#Audiobook #Review: 5 out of 5 stars for The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky @StephenChbosky @recordedbooks @Noahegalvin

TITLE: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

AUTHOR: Stephen Chbosky

PUBLISHER: Recorded Books

PUBLICATION DATE: August 28, 2012 (first published 1999)

FORMAT: Unabridged Audiobook
LENGTH: 6 hrs 18 mins

GENRE: Young Adult. Contemporary

ISBN: 9781470330590

Most people think 15-year-old Charlie is a freak. But then seniors Patrick and his beautiful stepsister Sam take Charlie under their wings and introduce him to their eclectic, open-minded, hard-partying friends. It is from these older kids that Charlie learns to live and love.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie’s letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives or to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and music—when all one requires to feel infinite is that perfect song on that perfect drive.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

MY REVIEW:

I have had this audiobook on my TBR for so long, and I have been putting it off forever because I thought there would be too much angsty teen drama. I was wrong! Chbosky writes this YA contemporary in such a way that it gave me all the feels, even though this isn't a genre that I usually read.

The story is told entirely through Charlie's letters to an unnamed person. He talks about how he is worried about starting high school. He is the youngest of three kids, and his brother is a cool university football player and his sister is dating a jerk who hit her. Charlie makes friends with Patrick and his sister, Sam, who Charlie gets a crush on. 

Through Charlie's voice, we get an inside peek of his emotions about life and all that goes with it. At times he's funny and made me laugh, and other times he's sad and you can really feel for what he is going through. I loved Charlie! He's a sweet, sensitive, insightful and thoughtful friend.

I so loved Charlie's relationship with his English professor. Bill, the teacher, assigned books to Charlie to read that were over and above the classwork and Charlie would write papers on each of them.

This is a mature story with talk of drugs, sex, suicide, and abuse, so I'd say this is more for the upper range of YA readers. For me, the ending was a shock that I didn't see coming.

Memorable quotes:

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

“I would die for you. But I won't live for you.” 

“So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” 

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I intend to!

I loved Noah Galvin's narration! He brought Charlie to life, and he conveyed his emotions so perfectly. You could hear, at times, the despondency in his voice and it really tugged at my heart. Here is a sample of the narration:

MY RATING:

5 stars!! I loved it, and you should definitely put it on your TBR if you enjoy YA contemporary.

This book qualifies as:

#28 for my Audiobook Challenge 2018

#32 for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2018
#9 for my 2018 Reading Assignment Challenge

#45 for my 2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge

#40 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2018
#30 for my New Authors Reading Challenge 2018
#31 for my 2018 Try Something New Challenge
#10 for my 2018 Badass Books Reading Challenge
#7 for my For Reading Addicts Challenge
#36 for my 2018 Reading Challenge (Linz The Bookworm)
#5 for my 2018 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
#5A for my Monthly Key Word Challenge
#5B for my Color Coded Reading Challenge
#13B for my 2018 Literary Escapes Challenge

#45A for my Good Rule Reading Challenge
#12 for my 2018 Platypire Diversity Challenge
#2 for my Epistolary Reading Challenge 2018
#16 for my 2018 YA Reading Challenge
#10 for my 2018 Book to Movie Reading Challenge
#18 for my Bookish Bingo Spring 2018
Task #17 for my Goodreads Spring 2018 Scavenger Challenge - Umbrellas

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