Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Published: 01/08/2012, Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
Pages: 231
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5

Charlie's not the biggest geek in high school but he's by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent, yet socially awkward, Charlie is a wallflower, standing on the threshold of his life whilst watching everyone else live theirs. As Charlie tries to navigate his way through uncharted territory - the world of first dates and mixtapes, family drama and new friends - he realises that he can't stay on the sideline forever. There comes a time when you have to see what life looks like from the dance floor.

I loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower! It had me almost in tears in places and then grinning away to myself in other places. I got some strange looks from my family whilst reading this one!

I really love Charlie. He has such an innocent quality to him yet is also obviously quite troubled and you can tell he has been through trauma. There's also his adorable need to be a friend to everyone, however he has a tendency to put their needs before his own. He's just very likeable to me.

I also really liked Sam and Patrick. They tried really hard to get Charlie to come out of his shell and introduced him to new experiences. I think this makes them really good friends to have for someone like Charlie to have. Although of course their friendship isn't without the drama that comes with being at high school so this makes them more real to me.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not made up of normal chapters exactly. Instead, it consists of Charlie's letters to a "friend" and is split into four parts. I thought this was a very clever format even though the story occasionally veered off on a tangent. But who doesn't go a tad off the subject when talking/writing to a friend. For me, this just added more character to Charlie.

Basically, the book is about Charlie starting High School and meeting new friends. Something we can all relate to, even if the schooling system is slightly different to what I went through (i.e. here High School starts at age 12, I didn't have separate Middle School and High School).

I would urge anyone who hasn't read The Perks of Being a Wallflower to read it. It is now one of my favourites and I will definitely be re-reading it over and over again.

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