This book's popularity, along with a friend recommendation, drew me to reading it. I found it very easy to read, and I was drawn in enough to be disappointed when I had to stop reading it (hence the page-turner shelf). The lay-out of the chapters and how the plot develops are well done. I felt a connection with the main (alive) character. 
 My main, and possibly only, complaint with the title is the premise. I appreciate its originality. Yet I didn't buy it. (view spoiler)[ To be sure, some sucktastic events happened to the main character, and they did build upon each other and get worse. At the same time, my impression of her is that she was very pretty, charismatic, friendly, smart, and a host of other positive traits. Yet somehow she did not have the inner strength to talk to someone about her problems and get over them. High school is a weird microcosm, and often is a harsh, cruel, awful time. At least parts of it. These 13 reasons just did not feel enough like a reason to commit suicide to me--they felt more like things (most of them) that happen to tons of teens, all the time, and they get through it. (hide spoiler)] 
 I understand the positive messages this book is trying to convey, and if it helps people not be so crappy to each other, that's a win. It's also a testament to how I liked all the other aspects of the book that I give it 4 stars after disliking something so major about a title.