Nothing Hates U! - Perks of Being a Wallflower Review and Why We Love It

By Sophia Kwak-Fang and Katie Zhao

“You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you're listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite.”

Dear Friend, 

If you’re interested enough to be viewing this article (a book review, of all the options, for god’s sake) we’d assume it’s safe to say that you like reading. Whether you already know and love the book we’re about to unpack, or are thinking of adding this to your to-be-read (or watch) list - we hope that like us, The Perks of Being a Wallflower will leave a special place in your heart. While there is only so much we can say in one article, we assure you this is more than a simple book + movie review - this is our personal take on the lessons written between the lines, along with some messages of our own (we promise it’s worth reading on!!). 

A classic coming-of-age novel, this book explores the life of Charlie - an awkward freshman student - through a series of letters addressed to the reader exploring his conflicting feelings and experiences. Complex relationships between friends, lovers, and family are discussed through Charlie’s words, as well as his growing love of music and literature. With year 12 graduation approaching, this is an on-theme read as Charlie describes his experiences with growing close to friends in senior years (Sam and Patrick in particular) as their graduation approaches throughout the book, while he counts down the days to his own - “Well, I have one thousand three hundred and eighty-four days to go.” 

We won’t bore you with too long of an overview - so let’s first get into some of the characters:

Charlie

Age - 15-16

Interests - books, writing, making mixtapes,

listening to music 

Character overview/personality - quiet, observant, thoughtful,

and shy. Suffered the loss of his friend, Michael, and traumas from

childhood. Watches the world silently - and understands people, 

but often doesn’t know the right way to act in social situations.

Quotes <3 - “My doctor said we can't choose where we come

from but we can choose where we go from there.”

“And I think it’s bad when the most honest way a boy can look 

at a girl is through a camera.”

Sam

Age - 17-18

Interests - music, parties, going to college, being with her friends

Character overview/personality - kind, warm energy,

open, intelligent. She builds strong relationships with friends, 

yet has her own struggles with her love life. Will always be there 

to offer help and words of comfort. Close bond with Charlie. 

Quote <3 - “You can't just sit there and put everybody's

lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love.”

Patrick (Nothing)

Age - 17-18

Interests - Going out, shows, performing, parties 

Character overview/personality - funny, unconventional,

and the life of the party. Makes his friends feel happy with his 

spontaneous personality and jokes (known by his nickname,

‘Nothing’). However, through his light-heartedness, he has difficulty 

processing emotions, especially during a love affair with his 

boyfriend, Brad. Sam’s stepbrother, and Charlie’s friend. 

Quote <3 - “You see things. You keep quiet about them. 

And you understand.”

Bill (Mr Anderson)

Age -  late 20s or early 30s

Interests - literature, writing, dedication to teaching

Character overview/personality - Charlie’s english teacher at

school. He sees Charlie’s sensitivity and love towards literature,

giving him the attention for his talent that he’d never received. He

exchanges his personal favourite books with Charlie and goes beyond 

what is expected of him as a teacher.  

Quotes <3 - “We accept the love we think we deserve.”

“I just want you to know that you’re very special….. and the only 

reason I’m telling you is that I don’t know if anyone else ever has.” 

Mary Elizabeth

Age -  17-18

Interests - chatting, counter-culture, shows, alt fashion, running a

DIY arts zine in punk rock, practicing Buddhism

Character overview/personality - talkative, opinionated, stylish, and 

rebellious. She loves attention and having control over situations - 

which has led to complications including her affair with Charlie. She 

manages local performances of the Rocky Horror Show. Good friends 

with Sam. 

Quote <3 - “It’s too late, Charlie.”

Note - make sure to check out our Buzzfeed-style quiz on the issue page to find out which character you’re most like!!

