Playlist for the Dead

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy Library, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 11, 2015

Review

"Perks of Being a Wallflower" (Stephen Chbosky) meets "Thirteen Reasons Why" (Jay Asher) in this YA novel about a young man struggling to cope with his best friend's suicide. Sam believes that he is mostly responsible for Hayden's pill overdose and as he listens to the playlist left for him by his friend, he is convinced that he will never completely understand why Hayden did it. But with the help of a mysterious girl who knows more than she lets on, Sam does piece together the events leading up to Hayden's suicide and some of the triggers that might have caused it above and beyond their relationship and fight on the night of Hayden's death. This is a compelling read and Falkoff pulls the reader onward page by page dropping hints and connecting the dots as it rushes to the climactic conclusion of "who was Hayden?" and "what happened to him in the days before his death?" and "who is dispensing revenge on all of those who ever hurt Hayden?" A solid coming-of-age book that will find an audience in upper middle and high school, especially with John Green and Sarah Dessen fans.

Overall Book Score: good