A review by bicanthropus
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

emotional inspiring reflective 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

I read this book for the first time in 2012, when I was a freshman in high school.  My friends were seeing me as “different” and “odd” and I latched onto this book.  This is my second time reading it, over a decade later, and the impact is still massive. 

While the way it effects me is different, it still hits. It’s like having a cup of tea or hot chocolate after having a realization about your life that changes everything and nothing all at once. It’s one of those books that sits in the back of your mind and forever has impacted the way you view yourself and the world around you. 

I suspected I’d cry reading it again (I sobbed the first time I read it), and I made it through the book without crying. Until the special afterward. I didn’t realize when I got it on audible that it was a special edition and had a bonus letter from “Charlie”.  Listening to that last letter was like reading the book for the first time in the way it made me feel. 

I can’t express on a book app online how much this story means to me. Re-reading it has made me see how much of the goodness and hope of this book I carry in me, even in my darkest days.  This will never not be one of my favorite books of all time for that aspect alone. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings