From Gaffney article week 4 646: "Chbosky had written what would become one of the most popular and be- loved YA novels without technically writing a YA novel."

My favorite book ( )

Letters written by 15-year-old Charlie sucked me in from the first page. The angst, awkward humor, and confusion of a bright, reticent boy make Charlie's observations of high school life in the early 90's engaging. The raw pain and loneliness keep the plot from cloying. I just kept turning the pages and leaning in, wanting goodness for this kid, his family, and his assorted friends. ( )

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a fantastic, coming of age story.

This inspiring tale is written beautifully - in letters! It is definitely a different take on a fictional tale of teenagers, but it definitely does not disappoint!

I decided to read this book for two reasons:
A - I've seen the movie probably a hundred times at this point and I loved it.
B - I've only ever heard good things about this book from fellow readers so I needed to pick it up.

I had always meant to read it, but I could never find it at any book stores near me (which is weird because this book should be labeled a "classic" of this era).

Now, about the book itself. At first it seems like short read because there isn't many pages - but man are you going to be wrong. It is a long read in the fact that it's very wordy. Our main character is not your typical teenager, he's very smart and uses big words! So, if you are not up to date on every large word in the English language, you may have to pick up your phone or a dictionary.

It is wonderfully slow - it doesn't move super fast and it's suddenly over, it moves at a pace that someone might write a letter. It's such a wonderful book, I can't express this enough!

Was there anything wrong with the book? Yes and no. I felt like it could have been a little bit longer, or that a sequel would work - but that's nothing against the book. All in itself, the book ends at a wonderful point. I just want more of these characters!

Overall, the book is fantastic. I see no faults, the idea is original, it is a great young adult read, and it's realistic! It can give many readers the insight to what a wallflower can be.

Five out of five stars! ( )

One of my top books this year. I was enticed into buying this by the high quality of paper, to be honest. But also, I'd just read something very complex, so this was like a breath of fresh air - it's written in a fairly straightforward style.

I watched the movie a few years ago, so I knew what I was getting in for. I had forgotten the final twist, so it shocked me again, always a welcome surprise.

I just wanted to give the main character a hug by the end of it. He's fundamentally flawed in many ways - he fucks up multiple times during the narrative, but he's very emotional, and in some ways reminded me of myself. ( )