The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

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This 'coming-of-age' novel tells the story of Charlie, a naive and slightly unusual teenage boy, through his first year in high school. Having had a turbulent few years, losing his best friend to suicide and losing his Aunt to whom he was very close, Charlie has grown old before his time. This really comes across in his general approach to life.

Charlie is a very loveable character who is befriended by a couple of seniors from his school. He soon integrates into their social group and starts to have exciting and enlightening experiences. Adult themes are not shied away from, with this story tackling suicide, alcohol addiction, sex, drugs and homosexuality to mention a few.

Charlie puts his thoughts and experiences into open and frank letters which he sends to an anonymous recipient. These letters form the story that we read giving the novel a diary-like feel. The language used and experiences had really help us to get to know the protagonist and as a result I found myself rooting for him! Go Charlie!

In short, this book has all the themes you expect of a high school story with proms and house parties, but it shows the darker side of these events. It isn't a feel-good romance novel. There isn't the typical moral at the end and Chbosky didn't feel the need to tidy up all those loose ends and put a pretty bow on it. And that's why I like it!

I haven't seen this film yet, so would love to hear what you thought of it and how the book and film compare. Let me know!

The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins

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The Hunger Games: A brutal Reality TV show taking place in a dark, dystopian world in the near future. Pitting 24 of the nation's poorer people against each other in an arena. They fight to the death for the entertainment of the rich who live in the Capitol. Only one can succeed, but can anyone really come out of this a winner?

The Hunger Games tells the tale of Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who enters the Games to spare her younger sister. She struggles to conform with what is expected of her by the powers that be and this results in some dire consequences for her and those she loves. The second and third books follow on from this, examining the aftermath of Katniss' controversial actions. You may well have seen the film or the trailers and I don't want to give too much else away!

I read the trilogy after watching and enjoying the first film. Even knowing the outcome of the opening book, I was still unable to put it down and the writing absorbed me. Collins paints a picture of a truly awful time and place to live so vividly. We learn how the corruption originally came about and, and how those who don't want to accept this way of life rise up to fight against it. 

Being filed in the YA category. I feel, may put some people off this title. I tend not to let that scare me! The subject matter addressed here is every bit as adult as Orwell's 1984, just that the protagonists here are teenagers.

I have recommended this trilogy many, many times and will continue to do so. A really gripping read. Give it a bit of your time!

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Given my rave review of Gone Girl, I approached Sharp Objects with caution. It's always risky to delve into the back-catalogue of an author you've just discovered. Will the previous novels be as good?

Camille Parker, journalist, for an overall unremarkable newspaper, has been assigned to a story in her childhood town of Wind Gap. She is to cover the abduction of two young girls, which could be the breakthrough piece she's after for her career. The problem is Camille has already escaped Wind Gap once, and she isn't in a hurry to return. 

She has already escaped her highly-strung mother once too. A mother that drove her to self-harm. Camille's half-sister has changed a lot since she last saw her. Once a little mummy's girl, she is now a spoilt, precocious teenager and ringleader in her group of girlfriends, with some dark secrets of her own.

Camille's investigation unearths some long-buried information that threatens to upend all she knows about the people she grew up around. She needs to finish her story, before being in Wind Gap destroys her for good.

What we have here is another example of a Flynn novel that I just could not put down! The claustrophobic, small-town atmosphere is perfectly captured in Flynn's descriptions. While I didn't particularly 'bond' with the lead character (she's not entirely likeable) the narration is easy to get absorbed in and there is a realism about her. 

The story itself was really engaging and I kept wondering, over and again, if I had figured out the twist. Hint: I hadn't! A good mix of a twisted family dynamic and a crime thriller. Overall, another fantastic novel from Flynn. I'm definitely a fan and will be reading more from her in the near future.