'Dear Evan Hansen' is a growingly popular Broadway Musical (and book) that is sure to tug at your heart strings. I first heard of it when the song "Waving Through a Window" started playing on my Spotify and I was like, "It's Ben Platt!" I immediately fell in love, and it's still my favorite from the track. I then learned the story through its music, and decided to read the book.

It's about how the suicide of a teenager, Connor, affects his classmate, Evan. Events lead Connor's family to believe they were close friends. Hoping to bring comfort to this grieving family, Evan lets them believe it. "A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation."

Here's why everyone needs to get on board with 'Dear Evan Hansen' immediately.

You get to live in the mind of someone with social anxiety. I think everyone can find a part of Evan they can relate to. This includes feeling like you don't fit in, not knowing how to make friends, feeling invisible or lonely, having divorced parents, and especially the extreme anxiety that can come with literally anything and everything. The book does an amazing way of depicting this in a realistic way through Evan's point of view. In a way, I feel like I can understand Evan, and he can understand me.

'Dear Evan Hansen' deals with suicide the correct way. And believe me, there's a wrong way to do it... (*cough cough* Thirteen Reasons Why *cough*). Not only do you get to be inside Evan's mind, but Connor's, as well. 'Dear Evan Hansen' does an amazing job of showing the struggles of depression and what it's like to be suicidal. It accurately depicts what it's like for a family and community to grieve the loss of someone to suicide. It shows the profound effect that suicide has on people, and how sudden and shocking it is.

The best thing we can do for suicide prevention is talk about it. I'm beyond satisfied with how Dear Evan Hansen is continuing the conversation and helping erase the stigma around mental health.

(Minor spoiler?) Something important that appears only in the book is the fact that Connor is gay. It is a really important plot point because members of the LGBTQ+ community are significantly more likely to experience depression and anxiety. We need to continue to make the world a safer place for queer folks, because LGB youth are almost five times as likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. It's already the 3rd leading cause of death in youth in the US.

I've learned from Dear Evan Hansen that we can all be a little better about loving those around us, and trying to be in tune with what they're going through. We're all going through stuff. Let's talk about it. NO ONE deserves to be lost or forgotten. NO ONE deserves to feel unimportant.

Also, let's not forget the MUSIC. It's so good. Go listen right now. It will probably get you in the feels. If you're near NYC, if you're planning a trip, or if it's coming to your city on tour, go see it! You won't regret it. (And buy me a ticket while you're at it).

Please visit these sites to learn more about suicide prevention and how you can get involved: AFSP.org, TheTrevorProject.org.