Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I first read this book in high school and remember loving it. I decided to grab it from the library again because I was in the mood for something pensive and kind of sad and wanted to see if it held up as an adult. Boy, does it. This book is fantastic. Though the impact is different from when I was Charlie's age, this book is still so influential and offers so much with both its content and style. Weirdly, reading this book makes me feel inspired to write and like when I do so it will be better for having read this. Not that you could tell from the quality of this review!

I think this is one of those books you should definitely read at least once as a teen. As an adult I was definitely reacting differently to some moments -

for the love of god, why would you give a kid who's obviously having mental/emotional difficulties LSD! Even as a high school senior, you should know that's a no no

- but Chbosky and Charlie still draw me in. This book really elicits emotional reactions, and is best enjoyed on a quiet evening by yourself so you can really take your time to read between the lines and feel.

It's kind of ridiculous how many content warnings I just applied to this book, but I also think that's one of the reasons this is an important read for teens. That this book is written in the form of letters helps lower the intensity of these subjects/make them easier for the reader to handle, but things still get pretty emotional.

Content Warnings

sunshineera's review against another edition

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dark hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

The book was underwhelming for me. This might be because I had watched the movie first but I felt like there was much left to desire at the end, maybe this was intentional but this book was a let down which is disappointing for such a hyped up book. There was also so much information for what in my opinion is a short book that felt unimportant in hindsight and didn't really add to to the story.

Content Warnings

moomygy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

ian_hasumi's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

emmaaino's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

moonlightreads007's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is a bit of a mixed bag with regards to the themes and plotline at times - on the one hand, you can tell that there's so much love in the book between the characters and their friendships! I especially loved how Charlie found his chosen family through Sam and Patrick as well as his friendship with his English teacher! At the same time, this book delves into a lot of really difficult topics such as drama and dysfunction within families and relationships, and how these patterns get passed down intergenerationally.

The quote "We accept the love we think we deserve" in particular stood out to me, which one of the characters (I don't remember who) told Charlie after his sister was slapped by her then-boyfriend.

Although Charlie's family seems normal and like any other family on the surface, we eventually end up indirectly discovering based on what Charlie says in his letters to an anonymous recipient that his family is actually very emotionally repressed, doesn't talk about a lot of really important topics with one another, and seem to sweep any sort of difficulties under the rug. Additionally, we see how the women in this book often base their worth based on their appearance and what men think of them. It all goes to show how a lot of behaviours that are seen as normal in society are actually very dysfunctional, and how everything is not what it seems (yes, I'm quoting the Wizards of Waverly Place theme song because I've been on a bit of a Disney nostalgia trip lately haha 😂 I realize that in and of itself is kind of ironic, given that many of the actors, many of whom were children at the time, faced different difficulties and demons of their own, some of which they may have been too young to deal with at the time).

Also that Aunt Helen reveal was devastating, I don't understand how anyone could do that to a child 😭)

This book can certainly be difficult to read at times, but it also talks about a lot of really important, often overlooked social issues that affect a lot of people on a daily basis. Still, I enjoyed reading it and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes to think deeply about societal issues and relationships and who is committed to breaking cycles on a societal and/or personal level and wants to support others in doing so as well. My main takeaway from this book is that it's really important for people to have safe spaces to discuss their feelings, experiences and childhood traumas and to break down any shame bubbles or feelings that may be preventing them from doing so.

Also as a sidenote, I listened to the audiobook version and the voice actor does a really great job of bringing the characters to life! I especially enjoyed how he slowed down the pace of conversation when the topics got difficult because it conveyed how tough it is for the characters to discuss these issues sometimes.

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