MINI-REVIEWS #1: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell + The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Hey all! Poppy Fairy here! I've been reading a lot of books lately but I can't seem to write full book reviews about them. They always fall way shorter than my typical reviews and since there's no more brain farts to be produced, I thought I should finally give up and make them mini-reviews instead, lol.

Title: Carry on
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Purchase on: Amazon

Summary:

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

I've been shipping Simon and Baz ever since Fangirl, so it was a dream come true when Carry On was written (bless you, Rainbow Rowell) and I must say that this book doesn't disappoint!

Well, to be upfront, the SimonBaz couple cuteness overload may have had my judgment all muddled because for me, the story itself was only second to the SimonBaz dynamic, but it doesn't change the fact that I also enjoyed the story and that the plot is very much absorbing! Wizards take the center stage in Carry On but there are also vampires and goblins and dragons too! 

I think the epilogue dragged on longer than necessary but it has SimonBaz all over it so I don't mind it one bit. I also think that some parts where the characters had personal transitions didn't go smoothly like they should have. BUT! These were all overshadowed by the relationship between Simon and Baz. I mean it. There were times when I had to stop reading because they were too cute and I was too giddy that all the butterflies in my stomach were threatening to break free! It helped that Simon and Baz are opposites so their chemistry was at full force. Oh, Cath I wish you were a real person so I could fangirl with you!

Rating: 4.5 Fairy wings!

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Purchase on: Amazon

Summary:

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day...or wondering who did the heart breaking and wondering why."

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.


The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

I have this habit of not watching book to movie adaptations unless I've read the book first. So for months, it never crossed my mind to watch The Perks movie, but now that I've read the book, I'm not interested in seeing the movie at all. Don't get me wrong, the book is not bad per se but it's not an exceptional one either, IMO. I loved Charlie in the first part. In fact, I wanted to be the Charlie in the first half of the book. I thought he was very smart and I loved his innocence and his personality as a whole.

Charlie is not someone without flaws, but he was young and there are so many rooms for him to mature as a character but as the story progressed, he had all these negative developments. I understood his situation and because of that, I was all the more heartbroken by the things he chose to do. 

But still, even though I don't approve of the things Charlie did to himself, the book keeps true to its coming of age premise and believe it or not that mattered to me more than anything. And can I just say that this book is so full wisdom and quotable quotes?

Rating: 3 Fairy wings!