[Book Review] Stephen Chbosky ~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky
Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Rating: 

Synopsis: Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.


Review:


I went through stages with this one.
When I first started Perks, after all the good reviews my mind was set on liking it and I had pretty high expectations.
Halfway through the first fifty pages, though, I realized I wasn't liking this in the least. The writing sounded so impersonal, and flat. I just couldn't relate to Charlie at all, which is a pity because he was telling of things we've all got to go through at some point.
Also, Charlie was really naïve. Which would be good, if that was done realistically. But honestly? I cannot imagine a fifteen-year-old boy who's that naïve. I myself wasn't that naïve at fiteen. Not even at thirteen, to be honest.
He constantly cried. Constantly! Who cries that much?
Although in the end the reason was kind of was explained so I sort of relented on that point.

One character I really liked is Patrick. He was great! I enjoyed getting to know more about him. He looked so tough at the beginning but actually he was just a scared little boy. He was definitely more realistic than Charlie, to tell you the truth.
The thing with Charlie is that he's supposed to represent all of us teenagers. And in a way he kind of does. But there was this sort of wall between his thoughts and his actions.
Sometimes he would say something and I'd be like, "wow. That happens to me a lot." But then he'd go out and do things NO NORMAL TEEN would ever do. Like breaking down in front of all his friends for such stupid reasons?
He really did look like a little kid. It would've just been better if the book was centered on a ten-year-old or something.

What made me like the book a little more, though, was the ending. Finally, at the end of the book, Charlie realizes he can't always be a wallflower. He's got to stand up and hold his own ground. Not always be pushed around by others.
So finally there's some growth on the main character's side, which is what I'd been waiting for all along.
Also, all Charlie's break-downs were kind of explained which is why I can say that The Perks of Being a Wallflower kind of reedemed itself at last.

Also, there was this scene in which Patrick (or Sam, I can't remember who) asks Charlie was his favorite book is. And when they ask the reason of Charlie's choice, he's like, "Because it's the last one I've read." I really liked it because, as a bookworm, I can relate to that. I especially appreciated it because it meant that he liked books so much that each of them was his favorite. It made me smile.

So my final opinion on The Perks of Being a Wallflower? I'd say 3.5 stars.
I do think it's a bit overrated, but all in all it was pretty cute.
I wouldn't say Perks is one of my favorite books, but if you get through all of it I believe you can definitely learn something from it.

This review can also be found at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/364629229

[New Read] Wendy Higgins ~ Sweet Evil

And I've finally gotten my hands on this book!
I've been meaning to read it for MONTHS. But for some stupid reasons I never actually did.
Until now.
To be honest, I was reading Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer. It doesn't really have good reviews but the storyline sounded so cool that I wanted to try it anyway and shove in everbody's face how much I loved it.
But unfortunately everybody was right.
I've reached the half book line and things still haven't gotten better, so I decided to start Sweet Evil, too, because I was dying to read it and getting stuck on that other one wasn't in my plans.

So, about the book. So far it's good, but I haven't really read much of it yet. I just met Kayden, the male MC, and he doesn't seem to be bad. Anna is kinda cool, too, although she freaks me out a bit.
The storyline sounds about as fresh as you can get with the billions of PN books coming out these days, so I'm quite satisfied. It does have some pretty high reviews on goodreads, so I do have some expectations.
I just hope SE will do it for me.
I like the cover, although from what I've read so far the models don't really match up with the descriptions.
But oh well, that dress is adorable.