Review: The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being A Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Published by Simon and Schuster
Paperback (purchased)
YA, contemporary, realistic fiction

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 mix 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 he 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.

I saw the movie years before I read the book, so I was familiar with the storyline even if I didn't remember all the details. Still, the story sucked me in and I felt everything as the main character, Charlie, did. Charlie was my favourite, hands down. I felt for him and loved him a lot. There were other brilliant characters like Charlie's family members and Patrick, as well as some I didn't warm up for - mainly Sam and Mary Elizabeth. The point is that every character were well fleshed and impeccably written.

I liked the feel of the story. For an American coming-of-age story, it was gritty with the topics of sex, drugs, violence, homosexuality, and rape. In a way it felt like I was reading a Nordic novel because of how melancholy it felt and how it did not shy of the heavier topics and the life of a teenager (I'm not saying every teenager are involved with drugs and violence etc. but more often than not American young adult novels tend to gloss over these topics even if they are part of a lots of teenagers life, directly or indirectly). And I loved how bluntly the things were told - reader won't be left to wonder what really happened. I do like bluntness a lot in stories. Anyway, Chbosky did justice for the characters and the heavy topics, and made it all enjoyable story that made me cry at times. It was brilliant. Good story, brilliant novel, and fabulous movie - I loved them all.

I highly recommend this if you can stomach some heavier topics and bluntness. For me, this is a modern classic because of how brilliant it is in every way.

5 of 5 stars.

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ARC Review: Press Play by Eric Devine

Press Play
by Eric Devine
Published by Running Press
Ebook (received from publisher via NetGalley, thank you!)
YA, contemporary, realistic fiction

Greg Dunsmore, a.k.a. Dun the Ton, is focused on one thing: making a documentary that will guarantee his admission into the film school of his choice. Every day, Greg films his intense weight-loss focused workouts as well as the nonstop bullying that comes from his classmates. But when he captures footage of violent, extreme hazing by his high school’s championship-winning lacrosse team in the presence of his principal, Greg’s field of view is in for a readjustment.

Greg knows there is a story to be told, but it is not clear exactly what. And his attempts to find out the truth only create more obstacles, not to mention physical harm upon himself. Yet if Greg wants to make his exposé his ticket out of town rather than a veritable death sentence, he will have to learn to play the game and find a team to help him.

Press Play is honest. That's the theme of the book and Devine's style: being so honest it hurts. Devine isn't afraid of saying things like they are or avoiding any subjects, and yes, at times it hurt. The shameless honesty hurt but it made the whole reading experience even better because it got me thinking. There was parts of the story when you just had to stop reading, think about what happened and what was said before continuing. Honesty is the thing in this book but it's not the only thing that made me love the story and it's characters.

There was solid plot but it was written so sneaky way that there was times when I wondered: where is this going? Is this relevant? And then, something happened and I understood the whole point. What makes a good contemporary story is a plot like this one had: there's a solid plot but it's not clear and obvious. The story flows like a real life: there was normal things, little things and then there was the whole picture. Also, I praise Devine not forcing any romance on the story. Devine let the story live it's own life and all romantic feelings were these little gestures and it was perfect that way.

Press Play had strong characters with flaws. Even when Greg or his friends didn't seem strong, they were. And oh, the character developement! Greg had such an amazing character developement, as did Quinn, Ollie and even Ella. There was also so many intriguing supporting characters, even the "bad guys" were well developed and I loved how Devine made it like real life: no one's simply bad without reasons, no one acts like they do without something being there in the past (or present). Press Play had complex subject but Devine handed it perfectly.

I highly recommend Press Play for everyone. It's one of those books you just should read like S.E. Hinton's Outsiders. It's stunning story about growing up, accepting who you are, about honesty, how life's not easy and probably never will be but you have to keep trying - and friend's makes things a little bit better.

Press Play is intriguing, captivating and brutally honest.

 

5 of 5 stars.

Thank you, Running Press, for giving me a chance to review Press Play!

 

 

Press Play on Goodreads.

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)