The role music plays -

“It was an old 45 record that had the Beatles’ song “Something.”...I would go to my bedroom window and stare at my reflection in the glass and the trees behind it and just listen to the song for hours. I decided then that when I met someone I thought was as beautiful as the song, I should give it to that person. And I didn’t mean beautiful on the outside. I meant beautiful in all ways. So, I was giving it to Sam.” - Charlie 

Charlie’s voice in TPOBAW often focuses on his love for music and what it meant to him. He collects records, makes mixtapes with carefully thought-out songs for his loved ones, or just spends ages in his room, listening for hours. Finding comfort in gentle, yet sorrowful songs like Asleep (the Smiths) and Landslide (Fleetwood Mac) in particular, music is seen as his safe place. An iconic, important scene in both the book and the movie is when Charlie, Sam, and Patrick drive through a tunnel at nighttime, with a song from their car radio echoing through the space (the book features “Landslide”, while the directors changed the ‘tunnel song’ to “Heroes” by David Bowie). This scene carries its significance in the feeling of freedom, belonging, and “infinity” as vividly described by Charlie - symbolizing the healing power of friendships and music. 

Role of books and literature-

Charlie writes of his love for books in TPOBAW, with a range of well-known reads mentioned throughout the book - including the Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Great Gastby, and Naked Lunch, just to mention a few. Many of these books were recommended by his English teacher, Mr Anderson, after noticing his appreciation of literature. The nurturing of his skills in English, however, goes beyond school. We see the thoughtfulness, processing of emotions, and expressive voicing of everything on his mind - from lunchroom fights, to feelings of love, to confusing memories of his childhood - through his heartfelt letters addressed to the reader. As a teenager with a genuine passion for reading and writing, Charlie clearly shows a quality of sensitivity that, let’s be real, majority of 15 year-old boys don’t share. The emphasis on writing through this story also emphasises the importance of communicating through written word - just like what we do at the Mary Word :)

The book vs. movie (and how different forms of media can alter the message of a story <3)

After both reading and watching the Perks of being a wallflower, it was interesting to see the differences and similarities between the two. Though the storyline kept true throughout the movie adaptation, the book’s epistolary format showed more of a psychological portrait of Charlie’s character, and overall, was more meaningful. However, the movie created a more visual sense of the same themes with the actors’ performances and soundtrack.

The book - 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is written through letters from Charlie. Though many interpretations of who he was writing to have been formed, our best guess is that he was writing to us, the readers. He starts off every letter with “Dear Friend,” and finishes with “Love always, Charlie.” At the beginning of the book, it is revealed that he uses fake names for all the people he writes in his letters to protect his anonymity. So, though we refer to him as “Charlie” his real name is a mystery. The format of personal letters from an unknown sender made the book explore the themes of mental health, relationships, and coming of age through the unfiltered lens of an awkward fifteen year old boy. The movie did achieve this, however, only so much rambling could be squeezed into a 2 hour film. 

What I found the book did particularly well was creating deep characters, though told in first person. The book portrays Charlie to be an extremely shy, quiet, and awkward person, as he writes about his failed social interactions he encountered on his first day of high school. Since the movie used the actor’s voice over (Logan Lerman) to narrate the character, I felt as though Charlie was more confident and humorous in the picture. 

Beyond Charlie’s character, the movie lacked in remembering the importance of his family dynamics. In the book, his parents and siblings played a significant role in Charlie’s personality and growth. The movie focused more on his friends, Sam and Patrick, making his family fall into the background at times. Fortunately, these differences didn’t affect the quality of the movie. However, it did cut out an entire scene with Charlie and his sister, Candice. SPOILERS- In the scene, Candice goes to Charlie for help after finding out she was pregnant from her toxic boyfriend. This shows a whole new side of Candice, who up until now, was usually distant and guarded. It evolves the two’s relationship and bonds them closer through the shared secret. It is also a stand against the social pressure young women globally have to face- hiding their sexuality to avoid judgment. It is commentary on how their fears in crisis often go unspoken, due to the rise of stereotypes and stigma around the topic. The scene also includes Charlie waiting outside the doctors for Candice, flipping through magazines of highly unrealistic beauty standards. This challenges the negative media influence girls face, that lead them to become “boy-driven” which is what caused Candice’s poor choices. This is one of my favourite parts of the book, because it writes about the burial of a young girl’s trauma and pain, in an open, honest way. Sadly, due to the themes surpassing the movie’s ideal PG rating, it was cut. 

