A review by beckyyreadss
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I feel like everyone has read this book. My friends kindly gifted me this book for my birthday this year. Let's just say that the ending of this book saved it.  

This novel follows an observant wallflower Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant rollercoaster days known as growing up. This is a young adult contemporary fiction that focuses on mental health. 

I love Charlie, throughout this whole book, I just wanted to hug him and let him know it’s okay. Me reading this as a twenty-two-year-old and still trying to navigate through life, understands Charlie and understands how difficult school can be. I feel like if I read this any younger, I probably wouldn’t have understood it as much. I loved the letters style of writing where it feels like Charlie is opening up to you, but I would have loved to actually know who he was writing the letters to, like Bill or his Aunt Helen or someone. I did struggle to get into this just as the book is split into four parts rather than chapters. But it’s only a small book that I managed to finish it relatively quickly.  

This book was a tense read, but it definitely pulled on the heart-strings. I would definitely check the trigger warnings before you read this book as it is definitely a bit gruesome and can be very triggering for some people.  I think anyone who ever feels like a wallflower should read this book. I rated this book three stars just because I was expecting more. I’ve seen all the reviews and it just didn’t live up to my expectations - I just wanted more. I would take another book of Charlie as an adult and to see what happened with Sam and Patrick and the gang. 
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