The Perks of Being a Wallflower is such a beautiful, classic teenage novel that never gets old. The story is told via letters from the teenage boy Charlie to an anonymous friend sharing his thoughts and observations. I absolutely love Charlie, who is so honest, deep and vulnerable that you just want to hug him and tell him that everything will be alright.

This epistolary story follows Charlie from his freshman year of high school. Charlie is a shy and introvert wallflower, who prefers to stay on the edges of life and observing others. I love how honest and deep Charlie is and the way he navigates friendship, crushes, drugs, mixtapes and many other teen problems. He will get you thinking about the good things and what really matters in life.

But in addition to a story about how to navigate through high school, it’s also an important story about mental health and abuse. This book is such a rollercoaster ride, from hilarious to devastating, from cute to dead serious, from teen problems to something much worse. It’s such an emotional, deep and realistic story about being true to yourself and not confirming to what’s ‘normal’. Some parts were utterly uncomfortable whilst others were so sweet I read them with a smile all over my face.

All in all, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a heartbreaking, awkward, gripping and wonderful book that I recommend anyone to read!

Rating:
4.5 stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Stephen Chbosky

I was a bit late getting my copy of the book, so when I started reading it I had already read quite a lot of mixed reviews, so I was very aware that this book was not as widely loved as the previous ones in the ACOTAR series. But I really did like it a lot more than expected! It was so good to be back in the beautiful world that Sarah J Maas has created and to catch up with all of the fave characters like Feyre, Rhys, Cassian, Azriel and Mor again.

In this novella we get to see the aftermath of the war in Velaris and the rebuilding of the city as well as some insights to the next installment, but most of the focus was on the inner circle preparing and then celebrating the Winter Solstice. There were also some new potential romances and some slow developments of the romances we have already begun to see, but I’d (of course) love to get so much more of that!

The book is told in alternating points of view, which was a new take that I really liked! It’s mainly told in first person by Feyre and Rhysand, but there are some chapters that are told in third person by Cassian and Mor, which made it much more interesting and added to the understanding of what they had been and was going through. There really is so much more to explore from the other members of the inner circle, especially Azriel! I’m so curious about his shadows. I also liked reading about Tamlin, even though it was mostly depressing. I have a feeling his situation is going to change soon.

This book was so short it only took me a few hours to read it. In a way I would rather have waited for a “full” book instead of this novella, but on the other hand, I’m always happy to get into the ACOTAR-world and to get anything new to read… There are some things I did not like though: all the focus on getting Solstice presents made the story drag a bit, and the relationship between Feyre and Rhys was beginning to feel a bit like an old married couple spending too much time working and talking about doing it, but never really getting it on… But besides those minor reservations, it was a really fun and great read. Not near as good as ACOMAF, but still definitely good enough for me to eagerly await the next book in the series! (Especially after reading the sneak peek of the next book, it really got me intrigued!)

​Rating:
​4 stars

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​Author info:
Sara J Maas

This book is a standalone, but it felt a lot like a sequel to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which made me so happy! And even though it didn’t convey in me the same feelings as Simon vs did, it was still so wonderful to be back in my beloved Simonverse again that I binge-read it in a couple of hours!

The main character in this cute book is Simon’s friend Leah Burke and plot-wise, this book takes place one year after the events following Martin’s blackmail of Simon and Simon and “Blue” becoming a couple. To be honest, there isn’t that much of a story in this book though, it’s mostly focusing on what everyone is up to this year and their plans after graduation (lots and lots of graduation angst!). I also have to admit that I didn’t really connect with Leah. Her character sometimes came off as really mean and selfish and with double-standards. But on the other hand it was so refreshing with her sarcasm and humor and badass attitude and that Becky allowed her to be a totally messy person with all her flaws. There were also some scenes that I found a bit problematic from a queer perspective. And to be honest, the romance felt a bit forced. There were not a lot of cute moments between them, except for the adorable scene in the end, but I want more to really invest in them as a couple. But I still love Becky Albertalli’s writing style, it’s so good and addictive! I also love all the diversity in her books, and that we got to see a f/f-romance.  But what I loved absolutely most was getting to read about Simon again. Every time Simon appeared, I got this goofy, happy smile all over my face. There were so many cute scenes with them, and Blue’s promposal must be the best ever, it was pure literary perfection!

So a little bit of mixed feelings for the book, but nevertheless it was a good story with a great mix of feel-good, romance and friendship and serious topics like racism, bisexuality, the coming-out struggle, body insecurity and more. But most of all, I loved it for giving me more of Simon and “Blue”! 
​
Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Becky Albertalli

The Next Together is an intriguing story about a couple who are destined to be reborn again and again. Their love is boundless and each time their presence changes history. I really enjoyed the unique premise of time travel and losing your love over and over in each time period, and the historic settings. 

The story follows Matthew and Katherine through century after century, spanning from the Crimean War, the Carlisle Siege and into the future. The narrative took a little while to get into as it jumps between different time periods and as it uses letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings, blogs, emails, maps, fridge post-it notes and the like to tell the story. The concept was fantastic and very unique, and there were lots of inventive touches. These insights not added to the story, but to the development of each character. But still, I would have appreciated if the characters would have had a bit more depth. Since each chapter introduced a new time period and setting, I think there was just a little bit too much going on to give the characters enough space to be fully developed. I therefore never rooted as much for neither Matthew or Katherine as I would have wished. And the ending felt a bit rushed.

But all in all, Lauren James did a great job to deliver an intriguing and complex plot! This was a very unique and intriguing read, with a cute and enjoyable love story. If you like time travel, epic romance and mystery, I definitely recommend you to check this book out!

Rating:
3.5 stars rounding up to 4

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​Author info:
Lauren James