dlrosebyh's reviews
741 reviews

sharing spotify account as a love language

apparently ava reid is kinda like a white supremacist so no thanks 

would have enjoyed this more if it was an adult novel

If I were to describe this book in one word, it would be sonder— the realization that other people have lives, too. And I think, that Charlie, for multiple times in the book, was experiencing this too.

This is not my first time reading this book. It was my favorite book growing up, and part of it was because I found Charlie very relatable. Like Charlie, I have always been a wallflower growing up— just there. And it was a struggle for me to accept the fact that I was a wallflower. I wanted to belong somewhere. I think we all do.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows Charlie's diary entries. I don't think I have ever read a more fervent story than this one. My younger self started owning a diary just so I could be as honest and acknowledge my feelings and emotions the way Charlie did. It's hard to describe what the book is about because it is a bunch of entries, yes, but it felt like a hug. We follow Charlie through thick and thin, and this book was very uncensored and I really liked that aspect of it. I felt like Charlie was talking to me, and in a way, he felt like a friend.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower starts with Charlie entering high school as a freshman, after the death of his best friend. The story progresses from there. It deals with accepting yourself for who you are. Andd a little sprinkle of the fear of growing up. I just felt so seen. And I swear I am not exaggerating when I say I learned more from reading this book than I ever had my whole life.

I'm not articulate enough to add further details about the story, so even if this book may sound unappealing, just give it a try. It's a timeless classic for a reason. 

i want to kill myself

As someone who grew up in a swimming team in the Philippines, this book made me miss training so much. I picked this up out of nowhere just because I wanted to read something that could reignite my love for swimming—and god, this was beautiful.

Duet Me Not has a range of themes—from complex family relationships, to friendships, to passion, and self-determination. This felt like a love letter to every perfectionist out there. That it was okay to breathe, to take a break. This may be a romance book, but it's not even the romance plot that made this book special. Sure, June and Ashvin were sweet, but what I loved was the fact that the cast of characters were so domestic with each other. They each had their own struggle, but they were so open, so vulnerable, and were willing to help each other.

In many ways, I saw myself in June. From being a swimmer, to the identity crisis, and to the extent of having a tiny bit of mommy issues because haha, perfectionism. Just like the water, this book felt like home to me.

hello if your name is chenwen, please marry me asap 

3 words: Shakespeare, Gay, Sad

This book went straight to the most me-coded books ever. For years, my friends have begged me to read this book because it's very me-coded and I would LOVE it. It's actually astounding—the amount of friends that recommended me this book. But all of them were right.

I have always loved theatre growing up, and I don't think that's a secret. I love Shakespeare (sometimes). I love found family. I love sad, misunderstood gay characters. All the stars were aligned. It was impossible for me to like this book. Not even my hater self can hate this book.

If there's one thing Rio did amazingly was to write the characters!! I probably shouldn't root for them, but Rio got me rooting for them. Like no, your honor, they didn't do anything wrong!! WHATTTT!!! I have always loved morally grey characters because they add so much dynamic to the story. Each character served its own purpose, and it's so interesting and entertaining see how they are fleshed out. James, Oliver, Meredith, and Flippa are all so me. It's insane. If you count how much times I have annotated the book with "He/She's so me", I would have hundreds of dollars.

When Rio said you can justify anything if you do it poetically enough, she was TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK. It was so poetic and beautiful. You could tell she poured her whole heart into it, and you know, she has EXPERIENCE being an actress. It's always so fun looking at the backstage of theatre works.

After this book, I want to throw myself because what the fuck was that ending??? This the type of book that will result to you opening a yet another new AO3 tab. Now, I stop here because I might accidentally spoil the whole book. But PLEASE, if you're looking for a next read, make it this one.