The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Review)

Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Series:  N/A
Publisher: MTV Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 213
Source: Purchased

Blurb:

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

My Rating:

I really liked this book, honestly but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I've heard amazing things about this novel and I guess it just didn't live up to the high expectations I went into it with. I liked the way that the story was told in letter written by Charlie and that I really got to see the way he thought and saw things.

 

I was definitely surprised by how naïve Charlie was. He didn't know things that other kids his age were aware of until his friends told him about them. Another thing was how Charlie seemed to cry about everything. Charlie was a sensitive kid, I get that but it seemed a little extreme that no matter if someone was nasty with him or did something really sweet, his first reaction was to cry.

 

Even with all of his faults I really liked Charlie. He was a smart kid and only wanted some friends. He was a sweet kid who was always there to listen but like Sam had an issue with him not taking action so did I. I was just hoping that for once he would do something that made him happy instead of trying to make everyone else happy before him. I loved Sam. She was one of my favorite characters. She was fun and knew how to have a good time. The same went for Patrick. If I had known kids like them in high school they would have definitely been the one's I hung out with.

 

The whole revelation towards the end of the story about his aunt was surprising. I honestly didn't see it coming and it really explained a lot about Charlie and why he acted and did things the way he did.

 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone to at least read once in their life. It's a great story about finding friends while finding yourself along the way. In the end, I just wish that I had loved this as much as I thought I was going to.