capybooks 's review for:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

3.25

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I knew what to expect from The Perks of Being a Wallflower as I had seen the film a few times before reading the book. I’m in two minds about the novel. On the one hand, I like that it addresses difficult topics, but I didn’t get along with the writing style. The best moment was after his sister’s appointment, she and Charlie have a random bout of laughter - it was a lovely thing to happen during a not-so-lovely moment.  

P.S. every time Sam had any dialogue, I couldn’t get Emma Watson’s terrible American accent out of my head.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Incest, Racism, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy

Minor: Fatphobia