Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Playlist for the Dead

by Michelle Falkoff

A moving, poignant, compelling YA debut, as a 15-year-old boy struggles to understand his best friend's suicide through the list of songs he leaves behind.

Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam – listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Playlist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you – and the struggle to redefine yourself.

Reviewed by A Darker Shade of Rosie on

3 of 5 stars

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Thank you NetGalley for lending me a copy of this book to review!

LIKED: Sam's best friend, Hayden, commits suicide, and I liked the mystery as to why (although the whole premise is very sad). I liked the idea of Hayden leaving Sam a playlist of songs. (And I knew most of them.) • Sam loses lots of sleep post-Hayden; so much so that he begins to hallucinate. I thought these parts of the book were mysterious and even entertaining. • The main character learns to not hold grudges, and not harbor hate towards anyone. Important life lesson!

DISLIKED: There was no closure as to why Hayden picked the songs that he did for the playlist. As an audience, we don't get a lot of closure, period. • The friendship between Sam and he 'artsy-clique' girl somehow linked to Hayden's suicide didn't turn out the way I wanted it to - I felt pretty deceived.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 January, 2015: Finished reading
  • 7 January, 2015: Reviewed