The Perks of Being a Wallflower Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Written by Stephen Chbosky
# of pages: 213

Average Rating: 4.16/5
My Rating: 2/5

Read in January 2013

Summary

This is a story about a teenager named Charlie who is not very popular, very shy, and can tell things about people based on instinct. He meets two people named Sam and Patrick, and they introduce him to a whole new world. This includes a whole new spectrum of friends, but also drugs, sex, and other high school pressures. 


My Thoughts

I know that a lot of people really enjoy this book and think that it is life-changing, but I am not one of those people. I did not think that the plot to this story was that good or very original, which led to me not enjoying what I was reading. In my opinion, this was just a regual coming-of-age story, with nothing special involved, or any moments that stuck out to me.

The main character, Charlie, tended to creep my out for various reasons - mostly his personality and his tendencies - but the other characters were funny. There was quite a bit of character development for Charlie in this story, as he had many life experiences - well, high school experiences. He was able to get out of his little bubble that included only himself, and tried things he never thought he would.

Overall, I was very disappointed with this story, as I had heard many great things, and had high expectations. Maybe I had set my expectations too high, or I missed the life-changing aspect of this book.

Tempest Book Review

Tempest

Written by Julie Cross
# of pages: 334

Average Rating: 3.74/5
My Rating: 4/5

Read in June 2013

Summary

Jackson is a 19 year-old who seems to be a normal guy - he is going to college, he has a girlfriend, and he can travel through time. So maybe he's not that normal after all. Whenever he travels into the past, he does not change anything, it is mostly just for fun and adventure. It is all fun and games until one day strangers appear in his girlfriend Holly's apartment and something happens that changes Jackson's life and puts people in danger. Now it is up to Jackson to try and rescue Holly, all while uncovering secrets from his past, and learning more about himself and what he really appreciates ( or doesn't appreciate enough) about his life.

My Thoughts

I found parts of this book to be obvious of what would happen next in the story, rather than building the anticipation in the reader.

This book took me almost a month to read, because I found the first half of the plot to be very slow and boring. Once I sat down in a very quiet place, and put all of my thoughts and energy into this book, I found it quite easy to get sucked into the story and enjoy the rest of it.

This story was told in first person perspective from the main character Jackson, but there were other characters in Jackson's life. That being said, I figured I would reflect on who was my favourite character. Out of all of the characters in this novel, I would pick Adam - Jackson's best friend - as my favourite. He was a great comedic relief to plot points, he was a great part in Jackson's journey as he figured out formulas, came up with theories and conclusions, and was just a great overall help.

My least favourite character was Holly - yes, Jackson's girlfriend - because I found her to be annoying. I could compare he to that fly on your windshield that never goes away. There were times in this story where I found that she was getting in the way of things, saying things she didn't need to, etc. Let's hope that Holly acquires some character development, and is a lot easier to deal with in the second novel.

Overall, this book didn't live up to my expectations, but the ending made up for that. It left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, and made me want to pick up the sequel. This book felt more like a romance novel to me than anything else, and I believe that is what set me off on the wrong foot with it.

Wonderstruck Book Review

Wonderstruck

Written by Brian Selznick
# of Pages: 630

Average Rating:
My Rating:

Read: June 2013

Summary

This book tells the story of two people in two different times - Ben from 1977, and Rose from 1927. Ben is deaf but in one ear, while Rose is completely deaf. Rose's story shows her as a girl constantly sneaking out of her house, until one day she decides to runaway to New York. Ben's story is a much sadder one as he is dealing with the recent loss of his mother. He is now living with his aunt and uncle because he has no idea who or where his father is. Ben's story takes you on a journey with him to find his father, while Rose is on a journey to find somewhere where she belongs.

My Thoughts

A really heartfelt novel about struggles, inner strength, fitting in, and discovering who you really are.

I loved this book! Wonderstruck is a middle grade novel that tells the story of two people - Ben and Rose. The cool part about this book is that one of the stories is told through words, while the other one is told through pictures! It was so easy to follow along, even with mostly pictures and I read this book in no time!

The reason that I didn't give this novel 5 stars is because I found there wasn't much character development, and I also found that with Rose's story, things should have been more clear and easier to understand some parts - so maybe there should have been more pictures.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone, as it can relate to a bigger audience than just middle grade. I really enjoyed this story, I had emotions for the characters, I laughed, got excited, and there were sad moments. This was my favourite book that I had read in June, and I am glad I picked this book up!