The tv show has given 13 Reasons Why a really bad name. I, like many others watched the tv show before I read the book and the show left such a bad taste in my mouth I almost never read it. It is an easier read (I read mine in an afternoon at Barnes and Noble) and takes place over one night, unlike the show. Asher handles the difficult topics carefully with grace. It was not as triggering as the show was and there are some distinct differences. I enjoy the use of Hannah's tapes as the storytelling along with Clay Jensons narration in the present day. Even though most of the actual plotline is through Hannah's retelling, she has a map sent along with the tapes so people can go place is place through the small town and you can feel the scenery through both perspectives: past and present. It was a good read and distinctly different from the show.