UEL English PEN Society Book Reviews

I hate reading things that are overly popular, so I avoided this book like a plague, until I decided to read it as part of my dissertation reading list. What is a wallflower? 

Wallflower (noun)
a shy or retiring person who remains unnoticed at social events, especially a woman without a dance partner 

I have to admit, I was a wallflower throughout my teenage life. However, I didn't handle it as well as Charlie did.  I have mixed feelings about this book because it discussed serious issues such as abuse, rape in a very brief manner - they all seemed to have happened and then just moved on, although I do know this occurred because we are seeing the story through Charlie's perspective.

Charlie is a freshman. A wallflower. One who is unnoticed, but notices everything. We can tell that through the storytelling - some of the observations definitely made me smile. 

This book will definitely make you go 'awww' and remind you of your teenagehood and all the adventures you have or wanted to experience. At the same time, teenagers will be able to relate to the book as well. Even though the book was written in 90s, the setting is pretty much the same today.
The writing style is very simple and appropriate for various of ages. I do love the music that was mentioned in the book and have googled most of the songs that appeared on various mixtapes. 
I know that there is a movie about the book, which I have yet to watch, but at some point I will. 

xoxo Mandy