“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” was published on Feb. 1st, 1999 and is a coming-of-age, young adult fiction novel written by Stephen Chbosky. This novel is also epistolary, meaning that it is written as a series of letters.

This was author Stephen Chbosky’s first novel as well as his most popular one.

Parents recommend this novel for anyone 15 years old and up as it can be too intense for younger readers due to adult content.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” takes place from August 1991 to August 1992 and focuses on Charlie, a 15-year-old boy, who is telling his story to an unknown reader through letters. In order to keep his identity a secret, Charlie changes the names of all the people in his life in order to not be discovered by the recipient of his letters.

Charlie's story starts on his first day of freshman year as he is trying to make it through the day while also coping with the recent suicide of his best friend, Michael.

Throughout the novel, he becomes friends with Patrick and his step-sister Sam, whom he met at a football game earlier in the school year. Patrick and Sam introduce Charlie into a world of rock music, love, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and other things teenagers typically do.

This novel tackles difficult topics including suicide, sexual assault, substance abuse, mental illness and more. Although this may be a triggering novel for some readers, it is a highly recommended read for young adults because it is informative when it comes to learning about and discussing these difficult topics.

Another review said that the novel was relatable and such an easy read because they could feel the character’s emotions. Therefore, the readers can form a better connection with the characters while reading.

Several book reviews mentioned that a lot of the quotes throughout the novel stuck with them, even months after finishing “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” The quotes mentioned the most include, “We accept the love we think we deserve,” and “I feel infinite.”

Overall, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” was given a 4.8 out of 5 stars on Google reviews, due to the fact that it covers relevant issues that face teens daily, and it does not sugarcoat these issues, regardless of how difficult they may be to discuss.

In 2012 this novel was developed into a movie which was 13 years after the novel was published. Even though the movie came out quite sometime after the novel, it received phenomenal reviews and a 4.8 out of 5-star rating, just like the novel.