Before I begin my review of the Perks of Being a Wallflower, I have to give you a warning. The following review contains spoilers that will ruin the book for you if you decide to read it in the future. If you don’t care about having the ending spoiled, however, feel free to continue reading on! Also, if you haven’t read this book yet and are planning on doing so in the future, I recommend reading this review after you finish the book so that it can enhance your enjoyment of it!
What I liked about this book
Overall, I enjoyed reading Perks of Being a Wallflower. However, it is not an easy read. It deals with themes such as drug use, death, and sexual assault. These are difficult topics to read about, but they are very real problems that teenagers deal with daily; in fact, many readers will be able to relate to them.
What I didn’t like about this book
Although I didn’t like everything about it, it was an amazing book. A must read for every high schooler out there that is having problems in his or her life. It was very thought provoking and kept you turning pages non-stop. The author wrote in such a way to make you feel as if you were Charlie (the main character) or one of his friends.
My favorite characters
Charlie was my favorite character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, because he seemed like an average teenage boy with all sorts of feelings. He had trouble deciding on things, just like most teenagers do. Overall I loved Charlie’s character and seeing how everything played out for him throughout his freshman year in high school. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in getting insight on what it is like to be a teenager!
Why you should read this book
Given how important high school is in developing one’s self-identity, I have read countless coming-of-age books. Some are better than others, but Stephen Chbosky’s book entitled The Perks of Being a Wallflower is just as relevant today as it was when it was published in 1999. This book chronicles Charlie’s first year at high school and his transition from being homeschooled to attending public school for the first time. Charlie struggles with depression and anxiety throughout most of his freshman year, and he meets two seniors who help him learn to cope with life during his teenage years. As someone who has experienced some form of mental illness for most of my life, I can relate to Charlie’s feelings about not fitting in or feeling like you don’t belong anywhere. If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh and cry, then pick up a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. You won’t regret it!