Reviews

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

remilauren's review against another edition

4.0

At first, I didn't realize that I'm the imaginary friend, Charlie is writing to, but once I did I started getting worried for him. There's a term called de-personalization, where one just observes events unfold in their lives as if they are not the ones driving it, and I was afraid that's what Charlie was going through.

His entries just state things, events that happened in his life, with his family or with his friends Sam and Patrick. They actually call him the wallflower during one of their parties, when he sees someone being abused or someone making out and does nothing, absolutely no reaction!!

The people around him don't lead wonderful lives either. While his sister continues a relationship with an abuser, his friend Patrick is neck-deep with relationship issues. But somewhere along, Charlie starts living, thanks to Sam and Patrick. They take him out to parties and make him do the things, that a typical American teenager would do. They seem to breathe that life into him.

Amidst the dramatic events surrounding his sister or his friend, Charlie often has visions of Aunt Helen, who he says, loved him very much. He remembers her as the good soul that was molested and thus led a sad life. But one day, he's found in such a state, that it's later revealed he suffers from PTSD, from the trauma inflicted upon him by Aunt Helen, who abused him as a child.

I had always felt odd about him experiencing derealization. And this is a symptom of PTSD. Our poor guy repressed all these emotions and became a wallflower. The author helps you see how PTSD looks like, what derealization feels like, how everyone is plagued with issues of their own. But in the end, it's in our hands just as Charlie finally comes to terms with his past and is ready to participate in his life :)

the_one_krissy's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

aysha168's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

jupik82's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

3.0

lia26's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

kahidlaw's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

initial rating 3.75/5

my head hurts while writing this so word vomit lang muna review ko + i wanna watch the movie aswell!!!!

“Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve.”

this is the bookfied version of the phrase “because the world didn’t end at 17.” honestly gusto ko ulit i-reread kasi i feel like i missed so much details 😭

it was good though, sobrang nafeel ko si charlie sa part kung gaano siya kaobservant sa ibang tao and sa surroundings niya. and honestly the book really showed the reality of how even if you think some people have it worse or better, that doesn’t mean you should compare your situation to them kasi at the end of the day we all have different problems.

also shows the reality that people will take advantage of you, and that you’ll make mistakes, you’ll do things you regret, and it will still end up being okay. because we are all just young. and it will all pass.

what you’re going through does not define who you are. it will get better.

“Whatever happened to Charlie?” And I can tell you what happened to Charlie in three words…

He made it.

And so will you.

fanijo65's review against another edition

slow-paced

4.0

jenmangler's review against another edition

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I typically don't enjoy books that are written in letter format, but "Perks" is definitely an exception. That turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the book. It made the events of the book more real, somehow, because it wasn't just a series of things that happened. This book was about how these things affected Charlie, how they made him feel, how they helped him grow and understand himself. It took only a few pages for me to feel like I knew Charlie and that I really, really liked him. From the get-go I was rooting for him. He's such a great character.

kermcnally's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-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

kberko's review against another edition

4.0

this was a beautiful coming of age story about a boy who i actually relate to.
i watched the movie first so i knew what was coming. i knew about his aunt and it still broke me.