the tapes down to those people, and if they aren’t passed along, the audio will be released to the public, revealing the actions of everyone listed.

A subplot involves Hannah’s parents trying to sue the school and prove that the bullying their daughter experienced was what pushed her over the edge.

Clay’s mom, Lainie Jensen (Amy Hargreaves) works as the lawyer defending the school in the lawsuit. This creates a compelling conflict of interest for the Jensens.

Clay eventually finds out what the people mentioned on the tapes did to Hannah, and becomes determined to make things right in his own way by exposing them for the horrible things they did to his friend.

Through the thirteen episodes of this show, I was utterly hooked. I stayed up hours telling myself ‘just one more episode.’ I laughed, cried, and felt for the characters. I especially felt animosity towards the characters that harmed Hannah.

The last episode, with its heavily graphic nature, evoked the most emotion from me. The cliffhanger at the end of the episode is especially infuriating.

If you are sensitive to rape or suicid
e, do not watch this show, as it displays these situations on numerous occasions.

If you loved the book, you may not like some of the changes in the show, but that wasn’t a problem for me.

The book has always been one of my favorites. In fact, I wrote about this book for my ALAR/P application essay. It will always have a special place in my heart.

If you’re looking for a new show to binge on Netflix, this would be my first suggestion.

In addition to my review, I would like to add that suicide is never the answer and it must be prevented.

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Please spread awareness and support suicide prevention. You could help save a life. If you or someone you care about is thinking of suicide, please contact one of the hotlines listed.

Hotlines:

Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line: Text “HOME” to 741741