madax3's review against another edition
5.0
I finally feel understood. Thats weird coming from a book but i rlly do
mawar12's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Charlie is a dear. I love his character and I love how the writer tells the story and give a very accurate representation of mental health and being emphatic. This book made me cry , feel sad and happy at the same time. Reminds me of when the time I was in school. I wish there were less or no scenes of minor s*x tho.
chloooe's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
my favourite quote: “amazing white stars were really only holes in the black glass of the dome, and when you went to heaven, the glass broke away, and there was nothing but a whole sheet of star white, which is brighter than anything but doesn't hurt your eyes. It was vast and open and thinly quiet, and I felt so small.”
my favourite quote: “amazing white stars were really only holes in the black glass of the dome, and when you went to heaven, the glass broke away, and there was nothing but a whole sheet of star white, which is brighter than anything but doesn't hurt your eyes. It was vast and open and thinly quiet, and I felt so small.”
rubiscodisco's review against another edition
5.0
I was surprised with how much I liked this book. It was so readable and full of things happening to characters that you somehow get interested about that before you know it, you've finished the book. The themes were nice: literature, fitting in, puberty, gay rights (quite a delightful sub-theme), and abuse, among other things. The writing made you run seamless through the pages. Apart from that, the main character, though portrayed as quite a soft individual, wasn't annoyingly wimpy, as that guy from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time sometimes was. I actually liked him.
>SPOILERS<
My absolute favorite part was when Charlie beat up Brad's friends on that fight with Patrick. So precious.
>SPOILERS<
My absolute favorite part was when Charlie beat up Brad's friends on that fight with Patrick. So precious.
jaypompeii's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading this sitting by the Thames at sunset and I felt infinite
pita_'s review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
sbarnes01346's review against another edition
1.0
This book was incredibly frustrating to read, in my opinion.
Charlie’s mental illness is the main topic of the book; but it felt like to me that it was merely mentioned every once in a while, which a new detail. There are some books where you read them and you can tell that the characters are fully developed, and then there is books like this. I suppose it could be purposeful - in the sense of an unreliable narrator, but it didn’t flow enough for me to put up with it.
Countless people have recommended me this book, and I cannot understand their love for it. To me, it was confusing and far too packed with things that needed to be defined further to be enjoyable. Are you meant to enjoy reading Charlie’s spiralling? To me, it just felt awkward, and far too unrealistic to.
The sub-plot with Sam was another thing that made me uncomfortable, as throughout the whole thing Charlie is pining for a girl who is reasonably happy in her relationship - and even when he has a girlfriend himself.
Besides, the ending felt far too abrupt for me to actually connect with Charlie, and his suffering.
I feel like the only thing enjoyable about this book to me is the literature references, and some of the quotes (‘and in that moment, I swear we were infinite’ probably one of the most famous quotes from this book) but even they felt unnecessary and overbearing at points.
I understand that this book is highly liked, and that many people probably feel very strongly against what I do. But in my honest opinion; I don’t understand the following this book holds. It felt empty, like a void of words that when strung together meant nothing.
Charlie’s mental illness is the main topic of the book; but it felt like to me that it was merely mentioned every once in a while, which a new detail. There are some books where you read them and you can tell that the characters are fully developed, and then there is books like this. I suppose it could be purposeful - in the sense of an unreliable narrator, but it didn’t flow enough for me to put up with it.
Countless people have recommended me this book, and I cannot understand their love for it. To me, it was confusing and far too packed with things that needed to be defined further to be enjoyable. Are you meant to enjoy reading Charlie’s spiralling? To me, it just felt awkward, and far too unrealistic to.
The sub-plot with Sam was another thing that made me uncomfortable, as throughout the whole thing Charlie is pining for a girl who is reasonably happy in her relationship - and even when he has a girlfriend himself.
Besides, the ending felt far too abrupt for me to actually connect with Charlie, and his suffering.
I feel like the only thing enjoyable about this book to me is the literature references, and some of the quotes (‘and in that moment, I swear we were infinite’ probably one of the most famous quotes from this book) but even they felt unnecessary and overbearing at points.
I understand that this book is highly liked, and that many people probably feel very strongly against what I do. But in my honest opinion; I don’t understand the following this book holds. It felt empty, like a void of words that when strung together meant nothing.
mayjailer_sirens's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
spresnall's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5