What started out as one of the world’s most renowned books went into production to become a television show. 13 Reasons Why had officially started to form in the studios in late 2015. The show did not air on local or cable television, it was released on Netflix on March 31, 2017.

A beautifully tragic, compelling story was brought to life with thirteen simple episodes to explain the story of Hannah Baker, a young girl who had taken her own life.

Hannah was just another typical high school student when she moved to a new town for a new start, a better life. Soon enough, this new innocent teenager became caught up in the toxic high school quickly. This high school has always been this deadly social chain, and where you stand is determined by the ones who sit at the very top: the jocks and the popular girls.

When it comes to meeting them, it’s like a card game. You’re first move has to be well-thought out and you can never let your guard down no matter what happens. After that, even if it seems as though you may have a way in, they will still snatch you up and eat you alive.

That’s what happened to Hannah, except as the first barrier faltered to let her in, what happened next completely changed the game. It soon became a game that was just full of stories that were built off lies and, of course, no one bothered to believe the best story: the truth.

From the beginning, you are watching this powerful domino effect happen. Hannah is telling her tale through cassette tapes, and with each story the subject is a different person—a person who contributed to Hannah’s suicide and could’ve easily changed the course of this story, had they only done something different.

The cassette tapes are passed on to everyone who is in this story, everyone listens and is to hear of what they did to hurt Hannah and cause her to kill herself. From then on, it is passed to the next person, the aftermath of Hanna’s death shows the toll taken on everyone as they live with the weight that Hannah has left on their shoulders.

As the story goes on, viewers see the students and the school face a lawsuit that was filed by Hannah Baker’s parents. The lawsuit was filed due to a belief that what led to her death was the harsh words and the cruel stories that spread around the hallways of the school like wildfire.

There is a fair warning to those with sensitive hearts or any with PTSD, for this show to have captured the image that they wanted, some scenes in the show may trigger those who have suffered traumatic experiences such as rape or any suicide/self-harm. So, take this warning into deep consideration before you make the decision to begin to watch this show.

The show deserves more than just a five-star rating, it captured the story so perfectly. The show was able to finally open some people’s eyes to make other people realize that situations that happened to Hannah Baker actually happen in real life and shouldn’t be something to be brushed off. It shouldn’t be taken as a joke.

These situations happen every second whether or not we see it ourselves—someone is going to. If you witness such a situation, step up and say something instead of letting it continue happening. So, if you make the decision to watch this show, set aside some real time to watch it all. Keep a box of tissues next to you, because you’re gonna need it with how intense it is, and listen with an open heart.