I'll keep this book at a 4 star rating just because this book meant so much to me as a teenager, especially those times when I was anxious and lonely. The idea of being a spectator in life instead of participating stuck with me. The book touches on a lot of heavy topics, but not in a preachy way. On the other hand, it doesn't really go into any of those topics in depth as much as it could have. That might have more to do with the voice of the novel, which feels way more constructed rereading it now. Charlie's inability to read social situations but still getting multiple girlfriends and accolades about how brilliant he was was a little too much for me at times.

I'll keep this book at a 4 star rating just because this book meant so much to me as a teenager, especially those times when I was anxious and lonely. The idea of being a spectator in life instead of participating stuck with me. The book touches on a lot of heavy topics, but not in a preachy way. On the other hand, it doesn't really go into any of those topics in depth as much as it could have. That might have more to do with the voice of the novel, which feels way more constructed rereading it now. Charlie's inability to read social situations but still getting multiple girlfriends and accolades about how brilliant he was was a little too much for me at times.