Backlash -

Because of the amount of detail Charlie writes into his letters about his day to day life, the book to some, became boring. After logging the book onto my GoodReads profile, I stumbled across (a) BRUTAL review/s claiming that Chbosky’s writing did not suffice the depth of mental disorders, had too many annoying characters (which I slightly agree on) and is overall, overrated. My initial reaction was to respond to the review using a number of words, (that I could not list as an example due to…profanity) and continue to put the Perks of Being a Wallflower on the ultimate pedestal of coming of age books. However, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I think the book itself is, in some way, “boring,” as in, it follows a simple story of a young boy going through his difficult teenage years. Unfortunately, there are no talking snakes or nose-less villains like in Harry Potter. This “boring” story was made for readers to make their own. Reading the novel, I found parts to be relatable by putting them into my own perspective and lens. The book has a way of making itself feel like it was written for you- like the author had published your life with disguisable edits. Although I couldn’t relate to everything, for e.g, being a fifteen year old boy who’s bad at sports, I could still feel intense connection and empathy for the characters as a fifteen year old girl who’s bad at sports. I also know that I spent an ungodly amount of time thinking about the heart-felt, memorable lines that characters deliver (one of my favourites being “We accept the love we think we deserve”), making us realise how the book holds connection to our own lives. So, maybe the novel was made to be “boring”- because it’s real, and yours. 

The movie -

The movie created a visual world that was beyond the barriers of Charlie’s thoughts. We see new perspectives, clear settings, and iconic pieces of music with it. The movie changes the tone of the story from melancholic and deep to more of a hopeful spark made to reach out to the viewers. It also helped the characters become more real, by giving them suitable facial expressions, quirks, and physicality. It was interesting to see how the cast was different from what I had imagined in my head reading the book. 

Soundtrack -

Another change the movie made was their choice for the “tunnel” song. Originally in the book, Charlie, Sam, and Patrick drive through a scenic tunnel with the car roof down, blasting the Fleetwood Mac song, “Landslide.” The song is about the emotional weight of growing up, and changing. Instead of “Landslide”, the movie plays “Heroes” by David Bowie. The change in song caught many viewers attention as the scene is a metaphor for freedom, self-acceptance and transformation, making it one of the most inspiring scenes in the movie- changing the song would change everything, right? Stephen Chbosky, who wrote and directed the book and film, claimed that although “Landslide” was more meaningful in the book, “Heroes” better captivated the climax of the scene as the song is more triumphant and energetic.

Our final message <3  

For those of you in year 12 who are now leaving your awkward high school chapter behind, see yourself in Sam and Patrick. Their hardships were outweighed by all the memories, pictures, and inside jokes. Writing this in the middle of my high school completion, I can only hope that at your stage, the things I will remember after graduating will define me to be a better person. I hope that I can look back on what felt like a million years of six periods and feel eternally grateful to have experienced it, as well as “escaped” it. I hope that the most vivid memories will be the ones filled with friends, laughter and moments you wish you could photograph. Because it is happening, right now. 

Maybe you’d have preferred to have just a few more days of your usual classes, keeping the day of graduation an impending thought- but here you are, unforgivably unafraid, and of course, infinite.

For those of you in the audience at assembly, feeling betrayed and alone from the liberated class of 2025, see yourself in Charlie. Originally, we wanted to write this article to be more than just a book/movie review, but to find comfort for the younger years having to say goodbye to their friends and sisters. We want you to know that the sadness you feel now, is only a testament to the gratitude you hold for them. What feels like grief at this moment, is simply undeniable proof of the love you have for them.

Though the corridors and quads may now feel quieter, no certificate or ceremony can take away the memories you’ve shared together- as they are forever embroidered into your hearts. <3

For everyone, at this current moment, whether you love or hate The Perks of Being a Wallflower, never heard of it, or plainly, don’t care- we wanted to finish our article with one of the most important and inspiring messages from the book. That is, to participate in life. Life won’t happen if you cling onto every number on a report card, every mistake that haunts you in the middle of the night, or every embarrassing thing you say. “You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love” You have to do things. The things you love aren’t on the sidelines of a game, they are on the court- and to make it count, you need to be too. Standing on the fringe of life may feel safe and reliable, until you realise that being a spectator is…limited. Life won’t wait on you to pick up a paintbrush, instrument, or pencil, it will, however, keep moving.

And for the wallflowers- those who can blend in silently at a crowded party. Those who are overwhelmed by the nature of life. Those who feel invisible.

We see you, we hear you, and we notice you.

Love always, 

Sophia and Katie