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Cover of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyThe Perks of Being a Wallflower
Modern · Young Adult

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky
1999 · 240 pages · Fiction
70.5Must-Read
Score Modern
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 6 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Standing on the fringes of life, Charlie, a shy, sensitive freshman, writes letters to an unnamed friend about his first year of high school: new friendships, first loves, mixtapes and parties, family drama, and the trauma he hasn't yet faced.

Why it's worth reading

It's a modern classic of young-adult fiction, beloved by generations of readers who felt like outsiders.

You'll love it if you liked

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All the Bright PlacesJennifer Niven

Good to know

It deals with abuse, suicide, drugs and sexuality. The author directed the 2012 film.

By the numbers

70.5Must-Read Score
  • Readers71 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller38 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Young adult booksTop 25 · 219 rankedModern booksTop 25 · 1,573 rankedBooks of the 1990sTop 25 · 273 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Perks of Being a Wallflower worth reading?

Yes. It's a modern classic of young-adult fiction, beloved by generations of readers who felt like outsiders. It ranks #1,241 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.5 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Perks of Being a Wallflower about?

Standing on the fringes of life, Charlie, a shy, sensitive freshman, writes letters to an unnamed friend about his first year of high school: new friendships, first loves, mixtapes and parties, family drama, and the trauma he hasn't yet faced.

How long does it take to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

About 6 hours (240 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

If you liked it, try The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Looking for Alaska by John Green or All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.